Scientists have proven that stress indeed makes hair turn grey. A recent study from Columbia University demonstrated that psychological stress is linked to hairlocks losing colour. However, the colour was restored when stressful factors had been eliminated, surprisingly.

Why hair turns grey

Pigment in human hair can be restored, scholars from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons discovered. Doctor Martin Picard, one of the study authors, pointed out that this fact may be another indication of the possibility to reverse the effects of ageing in people.

“Our data add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that human aging is not a linear, fixed biological process but may, at least in part, be halted or even temporarily reversed.”

People’s bodies code in cells a person’s biological history, similar to the way how tree trunks demonstrate its decades of life.

Apparently, a person’s hair is influenced by stress hormones while still inside the follicles in skin. A grown hair becomes hard and enduringly stable in colour.

The idea of stress contributing to greying of manes had been known for ages. But there hadn’t been done much research to confirm it, until now.

To measure pigmentation, researchers sliced tiny pieces of hair, to see how much loss of pigment occurs in each of them.

To a human eye, all locks might look the same in colour, but high-resolution images allow to see the difference.

Researchers were collecting samples from 14 volunteers for weeks. The volunteers were also asked to write in their diaries about events of the week.

Higher levels of stress led to hair losing some of its pigment, but then regained it back naturally, in cases where worries were eliminated. For instance, a person went on vacation and miraculously 5 of his hairs regained the dark colour.

Scientists believe that changes in mitochondria may produce hair discoloration. When a person is stressed, the body produces certain proteins, which in turn carry information around.

“Mitochondria are actually like little antennas inside the cell that respond to a number of different signals, including psychological stress,” Picard explained.

Higher levels of stress led to hair losing some of its pigment, but then regained it back naturally, in cases where worries were eliminated.

Will lifting stress allow to regain one’s youthful hair colour?

Researchers created a mathematical model for the process and concluded that a certain threshold has to be reached before one’s main turns grey. This is what happens at middle age, when people’s manes start turning white.

The researchers still point out that age is important, and a vacation won’t help a 70-year-old to regain darker shade, not worries would make a 10-year-old’s ponytail lose its pigment.

However, if you just noticed your perfect shade of brown sporting some grey, it could be possibly reversed if you take it easy.

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