When too much hydrogen peroxide builds up in your hair follicles, it stops the pigment-making enzyme from working, which is why hair turns gray over time.

As we age, our hair might turn gray because of a buildup of a natural chemical called hydrogen peroxide in the hair, and our body's ability to clean it up weakens — this messes with the pigment-making process in hair.

Too much stress from oxygen-related chemicals in your hair roots might damage the cells that give hair its color, leading to gray hair — especially when stuff like hydrogen peroxide builds up and harms those color-making cells.

Gray hairs have more damaging chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and less of the protective enzymes that normally keep those chemicals in check.

When the energy factories inside hair follicles don't work right, they make too many harmful molecules that damage the color-producing cells, making hair turn gray faster.

Too much oxidative stress might lead to fewer pigment-producing cells in hair and cause hair to lose color, based on lab studies that simulate this stress in human hair follicles.