Causes of grey hair

Causes of Grey Hair and How to Prevent Them

Do you know what causes grey hair and why you are observing too many grey hairs on your head? If not, read on to know the causes of grey hair and how to prevent them! 

Grey hair

It is absolutely normal for your hair to change colour as you age. But white hair can appear at any given time in life. Even teenagers and people in their 20s might start noticing grey hair due to several reasons. The human body has many hair follicles or small sacs lining the skin. These hair follicles generate hair and colour or pigment cells that contain melanin. Over time, hair follicles tend to lose pigment cells that result in grey hair. We're not here to scare you off with the thought of grey hair. We’re here to suggest to you how to stop grey hair naturally. Read along to know more.

What Causes Grey Hair?

There are various factors that can cause grey hair. Some of them are:

- Vitamin deficiency

- Oxidative stress

- Genetics

- Certain medical conditions

- Real-life stressors like the death of a loved one, increase in financial obligations, divorce, etc.

- Smoking

- Chemical hair dyes and hair products

Can We Prevent Grey Hair?

Honestly, if genetics or ageing is the real cause, there’s nothing you can do to prevent grey hair or reverse the process as it’s a natural phenomenon. However, treating greying hair could allow colour pigmentation to return if the loss is due to a medical condition or using the wrong diet or products.

How to Stop Grey Hair Naturally?

Here is a list of things that you can do to prevent grey hair so that you can finally stop wondering about how to reduce grey hair naturally:

  1. Make Sure You Get Enough Vitamin D: 

There are some dietary deficiencies that science shows can contribute to white hair. Vitamin D deficiency is one of them. People who experience premature greying of hair usually have a vitamin D deficiency. Hence, you must make sure that you're getting enough vitamin D through supplements or foods like cheese, egg yolks, dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, cereals, etc.

  1. Consume More Vitamin B12:

If you often question yourself how to reduce grey hair naturally, let us tell you that you need to increase the consumption of vitamin B12. The deficiency of it may also be associated with greying of hair. To increase the amount of vitamin B12 in your diet, you must eat foods like eggs, low-fat milk, yoghurt, cheese, beef, liver, chicken, fish and shellfish like trout, salmon, or tuna fish. 
Prevention of grey hair
  1. Avoid Too Much Stress:

One of the best tips for preventing grey hair or white hair is to keep your stress levels as low as possible. It is one of the major reasons for premature greying of hair. Every single person feels stressed out due to either overworking professionally or dealing with family issues or financial problems even. Experts say that chronic stress can lead to inflammation. This inflammation might turn off the melanin-producing cells in your scalp and shorten the growth cycle of your hair, leading to premature grey hair. Are you still wondering how to reduce grey hair naturally at an early age? Reduce your stress levels to avoid premature whitening of your hair. This is one of the best tips for how to prevent white hair.
  1. Avoid Smoking: 

    Smoking is another major reason that contributes to premature greying of hair. Smoking is correlated with white hair in people of all age groups. It has the same accelerated ageing effect on your hair as it has on your skin. Smoking isn't just bad for your hair health but also for your overall health. Hence, it's always a good idea to quit smoking to prevent white hair and to be healthy in general.
  1. Limit Your Exposure to Toxins and Pollutants: 

    Every person does their best to get fresh air and avoid all types of pollution. But it's worth noting that exposure to free radicals can still affect your hair colour. If you're someone who's trying to keep your natural hair colour for as long as possible, it's better to control the oxidative stress around you, keep your living environment pure and breathe fresh air.
  1. Schedule Yearly Checkups: 

    There are certain illnesses like thyroid disorders and autoimmune diseases that can cause premature grey hair. Hence, it's important to check in with your doctor on a regular basis. If you have any hair or beauty concerns, grey hair or otherwise, it's important to speak with a medical professional so that you get the right treatment for the same. Physicians, trichologists and dermatologists (scalp and hair doctors) can give you an insight into the matter and make sure that there is no serious underlying issue that you're dealing with.
  1. Avoid Harsh Hair Products and Tools:

