It's getting bad. Last time I got my hair cut, the guy thought it was a birth mark because there were so many. I'm not kidding--he asked me. Being in my late 20's, I am thinking this is a little young to be going grey! So I decided to do a little research to see why hair turns grey.
Basically, the root of every strand of hair is surrounded by the follicle. Each follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells. These pigment cells continuously produce a chemical called melanin that gives the growing shaft of hair it's color. (Melanin is also the chemical that helps you tan.)
Although I want to blame Tony Wu for my graying hair, it seems that as we get older the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. With fewer pigment cells, the strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become more transparent in color--like grey, silver, or white.
And genetics has more to do with it than anything. We turn grey about the same time our parents did. At least this is a gradual process. Studies show that from the first sight of grey hairs, it will take about 10 years to complete the process.
Luckily for me I don't have to wait to see it happen. Hmmm....Now all I need to figure out is which color to choose....
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