The change in hair colour occurs when melanin ceases to be produced in the hair root and new hairs grow in without pigment. The stem cells at the base of hair follicles produce melanocytes, the cells that produce and store pigment in hair and skin. The death of the melanocyte stem cells causes the onset of greying.
Hair typically starts turning white from the roots due to a decrease in melanin production, which is responsible for hair color. As the hair grows, the new hair that emerges from the follicles is devoid of pigment, resulting in white or gray hair.
When hair truly begins to lose its color, it happens at the follicle level. Your hair may get lighter with sun exposure, but the gray starts at the roots!
Damage and Breakage: Hair damage and breakage can also contribute to the appearance of black roots and grey tips. If you have been using gels or elastic headbands that have caused thinning or breakage in certain areas, it is possible for new hair growth in those areas to have a different color (3).
Science of Grays
As you age, these cells start to die. Without pigment, new hair strands grow in lighter and take on various shades of gray, silver, and eventually white. Once a follicle stops making melanin, it won't make colored strands again.
Premature graying may be reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation only if vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause. If you are graying due to other factors, such as genetics, zinc deficiency, and medications, your gray hair cannot be reversed.
The average age of onset of hair graying appears to be mid- to late forties; however, this varies with race, with the average age for Caucasians being mid-thirties, that for Asians being late thirties, and that for Africans being mid-forties.
It has long been thought that reversal of gray hair on a large scale is rare. However, a recent study reported that individual gray hair darkening is a common phenomenon, suggesting the possibility of large-scale reversal of gray hair.
The white bulb at the end of your hair is essentially a bundle of protein, known as keratin. The role of the white bulb is to help the hair follicle root to the scalp, which then allows the hair to grow until it is shed.
Redway recommends “reducing heat styling and protecting hair as it can alter the color and texture as well as try to avoid chlorine in water as it can tint your color,” she says. How long does it take from the first gray hair to going full gray? “On average between five and 10 years,” says Onuoha.
Melanin is what gives your hair (and skin) its natural color. People of African descent, Thai, and Chinese people, go grey more slowly.
Pubic hair can turn gray before you see any gray on your head. Just like the hair on the head, the hair on the rest of the body, including the pubic area, is subject to graying. As people age, their skin produces less melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for giving skin and hair its color.
Generally, people start seeing grey hairs appear around their forties and fifties, but some can experience greying as early as their twenties or thirties. Unfortunately, it is all down to genetics, so there's no way to predict when grey or white eyebrows will appear.
However, as you get older, you produce lower amounts of catalase, which allows the hydrogen peroxide to build up. This buildup can damage the pigment-producing cells, leading to gray or white hairs. In women, graying usually begins right around the temples and then moves toward the top of the scalp.
We have previously published findings that, after the age of 50, humans are seldom with- out gray hair. At this age, around 50% of men and 30% of women are moderately or totally gray haired.
If the cause of greying is genetic, it is not possible to reverse the process, no matter what some marketers on the internet claim. In case of nutritional deficiencies and underlying medical conditions, you can gradually slow down or even reverse the process.
The black dots are due to remnant of the upper part of the hair root, which remains adherent to the hair-follicle ostium. Hair powder, also known as hair dust, on the other hand, is caused by complete destruction of the hair shaft, leaving a 'sprinkled hair residue' [1].
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.
Official answer. Sudden hair shedding or thinning, especially when accompanied by a white bulb at the end of the hair, is often due to a condition called telogen effluvium. The white bulb indicates that the hair was in the resting (telogen) phase of the hair growth cycle.
A review of research suggests that proper supplementation may reverse premature graying in those who are deficient in certain nutrients, including iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.
Typically, White people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asian people in their late 30s, and Black people in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50. A White person is considered to be prematurely gray if their hair turns gray by age 20.
When melanocytes stop producing pigments altogether, the result is completely white hair strands. It's possible to have both of these natural processes going on at the same time for a blend of white and gray hair.
There's no hard-and-fast rule about when (or if!) you should stop coloring your hair and go gray; it's ultimately a personal choice.
Any deficiencies of vitamin B9, B12, biotin, or vitamin D can contribute to premature graying. One 2018 review notes various deficiency studies on vitamin D3, vitamin B12, copper, zinc, and calcium and their connection to graying hair.
The bottom line. When and how thoroughly your hair turns gray is influenced mostly by the genes you inherit from your parents. Though stress may play a role in the process, it would be more helpful to look to past generations rather than your current stress levels to help you predict when or if you'll go gray.