Aging is a natural part of living. It shows in a variety of ways, from decreased muscle strength to additional wrinkles and grey hairs. Although science understands how grey hair occurs, it is not yet possible to predict who will go grey and at what age.
Every hair on your head is made up of two parts, the shaft and the root. The shaft is the main section you see, the individual strands of hair, and its color. In contrast, the root is under the skin on your head and holds the hair in place. It may not be colored, but it is critical to the process.
Your roots are surrounded by hair follicles that have pigment cells. The melanin compound in the follicles dictates the color of your hair. As you age, pigment cells start to die, lightening the color of your hair and ultimately making it go grey. The entire process can take ten years!
Pulling The Grey Hairs Out
You may have heard that ten more will grow back in its place if you pull a grey hair out. This is simply a myth. It is only possible for one hair to grow per root/follicle. That means another can only replace any hair that is removed. Of course, the new hair that grows from the same follicle will still lack pigmentation and appear grey.
The question is whether you want to look every day and pull out every grey hair you find.
The Solution
For most people, the simplest solution is to either embrace the grey hair or color it. However, you should note that it is best to get a good quality hair dye and a dedicated color shampoo if you start coloring your hair. You will find some great options in the Kevin Murphy range.
However, if you feel that you need to get rid of the grey hair, then lucking is not the best solution! Instead, you can get a pair of scissors and cut the grey hair as close to your scalp as possible. This will render it practically invisible.
If you choose to pluck the hair, then you may damage the follicle. This trauma can cause minute scarring on your head. If you do this repeatedly, you will increase the chances of permanent scarring, which prevents the hair from re-growing. That means you will have bald patches. They are a lot harder to cover up and more likely to make you look and feel older.
Extra Facts
Don’t forget that it can take ten years for all your hair to go grey. This is because the pigment runs out in different cells at different times. So you cannot predict when it will happen, but the occurrence of grey hairs will gradually spread. The choice will then be whether to accept it or to get the hair dye out.
In rare cases, graying hair is a result of insufficient vitamin B12. If this is the case, increasing your consumption of B12 will reverse the issue.
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