Everything you need to know about gray hair

You just spotted your first gray hair, you’re probably staring at the mirror in absolute horror with questions running through your head: will it be the only gray hair? Will all your hair be soon gray? What will happen if you just pull it out? Don’t worry, we got all the answers and the solutions from the expert in that field.

Doctor Pierre Bouhanna, dermatologic surgeon who specializes in hair and scalp disorders, and who is the director of the diploma of scalp surgery at the University of Paris-VI and was the expert dermatologist of the French Ministry of Health, will tell us which of the following facts are true and which are false.

The first gray hair will stay single

False. When you spot your first gray hair, keep in mind that other gray hair will follow. But before you give in to panic, Doctor Bouhanna wants to reassure you: “the first gray hair does not announce the imminent arrival of fifty others!” So relax and stop worrying, the first gray hair can appear while you’re just 25 years old. But the appearance of other grey hairs can be progressive and gradual.

If I pull it out, more gray hairs will appear

True and false. "This is an urban myth with no evidence and which no one has questioned since the Middle Ages" he says. No, it is not because we remove a white hair that three others will grow back immediately! However, plucking the annoying grey hair is not without risk: it can grow back straighter and thicker than before. It will suddenly be even more visible.

Genetics are important

True. Several factors explain the premature arrival of gray hair. The genetic factor is essential. Your mother’s or father’s hair is the best indicator of the age at which your hair will start to go gray. In this case, it is useless to compare yourself to your friends or colleagues. “It's like the skin. There are those who have skin that ages quickly and are always looking for ways to a perfectly glowing skin, and those who keep a youthful skin for a long time”.

Stress leads to gray hair

True. Genetics are not the only factor. “The level of stress also has an impact on all the metabolisms of the body and can therefore also have its effects on the hair". Does stress accelerate the appearance of grey hair? A study carried out by Harvard scientists confirmed this fact, as explained by The Guardian last January. There are even cases of extreme grayness after traumatic events: death of a loved one, divorce, accident ... It is said, for example, that Queen Marie-Antoinette, on the eve of being guillotined, “went gray in one night” A phenomenon called "sudden grayness".

Childbirth causes appearance of gray hair

False. Childbirth has no direct link with your hair turning gray. Here again, it is the stress that is most likely to blame. If you notice some gray hairs following childbirth, they are not linked to the event itself, but to the stress it caused or to the postpartum depression that some women go through.

Take good care of your hair helps delay greying

False: unhealthy hair doesn't turn gray any sooner than healthy hair. "You cannot go against heredity", certifies the expert. The trendiest hair dyes colors this fall will help you cover stubborn gray hair, although there’s a good number of women who decided to accept their hair this way. Quarantine was indeed a trigger for some women who embraced their silver locks, as they were unable to get to the hair salon. The important thing is to neutralize the yellow tones by choosing the right hair products.

Celebrities with Gray hair on the Red Carpet

Jennifer Aniston

Jessica Biel

Katie Holmes

Rachel McAdams