Symptoms and Causes of Gray Hair

If you have noticed your hair is losing its original color then there is every chance that you will want to know the reason why. For centuries now, gray hair has been considered one of the first signs of aging. More than forty percent of Americans have some gray hair by their 40th birthday. Gray hair may also be regarded as being unfavorable, and a lot of people choose to cover up or dye theirs. It is one of the problems faced by many middle-aged people and even youngsters today. It is impossible to prevent hair from turning gray but there are several points that one can do to help delay hair graying in their life.

Gray hair is usually a natural result of aging and is usually related to elderly people. However, these days, children and young people can get gray hair as well. Gray hair is caused by a reduction of pigment in the scalp. This pigment is generated by a substance known as ‘melanin’ which is responsible for producing color to your hair. As one ages, the level of melanin within the skin diminishes. As a result, the hair follicles stop producing melanin at some point which causes gray hairs to form.

It is believed that smoking can also contribute to graying of hair at young age. If smoking is bad for your health, it can be bad for your hair as well. Unlike aging, smoking can be prevented, so there is hope for people who smoke if they are concerned with their hair turning gray at an early age.

Premature graying of hair occurring due to improper diet may be because of lack of essential nutrients. Premature gray hair can also be due to genetics, which causes some people to gray earlier than others. In some cases, premature graying occurs in some children due to a variety of factors. Premature graying has become common these days due to a variety of reasons such as repeated hair coloring, the use of excessive chemicals during hair treatments and heredity. There are various reasons why a person may suffer from premature graying hair condition but since children are so young, there must be two main causes which are heredity and lack of nutrients.

While some people get gray hair as they age, some get gray hair because of hereditary factor.  It is genetic which is no different than younger men going bald.  If one of your parents got gray hair as early as in his or her 20s, the chance of you getting gray hair in your 20s is high.

According to expert, a diet that is low in vitamin B12 can cause premature gray hair. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in milk, meat and eggs. Premature gray hair can also occur when the stomach is not able to absorb vitamin B12 due to stomach surgery and genetic disorder. Lack of vitamin B12 can lead to neurophsychiatric and hematologic defects. These deficiencies can be reversed if detected and treated early.

Depending on diet and lifestyle, each individual has different results with gray hair.  Some get gray hair as early as 13 years old and some do not even get a strand of gray hair by the age of 65.

For older people, once they start getting gray hair, it may not be possible to reverse the process or turn back to original hair color.  Once the hair root stops producing the necessary pigment to make normal hair color, there is a good chance that the hair will always grow white or gray because of permanent loss of color to hair.

Exercising daily and eating healthier meal may prevent gray hair from returning.  One may get black color on the ends, gray color in the middle and black color at the follicles which prove that by taking multi vitamins and exercising daily, you can get your natural hair color back.  Therefore, it is important to consume necessary nutrients and proteins needed for healthy growing hair.  If you are concerned about the appearance of gray hair on your head, you can give this method a try.  However, there is no guarantee that this will work for some people because of age related reason, which is considered to be the natural cause of hair graying.

Coconut oil has long been used as natural remedy for skin and hair treatments. Coconut oil is very popular in Southeast Asia not just for beauty treatment but also for use in cooking. The water provides great health benefits as it contains mineral, protein and vitamin C. With coconut oil, the early appearance of gray hair can be delayed. Even if you already have strands of gray hair, coconut oil can reduce the gray area by massaging it daily on your scalp.

Avoid shampoo that contains sodium lauryl sulfate especially if you intend to clean your hair daily. Choose mild shampoo that suits your scalp and safe for everyday use. Give your hair daily massage to help with blood circulation around the scalp.

Consider adding vitamin A to your diet.  Vitamin A is proven to give you a healthy scalp as well as giving more volume and shine to your hair.  Vitamin A can be found in dark leafy vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, apricots, pumpkin and peaches.   Equally important are minerals such as iron and zinc.  These minerals can be found in red meat, seafood, eggs and whole grains.  Proteins can give good texture to your hair.  Cereals, meat and soy are good sources of protein and can be consumed on regular basis.