Why Do Hairs Turn Gray?
Three Streams for the Mechanism of Hair Graying
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Hairs turn gray when the tiny cells that make color run out or stop working. These color-making cells have 'parent' cells that live in the hair root. If those parent cells get damaged by stress from fast hair growth or body chemicals, they can disappear and not make new color cells anymore.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Hairs turn gray when the tiny cells that make color run out or stop working. These color-making cells have 'parent' cells that live in the hair root. If those parent cells get damaged by stress from fast hair growth or body chemicals, they can disappear and not make new color cells anymore.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence Score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Publication
Authors
Jo SK, Lee JY, Lee Y, Kim CD, Lee JH, Lee YH
Related Content
Claims (5)
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.
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.
When your hair grows fast, it might stress the cells that give hair its color, causing them to wear out faster and turn hair gray sooner.
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.
As we get older, the stem cells that keep our hair colored might stop working properly because of problems in their internal repair system, and once they're gone, our hair turns gray for good.