While designing and making om's is an enjoyable thing, earning my business degree by step by step is stressful. and recently i noticed within a space of about a months time. I noticed my beard stubble has gone white.

obviously its stress, but is anyone in the know why the stress causes the hair to turn?

just curious
N.

I'm 36 and completely grey. I've been dying my hair to hide the grey since I was 13. I have an Uncle who went grey in his early 20's. When I was really sick in the mid 90's I noticed my Father went grey in a spam of 6 months. I'm sure there's a scientific explanation as to how hair turns grey. I just hate dyeing my hair every 3 weeks, lol

Pinky

Stress really can make your hair go white as can a sudden serious shock... no idea why just know it happens

heh one of those secrets of the universe GG.
still there must be a reason. ill have to dig deeper! heeh.

best
N.

As to the rate the gray comes in, my guess is that an injury or stress can knock the melanin out quickly, but there's natural variation in the rate of graying due to natural forces, too. Probably genetic.

As for graying, in general: here's a link. I think a big part of our shock over graying hair has to do with the great gray cover-up in this society. Massive numbers of people color their hair, so it seems abnormal to see someone graying, particularly at a young age.

I've been going gray since my twenties, and actually used to like the silver streaks in the front. But, three years ago, I colored my hair for the first time, soon realizing it didn't feel 'like me.' I eventually went back to allowing my roguish silver strands (a la X-Men) to show. So far, so good. Some people actually think I look younger than with the solid dark hair I used to have. It has a softening effect to my face, I think.

.

I have no idea what my real hair colour is, nor have I had for years - guess my hairdresser might be able to answer that I'm just happy he uses all organic hair products with none of the nasties in them

Funny, I've been pulling out my gray hairs weekly. I just don't like them. But when I told someone about it, they told me to stop immediately. They said their aunt used to do pull out all her gray hair and now she is almost bald! Imagine! I'm sure that I will not go bald, but my son now wants to start pulling them out!

I do know at one time my hair was blonde, almost white at times. But the gray started to creep in with my first child and accelerated with the second till one day by daughter (who was all of about 6) said really loud in a not so crowded restaurant - "Daddy you are really gray". My wife almost spit her soup out she was laughing so hard (she is not gray). My wife also claim credit for all but two of the gray hairs,she left one for each kid.

You know something - My wife get "highlights" every month or so ... think there is something ... hmmmmmmmm ...

MJ

Eddy, Do not tug pluck or pull them out. they do change, especially in women, When my wife's mother passed, she went very grey very quickly. after the initial stress passed, her hair started to return on its own. not all the grey left. but hey. shes married to me.

hehe
N.

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel:
but hey. shes married to me.

Would that not have the opposite affect?

MJ

/me puts mj's head back down and reminds him it attaches with a 180 degree twist in the opposite direction than previously thought.

her hairs still grey in areas, probably because im a handful. gettit now? lol

silly mj

I am inspired by this website, since I think there's plenty of support out and about for coloring your hair, but precious little support for going natural. A disclaimer: My posting of this gray-pride type link is in no way a criticism of anyone's decision in respect to coloring vs. graying. We all have to feel good about the image we see in the mirror, but I'm trying to expand my own idea of what beauty is.

grey hair didnt bother me when she had a grey stripe. i actually found it very sexy. didnt bother me when it went white either.

i guess its more about the worry that if a emotional hit like a death in the family, or if a load of stress causes it to turn white.

whats it doing on the inside?

right on cecily...

grey hair is beautiful, and a lot of people die it not because of how it looks, but because of stigma. Love my wife's greys, and get a kick out of mine, though it generally falls out of my head rather than stays. Yeah, I've got some unruly greys in the beard, but them maybe make me look more sagely...

Totally agree, Bittersweet. Allowing your gray to show in some occupations can be professional suicide, so yes, the stigma can be a strong incentive to 'wash that gray right outta your hair.'

And Nigel...gray hair can indeed be a symptom of a health problem in the very young. Here's the short list differential:

Vitamin B12 deficiency
vitiligo
neurofibromatois
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (post viral)
hyperthyroidism

But, I think for the most part, melanocytes get weary as we age, and gray is quite natural. Plenty of people live to ripe old ages with gray hair, so I don't think it's an indicator of something going wrong with your body, particularly after the age of 40.