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This Is What Actually Happens When You Pluck Out Grey Hairs

Eeeeek

It was Samantha who uttered those fateful words: โ€œPluck one grey hair out, three more will come to its funeralโ€ (Sex and the City episode 12, season six for those playing at home).

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But what actually happens when you pluck out a stray grey? As a brunette whose bathroom has unhelpfully strong natural light, this was a question I needed answered โ€“ and quickly. Preferably, before I go bald (or three times as grey as I otherwise would beโ€ฆ thanks, Samantha).

RELATED: 19 Celebrities Who Have Embraced Grey Hair

To answer my not-remotely-personal-asking-for-professional-purposes-only question, I turned to Renya Xydis, hair stylist to Cate Blanchett (that godly creature who Iโ€™m sure has never had this problem) and a long list of other Sydney stars.

Do you want the good news, or the bad?

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nicole richie grey hair
Nicole Richie (Credit: Getty)

Weโ€™ll start with the good. Xydis assures me that no, more greys donโ€™t grow back in place of the one you plucked. But (and hereโ€™s the bad), another grey will simply pop up to replace it. โ€œThe hair follicle will replace the one single hair you have pulled out with another single hair,โ€ she says. โ€œIf the hair you have pulled out is grey, the hair that will grow back will also be grey.โ€

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Interestingly, Xydis reports that women are beginning to go grey younger โ€“ in Sydney at least. โ€œStressful, fast-paced lifestyles are a common cause for grey hair coming through earlier,โ€ she attests. โ€œThere is no need to worry though, as people are more accepting of the โ€˜silver foxโ€™ look, itโ€™s very trendy.โ€ Case in point: these 19 celebrities rocking silvery locks.

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What age you go grey will depend on your genetics and your lifestyle, with chronic stress or a major stress event often triggering premature grey hair.

But back to the tweezers. Xydis cautions against plucking โ€“ โ€œyouโ€™ll end up with short sprouts everywhere!โ€ โ€“ and suggests embracing the change or booking in for a simple tint to cover up.

BRB โ€“ booking an appointment.

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