Gray Hair
If you live long enough, you will go gray. For many, this is a regular part of aging and is something to be embraced. Numerous individuals start going gray at an early age, some when barely out of school. Your chances of seeing gray hairs are said to increase up to 20% with every passing decade after the age of 30.
As pigment cells die off, your hair is unable to hold as much melanin. The older you get, therefore, the less color you will have in your hair. One professor of cell biology has suggested that there is a melanogenic clock in hair follicles which is responsible for when the pigment is reduced, and finally stopped.
Not everyone is content to get grayer and grayer, and this is why the market is awash with products aimed at concealing white or gray hairs. If you are in this bracket, then you might be interested in seeing how you can hide your gray hairs the best.
How can you conceal gray hair?
One way that many people, especially males, hide gray hair is to get a much shorter style. But, for others, this is either not desirable or practical. In these cases, other solutions are often sought such as coloring treatments.
However, chemicals can be harsh. One of the best tips for gorgeous hair is to use natural products whenever possible. It was in the 1940s and ’50s that artificial hair color started to be pushed toward women with gray hair. Now, of course, men and women often use dye to change their appearance and move with the times.
Plucking out gray hairs is one option if you only have a few showing, but as time progresses this method of concealment will no longer be practical.
A modern alternative to hair dye is anti grey treatments that restore natural color. The advantages of these products include them being sulfate-free, and containing no coloring pigments. Thus, you avoid the chemicals involved in artificial hair color.
What are all the options for concealing gray hair?
If gray isn’t for you then fear not as there are several options for concealing graying locks that don’t involve hiding away from the world.
- Plucking
- Brush-in color
- Root cover-up
- Highlights
- Lowlights
- Change your hairstyle
- Color depositing shampoo
- Anti-gray treatments
- Hair dye
As mentioned above, plucking isn’t going to be a lasting solution, and not everyone is keen on completely changing their hair color. However, some of these options are low-key and will work for a while.
Root cover-up
Some sprays and powders can be applied to cover up gray roots. This is a temporary solution and will wash out the next tie you use shampoo. Similarly, you can buy cover-up pens that are good for hiding gray hair when you only have a few.
Highlights and lowlights
A visit to a hair salon will help you to glean some advice on whether highlights or lowlights would work best for you. But the idea here is to blend your natural hair color and make the gray less conspicuous.
Change how your hair is styled
You can hide gray roots simply by changing the way you have your hair parted or styled.
Color depositing shampoo
These shampoos help to give a light color to gray hairs but are fairly temporary. They also do not give bold coloring that artificial hair dye will, but they are effective at concealing gray hair.
Anti-gray treatments
Anyone living with long hair will know that there can be issues. Tangles, frizz, and flyaways can be problems with long hair. Gray hair is also an issue here as it will be more visible when hair is longer.
Looking after long hair can take some work, so avoiding hair dyes and chemicals is a good idea. Therefore, an anti-gray treatment that avoids harsh chemicals such as sulfate is perhaps a good option for concealing gray hair.
Unfortunately, a hair coloring product overview shows that resorcinol and other chemicals such as aminophenol can be included. These are toxic to humans in certain amounts. If natural products are available for hiding gray hair, then they might be the better option.
Can you slow down gray hair?
Research is continuously ongoing to find out why people go gray, and more importantly, how to stop it. If a manufacturer could find out how to create a product to stop hair from turning gray, it could be worth billions.
Countless individuals are spending small fortunes on their hair each year with the desire to improve their appearance. There are claw clips for long hair, jewelry for any hair type, serums, waxes, and an ever-changing range of styles and cuts.
It isn’t surprising then that people also search for ways to postpone graying hair. It is commonly said that stress can cause gray hair, but there is little evidence.
However, vitamin deficiency could possibly cause gray hair. It has been proposed that Vitamin B-6 may help to bring hair color back to its original form. If you have seen gray hairs appear after an illness, it may be worth speaking to your doctor about a possible vitamin deficiency.
Summary
More people seem to be embracing the natural look as they become older, and deciding against hair dye. However, as this isn’t for everyone, there are products easily found for helping to hide or reduce the appearance of gray hair.
From cover-ups to full-on hair recoloring, to anti-gray treatments. If you want to conceal your gray hair, there is a way.
