1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff mom never told you? 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: From house stup works dot com. Hello, and opened to 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Kristen, Now, I'm Caroline. Now Caroline. I 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: think that I've mentioned maybe on the podcast before, that 6 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: I tend to favor my father looks wise, I look 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: even growing up, I remember going to my grandmother's house 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: and she would go on and on and on about 9 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 1: how I was just the spinning image of her son. 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: And as a child, I didn't really know whether that 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: was a compliment, like how to take it, because for 12 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: as long as I can remember, my dad has been 13 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: completely gray, completely over his whole body. Are you just 14 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: talking about here? He's not assion an action human? Uh no, 15 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: his here. His hair has been great, it's got on, 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: it's getting whiter now, it's very majestic, very regal. Actually, 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: Mr conger Um, hey Dad. So in my mind, I've 18 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: I've thought as I've grown up, well, since I favor 19 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: my father so much, I wonder if I'm going to 20 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: get this gray because he I come to find out, 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: he was completely gray by the time he was thirty 22 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,839 Speaker 1: my goodness. Oh yeah, wow. And you know, going gray 23 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: it's pretty much genetic exactly. So last year, just about 24 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: this time, post Halloween, I'm brushing my hair doing doing 25 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: my face in the mirror, and oh my god, there 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: it is. It's already happening. I see the grays. They 27 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: are coming in nikes, a lot of them. I don't 28 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: see any from here. You can't, really, you gotta really look. 29 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: They're in there in the temple. Temple areas close to 30 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: the scalp every now. I have plugged a couple from 31 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: the sideburn region. Um, you know, and I'm I'm okay 32 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: with it for the most part. Uh, but yeah, I 33 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: think you know. Thanks dad, Yeah, you're gonna have a 34 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: grey your daughter. Well, you're exactly right to thank your father, um, 35 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: as you should, because going gray is related, like I 36 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: just said, it is related to genetics, and a lot 37 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: of people have different theories about it. There are different 38 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: old wives tales and folk tales about it, like if 39 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: you are really scared or really stressed, you all of 40 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: a sudden go gray. But that's a bunch of whoie. 41 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: It is a bunch of WHOI um. And it's funny too, 42 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: because when when I spied those first hairs, I did 43 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: think of my father, but I was also post breakup, 44 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: so I was like, oh, man, this must be the 45 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: work of the heartache and distress. I was buying into 46 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: an old an old wives tale. Well, my favorite, though 47 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: old Wife's still about going gray overnight is that Marie Antoinette, 48 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: the night before she went to the old Guillotine turned 49 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: completely gray. Ye old, ye old Guillotine. Also the name 50 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:13,119 Speaker 1: of my favorite bar um Well she yeah, well yeah, 51 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: some people say that she went grayle the night before, 52 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: but other people are like, well, she probably just took 53 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: her wig off, or she'd been in prison in jail 54 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: so she probably hadn't had access to any ye old 55 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: hair dye, or maybe it was just really dusty. It 56 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: could be an old that she was making a lot 57 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: of bread and was covered in flower. So many theories 58 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: just go on. So, um, you know, Kristen, you're you're 59 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: about to turn How old are you don't guess you're 60 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: about to turn seven? Yeah? Yeah, well anyway away you're 61 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: getting I know, you're you're getting very close to the 62 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: average age that women go gray, which is around thirty 63 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: and men typically don't go gray until about thirty five, 64 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: so you're actually prematurely gray. And who would have thought, like, 65 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: because women are the ones, for the most part, who 66 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: are dying our hair left and right, because it's not 67 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: considered as attractive for a woman to be gray headed. 68 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: But we're the ones who go gray first. Why can't 69 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: we claim the gray? Why can't we be the silver foxes? 70 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean, there was that blog from 71 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: the New York Times's on the Runway. Yeah, I think 72 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: it's called the Cut or something. Yeah, well they talk 73 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: about this is from last year sometime where they talk 74 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: about how fashionable it is to dye your hair gray. Yeah, 75 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: gray had it's fashion moment in two thousand and ten. Really, 76 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: I just thought it may Okay, this is gonna sound 77 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: like I'm hating on the gray heads, but I'm not. 78 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: I'm not. I'm not. No, I think it looks No, 79 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: not really, I mean I think I think it looks great. 