Although dyes
are a simple and fast solution for grey hair, using it too often can be a
potential health hazard for you. Conventional hair dyes are laden with
synthetic chemicals and carcinogens that can do more harm than good in the long
run. Bear in mind that dyes that are darker in color can contain significantly
more damaging chemicals like Phenylenediamine (PPD) than those with
lighter shades.
The Types of Hair Colouring
Semi-permanent hair color cannot
lighten hair. Hair can only be lightened using chemical lighteners, such as
bleach. Bleaching is always permanent because it removes the natural pigment. Select a hair color that is two shades lighter than your natural hair
shade, so that it blends well with the gray hair strands.
There are many options for what
you can do with your hair 1.Color/ Bleaching 2.Highlighting/Lowlighting 3.Tinting 4. Re-Coloring There are 5 types of hair
color which are
Temporary Hair
Dyes
Usually comes in the form of
rinses, gels, mousses and sprays and majority of these products do not
penetrate or modify the structure of the hair shaft. They work like surface
paint as the molecules usually stay on the outer surface of the hair. In most
cases, you can usually wash the color
off immediately with a single shampooing. If you just want to experiment
with a different hair color, or color for some occasion temporary hair dyes
might be the safest and least harmful way to go for.
Semi Permanent
Hair Dyes
A harsher but less invasive way to change your hair color is to use
semi permanent dyes. Instead of staying on the surface of our hair, semi
permanent dyes contain smaller molecules
which will penetrate through your hair shaft and stay there for a longer
period of time. Usually it will take around 6 to 10 shampoos to get the hair color out. Semi permanents do not require the use of oxidization
agents like ammonia or paroxide and the color change is less impressive for
dark colored hair.
Demi-permanent hair Dyes: contains
no ammonia but is mixed with the developer (peroxide) shortly before
application. The developer helps lift the cuticle so that the colour can be
deposited outside and inside the cuticle and on the cortex. The molecules of demi-permanent hair
colours are very small and they are
therefore gradually washed out from the cortex, lasting about 15-20 shampoos.
Permanent Dyes
Frequent use of permanent
dyes is the harshest way you should
treat your hair. There are a myriad range of strong chemicals found in permanent dyes that helps the color to
stay in. Permanent hair dyes are divided into 2 categories
Oxidization Dyes
To permanently change your hair color, you will require the use of dye intermediates like PPD and a
developer containing hydrogen peroxide for oxidization. Both of these
are mixed together before application and the chemicals will cause your
hair cuticle to swell so that the coloring agents can easily penetrate
through. Once inside your hair shaft, the agent will break up your original color pigments
known as melanin and replaces it with the new color. In most cases,
the color change is very permanent.
Progressive Hair Colorants
or Dyes
A progressive hair dye is another kind of permanent dye that changes your original hair color
gradually by regular application. The dye contains metallic salts or organic compounds like lead acetate,bismuth
citrate or 5,6-dihydroxyindolinewhich can easily absorb into your hair shaft and react with
the structure of your hair. Over time, the lead will replace the color of your hair
with the new color.
The Dangers in Hair
Dyes
Para-Phenylenediamine
(PPD)
The most common and
potent ingredient commonly known to cause allergic reactions well known carcinogen
(cancer causing agent) after oxidation with the developer like Hydrogen
Peroxide or Ammonia. non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Multiple myeloma, Breast Cancer, Leukemia,
Bladder Cancer
Coal Tar
allergic reactions
Lead Acetate
used for progressive dyes that change your
hair color gradually, is banned from cosmetics in the European Union and is a
potential carcinogen. Lead is said to be able to disrupt the function of your
brain's neurotransmitters and might also
Disrupts your
heart activity
Causes blood
clots
Reduces
intelligence
Affects
sensory and motor developments
Other
neurological problems
If
you are pregnant, then avoid lead products totally because it has been reported
to be able to cross the placenta and the embryo that can lead to fetal
mortality. That is why lead in the first place was banned from so many products
like paint.
Other Health Risks
in Hair Coloring
DMDM Hydantoin
linked with causing immune system problems.
