Gray or White
hair at young age can be a distressing and annoying at times for many but for
older people, gray hair can symbolize wisdom and maturity. Graying may make one
look older. Good news is recently, scientists have found that graying hair
might be protecting you from
getting cancer.
You will observe the first grey hairs usually near
the temples, then to the crown and then at the back of your head. The common belief that for every
graying hair they remove, two will grow back up in place of the lost one is a myth.
Hair color comes from a protein and a pigment called melanin. The cells in the hair follicles that make and store melanin are called melanocytes. The melanocytes also present in the basal layer of the epidermis that produces melanin under the control of the melanocyte-stimulating hormone
The stem cells at the base of hair follicles produce melanocytes. Melanocytes are also present in your hair follicles
right next to the dermal sheath, an area below the hair bulge where you can
also find keratinocyte cells. Working
synchronously, melanocytes and keratinocytes are the building blocks of your
hair
Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin,eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more melanin is
present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair
is lighter. Levels of melanin can vary over time causing a person's hair color
to change, and it is possible to have hair follicles of more than one color.
Pheomelanin colors hair red. Eumelanin, which has two subtypes of black
or brown, determines the darkness of the
hair color. A low concentration of brown eumelanin results in blond hair,
whereas a higher concentration of brown eumelanin will color the hair brown.
High amounts of black eumelanin result in black hair, while low concentrations
give gray hair. All humans have some pheomelanin in their hair.
Gray hair results from a reduction of pigment. White
hair has no pigment. Changes in hair color typically occur naturally as people
age, eventually turning the hair gray and then white. This is called achromotrichia.
There is a pocket that houses melanocyte stem cells
halfway up the follicle, above the bulb. These stem cells turn into melanocytes
when old melanocytes die off. The death or inactivity of the melanocyte stem
cells causes the onset of graying.
Causes:
Aging: No available treatment – only solution is colour the
hair.( white people will begin to gray in their mid-thirties and Asian people
begin graying in their late thirties, but most black people can retain their
original hair color until their mid-forties.) Your chance of going gray
increases 10 to 20 percent every decade after 30 years. By age 50, most people can expect 50 percent of
their hair to be gray.
There are two theories of aging. The signs of aging are programmed in our genes or DNA.
The second is that our cells and DNA wear out and get damaged over time
eventually leading to aging and the end of life. If we can find damage to the
DNA or cells dying as we get older, then maybe genes are not involved in aging. Some people believe as we get a
little bit older we don't produce enough catalase and then the hydrogen
peroxide cannot be broken down and that bleaches your hair from the inside out,
turning it gray
Premature
graying: This
premature graying of hair is called canities
in medical terminology How fast your hair turns grey really depends on the
person's genetic predisposition and certain lifestyle factors that can directly
influence the production of the pigment melanin. If you have a family history
of premature grey hairs, the chances of your hair turning graying much earlier
in life is far greater.
Genetic: No available treatment - only
solution is colour the hair. Two genes appear to be responsible for the process
of graying, Bcl2 and Bcl-w. Gene therapy may someday help us
treat the signs of aging
Smoking: Smokers were found to be four times
more likely to begin graying prematurely, compared to nonsmokers.
Lack of sleep and excess stress: Excessive stress is the principal
creator of chronic free radical damage that can damage vulnerable cells
like Melanocytes and influence melanin production.
Malnutrition:(certain Minerals cupper,
zink etc. and Vit B deficiency) is
also known to cause hair to become lighter, thinner, and more brittle. The
condition is reversible with proper nutrition.
Pernicious Anemia (Vitamin B12deficiency): Facing a deficiency in vitamin B
especially B12 has been associated with less effective hair pigmentation
Thyroid deficiencies: Hyper or Hypo
Thyroid status
Vitiligo (a patchy loss of hair and skin color that may occur as the result of an auto-immune disease.)
Werner Syndrome (premature
aging disease that begins in adolescence or early adulthood and results in the
appearance of old age by 30-40 years of age)
Apart from this
spicy, oily, fast or junk foods, addictive foods like tea, coffee, alcohol and
long illnesses, some medications etc are blamed to be the cause of premature
graying.
Grey
Hair Treatments
Given the
currently available treatment options, it appears that the greying process
cannot be effectively reversed. There is no scientific evidence at the moment
that any existing medicine, diet, herb, supplement or natural product can
prevent or reverse greying hair. The only current option that delivers
satisfactory results is changing the colour of your existing hair. You can
either use regular hair dyes or try progressive hair colorants. Unlike regular hair dyes, progressive hair colorants only affect your grey hair and not your
non gray hair, changing its colour gradually and unnoticeably. It makes their
hair look more natural, as they do not have to cover up all their grey. One interesting point about gray hair is
that it is thicker and usually grows faster than normal, pigmented hair, which
makes it more visible and difficult to cover with colour.Gray hair may temporarily darken after inflammatory processes, after electron-beam-induced alopecia, and after some chemotherapy regimens. However, French scientists treating chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). patients with a new cancer drug Gleevec or Glivec noted an unexpected side effect: some of the patients' hair color was restored to their pre-gray color.
