Common Gray Hair Myths Checked Against the Research

Many popular beliefs about gray hair do not match the research. Plucking a gray hair does not make more grow, hair that has already grown is not thought to be able to turn white overnight, and far fewer than half of people are half gray at 50. A few other beliefs, such as the link between stress and graying, turn out to be partly true.

Here is a quick summary before the details.

Belief	Verdict	What the evidence says
Pluck one gray hair and more grow back	False	Each follicle grows one hair, and nearby hairs are not affected
A shock can turn hair white overnight	Mostly false	Grown hair has no living cells; a form of alopecia areata is the leading explanation
Half of people are half gray by 50	False	6 to 23 percent in a survey of 4,192 people
Stress has nothing to do with gray hair	False	A mouse study and a small human study link the two
A gray hair can never regain color	Mostly true	Rare reversals are recorded, but no treatment is proven
Gray hair means poor health	Mostly false	Graying mostly follows age, but some conditions are linked
Early-graying parents mean early graying for you	Partly true	Family history raises the chance, but genes explain only a small share
The right vitamin will bring color back	Mostly false	No effective medical treatment exists, according to dermatologists

Myth: pluck one gray hair and more will grow back

This belief is false. A physician writing for UAMS Health, the health system of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, explains that only one hair can grow from each follicle. A plucked gray hair is replaced by one new hair, and because that follicle's pigment cells have stopped working, the new hair will also be gray. The hairs around it do not turn white until their own pigment cells die.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) adds a warning. Plucking can cause hair thinning, and the removed hair grows back gray. Graying also increases with age, so more gray hairs appear over time whether a person plucks or not. Our post on whether plucking gray hair makes more grow covers this in full.

Myth: a shock can turn hair white overnight

Sudden whitening has a medical name, canities subita. A 2013 review in the International Journal of Trichology collected 196 reported cases from the medical literature since 1800. In 44 of them, the reporting doctors saw the patient before and after the change, and often watched it happen.

Even so, the formed hair shaft has no living cells, so the review states it is not thought to be able to change on its own. The leading explanation is a form of alopecia areata, a condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles. A 2013 review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology explains that this attack can target pigmented hairs first. When they fall out quickly, the white hairs that were already there suddenly become visible. The Trichology review notes that some reported cases still have no clear explanation. Any sudden whitening or hair loss should be seen by a doctor. For the difference between white and gray strands, see white hair vs gray hair.

Myth: half of all people are half gray by 50

For many years, people repeated the "50-50-50" saying: at age 50, half of the population has at least half gray hair. A 2021 review in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology describes this as the traditional view.

A 2012 survey of 4,192 people from several parts of the world, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found it was far too high. Only 6 to 23 percent of people had at least half gray hair at age 50, depending on their origin and natural hair color. The typical ages for first gray hairs are covered in when gray hair starts.

Myth: stress has nothing to do with gray hair

Research now says stress can play a part. In a 2020 study in Nature, stress in mice caused nerves to release norepinephrine, which used up the stem cells that supply pigment. The hair that grew next was white, and the change was permanent. A 2021 study in eLife examined hairs from 14 people and found graying that lined up with stressful periods, along with a few hairs that regained color when stress eased.

Stress is also only one factor. In a 2020 study of nearly 1,000 people in Poland, age alone explained 47.5 percent of the differences in graying. The details are in stress and gray hair.

Myth: a gray hair can never regain its color

This one is mostly true. Cleveland Clinic notes that once cells stop making melanin, they usually do not start again. A 2024 review in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology states that graying becomes permanent once the pigment stem cells in the follicle are depleted.

There are rare exceptions. The 2021 eLife study recorded gray hairs that regained pigment in men and women of different ages. A 2023 review describes hair regaining color as a side effect of some medicines, including a type of cancer immunotherapy. These are not treatments for gray hair.

Myth: gray hair means something is wrong with your health

Almost everyone's hair turns gray with age, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The 2013 review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology reports that studies linking graying to weak bones or heart disease have given mixed results.

Some conditions are linked to early graying, however. Cleveland Clinic says lower levels of vitamin B12 and iron are linked to premature graying. A 2018 review lists low thyroid hormone as a cause, and reports that 55 percent of people with pernicious anemia, a condition that leads to low vitamin B12, went gray before 50, compared with 30 percent of people without it. If graying starts very early, appears suddenly or comes in patches, see a doctor.

Myth: if your parents went gray early, so will you

This is partly true. Cleveland Clinic cites a study of people with premature graying in which nearly 40 percent had a family history of it. But family history raises the chance; it does not set a date. A 2016 study of 6,357 people estimated the heritability of graying at 0.27, the lowest of all the hair traits it measured. Read more in genetics and gray hair.

Myth: the right vitamin will bring your color back

For most people, this is false. The AAD notes that some research suggests color may return after treating an underlying health problem, but says more research is needed. It also states that there are currently no effective medical treatments that add color back to hair. If you are worried about a deficiency, the AAD notes that a dermatologist can help. Our post on whether gray hair can turn back to color looks at the evidence.

For the science behind all of these answers, start with our guide on why hair turns gray and the page on how hair gets its color.

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