Why does Hair Gray?

Over Thanksgiving break I was talking to my Dad about his gray hair, how he has stopped caring about it and just owns it. He told me that gray hair runs in my family, and that my hair will most likely turn gray one day too. This got me wondering about the causes behind this, and if it can be prevented.

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As people age, their hair follicles stop producing the pigment melanin, which gives the skin and hair its color. A person only has so many pigment cells, and over time, they die out, giving the persons hair its gray color. This also applies to a persons skin color. As the years pass, folks may notice they are not getting as tan as they once were. This is all due to Melanin.

The time our hair turns gray depends mostly on genetics, but there are other variables that can affect how early it changes. Poor nutrition and the lack of B vitamins can speed up the graying process. Smoking also helps the gray come faster by reducing the oxygen in the hair and skin molecules. Many people believe ‘Stress’ is a contributing factor to gray hair, but scientists have yet to correlate them. Stress is proven to effect the health and survival of melanin, but it has not been tested if it directly results in graying.

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There is no known way to prevent the gray from setting in, but there are ways to prolong it. Science and Nutritionists have discovered some natural remedies that can help keep your hair colorful for as long as your genes allow. These remedies include; Coconut oil, de-stressing, no smoking, staying hydrated, rising your copper, protein and iodine levels, more sleep, B12 vitamins, improve your circulation, Chinese herbs, and Sunshine. Although none of these techniques will prevent your hair from graying, they will improve your health and prolong your color. For the explanation behind these methods, click here.

 

 

 

One thought on “Why does Hair Gray?

  1. Gregory Giliberti

    When I read this post, I could not help but wonder whether or not researchers could ever find a definitive cure for this problem that affects almost everybody at one point or another. You mentioned there are no known ways to prevent it so I sought after what scientists were currently experimenting with and testing to see if any possible breakthroughs were upon us. I found one study that found a link between gray hair and hydrogen peroxide. The researchers showed that the high amounts of hydrogen peroxide could be remedied by a “UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase).” This link was studied not in the treatment of gray hair, but in the treatment of vitiligo, which is a skin pigment disease that is caused by this increased amounts of hydrogen peroxide as well. I could not find the specific statistics regarding the success rate, but the lead journalist of the paper, Gerald Weissmann, M.D., said, “for the first time, an actual treatment that gets to the root of the problem has been developed.” I would not trust this science alone as I could not find the specific statistics of the experiment, other than the fact that it was very large, with 2,411 patients. In fact, I would propose an experiment that shows the effects of PC-KUS in the treatment of gray hair. I would make sure the experiment is randomized by having two groups, a group that receives PC-KUS, and a control group that does not receive it. This would help establish a more causal relationship to see what is actually going on. Overall, this is another phenomenon science has yet to find an answer to. But, with additional studies, I think it is possible to one day have an effective treatment that stops the problem at its root, rather than just masking it.

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