Everything you ever wanted to know about hair (but were too busy plucking out grey ones to ask)

Can stress make my hair turn white? Does unwashed hair clean itself? And what causes baldness in both men and women?

Cells at the base of the hair called melanocytes are responsible for producing the pigment that gives hair its colour. To do this, they need vitamin B12 and, in some cases, a deficiency in this vitamin can result in premature greying. However, once you pass the age of 30, the capacity of melanocytes to make pigment naturally begins to decrease, and they eventually burn out. The rate at which this happens is largely dictated by genetics, but smoking can also hasten the process. “Smoking depletes many vitamins in the body, and produces free radicals which can destroy cells,” says Lisa Gilbey, director of the Institute of Trichologists.

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from Health & wellbeing | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1TzDb3n
via health