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Why do people have grey hair? |
Getting Older
Have you ever seen a picture of your grandma or grandpa from when they were younger, perhaps even your age? They probably look a lot different, one of the most noticeable ways being the color of their hair! But what causes our hair to change color as we age?
Our bodies produce a special pigment called "melanin," which determines the color of our hair, skin, and even eyes. As we get older parts of our body, such as our hair follicles, gradually stop producing melanin. New hairs will continue to grow, but they will contain less and less melanin, until eventually they will have no color at all (which means that person's hair is now white!).
When your hair goes grey depends on the genes your mom and dad gave you — being "old" has nothing to do with it! Of course, some people don't begin to go grey until later in life, but for others this process can begin as early as in their twenties!
Our bodies produce a special pigment called "melanin," which determines the color of our hair, skin, and even eyes. As we get older parts of our body, such as our hair follicles, gradually stop producing melanin. New hairs will continue to grow, but they will contain less and less melanin, until eventually they will have no color at all (which means that person's hair is now white!).
When your hair goes grey depends on the genes your mom and dad gave you — being "old" has nothing to do with it! Of course, some people don't begin to go grey until later in life, but for others this process can begin as early as in their twenties!
Believe it or not!
Two common myths about grey hair is one, that they are related to stress, and two, that if you pluck one, many more will grow back in its place. But don't stress yourself out, because both are false! While stress can affect your body in different ways, melanin production isn't one of them. And you can pluck away at grey hairs all you want, because only one will ever grow back in its place!