File this under another effect of the pandemic: Everything has become a hundred times more stressful since March 2020. If you’re someone who has been doing a double-take every time you find grey hair over the last year, you’re not alone. A 2021 study by the Columbia University Irving Medical Center found that stress may lead to greying of hair but taking away the tension appears to reverse the whole process.
If you’re someone who has had grey hair for several years, just eliminating stress won’t return your natural colour at the roots. The findings however did show that ageing isn’t an irreversible process but one that may be reversed a little bit.
Why does hair go grey?
Your tresses are packed with melanin aka the natural pigment that gives your skin and hair its colour. The loss of it as we grow older leads to grey hair. Now, this can be caused due to a variety of factors including genetics, environmental factors, and even stress. When the natural hair colour gets depleted, you’re left with strands that look translucent and white.
But how does stress affect hair colour?
Activities like smoking increase the amount of oxidative stress (read: free radical damage) on the body which leads to biological imbalances. These show up in the form of chronic illness as well as signs of premature ageing like greying of hair. This is why!
What can I do to reverse this?
Stress management techniques like yoga and journaling may help but the reversal process may not work for everyone. If you’re at an age where your hair is about to go grey anyway, a stressful event–like being laid off from work–will prepone the process. For some people, hair that has been grey for 30 years or so is less likely to get re-pigmented naturally.
Sticking to a healthy diet is always a good idea. Follow a proper diet, reduce alcohol consumption and smoking, and load on B12 foods like eggs, cheese, and yoghurt.
I want to embrace my grey hair, what can I do?
While you’re learning to love your hair, don’t forget to update your regime. Greying hair tends to be drier so make sure you mask often with formulas that contain nourishing ingredients like shea butter, argan oil, coconut oil, and honey.