Stress likely speeds up existing greying rather than causing it outright, but it’s true that emotional turmoil can lead to changes in your hair colour. Research suggests stress can accelerate greying by depleting the stem cells in your hair follicles that produce pigment, which gives your hair its colour.
That said, age is a much stronger influence than stress when it comes to going grey. Other risk factors are in play too. Additionally, early evidence suggests stress-related greying may be partially reversible.
Explore whether stress causes grey hair in this research review from the Wimpole Clinic. Here, we examine whether stress-related greying can be sudden or reversible, and compare the influence of stress against other key factors like ageing, genetics, and smoking. Plus, find out how to tackle stress-related hair changes like premature greying and hair loss.
Key takeaways
Stress is linked to hair greying in several studies, though most research is limited by small sample sizes or animal-based methodologies.
Stress appears to accelerate greying in hairs that are already close to going grey, thanks to ageing and other factors, rather than triggering loss of pigment in random hair fibres.
When you’re stressed, it triggers a chemical surge that causes the depletion of specific pigment-producing cells in your hair follicles called melanocyte stem cells.
In addition to stress, genetics, smoking, and oxidative stress can all contribute to premature greying.
Some stress-related greying may be temporary or partially reversible, though evidence for this is quite limited.
Unfortunately, yes: stress can make your hair go grey. Several studies have found a link between stress and premature hair greying [1-4].
A small study exploring the link between hair pigmentation and stress in a group of students found a significant decrease in hair pigmentation in those taking exams compared with those not under exam stress [4].
Other research has shown that greying happens in parallel with psychological stressors (although this doesn’t affect all hairs: just those that are close to going grey naturally anyway) [1]. Animal studies have also supported these findings [2-3].
That said, this research has some limitations. All the studies so far have been very small, with one based on 33 participants and another based on just 14. And because the other studies were performed on animals, we can’t be sure that the results would be replicated in humans.
Research from 2021 suggests that stress actually speeds up hair greying, rather than triggering greys out of nowhere [1]. So while a 30-year-old can be prone to going grey from stress, it’s unlikely that a child or teenager would experience stress-related greying.
That’s because the hair that goes grey from stress must already be close to losing pigment due to your age. So stress is unlikely to trigger greying out of nowhere. Instead, it speeds up the process and makes you go grey slightly sooner than you otherwise would have.
There have been reports of people going grey suddenly due to extreme acute stress. Famously, Marie Antoinette’s hair is said to have turned white suddenly the night before her execution in 1793 [5]. Two centuries earlier, the same was said to have happened to Sir Thomas Moore.
Scientists are still looking for an explanation for sudden hair greying, but it’s unlikely to be caused solely by stress. One theory is that the person could experience sudden alopecia totalis — autoimmune-related hair loss — that selectively affects pigmented hair, leaving the grey hair intact while the remaining hair falls out [5].
So why exactly does stress cause grey hair? The answer could lie in your hair follicle stem cells.
One animal study found that acute stress can cause the loss of melanocyte stem cells (MSCs) in the hair follicle [2]. Stress caused a surge of a chemical called noradrenaline, which forced MSCs to divide too quickly, depleting the stem cell pool.
MSCs help give your hair its colour by maintaining the supply of pigment-producing melanocytes. When these stem cells are depleted, your hair is unable to produce pigment in new growth, making your hair go grey.
Cortisol, the hormone typically associated with stress, hasn’t been shown to play a role in premature hair greying.
Yes, short-term or acute stress can cause you to go grey, but only if it’s extreme or highly impactful. Low-level everyday stressors probably won’t lead to serious levels of premature greying.
The real impact is likely to depend on whether the stress is significant enough to cause your noradrenaline levels to spike. It also depends whether your hair follicles are already affected by enough cumulative ageing factors to make them prone to greying.
Stress is commonly said to make your hair go grey, and several studies have confirmed this link (though they’re not 100% conclusive at this point). But many other lifestyle and biological factors can make your hair turn grey or white, with your age being the most significant.
Let’s take a look at some of the common reasons why people go grey.
Getting older is by far the biggest factor in going grey for most people. Researchers believe that the amount and activity of melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicles decreases as we age [6]. This reduces the amount of melanin produced within the hair follicles, leading to loss of pigment.
Scientists have suggested that the amount of pigment-producing melanocytes in the skin reduces by 10-20% every decade after the age of 30 [7].
Smoking can also make your hair go grey. According to one study, smokers started going grey 3 years earlier than nonsmokers on average [7]. This may be because smoking can worsen oxidative stress, a known cause of premature hair greying.
Smoking is also linked to hair loss in men, so it can be highly damaging to your hair.
Oxidative stress is an imbalance between certain oxygen species (most notably those known as free radicals) and antioxidants within your body. Free radicals are highly unstable, and if your body can’t neutralise them, they can cause destructive reactions and cellular damage.
Oxidative stress has been linked with premature hair greying [9-10]. Over time, oxidative stress can damage the melanocyte function within the hair follicles, leading to loss of hair pigmentation.
Your genes have a significant impact on the pigmentation of your hair, according to several scientific theories [8]. Genes that regulate melanocyte function and melanin production show decreased expression as you get older, contributing to the development of grey hairs.
