Why Does Our Hair Turn Gray, and Can It Get Its Natural Color Back?

Skin & Wellness Magazine

I think almost every one of us has a story about her first white hair.

There are those who discover it at age 25 and panic, and those who reach 50 with very little gray hair. There are women who hurry to dye it, and others who actually decide to let it grow and see where it develops.

But behind the small white hair hides a fascinating biological process.

Why does our hair lose its color? Does stress really make us go gray? And why do some people gray early, while others keep their natural hair color for decades?

And the question that intrigues me most: can hair that has already grayed return to being dark?

Where does our hair get its color?

Hair color is determined mainly by a pigment called melanin.

The melanin is produced in special cells called melanocytes, located in the hair follicles.

There are two main types of melanin that affect hair color:

Eumelanin — responsible mainly for brown and black shades.

Pheomelanin — contributes to yellow and reddish shades.

The combination between the types of pigments, their amount and the way they disperse inside the hair determines whether our hair will be black, brown, blond or red.

But over the years the system that produces the pigment begins to change.

Why does hair lose its color?

In the hair follicles there are melanocyte stem cells.

These cells serve as a kind of reservoir from which new cells are created that produce pigment during the hair's growth cycles.

Over the years some of these stem cells lose the ability to function properly, and the number of cells capable of producing pigment may drop.

As a result, new hairs grow with less melanin, and sometimes with almost no pigment at all.

This is how the gray and white hairs appear.

It is important to understand that a hair that has already grown does not usually change its color along its whole length because of aging.

The change occurs mainly in the follicle, and that is why we notice new white hair starting to grow from the root.

What is the difference between gray hair and white hair?

Biologically, gray hair is often simply a combination of dark hairs and white hairs.

When we look at the head from a distance, this mixture creates a gray appearance.

A white hair itself contains very little pigment or contains no pigment at all.

Therefore, when we say our hair has become gray, not every hair necessarily changes its color to gray. Sometimes simply more and more colorless hairs grow among the dark hairs.

Why do some women gray already at age 20?

Here genetics plays a central role.

The age at which hair graying begins, its pace and the areas where the first white hairs appear are largely influenced by heredity.

If one of our parents started graying early, we may also notice white hairs at a young age.

Genetic and population background also affects the average age at which graying begins.

Therefore, there is no single age at which hair is “supposed” to start graying.

Does mental stress really cause hair to whiten?

This is one of the most interesting questions on the subject.

For years we heard stories about people whose hair whitened following a difficult event or a period of stress.

Studies in animals showed that significant stress can affect melanocyte stem cells through activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

In a study published in 2020 it was found that in mice, increased activation of the nervous system following stress caused a loss of the stem cells responsible for pigmentation in the hair follicles.

Small studies in humans also found connections between periods of stress and changes in pigmentation along certain hairs.

But it is important to be careful with the conclusion.

This does not mean that every stressful period will cause us to gray, or that every gray hair was created because of stress.

In most people genetics and natural aging are still the central factors.

Can one go gray overnight?

Probably not in the way we imagine.

A hair that has already grown cannot lose all its pigment at once because of an emotional event.

But there are rare conditions in which dark hair falls out selectively, while the white hairs remain.

In such a state the hair can look as if it whitened very quickly.

The phenomenon has been linked in some cases to alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

In other words, sometimes what looks like sudden whitening is actually a change in the composition of the hairs that remained on the head.

Does menopause cause hair to gray faster?

Many women notice more significant graying around their forties and fifties.

But it is important to remember that this is also the age at which the natural graying process becomes more prominent in many people.

Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can affect hair density, hair thickness and growth cycles.

However, there is currently no strong proof that the drop in estrogen is a direct and central factor in the loss of pigment in the hair.

Therefore, not all graying that appears around menopause is necessarily caused by the hormonal changes.

Can a vitamin deficiency cause hair to gray?

In certain cases, yes.

Studies found connections between early graying and certain nutritional deficiencies, especially vitamin B12, and sometimes also iron, copper and additional components.

But it is important to distinguish between a statistical connection and proof of causality.

Not every woman with gray hair suffers from a nutritional deficiency, and taking nutritional supplements without a proven deficiency does not guarantee the hair will return to its original color.

