Brighter than silver, more precious than platinum - a special charm of gray hair

The first silver threads in the hair we perceive not only as suddenly stealing old age. This later, when the shock passes, we begin to understand that gray hair is not a verdict. Someone paints them corny. But there are women who have made gray hair their token. Thoughtful make-up, stylish haircut, well-groomed hair, touched by the noble patina of time, allows you to create fashionable, interesting images.

Why do gray hair?

Without knowing the reasons why gray hair appears, many people try to stop and even reverse this process. Alas, to no avail. How to "treat" gray hair, modern scientists do not yet know, but here the structure of the hair, the mechanisms of its pigmentation and loss of natural color are studied thoroughly.

How does the pigmentation and depigmentation mechanism work?

For the color of hair and skin in our body is responsible for the same pigment - melanin. It is formed in special cells - melanocytes, as a result of the cleavage of the amino acid tyrosine.

Melanocytes produce two types of melanin:

• eumelanin - responsible for black and brown shades;
• pheomelanin - represents a yellow-red scale.

Each quantity and color pigment ratio is a very individual characteristic, so it is so difficult to find two identical natural shades of curls. And not all hair is uniformly colored, but every hair is separated. Light and dark melanin are mixed arbitrarily, as in the artist's palette.

Melanocytes over time, and also under the influence of various factors, gradually lose activity, and begin to synthesize less of the coloring substance. When melanin in the hair bulb is less than 30%, the first gray hair appears. A natural age line, when depigmentation increases so much that it starts to silver head - after 40 years. By this time, melanin is declining in 60% of people, closer to 50 the number of gray-haired birds exceeds 85%.

Interesting! Observations show that people with dark skin and dark hair grow gray before white blondes. Recordsmen for preserving the natural color of the head of hair are representatives of the Mongoloid race, and American Indians generally grow gray only after 70 years.

Loss of coloring pigment can begin much earlier - already in the interval between 20 and 30 years. In this case, we are talking about early gray hair, caused not by age-related changes, but by several other factors.

Causes of early graying

Our grandmothers were saddened by grief, burying children and getting funerals from the front. Frozen whites of the young soldier - a testament to the experience of the hell of war. It would seem that in our happy and well-fed time for premature graying of the bases, it would not seem. But studies have shown that almost a quarter of the population( 22%) finds their first gray hair at the age of 25-34, and the reasons are the same - strong emotions, health plus genetics.

Doctors trichologists distinguish 5 main factors affecting the decrease in melanocyte activity, which drastically reduces the production of color pigment.

1. Hereditary predisposition of the organism to early gray hair. Look, when mum, grandmother, other close relatives started to sit, the probability that nature included you in this genetic chain is very high.
2. Strong emotional and nervous shock - the second reason. Stressful situation affects the composition of blood, the hormonal background, causes vasospasms, and this, in turn, provokes a malfunction and even the atrophy of the pigment-forming cells.
3. Similarly affects the body chronic fatigue, lack of sleep, exhaustion of the body. Such a condition in girls can provoke, for example, a rigid protein-free diet, leading to a lack of vitally important vitamins, especially group B, minerals of zinc, copper, sulfur, selenium.
4. Gray hair at an early age can indicate health problems caused by metabolic disorders - liver, thyroid, blood( iron deficiency anemia), vessels( atherosclerosis), vitiligo, etc.
5. External surgical interventions( surgery, anesthesia,), aggressive drug therapy( irradiation, chemotherapy in oncology).

Unfortunately, it's impossible to stop a once-launched mechanism of depigmentation of hair, but at an early age it can be slowed down. To do this, you need to radically rebuild your life - go to a healthy diet, philosophically refers to life's misery, give up smoking and alcohol, do not abuse tan, start to take good care of your hair.

Tip! If they started to turn gray, then there is a reduction in melanin, which, in particular, is responsible for the natural color of the skin. It becomes more vulnerable to harmful ultraviolet radiation, there are pigmented spots, the color of lips fades. In this case, doctors recommend to reduce stay in the sun, not to abuse tan, to balance nutrition.

Gray is good or bad?

UK scientists have come to the conclusion that the age-old gray that appears after 30 years may be a sign not only of melanin deficiency, but also of strong human health. What is the basis for such a paradoxical statement?

