What causes gray hair and how to get rid of them

Layfhaker explains where are the gray hair, why someone sedeet earlier, and someone later and whether it is possible to delay or stop the process.

Why do we Sede

Generally speaking, the color of the hair meets the pigment melanin, which is produced in special cells - melanocytes. When the pigment production is stopped and appears gray. Can affect several factors on this process.

1. Aging

With age, the melanin naturally decreases. 50/50/50 known principle: to 50 years 50% of the population has 50% of white hair. A few years ago, scientists have tested this rule and learnedGreying of the human hair: a worldwide survey, revisiting the '50' rule of thumb more exact figures: 74% of people aged 45 to 65 have an average of 27% gray.

Usually, the first gray hairs appear in the region of 30 years or later. If pigmentation is lost earlier talk of premature graying.

2. genetic factors

The time of appearance of gray hair and its propagation velocity depends on heredity. This is confirmed by scienceWhy Some Women Look Young for Their Age

Importance and race. provedGreying of the human hair: a worldwide survey, revisiting the '50' rule of thumbThat Caucasians turn gray sooner than Asians and Africans.

3. disease

Gray hair may appear due to thyroid problems, some autoimmune diseases or progeria. Sometimes it occurs as a result of chemotherapy or when taking certain drugs.

4. Smoking

This addiction has a negative impact both on the skin and in the hair colorAssociation Between Use of Tobacco and Age on Graying of Hair. according to a studySmokers' hair: Does smoking cause premature hair graying?Published in 2013, smokers 2.5 times more than non-smokers, are prone to premature graying.

5. Deficiency of vitamin B12

a lack of vitamin B12 triggers not only an early gray hair, but also hair loss. The good news is that the loss of pigment in this case is reversibleReversible hyperpigmentation of skin and nails with white hair due to vitamin B12 deficiency.

6. Perhaps stress

Some people believe that hair turns gray because of nervous tension. one studyDirect migration of follicular melanocyte stem cells to the epidermis after wounding or UVB irradiation is dependent on Mc1r signaling It confirmed this relationship, but on the whole science has doubts on this score.

In any case, the stress is bad for the body. So less nervous.

How to resist the gray hair

Preventive measures against age-related loss of pigment or no inheritance. So the advice here is obvious: if you want to get rid of gray hair - paint it. Layfhaker detailed instructions given in these articles:

How to dye your hair without compromising their beauty →

No chemistry: how to dye your hair with henna, basma, a decoction of chamomile and even coffee →

There are also less long-term solutions:

1. Ink color gray hair. It is great to disguise the individual strands, and rinsed with water.
2. Use the facilities for cloaking gray roots. They come in the form of a spray or powder and kept for as long as you do not wash away their shampoo.
3. Use coloring shampoo. He is not washed off as fast as the previous means, and is able to stay on the hair for several days.

By the way, contrary to popular belief, you can pull out gray hairs from that gray hair does not become more - just in the same place otrastot new gray hair.

But such a radical way harms hair follicles, so that it is better to resort to the more gentle measures.

If it's not the age or genetics, you can delay the graying. For this:

1. Quit smoking (or never start).
2. Eat animal products, especially liver: they contain vitamin B12. Special vitamin supplements are best taken only after consulting a doctor.
3. By the way. Health Check: may be able to stop before blooming, and disease, its cause.
4. Learn deal with stress. As it has been said, is not the fact that this will stop the appearance of gray hair, but at least you'll be less because of her nervous.

And finally, the good news

More recently, scientists from Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas made an interesting discovery. According to them, the loss of hair color and the hair itself can also be related to the presence of proteins in cells and SCF KROX20Identification of hair shaft progenitors that create a niche for hair pigmentation.

While the experiments were conducted only in mice. But the authors do not exclude that due to their work in the future, you may receive a cure for gray hair and baldness. We also still can only hope that the future may not be very distant.