Our hair undergoes a continuous cycle of growing, falling out, and then regrowing. This cycle maintains its consistency until we reach our mid-30 from where it begins slowing down. A side effect of this slowing down is thinning hair and often, the blooming of grey hair.
A pigment called Melanin, produced by the body and present in the hair follicles gives hair its usual black color. With age and degrading health conditions, our body stops generating the protein causing a gradual decrease of Melanin in hair follicles.
As hair begins to grow anew with the reduced provision of the protein, new hair may seem lighter in color, starting from sleek silver to a dull grey and then finally a dull white.
Symptoms Of Greying Hair
Contrary to popular belief, stress and a hectic schedule or lifestyle isn’t the sole contributors to grey hair. And neither do men experience greying hair faster than women.
Naturally, grey hair begins showing around the age of 30-35 in both men and women. Some people begin spotting a grey hair or two before they hit 30. However, if there is an underlying genetic condition, then grey hair can develop as quickly as under 20 years of age.
Although, does stress cause grey hair? Of course, it does, albeit indirectly. Stress plays a significant part in leading to hair loss and then greying hair, but its emotional impact is medically unclear to make a definite conclusion.
What Causes Greying Of Hair?
To put it bluntly, your lifestyle choices, old age, stress, health issues, and certain genetic conditions are the primary reasons why hair begins greying.
If you’re still wondering what causes grey hair, here are some details to help you understand why hair goes grey and what stands behind the condition.
Hair naturally starts going thin and dull and grey with age. The lack of Melanin contributes to this greying. However, premature greying is a condition where the hair begins losing its color even before the age of 20.
This drastic hair greying is credited to many lifestyle choices and medical disorders including Vitamin B12 deficiency, irregular thyroid functionality, and Vitiligo. Vitiligo effects the cells that produce the pigment Melanin in your hair follicles. Once the cells get damaged, Melanin production ceases causing sudden loss of natural hair color and premature greying.
Senile greying or age-related greying of hair is a natural process that, while not reversible, can still be controlled with a few lifestyle changes. Aging of hair or grey hair men experience is usually thought to be more common than in females.
However, senile greying effects women just as it does men. The light hair begins showing from the parting in hair in women and from around the temples in men. This hair is typically thinner and weaker due to a weak cuticle, but manageable with regular conditioning, moisturizing, dyeing, coupled with switching to a healthier diet.
What Are The Treatments For Grey Hair?
Grey hair isn’t a reversible condition as you’d like to believe. However, if your hair turning grey is a result of medical complications, then a few home remedies and prescribed medicines can heal the damaged hair follicles to stop greying hair.
If your greying hair is a result of Vitamin deficiency, stress, faulty diets, and the use of intense cosmetics, simply changing your lifestyle to a nourishing one will work wonders for your hair. A few Vitamin supplements can help, as well as anti-inflammatory medications to get the Thyroid functioning normally and reduce any general scalp infections to boost normal pigmentation production.
Herbal remedies like curry leaf oil with coconut oil, dried gooseberry with coconut oil, and Indian ginseng helps nourish the follicles, promoting Melanin production and reducing grey hairs.