HOW TO HIDE GRAY HAIR
A brief summary of white hair: when and why the first white hairs appear and whether there are natural ways to hide them.
Let's start from the beginning: what is white hair?
White hair is simply hair that has stopped producing color. In fact, responsible for hair color are melanocytes, which are cells located at the base of the hair follicle that produce melanin, the natural pigment of hair. When melanocytes stop producing melanin, the hair is no longer pigmented and grows in white.
Please note: gray hair does not exist! It is actually an optical illusion, since there is no middle ground: either hair grows pigmented and therefore colored, or it grows white. Thus, the salt-and-pepper effect arises because each follicle is independent; it may be that some follicles produce white hair and others pigmented hair, giving rise to a mixture of colors that appears gray.
We all know that white hair generally comes with age; in fact, starting from age 40, the number of melanocytes decreases by 10 to 20% each year. There are other factors, however, that influence the onset of white hair, for example, stress! It has been verified that stress can alter hair pigment, but this cannot happen suddenly.
Can white hair return to its original color?
Generally, the process is irreversible; however, a recent study has shown that when the cause is stress, it is possible to slow down the process, though one should not expect miracles. First and foremost, it is good to provide the necessary nutrients to normalize the temporal process involving hair pigmentation. As with all things, a healthy lifestyle can be beneficial: therefore, avoid excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol, and follow a diet rich in protein, vegetables and fruits, vitamins, and minerals—everything necessary to delay the onset of free radicals and therefore the oxidation of melanocytes that causes hair depigmentation.
How to hide white hair?
By now, white hair is a trend; it is actually trendy to bleach it on purpose, so if you see your first white hairs appearing, do not despair because they are no longer a taboo! If, however, you really do not feel comfortable, there are some natural remedies to try to cover them without having to resort to dyes. For example, you could use a coffee mask that is very simple to make. The necessary ingredients are half a cup of strong coffee, a cup of plain yogurt, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. It will be sufficient to mix all the ingredients in a bowl until you get a homogeneous mixture. After shampooing, this mixture should be applied to the entire head of hair and left on for at least 90 minutes before being rinsed off. To see the first results, the process must be repeated twice a week for at least six weeks.
