Women under the age of 30 are going grey in record numbers and blame it on stress, a new study has claimed.
A survey commissioned by haircare brand John Frieda found that almost a third of UK women spotted their first grey hair before their 30th birthday. Twenty years ago, the number of women under 30 with grey hair was reportedly just 18 percent.
In pictures: Twelve anti-ageing solutions
Of the 32 percent of prematurely silver-haired females, over two-thirds blamed their greying locks on stress.
John Frieda hairdressers said they noticed the trend several years ago and even came up with a new name for the emerging demographic: GHOSTS — grey-haired over-stressed twentysomethings.
“In recent years, I’ve definitely noticed an increase in younger clients coming into the salon asking for colour to cover their grey,” John Frieda creative colour director, Nicola Clarke, told the UK’s Daily Mail.
“It’s not unusual for me to see a client aged 25 with grey hair, and frequently they do put it down to stress.”
Related: Prince William wants more hair for his wedding day
Other scientists however, claim the age at which an individual’s hair loses pigment and becomes grey is determined by their genes and not their lifestyle.
“The major risk factor for greying is age, with everyone succumbing with time,” British Association of Dermatologists spokeswoman Nina Goad told the Daily Mail.
“For the majority of people, greying hair is not down to something you’ve done, but to genetic factors beyond your control.”
Your say: Do you think stress is causing our hair to go greyer earlier?
Video: Organic hair dye
