Scalp hair is integral to the public persona you portray and contributes immensely to your self-esteem and confidence. Hair gets its color due to melanin synthesis in the hair follicles, which slow down with age, reducing melanin levels, thus turning hair grey. But, under certain other circumstances, you can get premature grey hair, leaving you cringing about your appearance. Let us explore these premature hair-greying causes.

Reasons for early greying of hair

• Medical conditions

Autoimmune diseases like hyper or hypothyroid, alopecia areata, and vitiligo cause greying and premature balding. Research highlights the effect of thyroid hormones in modulating the hair follicle cycle and its pigmentation leading to early receding hairline and grey hair at a young age.

• Oxidative stress

Excessive oxidation caused by free radicals in your body can cause cell and tissue damage resulting in premature hair loss and greying as melanin-producing hair follicles too are affected in the process.

• Vitamin deficiency

One of the premature grey hair reasons is the deficiency of crucial vitamins like biotin, B6, B12, and vitamins D and E. Vitamin B12 is responsible for the health of the RBCs in your body. If the RBCs are unhealthy, the body cells, including hair follicles, do not get adequate oxygen, leading to their weakening and subsequent poor melanin production.

• Imbalanced lifestyle

Risqué habits like smoking and an incomplete sleep cycle invariably lead to stress build-up in your body. Stress weakens the systems resulting in several lifestyle-oriented medical conditions, including premature greying. A non-clinical observational study established a significant relationship between premature greying with cigarette smoking.

• Chemicals in hair products

Chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide in hair products can cause hair follicles to wither, leading to melanin deficiency and hair fall.

How to get rid of premature grey hair?

The million-dollar question is, can premature grey hair be reversed? According to experts, greying is irreversible. However, advanced dermatological treatments administered by qualified trichologists can address both hair fall and greying.

But, these solutions will be futile if your hair follicles are not healthy. Hence, to boost hair and melanin growth, you need to introduce lifestyle changes and take care of nutritional deficiencies so that your mane is strong enough to beat stress and environmental causes of premature greying.

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• Keep autoimmune diseases in check to prevent greying

You cannot do anything about your genes. But, if you are suffering from a dysfunctional thyroid, striking a balance in the hormones will help prevent your hair from greying.

• Nutritional needs

Address your vitamin deficiencies with appropriate foods such as walnuts, eggs, and milk to boost B12 levels, spinach, lettuce, and cauliflowers to increase folic acid levels, and so on. Consumption of more antioxidizing foods like green tea, fresh fruits and vegetables, and olive oil can eliminate the free radicals that cause hair damage.

• Natural hair care

Opt for natural and organic products to care for your hair to avoid harsh chemicals. Regular, gentle massaging of the scalp with hair oil will invigorate the cells and keep your tresses healthy and shining.

• Lifestyle changes

A healthy lifestyle complete with a regular exercise regime can handle lifestyle stressors that contribute majorly to premature greying and hair fall. Further, say no to cigarettes if you care for your hair.

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Despite the self-care, if you still do not find any noticeable change in hair color or volume, consult an experienced trichologist immediately for premature white hair treatment.