Pull out one white hair and ten more will grow? How do they grow? Finally got the answer!

What causes white hair at a young age? Will pulling out one white hair really result in ten more growing? In addition to hair dyeing, is there any reliable way to turn white hair black?

How does white hair grow?

Don't be fooled by the thinness of hair, the structure inside is very complex. The structure of hair is mainly divided into three layers, the outermost layer is the hair scales, the second is the slightly harder hair cortex (hair core), and the innermost layer is the hair medulla.

At the root of each hair follicle grows pigment stem cells that control hair color. These stem cells will differentiate into melanocytes. The function of melanocytes is to continuously "spit" pigment into the cortex and medulla of the hair. The amount of pigment spit out determines the depth of hair color.

Therefore, when the number of melanocytes decreases or their function is impaired, the pigment in the hair will decrease, turning the hair into gray or even white hair.

What are the main causes of gray hair?

1. Age

As we age, the melanocytes in the hair follicles gradually weaken and die. Generally speaking, after the age of 40, the melanin produced by melanocytes in yellow people will gradually decrease, and gray hair will begin to appear. The pattern of appearance is often starting from the temples on both sides, with a few scattered white hairs, and gradually developing towards the top of the head, with more and more white hairs. In this process, because the melanin is gradually reduced, the hair will first turn gray and then white.

Of course, the activity of melanocytes varies from person to person. Some people have a full head of white hair in their thirties, while others in their seventies and eighties have very little white hair.

2. Genetics

Some gray hair has an obvious genetic tendency, especially for children who have white hair at the age of a few years old or in their teens. It is often related to genetics. Hereditary gray hair is generally sparsely distributed, which is also called "congenital juvenile gray hair."

3. Lack of nutrition

Many studies have proven that a lack of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, zinc, selenium, and iron is closely related to the appearance of gray hair.

If a person starves himself to lose weight excessively, he will become malnourished, pale and thin, and his hair will also become yellow and dull, and his hair will become dry, brittle, easily broken, and fluffy.

4. Disease factors

Some diseases can cause white hair, such as common albinism, vitiligo, hyperthyroidism, pituitary lesions and other diseases, as well as less common phenylketonuria, pernicious anemia, Fanconi syndrome, etc. These white hairs are often very serious and there are also symptoms of hair loss.

5. Mental factors

Scientists have long proven that mental stress can cause gray hair.

6. Other factors

Taking some medications may cause gray hair; external forces such as ultraviolet rays, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle can accelerate the graying of hair.

7. Staying up late

The impact of lack of sleep is systemic, especially for people who stay up late for a long time. The secretion of biological clock and hormone may be disordered, which will not only make dark circles and bags under the eyes worse and the skin sag, but also affect the secretion of melanin, thereby affecting the "skin" of the hair and causing gray hair.

Mental stress can really turn your hair gray

It is possible for your hair to turn completely gray overnight!

Melanocytes are very sensitive. When a person suffers a great mental blow in life, melanocytes will become sick and go on strike, resulting in "white hair overnight". In medicine, this phenomenon is a special subtype of alopecia areata. Some people can never recover once their hair turns white.

In addition, when a person is under a state of chronic mental stress, the excitement of the sympathetic nerves leads to a sharp release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Under the influence of norepinephrine, pigment stem cells are mobilized, rapidly increase, differentiate, and migrate. Eventually, the pigment stem cells are exhausted, and the hair turns from black to white.

Is it true that if you pull out one white hair, ten will grow back?

Wrong! Gray hair will not grow more if you pull it out.

First of all, the total amount of hair a person has is determined at birth. Just because you pull out one white hair doesn’t mean you will have ten more white hairs!

However, you can’t pull out your white hair at will! Because if you pull out the white hair, it may grow back white. More importantly, pulling out your hair will damage the hair roots and hair follicles, and even cause folliculitis and hair loss, which is especially bad for people with hair loss!

Besides dyeing your hair, is there any other way to make your hair darker?

There are some differences depending on the type of gray hair:

When gray hair appears due to age, according to current technology, there is no other way to turn gray hair black except dyeing, so don’t believe in “folk remedies”!

If you don't want to have a few white hairs, you can use scissors to cut them off so as not to damage the hair follicles. If you have a lot of white hairs, you can only dye them.

If it is a congenital hereditary juvenile graying, there is no other way to darken the hair except dyeing it.

If a teenager suddenly develops a lot of white hair in a short period of time (only one or two hairs do not count!), it is recommended that they go to the hospital to find out the cause.

To slow down the graying of hair, you should pay attention to these aspects!

1. Protect your hair from the sun

Gray hair is more likely to appear at the hairline and temples because the hair in these areas is more susceptible to ultraviolet rays. Therefore, it is important to use an umbrella or wear a hat when going out in sunny weather to protect your hair from the sun.

2. Adjust your mental and psychological state in a timely manner

Negative emotions such as stress and anxiety can cause gray hair. When encountering such emotional and psychological problems, we must adjust and relieve stress in a timely manner, and seek help from professional psychologists when necessary.

3. Do not be picky about food and focus on balanced nutrition

Hair is closely related to trace elements in the body. It is recommended to eat more protein-rich foods such as fish, beans, green leafy vegetables, animal liver, etc.

4. Avoid high-sugar diet

Eating too much sugar will not only cause hair loss, but also form a large amount of organic acid during the body's metabolism, which will disrupt the pigment metabolism of the hair.

5. The water temperature for washing hair should not be too hot, and the perm and dyeing should be reduced.

6. Quit smoking