Friday, November 28, 2008

How to Care for Grey Hair

By Jennifer Summers

At any age grey hair can materialize. It's not always an indication of aging, it's caused by a dropping off in pigmentation (grey hair) or a complete lack of pigment (white hair), and the basis for it is not fully known. The most obvious symbol of aging is the changing colour of our hair. As we age our hair produces less melanin, the same melanin that gives our skin its colour. This is the reason our hair turns grey.

Aging also affects our hair in other ways. As we age our hair is prone to becoming drier, and so requires more moisture than ever before. Older hair also loses some of its elasticity and the texture changes. Some women will notice that their hair becomes thinner and lacks life, for others it appears dry and coarse. This happens because as we age, the size of the hair follicles diminish and hair growth slows. As a result there is not so much new growth to replace what we lose.

Sebum (oil produced naturally by our skin) lessens as our body ages, and so our hair, as a result, loses its natural shine and softness. Plus, during the menopause our production of keratin slows. This protein fibre is important to keeping our hair healthy and strong. For men, there is the issue of going bald, thinning hair and coarse hair, especially the facial hair. Select the correct type of hair colour to disguise your grey hair, but don't go more than two shades darker or lighter than your natural hair colour. If you use a dark colour it can emphasize a dull complexion.

Lowlights or highlights can conceal any grey you want to disguise by merging them into the rest of your head of hair. The same with hair colourants, stay away from going more than a couple of shades lighter than your own hair colour. That way you will not end up appearing older than you really are. Grey hair can appear yellow or greenish on many people. If you fancy keeping your grey hair, opt for using a hair shampoo and conditioner that is made especially for grey hair. To counteract the yellow colour and leave your hair shiny and good-looking, why not use a greying shampoo that has a violet base colour, instead of your everyday shampoo.

Moisturizing (conditioning) is a requirement for older hair. Use a weekly deep conditioning treatment - suggested for aging hair. This will help to preserve the moisture levels in your hair. As time goes by your hair loses its elasticity and this makes it more difficult to style, so try using a protein treatment at least once a month to assist your hair. For men and women, thinning hair can be given a more voluminous look by using volumizing products such as conditioners and mousses. - 15438

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