Hair turns grey when there is a loss of hair colour. The loss of hair color is due to a gradual fall in melanin production in the hair bulb. If you observe the hair on a greying head, you will
notice there is a full range of colors, from the normal shade through to white along each hair, and also from one hair to another. When the melanocytes stop producing these pigments, grey hair will start growing. This occurs due to age.
Premature grey hair can also occur at a young age due to factors such as Vitamin B12 deficiency, thyroid imbalance and anaemia. Lifestyle factors such as smoking can also cause premature greying. Most people actually start going grey in their late twenties but not many will notice it immediately. Premature greying is defined as the
onset of grey hair before late teens for Caucasians and before age 30 in Africans and Asians, or described as 50% or more grey scalp hair before age 50. In some cases, a few grey hairs can develop in children as young as 8 years old and yet it indicates nothing other than an early onset of the grey hair that we all develop with increasing age. On the
average, grey hair typically first develops at age 34.2 +/- 9.6 years in Caucasians while for Black people the average age of onset is 43.9 +/-10.3 years (Keogh 1965). Average onset for Asian people is age 39 +/- 9 years. It is expected that 50% of the population in the US and Europe have 50% grey hair by age 50. Usually people notice their first grey hair near their temples. Then the greyness spreads to the crown, and later to the back of the head. Grey hair has different properties than non-grey hair; it is more dry and has a rough, wavy texture.The thickness and texture of one’s hair will influence the
colouring process: the more porous the hair, the faster the hair cream cum colouring will work. If the hair is less porous, the process will be slower and one will have to use the hair cream cum colouring daily for a little longer. Individul results vary.