The Truth About the Grey Hair Myth: Plucking Doesn’t Multiply Strands

Hair stylists on Fresha, the top-rated booking platform for hair salons, are setting the record straight on one of the most common hair myths: that plucking one grey hair causes several more to grow back in its place.

According to experts, this age-old belief is nothing more than folklore. Each follicle is only capable of producing a single strand of hair. Pulling it out does not “trigger” new greys in the surrounding follicles.

“Plucking won’t cause an army of greys to suddenly appear – the biology doesn’t work that way,” say hair stylists on the Fresha marketplace. “What it can do, however, is damage the follicle itself. Over time, repeated plucking may lead to weaker regrowth or, in some cases, permanent loss in that area.”

Why Grey Hairs Appear

Greying is caused by a gradual loss of melanin – the pigment responsible for hair colour – within the follicle. This process is largely down to genetics, though lifestyle factors like stress, smoking, or nutritional deficiencies can speed it up.

Expert Advice on Managing Greys

Rather than reaching for the tweezers, Fresha stylists recommend safer options:

• Blend, don’t pluck: Semi-permanent or permanent dyes can cover greys, while highlights can disguise them more subtly.
  
• Switch up styling: A strategic cut or parting can make early greys less noticeable.
  
• Embrace the silver: Many clients are choosing to enhance, rather than hide, their natural greys with glossing or toning treatments.
  

Can Your Diet Help Delay Greying?

While you can’t stop genetics, Fresha stylists say a nutrient-rich diet can help support hair health and may slow premature greying. Foods linked to healthy pigment production include:

• Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, broccoli) – packed with iron and B vitamins.
  
• Eggs – a source of B12 and biotin, deficiencies of which are tied to greying.
  
• Nuts and seeds – rich in copper, zinc, and selenium, which aid melanin production.
  
• Oily fish (salmon, mackerel) – provide omega-3s and selenium for scalp health.
  
• Berries – high in antioxidants that fight oxidative stress, a known factor in greying.
  
• Dark chocolate – a surprising source of copper, linked to pigment production.
  

“Diet won’t guarantee to keep greys away forever, but nutrient deficiencies can make them appear earlier,” adds stylists on Fresha. “Eating well, reducing stress, and caring for your scalp can all make a visible difference.”

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