Ammonia
Widely used in fertilizers, plastics and explosives, ammonia is toxic and
corrosive. This chemical can cause running nose, coughing and respiratory
problems if inhaled, skin inflammations.
Resorcinol
used for oxidation and is an irritant and also a potential carcinogen.
Reduce Your Risk
NOW
Ecocolors or some
other natural hair dyes like henna that do not contain harmful chemicals. Some high end
salons also use high tech equipment like infrared to open up the hair shaft for
the color to absorb through rather than using oxidizers like peroxides and
ammonia.
Male or
Female Patter Hair Loss aka Androgentic Alopecia (common Baldness) is genetic
and has Poly genetic trait (that means there are more than one genes
responsible for this condition) and there is an old wives’ tale that it isinherited from Mother’s side but it is proven
that it can be inherited also from father’s side although there is slightly
higher chance of inheritance from Mother’s side. The genes that
actually cause hair loss are still unknown however, there are two gene loci,
recently identified, that appear to be associated with common baldness. The
first is on the “Alteration
in Androgen Receptor (AR) gene” carried on the x-chromosome and the
second is a “non-sex
chromosome 20p11”
The variations result
from small changes in the number or types of DNA building blocks (base pairs)
that make up the AR gene. These genetic changes appear to be most frequent in
men with hair loss that begins at an early age. Researchers believe that AR
gene variations may increase the activity of androgen receptors in the scalp.
Although androgenetic alopecia is related to the effects of androgens on hair
growth, it remains unclear how changes in the AR gene increase the risk of
patterned hair loss in men and women with this condition.
Since AR gene are on X chromosome – a sex linked chromosome (XX I females and
XY in males) it is transmitted from Mother Side and the non sex linked 20p11
genes on 20th chromosome can be transmitted from both mother and
father side.
If you have both the risk variants
we discovered on chromosome 20 and the unrelated known variant on the X
chromosome, your risk of becoming bald increases sevenfold."
"What's startling is that one
in seven men have both of those risk variants. That's 14 per cent of the total
population!"
What is the HairDX
genetic test?
The HairDX (http://hairdx.com
) genetic test for Pattern Hair Loss (Androgenetic Alopecia) is a screening
test for predicting hair loss. It allows diagnosis in an earlier or preclinical
stage, so that treatment can be initiated at a time when intervention by
medications and finasteride has a greater likelihood of success. Current
diagnostic methods like videoscopy hair thinning is visible when you have probably
lost about 50% of your hair in that area of your scalp. Because, the only FDA
approved medications to combat hair loss, minoxidil and finasteride, are most
effective at stabilizing hair loss rather then re-growth, the earlier you can
predict Hair Loss, the more likely you are to save your hair. So early medical
intervention prior to visible signs of hair loss, allowing you to retain your
hair.
The HairDX genetic test for Pattern Hair Loss is most appropriate for men and
women 18 years of age or older who are concerned about hair loss esp when there
is a familial history of hair loss.
Your genetic sample is collected
using a cheek swab by your doctor and the sample is mailed for analysis to the
HairDX laboratory. Once the genetic analysis is complete, your test results will
be reported to your doctor.
The HairDX genetic test for Female Pattern Hair Loss provides women with a
score, called the CAG repeat score. A smaller CAG test score is associated with
a higher risk for significant hair loss (Ludwig grade II or III hair loss)
while a larger test score is associated with a lower risk for hair loss.
Women who
have a smaller CAG test score should be advised that they are at a higher risk
for significant hair loss (Ludwig grade II or III hair loss). According to
scientists, the percentage of the female population with a CAG test score of 15
or less, NOT suffering from a Ludwig grade II or III hair loss was only a 2.3%.
These
women may wish to consult with a physician specializing in hair restoration,
who can develop a plan to monitor and treat early hair loss. For example, such
women may be good candidates for minoxidil, especially if treatment is started
early.
In
contrast, women who have a larger CAG test score can be reassured that they are
at low risk for significant hair loss. This avoids unnecessary concern or
expense over premature hair loss.
Interpretation for Men:
The HairDX genetic test for Male Pattern Hair Loss provides information on the
presence of a specific variation in the androgen receptor gene (AR), found on
the X chromosome. The variant AR causes changes in the hair follicle's response
to dihydrotestosterone, leading to alterations in the hair growth cycle.
