Why Do People Get White Hair?

All people would have white hair if not for a pigment called melanin. This pigment, in two different forms, creates the entire range of natural hair coloring. Age, genetics, hormones, environmental toxins and other factors can all turn hair white.

Melanin

• All hair begins white. According to the Library of Congress "Everyday Mysteries" website, cells called melanocytes add the pigment melanin to hair before birth. All hair colors spring from two types of melanin: darker eumelanin and lighter pheomelanin.

Gray or White?

• "Gray" hair doesn't really exist. The hair dye company L'Oreal explains that the mix of white hair with other darker hairs creates the illusion of gray or silver.

Aging

• Hair loses pigment over time. Dr. Desmond Tobin, professor of cell biology from the University of Bradford in England, suggests that hair cells have a genetic "program" that tells them when to stop producing melanin.

Intrinsic Factors

• Hair can turn gray or white for reasons other than age, according to the Library of Congress. Body type, hormone production and unrelated genetic factors can all affect hair color.

Extrinsic Factors

• Climate and exposure to chemicals, pollution or toxic substances are possible environmental causes of pigment loss.