For those of you who have plucked those pesky gray hairs from your head, you don't have to fear that they are coming back with a vengeance. The idea that pulling a gray hair will cause 10 more to grow in its place is simply not true.
Yes, gray hair also grows faster and for a longer time than black hair. A study of scalp and eyebrow hair revealed that the genes responsible for producing two of the main structural proteins in hair are twice as active in white hair as in black hair.
Since the texture itself is so different, cutting gray hair requires extra TLC. It “takes a little extra attention to detail to create the perfect shape due to its coarser texture as it often shows more visible cut lines. Don't let this intimidate you, just keeping in mind it's a more visual process,” he shares.
Gray hairs are thicker and wirier, so your hair gets coarser as they multiply. You can't do anything to stop graying -- it's something you inherit. But you can tame gray hair with a good hairstyle and special care.
Gray hair has a different texture because your hair loses the pigment or melanin and the hair follicle doesn't produce as much sebum. 3 The sebum is the oil your body naturally produces to hydrate your hair. As a result, gray hair often feels more coarse, dry, and wiry, but using the right hair products can help.
If your grays are coming in coarse and sticking up straight along your hairline, apply a cream or softening balm like SheaMoisture Argan Oil & Almond Milk Smooth & Tame Blow Out Créme to those areas and blow-dry with a boar-bristle brush.
Dr. Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.”
"Having shorter hair makes it easier to blend your natural grey hairs into the rest of your hair than having them sticking out like a sore thumb. Not only this, but you'll actually find that having shorter hair makes the upkeep of grey hairs a lot easier to manage and style as you go through the transition phase."
Your scalp health will improve.
"Letting your hair go gray is an effective way to avoid exposing your scalp to toxic ingredients of hair dyes," says Monica Davis, a professional hairstylist and founder of Hair Scream. Instead, your scalp will be calm and free of any rouge dye stains.
“Eumelanin production increases as we age, and as we age we tend to go grey. Therefore hair may get darker before the greys take over,” she explains.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
Scientists still don't know why some people turn gray early, late, or not at all, although they suspect genes, nutrients and possibly the immune system play a role in depleting melanocyte stem cells.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.
Just like the hair on the head, the hair on the rest of the body, including the pubic area, is subject to graying. As people age, their skin produces less melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for giving skin and hair its color. The hair follicles contain melanin.
Get the Right Cut
Rock a great cut with lots of style and texture, and get a trim every 6-8 weeks. Women who are 100% gray often wear their hair short.
Apply Hair Color With Foils
If you're trying to transition to gray hair, you want to avoid an all-over dye job. Instead, have your colorist apply your hair color with foils — much like applying highlights, except you won't be lightening your hair. This will simply help you transition between the two shades seamlessly.
Make sure to brush gray hair every day in order to distribute scalp oils down to the hair ends. Be careful not to over-style gray hair as it can lose strength and elasticity fairly easily. Try to avoid using too much heat, as it may cause damage.
According to the survey by the online dating site, women like men with grey hair as long as they do not look too old. Also, attractiveness depended on the pattern of greying as well.
As we get older, our scalps produce less oil and – as a result – gray hair may seem drier… though gray hair is finer than colored hair. Finer hair just means the diameter of the hair is thin as the result of a narrow follicle. Gray hair is also more fragile and prone to breakage than when it had pigment.
Does purple shampoo work on gray hair? The short answer to this is yes – purple shampoo does work on gray hair. Gray hair can actually turn brassier and yellow more quickly than blonde hair because it clings onto particles found in the air that cause that unwanted discoloration.
Along with pigmentation changes, gray hair loses moisture due to less sebum production. This causes the cuticles to weather and becomes porous, causing dryness and frizz (1). This is a natural process, and that is why you have to be extra careful with aging hair.
Since your curl pattern is determined by the shape of the follicle, you may notice gray hairs will not follow the curl pattern you're used to- they may be more or less curly than before. Additionally, gray hair strands can develop a medulla: a hollow core that makes those strands more wiry and unruly.