Gray Hair, Not Again!

Later today, when my son takes his afternoon nap, I will be going down to the hair salon at the lobby of our building to have my hair dyed. I’ve been having regular hair coloring sessions lately because I noticed my hair (particularly, those at the top) are turning gray more quickly now than they had in the previous years. Is it because I’m getting old? Because it’s a problem that will definitely cause a dent on my budget, I need to know the causes of gray hair and what can be done to prevent it. Here’s where my research led me.

What Causes Gray Hair?
Heredity plays a major role in our hair turning gray. If your parents started growing gray hair early, you will also start having gray hair at a young age. When people start to have gray hair in their early 20s or 30s, that’s called premature graying.

Aging is also another reason for having gray hair. The cells in our hair follicles called melanocytes generate pigments, one of which is melanin. Melanin is what gives our hair its color. As we grow older, the production of melanin slows down, which causes gray hair.

Gray hair can also be due to a medical condition, such as vitamin B12 deficiency or a thyroid imbalance.

Smoking can also cause gray hair. Smokers are 4 times more likely to have gray hair than nonsmokers. Smoking is also conclusively linked to accelerated hair loss.

Stress or mental worries and an unhealthy diet may also cause premature graying of hair, as well as washing the hair with hot water, drying the hair using an electric dryer, and using hair dyes (Oh my!).

How to Prevent Gray Hair?
There are natural cures to prevent gray hair, such as the Indian gooseberry, amaranth, curry leaves, ribbed gourd, or butter. Specific preparations are needed before applying these natural remedies to the hair or scalp. Taking vitamin supplements will also help. There’s also a drug called Melancor that triggers the melanocytes to produce melanin pigments.


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One Response to Gray Hair, Not Again!

  1. Carmen Araneta says:

    Hi Tetcha, When the gray hair on my head started to be more than twenty, I went to the parlor to have streaks of light highlights so hindi halata yun white hair. Now, I can't count the white hairs any more, so I just dye my hair completely.

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