CAUSES OF EARLY GRAY HAIR

     Premature greying of hair, also known as canities, can have negative effects on appearance, confidence, self-esteem, and social acceptance of the affected individual. Hair is said to have greyed prematurely if it occurs before the age of 20 years in Europeans, before 25 years in Asians, and before 30 years in Africans.

    In the human body there are millions of hair follicles covering the skin, or tiny sacs. The follicles develop melanin-containing hair and color cells, or pigment cells. Over time, hair follicles lose pigment cells that lead to the appearance of white hair.

WHAT TRIGGERS EARLY GRAY HAIR?

1) VITILIGO

    Nearly 1 percent of the world’s population has vitiligo, an auto-immune disease that causes areas of the skin to lose pigmentation.   

    This can also affect parts of the body that have hair, turning the hair white or gray. 

2. Thyroid disorders

     Hormonal changes due to thyroid conditions like hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can also be to blame for too-soon white hair.    

     Thyroid health actually plays a big role in hair color. If your thyroid is overactive or underactive, it can cause your body to create less melanin, which you need for pigmented hair.  

3) VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES

    Vitamin B-12 is the big boss of vitamins. It not only gives you energy but also contributes to hair growth and hair color. B-12 helps healthy red blood cells carry oxygen to the other cells in your body, which — you guessed it — includes your hair cells. A lack of B-12 can mess with melanin production, leading to loss of pigment. BTW, sometimes the cause of a vitamin B-12 deficiency is pernicious anemia. This condition makes it impossible for your body to absorb the B-12 needed to create enough healthy red blood cells. Vitamins B-6, D, and E and biotin are crucial to hair health too. A deficiency of the mineral copper can also hurt melanin production and lead to gray hair.

4) OXIDATIVE STRESS

     Oxidative stress is an imbalance in your body between free radicals (those nasty unstable molecules that contribute to disease and aging) and antioxidants. This imbalance prevents antioxidants from counteracting the damaging effects of free radicals. Studies suggest oxidative stress also has a hand in the aging process of hair follicles.

5) HARSH HAIR PRODUCTS

A little research on your go-to hair products (dyes, shampoos, etc.) may go a long way. Many shampoos contain harsh chemicals that may not be doing your hair any favors and may even decrease melanin. Plus, we all know that constantly bleaching and dyeing hair isn’t good for it. Hydrogen peroxide is one chemical in particular that has been shown to prompt the damaging effects of oxidative stress on hair.

6) GENETIC 

In (or if) white hair ascends, genetic makeup plays a major role. If you see white hair early on, it is more likely that your parents or grandparents would have gray or white hair early in life.

7) DEFICIENCY OF NUTRIENTS

White hair from an early age may also demonstrate a vitamin B-12 deficiency. In your body, this vitamin plays a major part. It gives you the power and encourages both healthy hair growth and hair color. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is linked to a disorder called pernicious anemia, which occurs when enough of the vitamin can not be absorbed by the body. Your body needs vitamin B-12 for healthy red blood cells which, like hair cells, provides oxygen to the cells in your body. The cells in the hair may be damaged by a deficiency and affect melanin development.

HOW IT CAN BE AVOIDED:

1) Get more Vitamins, B12

2) Get essential minerals 

3) Stop smokinbyg and stay stress free 

4) Don't over wash your hair 

Drop your comments below and please do share!!!