My grandmother on my mother's side went gray in her twenties.  My mom went gray in her forties or so. I'm almost forty, and I'm getting little bits here and there now.  It's enough that when I got my hair cut last week, one of my co-workers mistook it for highlights.  You can't be shocked if you start going gray in your 40's or 50's.  But why do some people get gray hair in their 30's, or even 20's?  Well, it's mostly genetic.  But here are four more reasons it happens . . .

 

1.  You're extremely stressed out.  Researchers still aren't sure why stress causes your hair to turn gray.  But a study in 2013 found that when mice got too stressed out, it destroyed stem cells at the base of hair follicles.

2.  You could have a medical condition.  It's rare, but issues with your thyroid or pituitary gland can cause gray hair.  And autoimmune diseases that attack your skin can do it too.

3.  You're not getting enough B-12.  Which is more common for vegetarians, because B-12 is in meat.  But if it's causing gray hair, it's usually because you're anemic.  Which means your body is having trouble ABSORBING B-12.

4.  You're a smoker.  A study in 2010 found it doesn't just make your skin age faster.  It also makes you go gray faster too.  Probably a few years earlier than you would if you didn't smoke at all.

Are you getting some gray? Do you already have it? Do you do anything about it, or let it be?

Greyingly yours,
Behka

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