3 Reasons Your Hair Is Going White Too Early

Hair whitening is a natural phenomenon that marks the passage of time in humans, even though many people don't like it very much.

This phenomenon occurs due to the lack of melanin, a pigment that gives color to the hair in the hair follicle.

In most cases, the melanin-producing cells are still present in the follicle, but over time they cease to perform so efficiently.

In women, the most common is that the first white strands appear after age 35, so it's understandable that you might be a little disappointed if your hair starts to whiten before that.

But there's not much you can do but dye the strands, because the main factor involved in this process is genetics: If your father or mother had an early whitening of the strands, you might as well.

Also read: 10 Reasons To Love Your White Hair And Wrinkles

However, if no one in your family has this trait, your hair may be turning white for reasons other than genetics. Know what they are:

1. Vitamin B12 deficiency may be one of the reasons

Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is essential in the formation of our red blood cells and the proper functioning of the nervous system. Also, according to some studies, such as this one conducted in India in 2016, deficiency of this vitamin may be related to early hair whitening.

Although researchers are still unsure how the lack of this nutrient affects hair pigmentation, there are some clues as to why this happens. Hair follicle cell proliferation depends on DNA synthesis, which in turn is dependent on vitamin B12. In addition, cobalamin participates in stabilizing the hair's growth phase.

It is therefore important to include in the diet foods that provide vitamin B12 to our body, such as salmon, tuna, pork, liver, dairy products and eggs. Vegans and vegetarians may find it more difficult to maintain adequate levels of this vitamin, so supplementation may be required under medical advice.

2. Cigarette ages skin and hair

You already know that smoking causes a number of serious diseases, such as pulmonary emphysema and various cancers, as well as contributing to the premature aging of the skin. And if you suspect that smoking can accelerate the onset of white hair, you're right. There are even scientific studies proving this.

Read also: White hair: How to disguise or adhere to this empowering look

Scientists are still unsure about how cigarettes make hair turn white, but just as with vitamin B12, they have some guesses. The main theory is that cigarettes are associated with the formation of free radicals, which damage the melanin-producing cells, a substance that gives color to the hair.

3. Stressful life: the debate goes on

Another factor commonly associated with white hair at an early age is everyday stress. Although this reason is still in question, this belief has found some evidence among the scientific community.

A 2013 study from New York University showed that when subjected to stress, tested mice showed an increase in the amount of white hair.

This would be the result of the migration of melanin-producing cells, which leave their original site, at the base of the hair follicle, without substitute cells to produce the pigment that gives color to the strands. This abandonment would be caused precisely by the action of stress-linked hormones, such as adrenocorticotropic hormone.

Another line of researchers, however, argues that the results obtained in mice cannot be extrapolated to humans.

Read also: How to dye white hair

However, even if there is an influence of stress on the whitening of hair, it seems to act only on people who already have a genetic predisposition to have this feature. Ie the biggest? Guilty? Her white hair before age 35 is still the family heirloom.

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