Why Do Young People Have Grey Hair?

Seeing grey hairs in your teens or 20s can be a shock sometimes; and for others, it’s a thing of concern.

In Nigeria, people often make jokes about it, saying it’s a sign of wisdom coming early. But medically, this is known as premature greying, or premature canities.

For people of African or Asian descent, if greying starts before the age of 30, it’s considered early. For those of European descent, it’s before 20 or 25.

But what exactly makes this happen to young people? Let’s break it down in simple terms, looking at the main causes, what you can do about it, and when to see a doctor.

Why is our hair black?

First, we must understand how hair gets its colour. Each hair strand has melanin, a pigment made by special cells called melanocytes in the hair follicle. This melanin comes in two types: eumelanin for black or brown hair, and pheomelanin for red or blonde.

As we get older, melanocytes gradually slow down and die off, leading to grey or white hair. But when this happens too soon, something is speeding up the process.

Why Does The Hair Turn Grey Early?

The number one reason is genetics. If your parents or grandparents started greying in their 20s, you are very likely to follow the same pattern. Research shows that in places like Nigeria and India, over 70 percent of premature greying cases are linked to family history.

There is even a specific gene called IRF4 that plays a big role in greying of hair. This gene controls when the melanin production starts to fade, and if you have the version of this gene that switches off early, your hair will grey sooner, no matter what you do. It’s like a family trait, just like height or eye colour. You cannot change your genes, but knowing this can help you accept it without worry.

2. The next leading cause is nutritional deficiencies, especially in developing countries like Nigeria where diets might lack certain vitamins and minerals.

For example, low vitamin B12 in the body can cause greying because this vitamin helps in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen to hair follicles. Without enough oxygen, melanocytes will struggle.

People who eat mostly vegetarian food, or drink a lot of tea or milk (which blocks B12 absorption), or have stomach problems might be low in B12. Similarly, iron deficiency, often from heavy periods in women, severe and recurrent malaria, or not eating enough red meat, can lead to early greying of hair. Also, low ferritin levels, which store iron, are commonly found in young people with early grey hair.

3. Copper is another key mineral. It helps form melanin directly. If your diet is full of refined foods and low in nuts, seeds, or organ meats like liver, you might not get enough copper.

Folic acid, also called folate, from green vegetables like ugu or spinach, is important too. Without it, hair pigment fades.

Vitamin D, which we get from sunlight, eggs, or mushrooms, is often low in people who stay indoors a lot or have dark skin that blocks UV rays. In Nigeria, with our hot sun, you might think vitamin D is not a problem, but studies show many urban young people are deficient because they spend time in offices or schools away from the sun.

4. Deficiency in zinc and calcium can also cause premature greying. Zinc from beans and pumpkin seeds, calcium from milk and yoghurt are very important to our body and helping to prevent premature greying. A poor diet overall, maybe from skipping meals or eating too much fast food, can make all these worse.

Autoimmune Conditions

5. Autoimmune conditions and allergies play a role too in premature greying. If you have asthma, eczema, or hay fever (allergic rhinitis), you might grey earlier.

These conditions mean your immune system is overactive, and sometimes it attacks melanocytes by mistake.

Thyroid disorders are especially common. Both underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and overactive (hyperthyroidism) can speed up greying. In women, autoimmune thyroid issues like Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease are linked to this. Hospital studies in Lagos and Enugu found that 15 to 20 percent of young women with grey hair had abnormal thyroid levels. If you have vitiligo, where skin loses pigment, hair in those areas often turns white too. Or with alopecia areata, where hair falls out in patches, the regrowing hair might come back grey or white because the immune attack damaged the colour cells.

Stress

Stress is something everyone talks about, and yes, it can cause early greying. Not the sudden “hair turns white overnight” myth from movies, but chronic stress over months or years. Stress hormones like cortisol deplete the stem cells that regenerate melanocytes.

A 2020 study even showed in mice that removing the stress can sometimes bring colour back to new hairs, but only if the greying is recent. In young people, exam pressure, work stress, or family issues can trigger this. Physical stress, like a serious illness or surgery, can also cause it.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle habits can influence a whole lot of things in our body. Smoking is a major culprit. Each puff creates free radicals that damage melanocytes. Research has shown that young smokers can grey up to four times faster than non-smokers. Also, excessive consumption of alcohol does similar oxidative damage. If you use drugs or substances, that adds to the problem.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors are hard to avoid in busy cities. From pollution from cars and generators in places like Lagos creates oxidative stress that ages hair follicles early. UV rays from the sun can bleach hair and kill off pigment cells if you don’t protect your scalp. Harsh chemicals in hair relaxers, dyes, or bleaching products common in Nigeria can do the same. Even hard water with minerals can build up and affect hair health.

Medication and Health Conditions

Sometimes medications are to blame, though this is rare. Drugs like some antimalarials or chemotherapy can cause greying as a side effect. And in very rare cases, it’s part of a syndrome like Werner’s, where people age prematurely overall, or severe malnutrition like kwashiorkor, where hair turns reddish-grey from protein lack.

If you notice early greying and you’re worried about it, what can you do?

Start by seeing a dermatologist. They might order blood tests for iron, ferritin, B12, folate, copper, thyroid hormones, and vitamin D.

These tests are affordable, around 8,000 to 20,000 naira in private labs across Nigeria. If a deficiency shows up, fixing it with supplements or diet changes can slow down or even stop more greying. For example, B12 injections or tablets work well if that’s the issue. Eat more liver, eggs, and milk for B12; red meat and spinach with orange juice (for better iron absorption); cashews and sesame seeds for copper; ugu and beans for folate.

For overall support, some people try multivitamins with antioxidants like catalase, PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), or biotin. Results vary – some notice less new grey hairs, others don’t.

Natural remedies popular in Nigeria include rubbing curry leaves mixed with coconut oil on the scalp, or taking blackstrap molasses for its copper content. A Chinese herb called fo-ti root (He Shou Wu) is said to help, but always check with a doctor before trying herbs.

Reduce stress through exercise, prayer, or hobbies. Quit smoking and limit alcohol. Protect your hair from sun and chemicals with hats or natural oils.

Remember, once a hair turns grey, that strand stays grey – colour only comes back in new hairs growing from the follicle. If no medical issue is found, it’s probably just harmless genetics.

In the end, premature greying doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy. Many young Nigerians rock their grey streaks with style, seeing it as unique.

What i usually tell people is, embrace it, or dye it if you want – but make sure you use safe products.

Life is too short to worry about a few silver hairs!

Useful Links

References

Tobin DJ. (2019). Age-induced hair greying – the multiple effects of stress. Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Kumar AB, et al. (2018). Premature graying of hair: Review with updates. International Journal of Trichology.
Fatemi Naieni F, et al. (2021). Serum iron and ferritin in patients with premature graying. Iranian Journal of Dermatology.
Daulatabad D, et al. (2017). Prospective study of premature graying: role of vitamin B12, folic acid, and thyroid. Indian Dermatology Online Journal.
Pandhi D, Khanna D. (2013). Premature graying of hair. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology.

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