Gray hair might be a sign of distinction and experience, but it can also add years to your appearance. You may feel robbed of a youthful vibrant energy if you look into the mirror and see an image that looks older than you are.
Nevertheless, it can be difficult to find gray hair solutions that leave your hair healthy. Understanding a little bit about what does and doesn't cause gray hair can help you decide what your options are and help you get rid of the gray easily and beautifully.
What Causes Gray Hair?
Just like our skin, our hair is colored by a pigment called melanin. As we get older, the cells in hair follicles stop producing melanin. From that point forward, every time a hair falls out and a new one replaces it, that new hair has no color. It is actually white, not gray; it appears gray compared to the hairs surrounding it.
Although hair can begin losing color at any age, for most people it happens in their thirties. Because graying is based on loss of pigment, people with lighter skin will begin going gray approximately ten years earlier than people with darker skin will. As a rule, gray hair follows a law of 50: By age 50, 50% of people will be 50% gray.
There is no cure for gray hair. Once your body stops producing melanin, your hair will go gray, period. People might become temporarily gray due to illness or an injury, but, even then, your hair may not come back in with the original color. Gray hair is not caused by stress, nor do people turn gray as the result of a shocking incident. Heredity is the primary factor as to when people turn gray.
Should You Color Your Gray?
Obviously, the decision to color your gray is a highly personal one. Many people don't mind their gray hair, especially if their hair is healthy with a nice shine. Keeping your gray hair in a flattering, up-to-date style also offsets the aging effect of gray hair. Many people, especially women, however, prefer to turn back the hands of time a bit by coloring their gray.
The first step in getting rid of gray hair is to make sure your hair is in good condition prior to coloring. As we age, our hair and skin tend to become dry. Use a good conditioner every time you shampoo, and avoid the blow dryer and heated styling tools whenever you can. Once your hair is in good condition, you can try coloring it at home with an over-the-counter hair color. However, gray hairs are more resistant to color than your younger hair was, so you may get the best results by having your gray professionally colored.
Choose a salon you are familiar with, or ask friends and family for referrals. Hair color that is poorly done can have a huge impact on both your appearance and your self-esteem, so you want to go somewhere with stylists who are experienced with coloring gray hair.
Whether you color your hair at home or go to a salon, you need to consider a few factors first. Before coloring your whole head, make sure you or your stylist does a strand test. A strand test simply means that a small, inconspicuous piece of hair is colored first to determine how it takes the color. Everyone reacts to color a bit differently, so it really is to your advantage to take the time to do a strand test.
Next, remember that hair type and hair condition will both affect color-processing time. Hair that is damaged, very fine or porous may color faster than thicker hair. Check your color results periodically to make sure you are getting the color you want, especially if you are coloring your hair at home.
Go All the Way or Stick to the Highlights?
You may want to consider highlights, rather than coloring all of your hair. With highlights, you can blend away the gray a little bit at a time rather than changing all of your hair dramatically with an all-over color. Also, keep in mind that using lighter dyes rather than darker shades will help you delay the regrowth touch-ups that you need to cover your roots, and highlights will make growing out gray hair easier. A lighter shade won't show the gray as quickly as a full head of dark hair. Remember, when you do a full color, all of your hair is going to be one shade, which really doesn't look natural. Your natural hair color has several shades and tones, so you will get the most natural look from adding highlights and/or lowlights to your main color.
Some dyes claim to remove your gray gradually. This may seem to be a great choice for a subtle change, but many of these types of products can leave an unnatural yellowish-green tint to your hair. They can also dry out your hair, which will leave it brittle and hard to manage.
 | As our hair changes, so should our hairstyles. Hairstyles for gray hair are created with the thinning volume and stiffer strands in mind, making the most of your delicate locks. |
 | Gray hair needn't hamper your sense of style. Growing out gray hair can leave you with a mane of sophisticated silver tresses. |
Everyone seems to be so worried about finding the latest and greatest anti-wrinkle cream, but many people overlook how much their graying hair is aging them. Even if your face is completely wrinkle free, having gray hair can make you look much older than you are. |
Gray hair is everywhere. Most people turn gray when they are older, but some people get it at a young age as well. Gray hair can be a result of different causes. It can be hereditary, may just be from old age, or may be the result of a disease. |
We might have many different things that we say causes gray hair to sprout, but it is important to cut to the root of the matter to learn what really causes gray hair. |
