Some people are fine with a gray hair, while others dread its arrival. Whatever your feelings are in this ‘gray hair’ matter, you should first inform yourself with facts about gray hair.
Let’s find out what you need to know about this silver, white or gray hair!
1. Race
Your race or ethnicity determines whether you are going to have gray hair earlier or sooner. White people or Caucasians start going gray in their middles 30s. Asians in their late 30s and African-Americans in their middle 40s. Science has no explanation for this yet.
2. Medical problem
Going gray does not mean that you have a medical problem or condition. But if you have problems with your thyroid or pituitary gland and a vitamin B-12 deficiency, it can be the caused of your gray hair. However, this is reversible if the condition is corrected.
3. Due to aging
This is a given! Experts say that like skin, hair undergoes change in texture, as people age. Research also shows that about 50% of the population at age 50 will have gray hair.
4. Stress may play a role.
Many people believed that “stress” is a major contributor to gray hair in younger people. But according to studies, stress will not cause you to go gray directly and it has not been shown to cause gray hair. They said that genes may be the culprit.
5. Hair don’t change into gray, but grows that way.
As you age, the pigment-forming cells in your hair wears out, this is the reason why you grow white or gray hair. The hair goes into a regeneration process — the hair grows for 1-2 years, then sheds and grows a new one.
6. Lifestyle
A low level of vitamin B12 may cause loss of hair pigment and smoking can cause stress to your hair and skin. Experts recommend to eat foods like carrots, liver and other foods rich in certain nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants to help protect the cells against toxins. This is to help prevent other medical conditions or ailments and maybe to reduce gray hair.
7. Hair and its color are different things.
Sounds confusing? This is the explanation, pigment-forming stem cells are responsible for your hair color because they make pigments. Hair stem cells on the other hand, are responsible for growing hair. They work together in the hair growing process, but each of them can wear out as time goes by. Researchers has yet to come out with a cure or prevention to slow the graying out process of hair.
8. Low bone density
There is no evidence to prove that a lower bone density may cause premature graying of hair. The level of bone density can be attributed to your weight and height but it’s not related to your hair or the things responsible for its color.
