Warning: You may have to apologize to a few people after reading this.
Why Gray Hair –The Easy Answer
When melanin (pigment) is reduced, our hair color turns gray. If we no longer have any melanin (pigment), our hair turns white.
Why Gray Hair –The Detailed Answer
Melanin gives our hair its natural color. Melanin is spread into the middle layer of the hair shaft or cortex. The type of amount of melanin distributed give hair its natural color.
Even though there are a vast variety of hair color shades, they are derived by only two types of pigment. Our hair color is made up of dark (eumelanin) and light (phaeomelanin).
Gray Hair from Babyhood to Adulthood
While in the womb, hair is white until the production of melanin quickly begins. Special pigment cells called melanocytes make up melanin. These cells are at the skin’s surface at the follicles from which hair grows. As hair develops, melanin (pigment) containing keratin is injected into the hair cells through the melanocytes. This process is what produces hair color in various hues. Keratin is protein that is essential for healthy hair, skin and nails.1
As we get older, our chance of going gray increases, as melanin decreases. We hit age thirty, then forty, then fifty, then…well, you know what happens.
Gray Hair –Other Causes
Age and genetics are not the only causes of gray hair. Scientists have determined that there are other factors that can cause gray hair and even accelerate its production. These factors can actually change the pigment of hair; causing it to be lighter or darker.
Intrinsic factors: genetic defects, hormones, body distribution, age.
Extrinsic factors: climate, pollutants, toxins, chemical exposure.
In 2009, scientists in Europe described how hair follicles produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. This chemical builds on the hair shafts, which can lead to a gradual loss of hair color.2
Surprise! Surprise!
It’s not really the kids that cause our gray hair! It’s not totally the boss or
a crazy spouse either. For most of us, it’s simply the natural cycle of life,
our heredity and our environment. So, now is a good time to apologize -to all
those folks you thought were the real source of your gray hair.
:-D
1Library of Congress. 2 Wood, J.M et al. Senile hair graying: H2O2 mediated oxidative stress affect human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair.FASEB Journal, v. 23, July 2009: 2065-2075.
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