HOW DOES GRAY HAIR DEVELOP?Gray haircaused by a decrease in the amount of pigment in the hair. Hair color is determined by the amount of melanin pigment imparted to the hair and the type of pigment: eumelanin or pheomelanin . Eumelanin exists as black eumelanin and brown eumelanin. Pheomelanin gives hair orange and red tones. Everyone has a certain amount of pheomelanin in their hair. A low amount of brown eumelanin produces blond hair, a higher amount of brown eumelanin produces brown hair. A high amount of black eumelanin produces black hair, and a low amount of black eumelanin produces gray hair. As we age, the production of melanin pigment decreases, and gray hair appears. When all melanin disappears completely, the hair becomes white (colorless). True gray hair does not exist; it is always a mixture of bleached (white) hairs and the remaining black hairs that together create the gray color.
The timing of graying depends on age and hereditary factors. Some people go gray early, for example, as early as 25, while others retain their original hair color well into old age. Early graying can be hereditary. There are also racial differences. The first gray hairs often appear at the temples, and in men, in the beard. Afterward, it spreads to the rest of the head and body.HAIR COLORS FROM BLACK TO WHITE
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| black hair |
black curly hair |
dark brown |
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| chestnut brown |
brown |
light brown |
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| dark blond |
blond |
light blond |
UNDERLYING CAUSES OF GRAY HAIRGray hair develops with aging; there's no single cause. It could also be caused, or precipitated, by underlying factors such as poor nutrition (vitamin B12 deficiency), illnesses (anemia, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease), smoking, and certain medications (chloroquine). Despite sayings like "it turned gray overnight," or "it gave me gray hair," it's never been proven that stress causes gray hair.CAN GRAY HAIR BE TREATED OR PREVENT?Treatment is usually not necessary and usually not even desirable. Gray hair is considered a natural part of aging. Those who find it bothersome can camouflage it by coloring their hair (color shampoo, color rinse, hair dye). Not all hair dyes are suitable for covering gray hair; ask your hairdresser for advice on which hair dyes or color rinses are suitable, or have your hairdresser perform the color rinse. A few white hairs could be pulled out. There are hair care products that can camouflage gray, for example, by making them more transparent. Various vitamin supplements, nutritional supplements, and other products are sold claiming to help with gray hair, but there is no scientific evidence that these products actually work.
Color rinses leave a layer of color on the outer layer of the hair and are temporary; the color washes out again when you wash your hair. Hair dye has a permanent effect, but as the hair grows out at the base, your natural hair color will eventually become visible again. Color rinses can darken light hair, but not the other way around. Hair dye can achieve a light color, but this requires 3-9% hydrogen peroxide to first bleach the hair. Hydrogen peroxide also improves the dye's adhesion to the hair. A color rinse is less aggressive than hair dye. Hydrogen peroxide can leave hair dry and dull.
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| color restorer |
color restorer |
color rinse |
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