Why does hair lose color
Hair color is determined by pigment cells located at its root: they transmit melanin to the growing shaft. The supply of these cells is not infinite, and with each growth cycle it is gradually depleted. Additionally, oxidative damage accumulates: hydrogen peroxide is formed in the follicle, which, due to a lack of protective enzymes, discolors the hair from the inside. When the pigment cells stop working, the new hair grows gray and remains that way forever. An individual hair does not gradually turn gray along its length; it initially grows without pigment.
- Depletion of pigment cells
- Oxidative damage to the follicle
- New hair grows gray
- An individual hair does not change color along its length
- The process is uneven across the head
Causes of early gray hair
The main factor is genetics: the age of onset of graying is largely inherited and cannot be influenced. Of the modifiable causes, the most convincingly proven connection is with smoking. Vitamin B12 deficiency plays a role, including with a vegetarian diet and malabsorption, iron and copper deficiency, and thyroid disease. Early graying occurs in vitiligo and some autoimmune conditions, as well as in rare hereditary syndromes. The role of severe stress is debated: it appears to speed up the process in predisposed people, but does not create it out of nowhere.
- Heredity
- Smoking
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Iron and copper deficiency
- Thyroid diseases
- Vitiligo and autoimmune diseases
- Rare hereditary syndromes
When to get examined
If gray hair appeared at the age of 20–30, and everyone in the family went gray early, examination is usually not necessary: this is a family trait. The combination with other complaints should be alarming - weakness, pallor, numbness of the extremities, weight changes, palpitations, chilliness, as well as white spots on the skin and rapid graying in a limited area. In such cases, a complete blood count, vitamin B12, ferritin and TSH are checked. The doctor also examines the scalp, evaluates hair under magnification and specifies nutrition and previous diseases.
- Familial early gray hair usually does not require examination
- General blood test
- Vitamin B12
- Ferritin
- TSH
- Examining the skin for signs of vitiligo
- Trichoscopy
Is it possible to return the color
If graying is due to vitamin B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, or untreated thyroid disease, treating the cause sometimes restores some of the pigmentation of the regrowing hair, especially in younger people. But with hereditary gray hair, it is impossible to return the color: pigment cells are not restored. Products advertised that promise to reverse gray hair have no proven effectiveness, and taking high doses of vitamins without deficiency is useless and unsafe. There is no need to pull out gray hair: the same hair will grow in its place, and the follicle can be injured.
- Correction of B12 and iron deficiency under test control
- Treatment of thyroid diseases
- With hereditary gray hair, the color does not return
- Miracle remedies don't work
- Pulling out gray hair is pointless and harmful
- Quitting smoking slows down the process
Care and coloring
Gray hair differs in structure: it is coarser, drier, retains moisture less well and is more frizzy, because its cuticle is denser and it is less covered with sebum. Therefore, they need more nourishing products, masks for length and protection from the sun, which gives gray hair a yellowish tint. Permanent dyes and tinting agents, as well as tinted shampoos that remove yellowness, are suitable for coloring. Many people choose not to paint over their gray hair, but to take care of it: with good care and a neat haircut, it looks neat and natural.
- Nourishing products and masks for length
- Sun protection against yellowness
- Tinting agents against yellow pigment
- Permanent coloring or tinting
- Gentle styling without overheating
- A neat haircut without dyeing