Each person sees and processes having white hair differently. In this age, most may see it as a fashion statement if it was dyed or a choice to keep if it came naturally.
In older times, people had seen it as something to hide. But what does it really mean to have this color? The spiritual meaning of white hair is debatable and varies from person to person.
There are points that you may believe, and then there are claims that you may refuse to acknowledge. But either way, what resonates with you the most ought to be taken as your truth because you are the one living your life in this world and no one can tell you otherwise or force you to have confidence in things you do not wish to accept.
Before spiritually interpreting the meaning of white hair, however, you may wish to find out its causes first.
Your hair may turn grey because it is in your genes to do so, you have developed an autoimmune disorder, you lacked certain vitamins or chemicals in your body, or your lifestyle has sped your body’s aging process.
Why Grey or White Hair Develops
Genes
The onset of white hair may come early to your whole family line.
You may try to prevent earlier onset by leading a healthier lifestyle that includes food that boosts the absorption of vitamins D and B12 and the production of melanin. The efficiency of this will vary depending on your body.
Autoimmune disorders
Certain issues like kwashiorkor, celiac disease, or spot baldness can lead to the whitening of your hair. The first two cause protein loss that influences melanocytes, which are responsible for producing your hair color.
Kwashiorkor is a severe protein malnutrition and could be a symptom of a neglected diet or an underlying disease like HIV.
Celiac disease is where your body cannot tolerate gluten. Spot baldness, as its name clues in, is a condition where parts of the body lose hair. This can turn your head hair grey.
Melanin and Vitamin D and B12 Deficiency
If your melanin production is less than normal, your hair will turn white because melanin is what reigns over your hair and skin color.
Vitamin D and B12 are produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight, so lack of these results in the development of grey hair alongside other illnesses. If you drink alcohol, vitamin B12 will be drained from you fast.
Lifestyle factors like smoking and junk food binges
Smoking speeds up your body’s regular aging process and increases the possibility of your hair becoming white.
This may possibly be due to the free radicals smoking exposes you to, which causes oxidative stress to your body.
You may also have grey hair when you have too many things not necessarily good for your body, like fried and fatty food, soda, and sweets.
Harsh hair products
If you are not careful about what ingredients the products you put on your hair have, you may notice white hair stemming from you sooner than necessary.
Some components of your shampoo or conditioner may be too harsh, and some can cause hair to fall out as well.
Race
Similar to genes, your race plays a big part of when your hair will turn grey, too. The common age range when White Americans grow gray hair is around 35, while African-Americans reach around age 40 before their hair turns white.
Asians tend to be in their late thirties when streaks of white start to show. Most people get half of their head hair grey by the time they reach their fifties.
Chronic Stress
If you are perpetually in distress, you may develop white hair a lot. In a 2013 study in New York University, they have found that stem cells of the hair follicles of mice become depleted when the mice suffered chronic stress.
Conditions like high blood pressure, anxiety, obesity, and sleep problems may also latch on to you because of this. Activities such as exercise, meditation, and healthier eating can reduce and relieve stress.
How the Hair Turns White
Your body can turn parts of itself off and stop certain functions like growth when you have reached the maximum your current body can handle. This is highly useful for you to not grow too tall or burst out of your skin.
This also helps regulate hair length on various parts of our body. The possible downside, if you are rejecting the idea of being shown a reminder of your age, is that this turns your hair white.
Your hair turns grey when catalase and hydrogen peroxide, which is produced by your hair follicles bit by bit, build up. What happens is that your hair is then bleached from the inside out due to the blockage of melanin production.
This natural body process is linked to both your external physical environment and metaphysical atmosphere. Your hair may turn white due to the factors mentioned above, your body’s time clock, and your spiritual status.
Spiritual Meaning of White Hair
You have transcended into a different level of understanding
Your hair turning white or grey may spiritually mean you have now begun to understand living in this world a little differently than before. It may not be one big shift or moment that came to you, but it was a gradual growth.
It may not even be obvious and to you, you may feel as if you have not changed at all, but your body and spirit attest otherwise.
You may have been self-centered before but now have gotten used to looking out after others. You may be looking after people now and have this sense of needing to help them grow.
You may have been all about the material things before but now yearn to collect experiences and intangible things. You may have begun doing things you have always wanted to do but never did.
Whatever it is, there is something that had shifted in you, and your white hair is the mark that represents that.
White hair is a reminder of all you have been through in this world
Another spiritual definition of white hair is that it is your reminder of all your years in this world. As much as it is uncomfortable to think about, your time here is limited and the grey hair is your constant memo.
White hair may be meant to comfort you more than it is meant to remind you of your mortality. You have not seen the world long enough if you do not have grey hair to boast about.
Your hair will also remind you of your experiences and the things you have been through in this world.
You are now part of a group that aims to give more than to receive
If you have ever watched older people interact before, you may have noticed how they tend to give a lot more than they receive. Whether they were with younger people or people around their age, their goal was always to share instead of take.
From tales to advise and food to warmth, they are reliable and feel as if they are on a different frequency than younger individuals, especially if they live in groups.
Your mortality is now highlighted
If you have not done things that you have always wanted nor chased dreams you believed in your heart were your callings, this is the time to reflect and act.
You are in this world for only a limited time, so hesitating, hovering, and procrastinating on things that really matter to you would do you no good.
White hair is your spiritual reminder of a clock ticking within you, and a note to tell you that you ought to do what you wish and feel that you need to do here because you are about to embark in the next stage of your life in a couple of years.
There are things you can control and there are things that you can
The fact that you are still here and have made it this far speaks loud about how far you have managed to come.
When you start growing white hair, remind yourself that there are things that you can control – such as yourself, your lifestyle, your choices – and things you cannot.
The progression of your body is something you can influence, but not as much as you may wish you could. Refuse to focus on one factor when there are a thousand more factors that you could be focusing on.
You are being prepared to enter a new phase
Grey hair spiritually means you have reached a sufficient age and had lived in this world long enough that you are now ready to do other things.
This may mean something in this world like mentoring younger individuals, caring for nature, or making significant differences, or something out of this world that would require you to enter a big transition to move on.
Summary
The spiritual meaning of having white hair depends on your circumstance in life right now alongside external and internal factors that affect your physical and spiritual body.
You may choose to see it as a reminder of mortality or as a mark of a life well-lived. You may view it however you see fit as long as you feel in your gut that that is what it means to you.
Most of all, do not forget to live your life in the now and do your best to not focus on fear.
Does hair hold negative energy? Find out in this article.