And only around one percent of the population is believed to have gray or white hair. While a single percent sounds small, that is approximately 78 million people. Rest assured that you are not alone when it comes to gray-colored hair.
Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Parents often cite having teenagers as the cause of gray hair. This is a good hypothesis, but scientists continue to investigate why hair turns gray. In time, everyone's hair turns gray.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to Paus.
They found that the timing and extent of grayness depend on genetics and ethnic heritage — and that your chances of going half gray at 50 are less than 24 percent.
More than 60 percent of Americans have some gray hair by age 40. The age at which graying begins seems almost entirely due to genetics. Sometimes people are born with gray hair because they inherit the trait.
Scientists still don't know why some people turn gray early, late, or not at all, although they suspect genes, nutrients and possibly the immune system play a role in depleting melanocyte stem cells.
At a similar age, subjects of Asian or African descent, who have the darkest hair, have fewer grey hairs than those of Caucasian origin, who have lighter hair tones.
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.
The 80-year-old man who still has a full head of hair... and not one grey one. When strangers mistake him for a man 30 years younger, Ron Williamson doesn't turn a hair. He explains that he is in fact 80 - but his luxuriant dark-brown mane refuses to show any sign of age.
While the study concluded that the average age for a woman to go grey is 33, it found redheads lose their colour at 30, brunettes at 32 and blondes at 35. For one in 10 women, those first grey hairs appear by the time they reach 21-years-old, while one in four women find their first grey by the age of 25.
“Just like the hair on your head, as you age, the hair in the pubic area will also thin and gray,” says Sejal Shah, M.D., a New York City dermatologist and RealSelf contributor.
Gray hair is caused by a loss in melanin, whereas white hair does not have any melanin at all. As you age, your hair produces less and less melanin that leads your hair to appear gray, and then eventually white. However, the speed that your hair loses melanin is largely attributed to genetics.
"While it's a natural part of aging for most of us, not everyone automatically turns gray when they hit the age of 50," she says. "Some people in their 80s don't have gray hair yet, while others get white hair in their late teens," she adds.
More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not. Opinions about gray hair vary, but understanding why it happens can help change the narrative around gray hair. After all, it's a natural aging process.
Quality sleep is essential
Studies show that lack of sleep causes inflammation in your body and can damage stem cells as well, which in turn can lead to greying hair.
Scientists don't know exactly why some people go gray early, but genes play a large role. Also, a vitamin B-12 deficiency or problems with your pituitary or thyroid gland can cause premature graying that's reversible if the problem is corrected, Benabio says.
This is known as the 50-50-50 rule. In reality, only six to 23 percent of 50-year-olds have primarily gray hair. And only around one percent of the population is believed to have gray or white hair. While a single percent sounds small, that is approximately 78 million people.
In those aged 56 to 60, 86 percent had some grey hair, with almost a third of their head having been covered. But not everyone in their 60s had grey hair. Researchers found that 91 percent of 61 to 65-year-olds have, on average, 40 percent of their hair going grey.
In the long run, you're actually doing more harm than good. "Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and you can damage it to the point where it will no longer grow any hair," says Gillen. Forget about having gray hair—you won't have any hair there at all.
Studies found vitamin D deficiency as one of the reasons for premature graying (11). Vitamin D affects melanin production in the hair follicles. Hence, consume food items like eggs, mushrooms, fatty fish, meat, and dairy products to combat vitamin D deficiency. You may also take vitamin D supplements.
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.
Caucasian skin has very little pigment to protect your collagen from breaking down at an early age. Northern European caucasians with thinner skin develop visibly rough skin texture with aging and ultraviolet (sun) exposure. Wrinkles can appear as early as your 20s.
Race also plays a role in how early your hair turns gray. For instance, gray hair tends to occur earlier in Caucasians but later in Asians.
According to the survey by the online dating site, women like men with grey hair as long as they do not look too old. Also, attractiveness depended on the pattern of greying as well.