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.
It's estimated that 74% of people aged 45 to 65 have at least some gray in their manes. To understand why hair may gray at the temples first, it's helpful to understand why hair turns gray to begin with.
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.
As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. 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.
For grey hair coverage, we generally recommend that you aim to color slightly lighter than the natural hair color level of your client. In this case we would suggest you go for a color starting in level 6 (Dark Blonde) or 7 (Blonde).
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.”
Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of prematurely graying hair. Researchers have noted that vitamin B-12 deficiencies are often concurrent with folic acid and biotin deficiencies in people whose hair has started to turn gray early.
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.
Aside from the time investment of a salon session, there's how long it takes to fully transition to gray hair, which is anywhere from six months to a year, Ferrara says.
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.
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.
Now a new study confirms what many have suspected and offers a bit of hope: stress can lead to gray hair and taking stress away appears to reverse the process, allowing white strands to return to the natural color at the root.
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.
A single strand of hair can't turn gray once it has emerged from the scalp; hair "turns gray" when a non-gray hair falls out and the hair that replaces it does not contain pigment. Graying is a gradual process, and only becomes noticeable over time, once a large number of gray hairs have grown in.
Hot roots occur because the heat from your scalp causes the colour at the roots to develop faster than the colour on the mid-lengths or ends. This can lead to a lighter colour result at your roots than the rest of the hair.
Vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin production. Goddard says that vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.
Lack of proper sleep and stress are main reason of premature greying of hairs. Such lifestyle increases the ageing process which in turn may affect the hair growth, volume and overall health.
A lot of information claim that certain supplements that include biotin, zinc, selenium, vitamin B12 and D-3, can restore hair to its natural color. However, unless you have a diagnosed deficiency these supplements will not work. Supplements do not work if the greying of your hair is natural.
One can reduce gray hair by:
Consuming sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals (e.g., B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A, copper and zinc). Eating healthy: eat lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, white meat, and fatty fish. Minimize consumption of red meat and milk.
Biotin has many benefits. It triggers hair growth, it treats hair loss related disorders, and it thickens and strengthens the hair. One of our favorite beneficial effects of Biotin is that is can reverse premature greying of hair.
When zinc levels are low, hair loss, delayed growth, the appearance of grey hairs and various types of immune deficiencies may be observed.
Colors like butterscotch, light auburn and golden brown, or ash brown for those with a cool skin tone, are all versatile brunette shades that aren't too dark and are some of the best hair colors to hide gray.
Silver grey hair will look best on olive and fair skin with yellow undertones. If you have a pink tone, your skin may appear red and irritated with a cool grey hue.
Gray blending is a subtle hair color application that oscillates between highlights and balayage. Like a game of chiaroscuro, the colorist will first lighten large sections of hair with a light balayage, then accentuate the effect on a few finer strands to blend in the gray hair naturally present.