Why is human hair silver?

Even when young people have black, brown, or yellow hair, when they get old, they will get gray, but why young people with hair are also silver. So what is the reason why human hair is silver?

What makes your hair grow and what gives hair color

Hair color, skin color, even a person's eye color is determined by pigments called Melanin. This pigment is caused by two amino acids (phenylalanine and tyrosine) produced by a group of specialized cells called melanocytes that are found throughout our bodies.

Why is human hair silver? Picture 1
Structure of hair fibers

Human hair and skin have many different colors, from dark brown to black because the two types of pigment melanin and eumalanin decide, red or yellow color is decided by pheomelanin pigment. The cells mixed together will determine each person's hair color. If a person has many eumelanin pigments, the hair color is darker and vice versa.

Scientists have identified the type of MC1R gene and its corresponding genes are responsible for the hair's red color. So, genetic factors also participate in deciding the color of the hair. According to scientists, this MC1R gene is also responsible for red pigments in some other species, such as cows.

Why is human hair silver? Picture 2

When the specific formula of melanin pigment is produced, their particles are transferred to nearby keratinnocyte cells (keratinocytes), which also appear in the hair follicle's onions. Keratinocyte cells produce keratine, dead protein cells make up our hair and when Keratinocyte dies, it retains the melanin that produces our hair color.

Thus, gray hair is caused by less melanin in keratin, the less melanin the more silver hair is. As we age, melanocyte stem cells do not produce enough melanin to maintain the color of the hair. As you get older, the amount of melanin will gradually decrease until there is no longer any way that human hair slowly turns silver and is completely white.

Thus, the production of pigment in human hair follicles causes raw hair.

In addition, there are some other factors that make human hair silver like:

1. Genetic disability
2. Production of abnormal hormones due to sudden or chronic stress.Long-term stress can cause DNA damage to hair.
3. Melanin distributes abnormally.
4. Climatic factors can also cause hair loss, such as pollutants, toxins, and chemical exposures.

The time and silver speed of hair is very different and depends on all of the above factors.

Some interesting information about hair

1. On average, a person has about 100-150 thousand hairs.

2. Hair has tremendous strength, each hair can lift weight about 99.2 grams.

3. When hair is wet, a healthy hair can extend 30% more than the normal length.

4. Hair is the second fastest growing cell on the human body behind the bone marrow.

Why is human hair silver? Picture 3

5. Hair of men and women has the same identity structure, so it is not possible to use hair to identify or distinguish sex.

6. All hairs are dead hair except those that remain in the epidermis of our scalp.

7. The most popular black hair in the world and red hair is the rarest color, only 1%.

8. As soon as a strand of hair is removed from its capsule, a new thread starts to appear.

9. A hair has a lifespan of about 5 years and each hair has a separate life cycle.

10. Haircut does not affect the speed of hair growth.