That means if other people in your family have early onset greying, you may be prone to it too [9].
Some research suggests stress-related hair greying may be reversible in some cases [1]. This was shown in an analysis of individual hair fibres, which showed pigment at the tip of the hair, followed by loss of pigment along the hair shaft, and finally re-pigmentation of the hair shaft at the root.
This video shows the greying followed by rapid reversal [1]:
Reversal of greying needs to happen quickly after its initial onset, likely to avoid complete depletion of the melanin-producing cells within the hair follicle.
Any reversal of greying is only temporary. In fact, because stress-related greying only affects hairs that are close to going grey anyway, the reversal may not last long at all. Further stress or natural ageing processes may lead to you going grey again fairly quickly.
Going grey is a natural part of the ageing process, so there’s not much you can do to prevent it in the long-term. But that’s OK — plenty of people embrace their greys as evidence of their life experience, while others choose to dye or bleach their hair to cover up the greys.
If you’re in your 20s and 30s, managing your stress levels may help reduce the risk of premature greying, although these may only offer limited help for episodes of acute stress.
Quitting smoking may also reduce the risk of premature greying if you’re under 30, or slow down loss of hair pigment in those aged 30 or above.
Stress isn’t just responsible for making your hair go grey. Hair loss is also linked with stress and anxiety, particularly a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium.
Telogen effluvium happens when the normal hair growth cycle is disrupted due to extreme or long-term stress. It normally manifests as unexpectedly high levels of hairfall starting around 3 months after the stressful period began.
Reports of stress-related hair loss in women are more common compared with those in men, though this may be due to the heightened social and cosmetic implications of hair loss in women.
Stress can also worsen other types of hair loss, including male pattern baldness and alopecia areata [11-12].
Stress-related hair loss is normally reversible, and your hair will grow back by itself within a few months once the underlying cause has been treated. So if you’re worried about the impact of stress on your hair, stress management techniques like exercise, meditation, mindfulness, and therapy may help.
Additionally, minoxidil has been shown to improve symptoms of telogen effluvium and other types of hair loss [13]. Minoxidil boosts blood flow to the scalp, feeding the hair follicles with essential nutrients and oxygen for healthy hair growth.
Chronic stress can lead to long-term hair loss [14]. In these rare cases, you may need further intervention and support to help improve your symptoms. A qualified trichologist can help tackle even the most complex hair loss cases.
At the Wimpole Clinic, we help thousands of patients deal with hair loss every year. So whether you’re experiencing hair loss after trauma, illness, or long-term stress, we can uncover the reason for your hair loss and help you find the right way to treat it.
Book a consultation with our trichology team today and get advice, support, and treatment from some of Harley Street’s most experienced hair loss specialists.
Find out more about hair ageing in these frequently asked questions.
It depends on your ethnicity. On average, Caucasian people start going grey at the age of 34, while Black people start greying much later, around age 44 [15].
However, it’s very common to start going grey earlier than this, with many people in their 20s seeing visible greys in their hair.
Premature greying comes down to a combination of factors, including your genes and lifestyle. Some people are genetically predisposed to going grey at a young age, while others are programmed to maintain most of their hair pigment for much longer.
Risk factors for going grey early include being a smoker, having high long-term stress levels or experiencing acute stress, and having certain autoimmune disorders [16].
It’s possible that a traumatic event can make your hair go grey, or at least speed up the hair’s ageing process [5]. However, research suggests this is most likely to happen if your hairs are already on the cusp of going grey naturally [1].
Researchers have found instances of grey hair reversing itself naturally when the psychological stressor was removed soon after stress-induced greying started [1]. However, there’s currently no evidence of any specific interventions — natural or otherwise — that can stop the hair greying process.
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Dr Laila Ahmad (GMC: 6134794) graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2006 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). She completed her postgraduate training in General Practice in 2013 and is a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP).
Throughout her medical career, Dr Ahmad has gained broad clinical experience across a range of surgical specialties within the NHS, including general surgery, breast surgery, ear, nose and throat (ENT), and obstetrics and gynaecology. Her work in several hospitals across the North East of England has provided her with a strong surgical foundation and a comprehensive understanding of patient care.
Following her general practice qualification, Dr Ahmad undertook advanced training in hair restoration surgery under the mentorship of pioneering hair transplant surgeon Mr Michael May at the prestigious Wimpole Clinic on Harley Street. She has also trained alongside leading hair restoration surgeon Dr Ahmad Moussa, a neurosurgeon with extensive expertise in complex hair restoration procedures.
As a result of this rigorous and specialist training, Dr Ahmad has developed significant expertise in advanced hair restoration techniques. She is proficient in performing follicular unit extraction (FUE) and eyebrow restoration procedures, applying meticulous precision and refined technical skill to each case.
In clinical practice, she manages a wide spectrum of complex hair restoration cases. Her approach integrates scientific methodology and detailed surgical planning with an appreciation for aesthetic balance, ensuring results that are both technically precise and naturally harmonious.
With a strong artistic sensibility, Dr Ahmad is particularly skilled in designing natural hairlines and eyebrow patterns tailored to each individual patient. She maintains a patient-centred ethos, delivering hair restoration procedures to the highest clinical standards while prioritising safety, personalised care, and optimal aesthetic outcomes.