80 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: But I think on some of these starlets and like 81 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: hip young famous model type people who were dying their 82 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: hair gray, yeah, I just think it made them look sick. 83 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: Like I think when your hair turns gray, like it 84 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: turns your gray and you look good with that but 85 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: I don't don't all this like fake gray trend thing 86 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: was weird? Fake great? Yeah, I mean that I can 87 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: see how that would be a very tricky color to 88 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: get in. Although I have to give it to Stacy 89 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: London post of TLC's What Not to Wear, because she 90 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: has the best gray swoop, which I think kind of helped. 91 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: She was one of the first people out there on 92 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: television who's really rocking some gray. Yeah. I liked it 93 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: and I appreciated it. Um. But back to back to 94 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 1: science science. Let's step off the runway away from TV, 95 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 1: away from my bathroom mirror. Please bathroom, there's so many 96 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: of you in there. Yeah uh, And let's talk about 97 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: let's a brief refresher course on how hair even gets 98 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 1: its color to begin with. Yeah, let's do it first. 99 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 1: I like to imagine the scalp, the bear scalp, as 100 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: just a pincushion. It's covered, I know, the image that 101 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 1: comes to my head. Though. Our heads are covered in 102 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: roughly hundred thousand follicles. So inside each of these follicles, 103 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: these hundred thousand little holes in your head our cells 104 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: known as coratina sites. They build the keratin that becomes 105 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: our hair, but before they sprout out of the follicle, 106 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: melana sites long word, Okay, melano sites inject melanin into 107 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: the keratin, which give it its pigment. Yeah. And a 108 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,919 Speaker 1: fun little fact about melanin. Despite all the shades of 109 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: hair around us, melanin only comes in two different shades, 110 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: one of which is a dark brown or black pigment 111 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: and the other which is a reddish yellow. Right. And genetics. 112 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: You know, when your parents create you, you you get 113 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,600 Speaker 1: a little bit of both of their pigment, so so 114 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: it combines to form whatever shades we see, whether you 115 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 1: have white blonde hair, totally dark brown black hair, or 116 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: reddish brownish whatever. Uh. And our hair turns to gray 117 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: and possibly to white as the melanin runs out of 118 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: the hair. And nature nature played a little little trick 119 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: on us way back yonder in the olden days, because 120 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: the reason why our hair will turn gray is because 121 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: caraton cells are heartier and will outlast the melanin cells. Right, 122 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: So you keep your hair, you just lose your color, right, 123 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: And and the individual follicable sprout numerous hairs like at 124 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: certain point I think it's what like, our our hair 125 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: is almost always in a constant state of growth, and 126 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: then when it finally stops growing every like two to 127 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: five years, it'll fall out and then stem cells again 128 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: within the follicle will get going in those the caraton 129 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: and the melanin combining to form the hair. But um 130 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: according to David Fisher, who's a professor of pediatrics at 131 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: Harvard Medical School, UH he says, it's the gradual depletion 132 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: of those melana sites stem cells that leads to the 133 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: loss of pigment right. Dr Desmond Tobin, a professor of 134 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 1: cell biology at the University of Bradford in England, suggest 135 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: that the follicle has a melano gentic clock that slows 136 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: down melani milana site activity. Wow, that was hard to say. Um. So, 137 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: jeans regulate the exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each follicle. 138 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: But this occurs at different rates and different follicles. So 139 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: you might be going gray before I do, but not 140 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: all of your hair might go gray at the same 141 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: time because everybody's follicles are different, they're all unique. They're 142 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: all unique, just like our genes, which are determined, you know, 143 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: when we exit the birthing canal. So, so from the beginning. 