While gray hairs are completely natural, just the sight of one triggers an internal instinct to immediately pull it out. Now, the commonly held belief is that if you pluck it, many more grays will follow in its wake. This is actually a myth—what you do to a single strand can't spread like contagion.
Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “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.”
Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
Graying is a gradual process; according to a study by L'Oreal, overall, of those between 45 and 65 years old, 74% had some gray hair, covering an average of 27% of their head, and approximately 1 in 10 people had no gray hairs even after the age of 60.
For men having white hair was a sign of distinction, hinted at nobility, and was even a sign of virility. It couldn't have been more different for women. It was a sign of their deterioration with age, and the end of their fertility.
Regeneration of hairs after plucking is a population-based behavior that depends on the density and distribution of the plucked follicles. Plucking hairs from high density areas (middle and far right) led to significant hair regeneration 12 days later.
“While there may be some degree of inflammation in the hair follicle from tweezing, generally tweezing is not considered a form of permanent hair removal and a new hair will be produced,” he says.
Vitamin B-12 deficiency
White hair at an early age can also indicate a vitamin B-12 deficiency. This vitamin plays an important role in your body. It gives you energy, plus it contributes to healthy hair growth and hair color.
Smoking. Lifestyle choices like smoking also come into play. Lighting up is known to speed up skin aging and can cause premature grays. A 2013 study found that people who smoke cigarettes have more gray hair before age 30.
There are times when reaching for tweezers may be the best solution. “When done correctly, plucking removes the entire hair from the follicle, keeping it from growing back for up to 6 weeks. If you tweeze with skill in an area such as the eyebrows, it can give you more control than waxing,” Gonzalez says.
“When done correctly, plucking removes the entire hair from the follicle, keeping it from growing back for up to 6 weeks. If you tweeze with skill in an area such as the eyebrows, it can give you more control than waxing,” Gonzalez says.
If you have sensitive skin, it's best to avoid waxing, tweezing, depilatories, and even laser removal or electrolysis, which may be too harsh and cause long-term damage. Trimming or carefully shaving are the best options.
Hair is pigmented by melanocytes, the same cells responsible for the tanning of skin, in the hair follicle. After repeated plucking and traumatization of the follicle the hair may grow in without pigment and therefore appears white.
Experts think the urge to pull hair happens because the brain's chemical signals (called neurotransmitters) don't work properly. This creates the irresistible urges that lead people to pull their hair. Pulling the hair gives the person a feeling of relief or satisfaction.
“When done correctly, plucking removes the entire hair from the follicle, keeping it from growing back for up to 6 weeks. If you tweeze with skill in an area such as the eyebrows, it can give you more control than waxing,” Gonzalez says.
You bleed because you ruined the hair follicle that the specific hair rested in. It's a good thing in disguise because if you ruined the hair follicle, it won't grow back.
Plucking hairs in a precise pattern can make even more pop up in their place, a US study suggests. Playing with the density of hair removed altered how serious an injury the body recognised and in turn how much hair regrew.
"When you tweeze your hair, it does tend to damage the hair follicle permanently, and it can cause the hair to grow back thinner, the same effect with waxing," Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist, tells Romper.
Electrolysis is a good treatment option for treating unwanted white hairs on the face and body. It's a permanent solution to remove light and fine or red hairs that are otherwise impossible to eliminate with other treatments like laser or IPL because the lack of pigment.
This is when you notice hair appearing to turn grey, when there is a mix of dark colored and grey or white hair. As the person grows older and the body's ability to produce melanin begins to slow down, all the hair in the body turns grey or white and this when you begin to see all white hair.
With the right diagnosis and treatments, white hair progression can be stopped and reversed in some instances. A balanced diet and good hair care can also help. In some cases, however, the process is irreversible. Regular use of natural remedies may slow down and possibly reverse white 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, medications, your gray hair cannot be reversed.
Often people think grey hair will inevitably make them look old, but, as Paul Falltrick, Matrix Global Design Team Member points out, this isn't necessarily the case. "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.