Why does hair turn white?

Gray hair is mainly a sign of aging of the body and a direct consequence. As you grow older, the function of pigment-producing cells slows down and the production of melanin stops. The time when this natural process begins is genetically determined in everyone. It is known that in people of European descent, gray hair is about 34 years (plus-minus 10 years), in Asians - 30-34 years, and among blacks on average 43 years (plus-minus 10 years). as long as it appears.

Early gray hair

As mentioned above, hair color depends on the substance melanin, which is produced by the cells in the hair follicles. With the loss of this pigment, the color of the hair begins to change and the hair fibers turn dyed silver. In most cases, gray hair starts after the age of 35, but it can start even earlier. Nowadays, such cases are more common.

Causes of premature graying of hair

In some people, we see that gray hair starts very early. This can be the result of a genetic predisposition, or the effect of some external adverse factor, or the result of a disease in the body. For example, in anemia (anemia), thyroid dysfunction (hyperfunction), diabetes, insufficient blood supply to the heart, sexual dysfunction, excessive salt intake, high levels of acidity in the body. Hair may turn white early. Your doctor will help you pinpoint the cause. But you can solve this problem yourself, all you have to do is analyze the events of recent months.

There are cases when the production of melanin stops due to a deficiency of certain substances in the body or is trapped in the protein of the hair follicle. In a very short period of history, there have also been cases where people’s hair has turned gray due to a strong nervous condition or stress. For example, French Queen Marie Antoinette's hair turned white the night before the execution. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that under stress, the body begins to produce substances that disrupt the chemical reaction that combines melanin and protein. As a result, the pigment falls off very quickly, washes out or is neutralized.

White hair can also occur as a result of the formation of air gaps in the hair structure under the influence of various factors. In this case, the color of the hair turns gray due to changes in the angle of refraction of light.

When hair turns gray early

• The head should be rinsed with a decoction made from nettle leaves and roots. To prepare the decoction, 50 grams of dried nettles are added to half a liter of water and 500 ml of vinegar is added, then boiled for 30 minutes. The decoction is soaked in gauze and rubbed into the scalp every evening for several days.
• In the Fiji Islands, the natives take freshly grated ginger root, cut it into pieces, and put it in honey. They claim that taking the finished mass reduces the number of white hairs. To prepare it, freshly dug ginger root is washed, peeled and cut crosswise into a round shape. On top of the ginger pieces, pour fresh honey, which has not yet had time to bind, to cover the ginger a little. This mass is stored for at least two weeks.