144 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: So from the very beginning when I was gonna go gray, 145 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: I was gonna go gray as an infant. It was 146 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: fated to be Um. But here's the fun fact though, 147 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: about who go is gray first? Um. According to web 148 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: m D, a white person a k a. Me is 149 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,319 Speaker 1: considered to be prematurely gray if his or her hair 150 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: turns by the age of twenties. So I'm not premature, 151 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: You're just kind of I'm just you're you're a little 152 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: early to the party. I'm ahead of the curve. As 153 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: I like to put it right, I'm premature gray. And 154 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: African Americans is going gray before thirty. And that is 155 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: because white folks tend to go gray first, whereas people 156 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: of Asian and African descent tend to go gray last. Okay, 157 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:37,079 Speaker 1: continuing on with our hair science, European researcher studying Videlago 158 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: found that people with the genetic defect have low catalase activity, 159 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 1: which is responsible for breaking down naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide, 160 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: and when it's not broken down, this results in elevated 161 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,960 Speaker 1: levels hanging out in the skin. So they thought, well, 162 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: you know, could this have anything to do with why 163 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 1: our hair goes gray? Or white um. There is some 164 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 1: natural occurring hydrogen peroxide in our follicles that builds up 165 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 1: over time, and this build up blocks the normal synthesis 166 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: of melanin, which is, like we said, aren't the natural pigment. 167 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: So scientists are thinking that maybe the more hydrogen peroxide 168 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: that builds up, you know, the lighter your hair gets. 169 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: And the question there in terms of the relationship between 170 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: stress and graying hair is whether or not this build 171 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,719 Speaker 1: up of hydrogen peroxide could be accelerated by any kind 172 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: of stress factors. But when we're talking about stress from 173 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: a scientific perspective like this, it's not deadlines, it's not 174 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 1: staying up too late and over extending yourself as we 175 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: have a tendency to do. We're talking more about genotoxic 176 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 1: stress and free radicals, which is stress on an environmental 177 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: and cellular level that can actually damage the DNA, which 178 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: can then affect those stem cells and whether or not 179 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: they can regenerate new and colorful hair um. For instance, 180 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: a two thousand nine Japanese study found that ultra violet 181 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: light and chemicals damage our DNA and could cause the 182 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: depletion of melanocyte stem cells along with blood stem cells 183 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: and other cardiac and skeletal muscles. So the thinking there was, hey, 184 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: you know, if we could limit our exposure to that 185 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: kind of genotoxic stress, then great, maybe we could slow 186 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: down this aging process and the grain process. But the 187 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: bad news is is that the researchers also estimate that 188 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: just a single mammalian cell, just one, is subjected to 189 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand genotoxic stressors every day. So yet again 190 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: it is unavoidable. Yeah, I mean, I guess you could 191 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: just live in a dark room for the rest of 192 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: your life, but you're still gonna have to eat food 193 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: and and what kind of stress would probably come from 194 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: moving in such a derived environment, Then you would just 195 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: be sad all the time. So no matter what, and 196 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: over again, in these studies, UM, even if there might 197 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: be stressful I have that in quotes conditions going on, 198 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: it still relates back to your genes. Because there's also 199 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: thinking that the amount of stress in the way that 200 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 1: our bodies physically handle and process stress again relates back 201 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:25,439 Speaker 1: to our genes, right, And researchers are hoping that studies 202 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 1: linking UM studies into melanoma could help with this graying 203 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: hair and vice versa. Any any research done on how 204 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: coloring changes and cells turn over. How how when cells 205 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 1: stop working in your hair follical it makes your hair 206 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: go gray. But then they go into overdrive and cause tumors, 207 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 1: and you know those cancerous moles you get when you 208 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: have melanoma. So they think it could be linked. And 209 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: in two thousand four, researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer 210 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: Institute in Boston were studying melanoma, which involved, like I said, 211 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: an overproduction of melana sites. When they found that the 212 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: hair mico gray as the supply of melanocytes stem cells 213 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,680 Speaker 1: is depleted. Because things get a little wonky even before 214 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 1: the melano sytes stopped working. Um they start before the 215 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: stem cells are completely gone, they start making mistakes such 216 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: as depositing the pigment at the wrong place in the follicle, 217 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,719 Speaker 1: so that it ends up having no effect on the hair. 218 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,439 Speaker 1: So it seems like it's still hanging out in there, 219 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:27,839 Speaker 1: but it's just kind of getting forgetful, right. So the 220 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,959 Speaker 1: fact could be that in my in my follicles, of 221 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: the gray hairs that I do have right now, there 222 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: could be some melano sites down there, but they're just 