Using antioxidant-rich products on your skin or taking them as supplements might help turn some gray hairs back to their original color by protecting hair roots and helping pigment cells work better.

Going gray might happen because the stem cells that give rise to hair color cells get damaged over time, not because the color-making cells themselves stop working. Keeping these stem cells healthy could be key to keeping your hair colored as you age.

Scientists think that when there’s too much damage from natural body chemicals (oxidative stress) and not enough protection from helpful antioxidants, it might cause hair to turn gray earlier than normal.

Going gray might happen because the stem cells that keep your hair colored stop working properly as you age, according to studies in people and specially tagged mice.

Going gray isn’t just about getting older — it’s because of damage from stress inside the hair roots, where too much hydrogen peroxide builds up and the body can’t fight it off anymore.

As we age, damage from oxidative stress can harm the cells that give hair its color, especially because the body’s natural antioxidants weaken over time — this leads to grey hair.