Nonetheless, there are some traditional and commercial products that claim to be effective in preventing and reversing graying hair.
Some
of them are:
Topical liquid, cream or foam, foam, oil, lotion or spray
GRECIAN FORMULA
GREYBAN
(POLY) RE-NATURE
RE:NUAL SERUM
RESTORIA
TOUCH OF GRAY
Oral Tabb or powder
MELANCOR-NH
REMINEX
SHEN MIN
SH SHOU WU PILL
OU WU PIA
Beggan's
pills
Go
Away Gray
YOUTHAIR
Active
Substances Used in these products are: 
FO-TI or He Shou Wu (polygonum multiflorum)a
Chinese herb also known
as Chinese knotweed or flowery knotweed, There is no clinical
research available supporting the claim of its efficacy
PABA
(para-aminobenzoic acid) is often referred to as vitamin BX or B10 and it is believed to be an anti-aging and
anti-grey hair vitamin.
FOLIC ACID is
another member from the group of vitamins B (B9)
An average healthy person is unlikely
to register a change in the colour of their hair as a result of the extra
intake of these two vitamins. Their administration can only be beneficial in
rare, grey hair conditions caused by the deficiency of any of these two
vitamins.
Amla or Indian Gooseberry
An Indain Fruit known as 'Amla'. You can make gooseberry oil and apply it to the scalp. To make the oil, you need to heat some amount of coconut oil with few pieces of the Indian gooseberries. After the berries turn dark, turn off the heat and let the solution cool down. Remove the berries and apply the oil to your hair.
An Indain Fruit known as 'Amla'. You can make gooseberry oil and apply it to the scalp. To make the oil, you need to heat some amount of coconut oil with few pieces of the Indian gooseberries. After the berries turn dark, turn off the heat and let the solution cool down. Remove the berries and apply the oil to your hair.
Blackstrap Molasses
Molasses is made out of sugarcane or sugar beets juice. The juice is boiled at high temperatures which crystallizes the sugars. When the left over liquid is heated up two more times, blackstrap molasses is formed. Blackstrap molasses also contains such as calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, potassium etc.
APPLE
CIDER VINEGAR -
its water solution applied topically. It is an old wive’s tale assumed to work
in a similar fashion to the metallic-based, hair colorants, gradually changing
the colour of white hair. Its mechanism of action and potential efficacy are unknown.
SAGE TEA
is another traditional natural remedy Strong sage tea should be applied to the
hair and left to dry, then rinsed with water and dried. This therapy should be
repeated weekly until the desired shade is achieved. It is conceivable that the
strong sage tea could stain and colour.
Wheat grass
(contains all essential
minerals the body needs)
Sea weeds (kelp, nori, dulse)
Sea weeds (kelp, nori, dulse)
Catalase: It is believed by
some that as we get a little bit older we don't produce enough of enzyme called
catalase and then the hydrogen peroxide cannot be broken down and that bleaches
your hair from the inside out, turning it gray. Products like Go away gray and
Beggan Pills have this as a main ingredient
Emu oil: supposed to moisturize and preserve
the hair nutrients like Omega3 and Vit B12
Other
Treatments:
RUBBING
THE NAILS
an old technique from India against each
other is said to help circulation (as nerve endings are located under the
finger nails
Henna (Mehdi) :Dried
Henna powder from henna leaves of the plant has been used traditionally in
India as temporary body decoration or tattoos.
It is also used to color the hair. It gives brownish red colour. Benefit
is believed to be it is a natural product and there is no synthetic pigment.
One of the ways to use is:
Henna is okay if you don’t have clorinated water, or go into swimming pools as
it will turn green or purple with the chemical reaction. It builds up and does
exactly what i told you henna will when exposed to chlorine. A temporary hair
color does a good job, and covers all the hair. The bonus is it will give
shine, and make the other hair more lusterious conditioning also.
Usage of henna powder is also one the
effective methods for gray hair treatment. Prepare a mix of henna powder (2
tbsp.), yogurt (1 tsp.), fenugreek seed powder (1 tsp.), coffee (3 tsp.), basil
juice (2 tsp.) and mint juice (3 tsp.). Use this mix to massage the scalp and
let it stay for about 3 hours. Thereafter, get your hair washed with a mild
shampoo
