Can Gray Hairs Caused by Stress Revert to Natural Color? Study Suggests It Is Possible

Woman with gray hair
Getty Stock Images

An eLife study supports the idea that some gray hair is caused by stress in addition to the possibility of reversal.

A new study published in eLife supported the adage around stress-inducing gray hair, and has found that removing stress can perhaps alter the color of those hairs. 

The study analyzed the hair and stress patterns of 14 participants. 

The study found after microscopic analysis that some hair returns to its previous color naturally and others change in tandem with the stress lifting. 

According to Good News Network, researchers developed a model that suggests that changes in mitochondria during stress could explain how stress turns hair gray.

This discovery about the possibility of reversing stress-induced gray hair offered a new way for stress to be quantified. 

But experts are firm on the fact that not all gray hairs are stress induced, therefore not all grays are reversible. 

Related Stories