There are two different schools of thought on greying hair. Grey hair can increase or lower your self-esteem, depending on how you look at it. George Clooney, Milind Soman, Richard Gere etc., all have grey hair. But ask any woman and you will know how big their fan following is. Well, these could then be outliers, the bold and the risky ones who chose not to colour their hair.

But a majority of people worry about premature greying of hair. An early onset of greying may not be appealing to both men and women. But before worrying about whether it is premature greying of hair (PGH) that you are dealing with, it is important to understand where the medical fraternity draws the line. According to published medical journals, the PGH cutoff for Indians is 25 years of age. So if you are above 25, and a few streaks of grey hair start to show, it may not be PGH, rather it could be related to genes and several other factors. 

72 Percent Of Women Prefer Men With Grey Hair!

A survey done by an online dating site found that women prefer men with grey hair. It could be that grey hair indicates maturity, elegance, and a calm and composed personality. Sadly, there is no such reverse survey done where one could find out whether men also prefer women with grey hair. So if you are a man and have grey hair, you probably are in good company! 

Simply put, the hair has two parts-- hair follicle and hair strand. Hair strands (that you hold in hand and which the hairstylist trims) are actually dead cells, just as nails are. Underneath the skin are the hair follicles (which are living cells). Hair follicles produce hair strands. 

Reasons For Hair Turning Grey

There isn’t much literature available on what exactly causes PGH

• Weak Pigmentation Cells: Pigmentation cells, also known as colour cells, are responsible for hair colour. Dead pigmentation cells or weak ones are unable to give colour to the hair and can cause hair to turn grey

• Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause PGH. However, the exact reason that happens is yet to be explored. People with a vegetarian diet are more prone to vitamin B12 deficiency

• Thyroid: There is material available to show that deficiency in thyroid hormones can also cause premature greying of hair 

• Smoking & Alcohol: Studies have also shown that smoking and premature greying of hair has a strong positive correlation. 

• Stress: A study conducted in young adults in Turkey revealed that emotional stress can also cause PGH.  

• Environment: Environmental factors, such as exposure to harmful UV rays can alter the internal chemistry of hair follicles, leading to premature greying of hair

What Can Be Done For Premature Greying Of Hair?

First things first, there is no cure for premature greying of hair. The current medical literature has not been able to clearly establish reasons why this happens. Having said that, there are solutions that can add pigmentation to your hair strands such as permanent or temporary dye. You can use dyes made of natural substances such as Indian gooseberry or try out cosmetic solutions. Advice from a trichologist may be handy here. 

Doctors may recommend having nutritious food rich in vitamin A and B12 supplements. In some cases, changing the RO at your home may also help. If you are vegetarian, B12 produced in vegetarian food products may not be sufficient, hence the doctor may recommend supplements or B12 shots. 

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