During the early weeks of the pandemic, I looked in the mirror one morning and discovered my first gray hair. It was three inches long, and seemed to have appeared overnight. I blamed COVID-19 related stress and plucked it immediately from my scalp (which, apparently, is not as big of a deal as the myth has led us to believe). But when a few more popped up in the months that followed, I was forced to confront the truth that hair aging—and the grays that come along with it—is an inevitable part of getting older. But thanks to new innovations from a brand called Arey, it may be something we’re able to fend off for longer than ever before.
Hair turns gray because of your body produces less melanin as you age. While genetics play a large role in when an individual starts to gray (2016 research linked graying to a gene called IRF-4), certain lifestyle factors can speed up the process.