At a Glance. Stress can cause hair to gray prematurely by affecting the stem cells that are responsible for regenerating hair pigment. The findings give insights for future research into how stress affects stem cells and tissue regeneration.
As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color — like gray, silver, or white — as it grows.
Nutritional deficiencies
If your diet lacks certain nutrients, it could very well affect melanin production in your hair follicles. Vitamin B-12 is the most common culprit, with folate, copper, and iron deficiencies increasing your risk, too.
The research finds that during stress, the sympathetic nervous system over-activates and so depletes the stem cells that make pigment cells. No more pigment cells — no more hair color.
Does gray hair from stress go away? Research from 2020 suggests that graying hair is a permanent effect of stress. Once the melanocyte stem cells are lost, you can't regenerate pigments anymore.
Stress itself doesn't cause sudden hair whitening. Over time, chronic stress may lead to premature gray hairs, though. You may also experience hair loss from severe stress.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.
Dr. Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.”
Vitamin deficiencies
Share on Pinterest White and gray hairs may start to grow at any age, and may be caused by a range of different factors. Any deficiencies of vitamin B-6, B-12, biotin, vitamin D, or vitamin E can contribute to premature graying.
It can be a shock to find your first gray hairs on your head, especially if you're only in your 20s. But women's expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones says a few gray hairs is perfectly normal, even for women in their late 20s and early 30s. However, stress, genetics and other factors can play a role.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s.
Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
As we age, our hair follicles produce less melanin, the pigment-producing cells in each follicle. If you pull a gray hair, a new gray hair will grow in its place. It has no effect on surrounding hair, because each follicle has its own set of genetics. Still, doctors say you should avoid pulling them.
The answer is no. An only single hair grows from a single follicle. The already less melanin amount in follicle cells may cause your next hair to turn white too, but you won't get a couple more of white hair just because you pull it off your head. Just one gray hair will grow back after you pluck one gray hair off.
For men having white hair was a sign of distinction, hinted at nobility, and was even a sign of virility. It couldn't have been more different for women. It was a sign of their deterioration with age, and the end of their fertility.
For centuries, people have believed that a sudden fright, scare or traumatic experience could turn your hair white overnight. It is in fact medically impossible.
Genetics — Genetics plays a big role in how and when you go gray. So if your parents and grandparents went gray early, it's likely that you will too. This is why some people go gray in their 20s, while others don't see their first gray hair well into their 50s.
And while it may seem intuitive that stress can accelerate graying, the researchers were surprised to discover that hair color can be restored when stress is eliminated, a finding that contrasts with a recent study in mice that suggested that stressed-induced gray hairs are permanent.
Genes may play a role in turning your hair grey even at a young age. It may have just been the luck of the draw that you have white hair at age 15. Genetics plays a major role in the color of your hair; for this reason, there is not much you can do to correct the change.
Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.
Rather, it seems there's a “threshold” where hair starts to turn grey, and becoming stressed closer to that threshold may push one's hair over the edge. For this reason, learning to meditate or reducing the stress in one's life won't reduce the grey hair one may have at the age of, for example, 70.
Iron deficiency can also lead to grey hair. Iron is a vital mineral that helps create haemoglobin – the substance found in RBCs. Lacking an adequate amount of iron means lesser blood cells, which leads to insufficient oxygen supply to your scalp. Naturally, this causes grey hair at a young age.