| Graying Hair: Causes, Prevention And Remedies
|
Untitled Document
|
Graying Hair: Causes, Prevention And Remedies
For humans, it is natural to get gray hair after a certain age. Graying hair is the part of growing up. Hairs are an attribute of skin. The age of graying of hair depends upon heredity. Hairs grow out of epidermis, the top skin layer and have the same kind of cells. When your hair start graying in young age or earlier than normal age for graying, say before the age of 35 years, then it is called premature graying hair.
Conditions Resulting in Premature Graying Hairs
There are certain conditions, which result in premature graying hairs. It may be due to insufficient diet or mental stress as these are the two main causes. Mental stress is a big cause of premature graying as when a person experiences long period of mental stress, may have gradual whitening of hair. Any daily diet, which lacks in vitamin B, iron, iodine, copper can result in graying of hairs. Some other causes may be use of hair dyes, washing hairs with very hot water, excessive use of blow dryer, and unhygienic condition of scalp. Severe illness may also affect the production of melanin and resulting in premature graying. Premature Graying of hair depends upon genetic factors also and is related to heredity. You have more chances of premature graying if your father or grandfather too had an early graying hair condition.
How do we get Gray hairs?
Hairs have an outer layer, called cuticle and under this lays thick cortex. Cortex is comprised of keratin, a horn-like structure. Melanin gets concentrated in the cortex and this deposition of pigment in cortex determines the color of your hairs, like black, blonde and more. Color of hairs is produced by melanocytes, the small pigment cells stored in our hair follicles in the form of pigment, melanin. As we grow older, efficiency of these pigment cells gradually decreases and eventually they stop producing pigment. Gray hairs reflect improper protein synthesis. When hair follicles stop producing melanin, the pigment, and small air comes at this place. Around middle age, most of the pigment cells die in individual hairs. As a result of this new hairs grow without any pigment and reflected as gray hair.
Graying of hairs at a fast pace is visible due to falling of pigmented hairs and getting it replaced by new hairs without any pigment in them. This kind of falling may take months or may occur early, within a few days. The main thing here is thick hairs cannot grow fast and resulting in quicker growth of thinner, non-pigmented hairs.
Myth about Graying Hairs
There is a popular belief that if you pull one gray hair, you will get two gray hairs in that place. But this is not the fact, just a myth. What happens is, when you remove one gray hair, another gray hair, in neighborhood, is just start growing and getting two gray hairs closely.
Home Remedies and Treatments for preventing Gray Hairs
- Amla or Indian gooseberry is the wonder herb. To curb the graying of hairs and falling hairs, make a paste of amla and rub it well into the scalp. This therapy has shown wonderful results in many cases.
- To prevent graying of hair up to an age like 60-70, massage your hair daily with a mixture of coconut oil and lemon for 15 minutes.
- There is another recipe involving herbs. Take 10 rithas and 4 shikakai pods. Soak them overnight and boil in water in the morning. Strain it and wash your hair with this liquid as it is a good herbal shampoo and does not use any chemicals. In another vessel boil 10-12 amlas after soaking overnight. Strain it and apply to your hair after wash for ten minutes as a conditioner and rinse it with clean water. This is a very effective recipe for stopping graying of hair and also gives hairs a shiny look.
- Take juice of half lemon and mix it with castor oil till frothy and add it to henna. Apply this henna over scalp and wash it after one hour using herbal shampoo told above.
Diet for preventing gray hairs: Proper diet containing all the essential vitamins is must for better health of hairs. Vitamin A is required for a healthy scalp and gives luster to hair. Vitamin B keeps hairs moisturized and healthy. It helps to regulate the oil secretion. Minerals like zinc, iron and copper are must for the growth of healthy hairs and not to forget proteins, which are needed for keeping good texture of hair. Include all the fresh fruits and vegetables in your food. Besides that, eat plenty of yogurt, sprouted whole grains and soy.
|
|
