White Hair: Causes, Myths and What Actually Helps

Finding your first strands of white hair can be a surprise, especially if you are still in your twenties. Most of the time, it is a normal part of growing older and is shaped mainly by your genes. Sometimes, though, early greying can be a sign of a health problem that is worth checking. This guide explains why hair turns white, which causes can be treated, which popular remedies have no proof behind them, and how to colour your hair safely if you choose to.

Our old post on this topic relied on a single outside website, promoted products, and made claims about oils and shampoos that are not backed by evidence. We have rewritten it using medical and scientific sources and kept the advice careful.

Why Hair Turns White

Hair gets its colour from a pigment called melanin. Pigment cells called melanocytes, found at the base of each hair follicle, add melanin to the hair as it grows. These cells are supplied by a pool of stem cells in the follicle.

As we age, these stem cells and pigment cells slowly run out or stop working. New hairs then grow without pigment. There is no actual grey or white pigment. The hair looks grey or white because of the way light reflects off a strand that has no colour. A mix of coloured and colourless strands gives the salt and pepper look.

Interestingly, one follicle can stop making pigment years before the follicle right next to it. Scientists still do not fully understand why.

When Is Greying Normal?

Greying usually begins in the early to mid twenties in men and the late twenties in women, though the timing varies widely. In the United States, more than 60 percent of people have some grey hair by the age of 40. A large study by the cosmetics company L’Oreal found that 74 percent of people aged 45 to 65 had some grey hair, while about one in ten people had no grey hair even after the age of 60.

Doctors usually call greying premature when it starts much earlier than normal for a person’s ethnic background. For people of Asian origin, including Indians, it is often described as greying before about 25.

Main Causes of White Hair

Genes

The age at which your hair starts to grey seems to depend mostly on your genes. If your parents or grandparents went grey early, you are more likely to do so too. Several genes are involved. In 2016, researchers who studied about 6,000 people in Latin America announced a gene called IRF4 that is linked to greying.

Age

Age is the most common reason of all. Even people whose families grey late will see more white hair as they grow older.

Smoking

Smoking is one of the few lifestyle factors with a clear link. A study published in the British Medical Journal in 1996 found that smokers were four times more likely than non smokers to start greying early. Quitting brings many other health benefits too. If you want help, see our post on No Smoking Day.

Stress

Many people believe stress turns hair white. A study published in the journal Nature in 2020 showed that severe stress could make hair lose its colour in animals, by using up the stem cells that make pigment. In humans, there is some evidence for a link with chronic stress, but it has not been firmly proven.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

A lack of vitamin B12 can lead to anaemia and has been linked with early greying, including in a condition called pernicious anaemia, where the body cannot absorb B12 properly. Other signs of low B12 include tiredness, weakness, pale skin, pins and needles, a sore tongue and mouth ulcers. Vegetarians and vegans are at higher risk, because B12 comes mainly from animal foods such as milk, curd, eggs, fish and meat. A simple blood test can check your levels. Read more in our list of essential vitamins and minerals.

Thyroid Problems

Problems with the thyroid gland, which controls the body’s metabolism, can affect hair colour as well as hair thickness. Other signs can include changes in weight, energy, mood and heart rate. Thyroid problems are common and can be checked with a blood test.

Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a condition in which pigment cells stop working in patches, leaving white patches of skin. When it affects areas with hair, such as the scalp, eyebrows or beard, the hair in that patch can turn white too. Vitiligo is not infectious. A dermatologist can advise on treatment options.

Poor Nutrition

Serious malnutrition can make hair thinner, more brittle and lighter in colour. This kind of change can improve when a person’s diet improves. For most people who eat a reasonable diet, however, food is not the reason for greying.

Rare Conditions

Some rare inherited conditions, such as Waardenburg syndrome and piebaldism, can cause a white patch of hair from birth, often at the front. Werner syndrome, a rare condition that causes early ageing, is also linked with premature greying.

Natural Remedies: What the Evidence Says

Many products claim to prevent or reverse white hair, including oils, herbal packs and supplements. The honest answer is that no special diet, supplement, vitamin or protein has been proven to slow, stop or reverse normal greying. Oils such as coconut, rosemary or amla oil can make hair feel softer and look shinier, and many people enjoy using them, but there is no good evidence that they bring back pigment.

The exceptions are cases where greying is caused by something treatable. If a blood test shows low vitamin B12 or a thyroid problem, treating it may help your general health, and in some cases colour may partly return. Taking vitamin pills without a deficiency is unlikely to change your hair.

Common Myths

• White hair means poor health: Not usually. For most people it simply reflects genes and age.
• Cutting or shaving changes hair colour: No. Colour is decided inside the follicle, not by the tip of the hair.
• Hair can turn white overnight: Stories of sudden whitening are old and popular, but they are not well documented. Hair that is already growing out does not lose its colour in a single night.
• One remedy works for everyone: No product has been shown to reverse normal greying.

Everyday Hair Care

While you cannot stop genetic greying, you can keep your hair and scalp healthy. Eat a balanced diet, do not smoke, protect your hair from harsh sun, and be gentle when combing and styling. For more ideas, see our posts on tips to reduce hair fall and healthy hair in winter. Plucking white hairs does not make more grow back in their place, but repeated plucking can damage the follicle, so it is better to trim or colour them.

Colouring White Hair Safely

Many people are happy to let their hair go grey naturally. Others prefer to colour it. If you choose to colour, a few safety steps help.

• Do a strand and skin test: The NHS advises testing a dye on a strand of hair at least 48 hours before you use it, and following the packet instructions.
• Know about PPD: Many permanent and some semi permanent dyes contain a chemical called PPD, which can irritate the skin or cause allergic reactions.
• Avoid black henna tattoos: The paste often contains high levels of PPD and can make you more likely to react to hair dye later.
• Wear gloves while applying dye, and rinse at once with mild shampoo if your scalp burns or itches.
• Watch for late reactions: Symptoms can take up to 72 hours to appear.

Plant based henna is a popular choice in India, but check the label carefully, since some mixes sold as henna contain added chemicals. Seek urgent medical help if your face, lips or throat swell or you have trouble breathing after using a dye.

When to See a Doctor

See a doctor if your hair turns white very early, for example in your teens or early twenties, if it appears in patches along with white patches of skin, or if it comes with tiredness, weight changes, pins and needles or other new symptoms. A doctor can check for vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid problems or vitiligo.

The order of greying is often nose hair first, then the hair on the head, the beard, body hair and finally the eyebrows.

What We Changed From the Old Post

We removed the outside website link and the product plug. We removed claims that oils boost melanin and that shampoos with hydrogen peroxide cause white hair. We added the science of why hair greys, clear causes with sources, a fair look at natural remedies, safe colouring advice from the NHS and guidance on when to see a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can white hair turn black again?

Normal age related greying does not reverse. Greying caused by a treatable problem, such as low vitamin B12, may sometimes improve after treatment.

Does stress cause white hair?

Animal studies suggest severe stress can, but in humans the link is not firmly proven.

Does plucking white hair cause more to grow?

No, but plucking can harm the follicle.