Family Encyclopedia >> Beauty & Style

Where does gray hair come from?

White hair:a fatality?

The appearance of white hair (or canitie) is in no way a phenomenon reserved for fifty-somethings and other seniors. If at the dawn of your 30s, thin silvery streaks come to star your hair, do not panic, the phenomenon is perfectly normal. Many people see their first white hair appear very young and will fight until late to hide it in the most natural way possible. Even if, in men, the pepper and salt side can give them a distinguished side, in women there is still a modesty to reveal graying hair, a sign of premature aging. Impossible to go against this particularity, white hair is due to a rarefaction of biological cells responsible for hair and skin coloring:melanocytes (or melanin). As you age, many cells tend to decrease (or even permanently suspend their action):this is what happens with melanin which, hair after hair, will stop its production and make the hair perfectly white. Many other factors are involved in the multiplication of gray hair at a more or less advanced age:heredity is the first cause of early appearance of gray hair. If your mothers, grandmothers and other ancestors had prematurely gray hair, there is a good chance that you will suffer the same punishment. Stress or a lack of vitamin B5 can also affect hair whitening.

How to live better with gray hair?

Blonde or brunette, we are not equal in the face of white hair. In blondes or redheads, the light color of their hair makes it easy to blend white hair with the rest of the mass. The appearance of white hair may then appear later in these lucky women. Brunettes, on the other hand, will more easily highlight their white hair because it contrasts more with their natural color. The simplest solution to hide white hair is permanent or temporary coloring that will evenly cover the hair:choose a shade close to yours for a natural fade. As the hair regrows, the white roots will reappear:it's up to you to maintain your color with specially designed root kits so you don't have to redo the whole head. At home or at the hairdresser, prefer natural colors:without ammonia, formaldehyde or other aggressive additives, they help protect the hair without distorting it. Your haircut can also become your ally to discreetly hide your white hair:a soft blow-dry, curly hair or a low ponytail allow you to look away and hide the roots, the most likely to show bleaching. Finally, to save time between two colorings, do not forget the accessories such as hats or scarves, very trendy, to camouflage your unsightly roots.