The variant AR is found in more than 95 percent of bald
men—60 percent of men who have the variant AR will develop baldness by age
40.
HairDX also provides information on a less common AR
variant that predicts a very low risk of early-onset androgenetic
alopecia—more than 85 percent of men who have this variant will not have
hair loss by age 40.
Men who test positive for the
variant AR should be advised that they are at a high risk of developing
early-onset Male Pattern Hair Loss. These men may wish to consult with a
physician specializing in hair restoration, who can develop a plan to monitor
and treat early hair loss. For example, such men may be good candidates for
finasteride (Propecia), especially if treatment is started early.
In contrast, men without the variant
AR can be reassured that they are at low risk of early-onset Male Pattern Hair
Loss. This avoids unnecessary concern or expense over premature hair loss.
Hair DX (hairdx.com), costs about $150. It is important to realize that, at this
point, there is just an association with this gene and hair loss; the cause and
effect has not been proven and the association is not anywhere near 100%. A
danger is that patients may overreact to the relatively incomplete information
that the test provides.
New Gene in Hair Loss APCDD1
A team of researchers lead by Dr.Angela
M. Christiano, Ph.D., professor of dermatology and genetics & development
at Columbia University Medical Center found that the gene, called APCDD1 (
located in a specific region on chromosome 18), which causes a progressive form
of hair loss beginning in childhood (known as hereditary hypotrichosis
simplex). The disease is caused by a phenomenon called hair follicle
miniaturization -- the same key feature of male pattern baldness. When hair
follicles go through this miniaturization process, they shrink or narrow,
causing the thick hair on the head to be replaced by thin, fine hair, known as
"peach fuzz."
The identification of this gene
underlying hereditary hypotrichosis simplex has given an opportunity to gain
insight into the process of hair follicle miniaturization, which is most
commonly observed in male pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia It is
important to note that while these two conditions share the same physiologic
process, the gene discovered for hereditary hypotrichosis does not explain the
complex process of male pattern baldness.
APCDD1 inhibits a signaling pathway known
as the Wnt signaling pathway, to turn on or off hair growth in mice, but, until
now, the pathway did not appear to be involved in human hair loss. This finding
is significant because it provides evidence that hair growth patterns in humans
and in mice are more similar than previously believed.
"We have at last made a
connection between Wnt signaling and human hair disease that is highly
significant," said Dr. Christiano. "We have years of beautiful data
in our field about hair growth in mice, but this is the first inroad into showing
that the same pathway is critical in human hair growth. This is the first
mutation in a Wnt inhibitor that deregulates the pathway in a human hair
disease."
These findings suggest that treatments
involving manipulating the Wnt pathway would be non-hormonal, which may enable
many more people suffering from hair loss to receive such therapies.
Gene That Regulates Hair Growth:Lhx2
Activation of the gene Lhx2 leads to
increased hair growth. This is shown by Leif Carlsson's research team at Umeå
University in Sweden. The transcription factor Lhx2 as an important regulator
of hair formation. The Lhx2 gene is active during the hair follicle's growth
phase and is turned off during the resting period. Lhx2 is expressed
periodically, primarily in precursor cells that are distinct from the cells in
the bulging region of the follicles. Hair follicles in which Lhx2 has been
inactivated cannot produce hair. Moreover, the activation of the Lhx2 gene in
hair follicles has been shown to activate the growth phase and hence the
formation of hair. Thus, Lhx2 is a gene that is important for the regulation of
hair growth.
In stark contrast to previously
published research findings from other teams of scientists, Leif Carlsson and
his colleagues found that Lhx2 is primarily expressed outside the so-called
bulge region of the hair follicle, where the follicle's stem cells are found.
The Umeå researchers have also shown that Lhx2 is necessary for the hair
follicle's growth (anagen) phase to proceed and for the hair follicle's
structuring. Moreover, transgenic expression (gene or genetic material
that has been transferred naturally or by any of a number of genetic
engineering techniques from one organism to another) of
Lhx2 after birth is sufficient to activate the growth phase and stimulate hair
growth.