223 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: doing their pigment. Yeah, they're like the wrong areas. Yeah, 224 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: they're just getting lazy. Yeah, they're lazy, follicle, they're just 225 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 1: phoning it in. Ye, come on, what is wrong with 226 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: your stem cells? Do you don't know? Um? Yeah? And 227 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: I want to say that that two thousand four UM 228 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:55,439 Speaker 1: melanoma study was the first really conclusive study that established 229 00:13:55,679 --> 00:14:00,079 Speaker 1: that relationship between melano sites and the depletion and to 230 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: going gray, as opposed to UM the old the Old 231 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: Wives scale about stress causing everything, and really, scientists aren't 232 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: so concerned about why our hair turns gray. The only 233 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: reason that scientists have really looked into graying hair is 234 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: because it's just another way to study the human process 235 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: of aging. Because I would also like to point out 236 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: that in a very unscientific survey conducted on Good Morning America. Okay, unscientific, 237 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: rigorous study conditions for this one, I'm sure Gail Cohen, 238 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: who is a sixty one year old widow whose hair 239 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: began to go gray at the age of five, What up, 240 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: gayl um right there with you, posted two ads on 241 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: an online dating site, one showing her with her natural 242 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 1: gray hair and another showing her as digitally enhanced Brunette. 243 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: Uh and lo and behold. She got more responses, twenty 244 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: more responses in fact, to the picture of her with 245 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: the gray hair. Now I didn't she's rocking it? Yeah, 246 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: because she's probably rocking it. And b I did not 247 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: see the picture of a digital enhancement of Brunette, and 248 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: I just have a feeling maybe maybe it wasn't the 249 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: best digital enhanced People were like, what is that brown 250 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: thing floating above her head? That thinks it was since? Yeah, well, 251 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: actually just did it in Microsoft paint just gray panted 252 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: the head brown? Nice? Um? Not. Yeah, not all women 253 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: are like Gail. Not everybody likes their gray hair so much. Um. 254 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: In a study from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver, 255 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: granted it was a small study, it was thirty six 256 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: women between the age of seventy one and ninety four. 257 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: A majority of women interviewed did not like their gray hair, 258 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: but they still found it attractive. And other women, yeah, 259 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: that was kind of the interesting thing. They thought that 260 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: it made them look ugly, dependent, poor in health, socially disengaged, 261 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: and culturally invisible. Just a little extreme just here. I mean, 262 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: I gotta say, Caroline, it is of a psychological trip 263 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: when you start noticing gray hair coming in, because it 264 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: is you know, it's a physical sign of aging, and 265 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: it also indicates the you know, all of the kind 266 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: of baggage that comes with aging, specifically for women in art. Sure, 267 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: But I mean I went to high school with the 268 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:18,400 Speaker 1: girls who started going gray in in high school. Did 269 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: she rocket? Yeah, I guess. I mean she had like 270 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: black black hair. She had really really long, thick, dark hair, 271 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: and so her gray was really noticeable. But I mean 272 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: she didn't try to cover it up. You know, she 273 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: was what like sixteen rock and some gray hair. And 274 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: I think, I mean, for we kind of joked about 275 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: it earlier, about the gray hair trend among the more 276 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: the more fashion elites and supermodels last year. But I 277 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: gotta say that it's probably a good thing, you know, 278 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: that it was at least coming more into the mainstream 279 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: of this stuff. I think it was. It was an 280 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: editor of El magazine who was one of the women 281 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: who who got some publicity for dyeing her hair gray, 282 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: and she called it more subversive than glad amorous. So 283 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: I'm going as my hair becomes grayer, I am going 284 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: to consider to sign of being subversive, yeah, or just 285 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: nature taking its course, or just an homage to my father, right, yeah, 286 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:15,199 Speaker 1: I think that's a good way to think of it. 287 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: And we do have to talk about other factors that 288 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: can turn your hair gray, just aside from those genes 289 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:27,360 Speaker 1: that you inherit from your parents. Right. Um, you might 290 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: have a vitamin B twelve deficiency, in which case, go 291 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: get yourself some vitamin B twelve and stop being gray. Um. 292 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: You could also have a pituitary or thyroid gland problem. 