Younger people--those still in their 20s and 30s--can start getting gray hair, and the reasons for this phenomenon range from heredity to environmental causes to vitamin deficiency. You want to keep looking youthful, or at least your true age, and graying hair makes this difficult. While you can handle the situation in a way that suits your lifestyle, you can find out what is causing you to go gray early.
Lack of Sebum
Your scalp secretes an oil called sebum. This oil give your hair its color and shine; when you are deficient in sebum, you hair turns gray, according to Natural Home Remedies.
You can become deficient in sebum if you're lacking in some vital elements such as copper, iodine and iron. If you are also deficient in vitamin B complex, your scalp responds by decreasing its production of sebum and your hair starts to turn gray.
Melanocytes
Your hair follicles contain a cell called a melanocyte. These melanocytes produce melanin, a pigment. It is the melanin that gives your hair its color, whether it's black, red, blond or brown.
As the melanocytes slow down the production of melanin, your hair color becomes more light. If the melanocytes stop producing melanin, your hair becomes gray, according to Disabled World.
When the melanin in your hair follicles decreases and your hair begins to take on the "gray" appearance, the lack of color actually makes your hair appear to be transparent. It is not truly "gray," according to Disabled World.
Heredity
When your hair starts to turn gray at a young age--20s and 30s--your heredity plays a role in stopping the production of melanin. If either, or both, of your parents started to turn gray early, their melanocytes also stopped producing the color-producing melanin in their hair follicles, according to MadSci.
While your heredity influences the age at which you start going gray, the failure of melanocyte stem cells can also cause you to begin graying early, according to Disabled World.
Environment
If you are a smoker, you are increasing your likelihood of going gray early. MadSci says that smokers are "4 times more likely to become prematurely gray." While the reasons are not fully understood, one cause may have to do with the constriction of blood vessels because of your absorption of nicotine.
Other Causes
MadSci mentions other causes of gray hair in young people, such as thyroid imbalance, viruses and anemia.
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