If especially early graying appears, or it is accompanied by fatigue, hair loss and additional symptoms, it is worth considering a medical investigation according to the situation.

And what about smoking?

Smoking has been linked in various studies to early graying of the hair.

One hypothesis is that substances found in cigarette smoke increase oxidative stress, which may harm the cells connected to pigment production.

Oxidative stress occurs when an imbalance is created between oxidants and the body's defense systems.

It is considered one of the mechanisms that may contribute to aging of the pigment cells in the hair follicles.

But here too it is a complex process, and not a single factor that explains all cases of graying.

Does plucking a white hair cause more white hairs to grow?

No.

This is one of the oldest myths in the hair field.

Every hair grows from its own follicle. Plucking a white hair does not cause the neighboring follicles to start producing white hairs.

But repeated plucking can cause irritation and damage to the follicle.

Therefore, if one white hair bothers us, it is better to cut it carefully and not pluck it again and again.

Is gray hair drier and coarser than regular hair?

Many women say their white hairs feel rougher, more unruly or less flexible.

Sometimes this is indeed the case, but not because the white color itself makes the hair coarse.

With age, changes occur in the hair's structure, in the activity of the sebaceous glands and in the scalp's state.

Heat damage, dyeing and sun exposure can also affect the feeling and the appearance.

Therefore, gray hair may need a different care routine from the one we knew in the past.

And the big question — can gray hair return to being dark?

Here the research becomes especially interesting.

For years it was believed that hair graying is a completely irreversible process.

But studies from recent years point to a more complex picture.

In a small study in humans published in 2021, certain hairs were identified in which changes in the opposite direction appeared — areas that lost pigment and later resumed producing it.

In some of the cases the changes were connected to changes in reported stress levels.

However, this does not mean gray hair can routinely be returned to its natural color.

In cases where the stem cells responsible for producing the pigment were lost or significantly damaged, the ability to produce color may not return.

And what did the researchers discover about hair stem cells?

A study published in 2023 in the journal Nature aroused much interest.

The researchers found in mice that melanocyte stem cells move between different areas in the hair follicle, and that with aging some of them may get stuck in a location where they cannot develop into cells that produce pigment.

The finding raised the possibility that in the future it will be possible to develop treatments that will help preserve or restore the activity of these cells.

But the study was conducted in mice, and it has not yet been proven that a treatment based on this mechanism can return color to gray hair in humans.

Can shampoo or serum return the hair to its natural color?

Today there is no cosmetic shampoo, mask or serum that has been reliably proven capable of permanently restoring melanin production in hair follicles that grayed because of age.

There are products that contain pigments and give the hair a darker shade temporarily.

Others promise to affect biological processes connected to graying, but the clinical evidence for their effectiveness is still limited.

Therefore, it is worth treating promises like “restores the natural color within thirty days” with caution.

Is there a way to delay the appearance of gray hair?

It is impossible to completely stop a process largely determined by genetics and age.

But it is possible to maintain hair and body health through simple habits:

• Avoid smoking.
• Maintain a varied and balanced diet.
• Check nutritional deficiencies when there is a medical reason to do so.
• Reduce heat and chemical damage to the hair.
• Maintain scalp health.
• Find ways that suit us to cope with ongoing stress.

These habits are important for overall health and hair health, even if they do not promise to prevent graying.

And to finish — perhaps white hair is not the problem we thought

I think there is something interesting in our attitude to gray hair.

In men it is often perceived as a sign of maturity and a respectable look, while many women feel a need to hide it immediately.

But gray hair does not necessarily indicate a lack of health, neglect or rapid aging.

It mainly reflects a change in the pigment-production process in the hair follicles.

Whoever likes dyeing can continue dyeing, and whoever prefers to let the white hair grow can also enjoy the new look.

In my eyes, this choice should be a matter of personal taste, and not of pressure to look a certain age.

And science? It continues to research the stem cells, the pigmentation mechanisms and the possibility of influencing the graying process in the future.

Perhaps one day we will know how to return the hair to its natural color. Meanwhile, our white hairs tell a much more complex story than just age.

Skin & Wellness Magazine | OrOrgani

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