    Causes of grey hair
    How to stop grey hair? It's simple. Stop damaging your hair. Stay away or reduce the use of hair care products and tools that can damage your hair. These include:
    • Bleaching
    • Using a brush instead of a wide-toothed comb, especially on wet hair
    • Washing your hair too frequently
    • Using harsh soaps and shampoos
    • Applying excessive heat with a curling iron or hair dryer
    1. Wash Your Hair With Clean Water:

      Polluted water will often weaken the roots of your hair and can be detrimental to them. Water hydrates your body, regulates your circulatory system and lubricates your hair follicles. Water is the key source of minerals, which are the most important nutrients for your hair. Water can also, in fact, stimulate hair growth. Thus, cleaning your hair with clean water is one of the greatest tips for preventing grey hair.

    These were some of the natural ways to follow so that you'll never have to think about how to stop grey hair naturally. Just like it's important to keep the above-mentioned tips for grey hair in mind, it's also crucial to use the right products for your hair. Pure Sense is a premium skincare and hair care brand that has a range of products that are made with natural ingredients intricately chosen from nature. Our products are completely free of chemicals like parabens, sulphates and carcinogens, which means you'll never have to worry about any of our products affecting the quality and health of your hair. Not just that, our products are entirely cruelty-free and come in earth-friendly packaging.

    Also read home remedies to get rid of grey hair naturally.

      Pure Sense Hair Care Products to Use: 

      Here are some hair cleansers and conditioners that Pure Sense has to offer -

      1. Relaxing Macadamia Deep Nourishing Hair Cleanser:

        Formulated with macadamia nut oil, this hair cleanser can gently clean and nourish your scalp. It is packed with vitamin E and B5 that softens your hair and controls frizz as well. The sweet and nutty fragrance of this hair cleanser soothes and calms your senses. This hair cleanser can be used on dry and chemically-treated hair.
        Macadamia Shampoo
      2. Macadamia Deep Nourishing Hair Mask:

        This macadamia nut oil-enriched hair mask can successfully soften your hair and add shine to them. It is packed with hydrolysed rice protein that will constructively control the frizz in your hair. The sweet and nutty fragrance of this hair mask is sure to calm your senses. Use this conditioner right after shampooing your dry hair to add softness and shine.

         Macadamia Hair Mask

      Conclusion:

      Some people are very accepting of their ageing process which leads to grey hair. They don't care enough. But there are others that flinch even at the idea of them getting grey hair and would want to do everything to prevent or hide grey hair. Well, that's alright too. You see, grey hair, just like any other beauty-related topic, is personal. And that's absolutely okay too. While there isn't much that can be done to reverse greying of hair, you can do things like making lifestyle changes and using safer and natural hair products among other things to prevent grey hair. It is entirely your decision how and when to deal with your grey hair. 

      Also learn about natural hair care products to include in your routine.

      Frequently Asked Questions On Grey Hair (FAQs):

      • Should I pluck white hair?

        Only one strand of hair grows out of one follicle. So when you pluck white hair, you’ll only get a new strand of white hair in the same place. Your surrounding hair will not turn white until its own follicles' pigment cells die. Doctors never recommend plucking or pulling your hair out. If you're wondering how to prevent grey hair if not by plucking them, there are other ways to deal with white hair, some of which are mentioned above.
      • Can you reverse grey hair?

        There are certain hair conditions and lifestyle factors like smoking and stress that can contribute to your tresses going grey earlier. As of now, there are no effective treatments to reverse any type of grey hair. But, if you want to prevent grey hair, that can be done by following the above-mentioned tips for grey hair.
      • Does stress cause grey hair?

        Yes, stress can very much give you grey hair. Researchers have found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a vital role in turning your hair grey. Your hair colour is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. And without stress cells left to create new pigment cells, new hair will turn grey or white.