Why does hair become grey?

Answer 1

Getting gray, silver, or white hair is a natural part of growing older, and here's why.

Each hair on our heads is made up of two parts:

a shaft - the colored part we see growing out of our heads
a root - the bottom part, which keeps the hair anchored under the scalp
The root of every strand of hair is surrounded by a tube of tissue under the skin that is called the hair follicle. Each hair follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells. These pigment cells continuously produce a chemical called melanin that gives the growing shaft of hair its color of brown, blonde, red, and anything in between.

Melanin is the same stuff that makes our skin's color fair or darker. It also helps determine whether a person will burn or tan in the sun. The dark or light color of someone's hair depends on how much melanin each hair contains.

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. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely gray.

People can get gray hair at any age. Some people go gray at a young age - as early as when they are in high school or college - whereas others may be in their 30s or 40s before they see that first gray hair. How early we get gray hair is determined by our genes. This means that most of us will start having gray hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did.

Gray hair is more noticeable in people with darker hair because it stands out, but people with naturally lighter hair are just as likely to go gray. From the time a person notices a few gray hairs, it may take more than 10 years for all of that person's hair to turn gray.

Some people think that a big shock or trauma can turn a person's hair white or gray overnight, but scientists don't really believe that this happens. Just in case, try not to freak out your parents too much. You don't want to be blamed for any of their gray hairs!

Answer 2

from ask.yahoo.com:
"When our bodies are functioning well, cells in our hair follicles called melanocytes generate pigments -- the chief one being melanin. When the melanocytes stop producing these pigments, we sprout a transparent hair, which appears as an unsightly gray due to the color of the dead cells that comprise the strand.

Why does this happen? The most common reason is heredity; premature gray hair is yet another thing we can blame on our parents. But there are also several medical conditions characterized by graying of the hair. A B-12 deficiency, a thyroid imbalance, and anemia can all cause premature gray hair. And if you needed yet another reason to quit smoking, there is new evidence that smokers are four times more likely to go gray at a young age...."

Answer 3

That's an interesting question, and there are all kinds of answers as u can see here. I have a 97 yr. old aunt that still has no grey hair, and except for a pacemaker, she is completely sane, both mentally & physically. Unfortunately, she's the only one in the family who never turned grey, and never dyed her hair. Her children attibute it to a "very good life".

Answer 4

Because your body just stops making pigment for it. Kind of like how women only have a certain amount of eggs throughout their life. Your body can only make pigment for a certain amount of time, depending upon the individual. Some people run out earlier and get grey hair sooner than others.

Answer 5

Stress, Kids, Bosses, Husbands, Wives, Money and Bills.
Fathers, Mother, Mother In Laws, Father In Laws. Etc......

Answer 6

first of all ur hair became grey because YOU let it happend... die ur hair be beautiful, take care of ur face, do sports for ur body, eat healty for ur soul... do this for 2 weeks and then write again... u ll love YOU and ur body and u will be the most beautiful ....
try it , u lll feel better and u ll not have time to ask yourself silly question ( just everybody else gonna ask u about how u did it so u look so well ) good luck

Answer 7

grey hair is the lack of pigment inthe hair

Answer 8

My mom used to say I caused her hair to turn gray.;o)

Answer 9

your hair doesn't make enough pigment for the hair...

Answer 10

because it is no longer picking up the pigment :)