What causes gray hair?
Hair is made of protein containing a natural coloring substance called melanin (pronounced mel-a-nin). Melanin is the same no matter what color your hair is or regardless if you are male or female. Different hair colors are the result of different amounts of melanin–dark brown or black hair simply has more melanin than light brown or blond hair. In time, as melanin decreases, gray hair appears. Most people get a few scattered gray hairs first. The gray becomes more predominant, particularly at sideburns or temples. When there’s no melanin, hair becomes white.
