Grey hair and genetics
The average age for grey hair varies greatly, and one of the main causes of grey hair in your 20s is genetics. The age at which a person's hair turns grey is influenced by the IRF4 gene, and one specific variant (rs12203592) is a marker for premature greying.
Nearly one in 10 people over 60 years of age is "naturally blessed" to have not a single grey hair on their head, says a new research conducted in more than 20 countries.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
The age you go gray is determined primarily by genetics, so if one or both parents went gray at an early age, you would be more likely to go gray at a younger age as well. Smoking can also accelerate color change, and early graying could be a sign of autoimmune, thyroid or heart disease.
As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely gray. People can get gray hair at any age.
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.
Don't assume that grey hair makes you look older
Hair naturally loses pigment as we age, but stylist Paul Falltrick points out that the notion that grey hair makes you look older is increasingly becoming a misnomer: "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.
The pigment in our hair is caused by melanin— the same pigment that is also responsible for our skin color. Gray hair is caused by a loss in melanin, whereas white hair does not have any melanin at all. As you age, your hair produces less and less melanin that leads your hair to appear gray, and then eventually white.
Redheads probably won't go grey. That's because the pigment just fades over time. So they will probably go blonde and even white, but not grey.
Everyone will go gray at some point or another — but it's up to you to decide how to react to those silver strands. Do you have questions about ways to stay healthy and prevent signs of aging, including gray hair?
You're probably not going gray.
They found that the timing and extent of grayness depend on genetics and ethnic heritage — and that your chances of going half gray at 50 are less than 24 percent.
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.
It also found that one in 10 people over 60 had no grey hairs at all. Your race can play a part in when you start to notice the first signs of greying. In general, Caucasians start to go grey in their mid-30s, Asians in their late-30s, and Africans in their 40s.
It can be inherited from either parent. The color of our hair is determined by the form of hair pigment that we have. The pigment is actually produced along the hair shaft, and there are two main forms of hair pigment. There's eumelanin and pheomelanin.
When red hair follicles stop producing their gingerish pigment, the colour fades from red through a glorious spectrum of faded copper to rosy-blonde colours, through to silvery-white. It's a sight to be seen, giving an almost autumnal effect as your red hair moves into its 'silver fox' phase.
People use “gray,” “white” and “silver” interchangeably to describe hair that is turning or has turned. Its appearance — whether it looks, gray, white or silver — depends on how much natural color, or pigment, remains, experts say. Hair that has lost all its color typically appears white.
The less melanin you have, the lighter your hair color. Gray hair has minimal melanin, while white has none. As you age, it's natural to lose melanin in your hair.
As a general rule, Mike Liang, advanced colorist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa in New York suggests going gray when you reach 80 percent non-pigmented or white hair. If your hair starts to feel increasingly dry, brittle, or damaged or you experience scalp irritation, it might be time to ditch the dye.
Women with curly, textured hair tend to look younger than straight-haired counterparts as they age. Because of the natural volume that comes with having curly hair, thinning is less noticeable.
YouCam Makeup is the best hair color try-on app to see what you would look like with different hair colors. Start by downloading the free YouCam Makeup app for either iPhone or Android. Next, upload your photo with Photo Makeup, or virtually try on hair colors with a live Makeup Cam.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.
Gray hair is one of the universal signs of advanced age. More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not.
Dr. 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.”