In their opinion, melanocyte cells in a stressful situation act as a lightning rod, protecting the body from deep "damage" - heart attacks, strokes, hypertensive crises. Seated whiskey - this is the smallest thing that a man gets rid of, experiencing strong psychophysical loads or experiencing nervous shocks.

Characteristics of gray hair

Seated hair - does not mean a patient, as some believe. He is quite healthy and viable, but as a result of hormonal adjustment a little changed the structure and properties.

• Color depends on the content of melanin residues. If the pigment is partially present, the gray has an ashy( platinum) tinge. The complete absence of melanin is indicated by a white head, like a lunoon.
• The hair shaft that has lost the pigment changes its structure - due to the growth of the medulla layer, it becomes thicker and stronger.
• Melanin, in addition to color, gives the hair elasticity and shine, so the loss of the coloring material makes them more brittle, dull, naughty.
• A characteristic feature - excessive stiffness and dryness of discolored hair, as well as their tendency to fall out. This is due to the fact that instead of the pigment, air bubbles enter the hair shaft, forming keratin voids. The porous structure causes the above problems.

These properties must be taken into account when modeling a program for the care of gray hair and choosing the means for this.

Features of care for platinum head of hair

About changing care it is worth considering if silver strands make up the majority of the head and light toning shampoos are indispensable. Do not rush with coloring - before exposing your hair to chemical attack, take care of their nutrition, moisturizing, health.

Remedies and not only

We offer several general recommendations that will help to choose the right detergents and moisturizers, to adjust the hair nutrition "from within".

1. Choose shampoo on the basis of natural ingredients, according to the composition of the detergent - for dry, brittle, damaged or gray hair. The ingredients( proteins, vitamin B₅, coenzyme Q ₁₀) create a protective barrier for the hair shaft, help preserve natural moisture, and saturate with useful microelements and vitamins.
2. After each wash use for rinsing balsams, conditioners. They contain proteins and oils, which increase the elasticity of the curls. You can find air conditioners, which include light violet dyes, removing yellowness and giving the gray hair a beautiful platinum shade.
3. Hard strands are more naughty, and frequent styling with a hair dryer will further dry them. It's easier to lay a short haircut, square.
4. Once a week, practice nourishing masks. They will restore the silky structure, make the discolored strands alive and shiny. Well helps rubbing at night in the roots of hair oils - coconut, castor, jojoba.
5. A balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, seafood will improve the condition of the hair from the inside. If you rebuild the food is difficult, drink encapsulated cod liver oil, brewer's yeast.

Tip! Nourishes and simultaneously paints the gray hair mask on the basis of black tea. In 200 g of a strong drink( from 1 tablespoon of tea) add a mixture of 1 chicken yolk, a tablespoon of yogurt, a teaspoon of oil( castor, olive).Warm mass rubbed into washed hair, leave for 3-5 hours. After rinsing, rinse with strong tea.

Nuances of coloring

To return hair natural color, resort to staining.

If the discolored hair is a little bit, and they are evenly scattered throughout the head, it is recommended to use tint shampoos or unstable dyes. They do not penetrate the hair shaft, do no harm to it, allow you to pick the right shade by the sampling method.

Tip! Often asked if it is possible to pull out single gray hair. It's not worth it. On the site of the removed, the same bleached hair will grow. In addition, it is possible to damage adjacent hair follicles, causing their atrophy. If you can not wait to remove the silver thread, it is better to cut it with scissors at the root.

Gray strands can also be camouflaged using the highlighting procedure - clarifying individual curls.

If graying is more than 50%, traditional painting is used. But here there are nuances.

• To look younger, it is recommended to choose a shade of paint for a tone lighter than the original color of the hair.
• Use dyes with ammonia, a high percentage of oxidant( 6-9%) and reinforced pigment. Softer, more gentle colors will not take gray.
• To outgrowth roots are not discordant with the general color, repeated staining is advised to do at least 1 time in 4-5 weeks.

How to switch to natural color?

In recent years, platinum strands are in fashion, which allows you not to be shy about age-old gray hair. Well-groomed hair, silvery, look elegant, give their wearers a special charm, demonstrate life experience and self-confidence. It is important to make sure that your hair looks healthy, alive, carefully laid, not yellow.

You can turn gray at the age of thirty, but stay young up to sixty - the state of your soul does not depend on the color of your hair. Love yourself no matter your age!

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