293 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: So I mean, if you notice some other things going 294 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: on in your body, maybe just go to the doctor 295 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: get yourself checked out. Right. And some other autoimmune and 296 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: genetic conditions that are associated with premature graying include but aligo, 297 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: Warner syndrome, and alopecia, which causes only the colored hairs 298 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: to fall out. And it looks like your hair has 299 00:17:56,080 --> 00:18:01,160 Speaker 1: turned gray overnight. So if you're you know, if gray 300 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,159 Speaker 1: doesn't run in your family, and it seems like some 301 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: health issues could be going on, then gray hair could 302 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: be an indicator, like we said, of some other some 303 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: other health conditions. So you might not actually have to 304 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: have gray hair. It might not be your time, but 305 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: you know what I say, if it is your time, 306 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: I would like to I would like to UM put 307 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: myself out there as a unofficial spokesperson for embracing the gray. Yeah, 308 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: you're an ambassador. I will thank you, Ambassador. I will 309 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: be the ambassador of gray UM. And now I think 310 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: everyone's going to go on our Facebook page and try 311 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: to enlarge our profile picture to see if they can 312 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 1: spot any gray. And he can't because it's not that 313 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: visible yet. But now I would like to hear from 314 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: other men and women who have gone gray. Is it 315 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: was it a strange UM to spot those first ones? 316 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:51,680 Speaker 1: Do women think it's cool? Anyone out there who's died 317 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 1: their hair gray too? Yeah? Let us know? Look, do 318 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: you like it? Did you keep it for a while? 319 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: Caroline is a very quizzical looking her. Do so send 320 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 1: us an email? Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot 321 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: com is our address. And I have a quick email 322 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:12,679 Speaker 1: here regarding our recent podcast on the HPV vaccine. And 323 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: this is from Christie. She writes, I wanted to tell 324 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: you that I was diagnosed with HPV in two thousand 325 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,439 Speaker 1: seven when I was twenty one. I didn't know that 326 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: I had it until I got pregnant and went in 327 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: for a check up with my o B after my 328 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: C section, I had a colposcope and a biopsy done, 329 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: followed by the cryo procedure to remove it. I'm so 330 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: glad I had it removed because it could have turned 331 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: into cancer. I definitely get checked every year now to 332 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: make sure there are no more issues. I think it's 333 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,439 Speaker 1: great you ladies are informing everyone on the dangerous and 334 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 1: importance of regular visits to your doctor. Absolutely, thank you 335 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: for writing that. I think it's so important to get 336 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: checked every year. And if you have any type of 337 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,440 Speaker 1: cervical displaysia, you know you can go back more than 338 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 1: just once a year if you want to be reassured 339 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,639 Speaker 1: by your doctor. Okay, and this one is from a 340 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: man and uh, she's recommending some more horror movies after 341 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 1: our slash our film podcast. Um, she wants us to 342 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 1: check out Hard Candy, featuring a young Ellen Page, which 343 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: turns the tables on a predator of young adolescent girls 344 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 1: Ginger Snaps. I'm sure I'm going to take it seriously, 345 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 1: which takes a story of adolescent girls coming to terms 346 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:26,360 Speaker 1: with their emerging sexuality and twists it with werewolf mythology. 347 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: This is the first of a trilogy. She said that 348 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: sounds amazing. Yes, and I also want some Ginger snap 349 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 1: cookies now. Yeah, my mom keeps giving them to me. 350 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: I don't know why. I will Okay. The Entity, which 351 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: is a ghost story with sexual violent overtones, and I 352 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: included in the list because the female character remains strong 353 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: and defiant through the ordeal despite no one believing her. 354 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: She Creature, which features a very very evil mermaid. Then 355 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: there's some excellent Asian horror cinema like Dark Water and 356 00:20:55,760 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: Tail of Two Sisters of Two Sisters, also songs I 357 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: want to watch all of the right now while eating gin. Well. 358 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: Thanks to everyone who wrote in, and also if you'd 359 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: like to send us your thoughts about graying hair, please 360 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: let me know everything that you have to say on 361 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 1: Facebook or you can find us over on Twitter at 362 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: Mom's Stuff Podcast, and you can hit up our blog 363 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: during the week as well, It's stuff Mom Never Told 364 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 1: You at how Stuff Works dot com. Be sure to 365 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. 366 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,680 Speaker 1: Join how Stuff Work staff as we explore the most 367 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The house Stuff Works 368 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: I fine app has arrived. Download it today. On iTunes, 369 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 370 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: It's ready, are you