Gray hair

[Lakewood]

What causes your hair to turn gray?

[B00]

no its no good, I've got to say it before someone else does..........

Old age!!

Yes I know i'm very childish- sorry.

[loobie]

As you get older your natural production of haircolour pigment, melanin slows down. Your hair looks more and more grey as it loses more and more of its pigment.

[Craig007]

Wife going shopping with credit cards at the ready does it for me!

[Slooow_Jo]

my kids :)

[WendyS]

Wish I knew but I guess it's the ageing process. If I could find the answer to this I'd be richer than everybody on the Rich List put together ! Meanwhile I'll just have to settle for the colouring solution !

[Octavius]

loobie has it. Hair typically turns gray as a result of ageing. Pigment in the hair shaft comes from special cells at the root of the hair. These cells are genetically programmed to make a certain amount of pigment (melanin) at specific ages. At some point in the ageing process, these cells make less and less pigment until the hair has very little pigment. White hair has no pigment, and gray hair has some but not as much as red, black or brown hair.

[unruliejulie]

Ah but theres no such thing as a grey hair!!!! Only white or dark, when the two mix together, you get grey!

[BigMac]

Marriage, children, divorce, children and marriage.

[Homer55]

Im 25, and iv been going grey for about 5 years, just in the past 12 month its gotten really bad so i dont think old age is a particular factor..

I suppose stress is a big factor.

[nobjob]

definately men !!!

[msemma]

Homer55 - my boyfriend's the same, 26 no started greying at 21. No idea why as at the time he was carefree and happy after finishing university and signing on for the whole summer!

[robbo82]

The England manager's job.

[RogerMellie]

I'm 33 and pretty much a Silver Fox, started at 19. It must be a melanin thing, because I'm otherwise young looking, stress free and live a good healthy life. I admit it was a shock at first, but I soon got used to it - far worse things can happen!

I do think a lot of it is hereditary though - both parents and grandparents went grey early so it was kind of expected for me. It doesn't bother me in the slightest - all my mates who are thinning wish they could have loads of hair like me, and it has never done that man Clooney any ham, so I sit easy with it!