Is it okay to pluck white hair?

Author: Zachary Kuhn  |  Last update: Monday, October 20, 2025

No, most experts agree that pulling out gray hair is an impulse best avoided. Though plucking white hairs may seem like a quick and easy solution to your haircare woes, repeated plucking can damage the hair follicle and potentially cause the hair to thin.

Should I pluck out white hair?

Plucking white or gray hair is generally not recommended for several reasons: Hair Regrowth: Plucking a hair doesn't stop the growth of new hair; it may just lead to the hair growing back in a similar or different color. Over time, repeated plucking can damage the hair follicle.

Can the white hair turn black again?

In most cases, once hair has turned grey or white, it cannot naturally return to its original color. This is because the melanocytes in the hair follicles stop producing melanin. While there are exceptions due to specific factors, regaining natural hair color without external intervention is rare.

How do you stop white hair from growing?

However, treating certain health conditions can help prevent early white hairs in the first place.
  1. Have your thyroid checked.
  2. Get more B-12.
  3. Don't forget vitamins B-6, D, and E and biotin.
  4. Get your essential minerals.
  5. Combat oxidative stress through your diet.
  6. Stop smoking and try to limit stress.
  7. Be nicer to your hair.

What hairs should you not pluck?

Moles, acne, and ingrown hairs

For hairs that are close to or directly on skin with moles or acne, more tweezing can lead to more inflammation. If the goal of tweezing or plucking facial hair is to make your face cleaner, tweezing can cause the opposite effect.

Is it okay to pull out Grey Hair? - Dr. Rasya Dixit

Why do white hairs grow?

When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color — like gray, silver, or white — as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin.

Should I pluck my dead hair?

"Plucking a hair will cause trauma to the follicle. So you really don't [want to pluck]. You don't want to cause any trauma to follicles that are naturally getting smaller as we get older. So it's best to leave those hairs in place," said Olga Bunimovich, a UPMC dermatologist.

Are white hairs caused by stress?

Stress has been shown to speed up signs of aging — including gray hair. When you're stressed, your body has a fight-or-flight response and releases a hormone called norepinephrine. This causes the melanocytes — the cells that produce melanin — to move out of your hair follicles.

Can B12 reverse gray hair?

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.

At what age does white hair start?

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.

Is white hair permanent?

Prevention and reversing premature white hair. If genetics or aging is the cause, nothing can prevent or reverse the process. However, treating graying hair could allow color pigmentation to return if the loss is due to a medical condition.

Which vitamin deficiency causes white hair?

Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.

What nationality does not get gray hair?

Melanin is what gives your hair (and skin) its natural color. People of African descent, Thai, and Chinese people, go grey more slowly.

Is it OK to cut off white hair?

Your surrounding hairs will not turn white until their own follicles' pigment cells die.” If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.

Is it bad to pluck nose hairs?

Plucking your nose hairs is never recommended, and here's why. Plucking your nose hair can cause a nasal cavity infection called nasal vestibulitis. While usually pretty easy to treat, it can cause complications, such as boils, blisters, redness, and swelling.

How to get back melanin in hair?

Vitamin A, C and B12 are the most needed vitamins to increase the melanin production in your hair. Add citrus fruits like oranges, grapes, pineapple, and melon to your diet. Also eat vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beans, etc. Non vegetarians can try adding red meat, chicken liver, fish, and eggs to their diet.

What are the negatives to taking B12?

High doses of vitamin B-12, such as those used to treat a deficiency, might cause:
  • Headache.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Fatigue or weakness.
  • Tingling sensation in hands and feet.

Which fruits have B12?

A good source of B12, such as an apple, banana, blueberry, or eggs, should be added to improve B12 levels over time. However, for short term improvements in your levels you should start with medication.

Can lack of sleep cause grey hair?

Oxidative Stress: Sleep deficiency can lead to increased oxidative stress in the body, which, in turn, can damage melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin. This damage can expedite the greying process.

At what age does pubic hair turn white?

In some individuals, the change in color of pubic hair may occur around the age of fifty, but it can happen earlier or later, depending on individual genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors.

Does plucking white hair increase it?

There's an oft-repeated myth that pulling out one gray hair causes ten more to grow in its place. That's not true—but it's still not a good idea to pluck your grays. While yanking out a stray gray or two may not seem like a big deal, over time, it can become one.

Why shouldn't you pluck your chin hair?

Every time you pluck a hair from the root, it causes trauma to the follicle, resulting in inflammation. This often leads to a small spot at the sight of removal. Each hair you pluck also leaves an opening for bacteria, and how often do you clean your tweezers?

When you pluck a hair, what is the white stuff?

The "white gunk" you might notice in hair follicles is typically sebum, a natural oil produced by your sebaceous glands to protect and hydrate the skin and hair. Sebum, combined with dead skin cells and other debris, can build up around the hair follicle and harden, often looking like a white or yellowish gunk.

Can I pluck my pubic hair?

Even getting out your tweezers for the odd hair might seem harmless, but next time swap the tweezers for your razor and some shaving gel to remove those stray hairs. This is because plucking hairs can traumatise the follicle, causing scar tissue to build-up around the pore.

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