Hair colour is determined by the quantity, distribution and types of melanin within each hair. Hair becomes grey when melanin stops forming in the hair shaft.
There are two types of melanin and our hair colour is based on the combination of these two colours:
- Eumelanin – Dark red, brown to black.
- Phaeomelanin – Light yellow to red.
- Grey hair occurs when bulbar melanogenetic cells produce less melanin.
- Some people do not experience total grey hair but grey hair with light brown colour. This is because the bulbar melanogenetic cells still produce melanin but at lower levels