What is early gray hair. Why does it occur in girls, women and men. Signs of early gray hair and the best ways to get rid of it. Early gray hair is a phenomenon that indicates that the body has begun to have problems with the production of melanin. That is, the pigment, which is responsible for filling our hair shafts with color. And if after 40 years such discoloration is perceived as the norm, then at an earlier age it is already alarming and makes you think. Moreover, the problem of early graying is relevant for both sexes.
Causes of early gray hair
It is predetermined by nature that over time our body "wears out" and the aging process starts. Also with melanocytes, which stop the production of melanin with age - and the hair loses its color, that is, turns gray. Representatives of the Mongoloid race are the very first to notice silver hairs - from 23 years old, Europeans are given a little more time - from 30 years old. The most fortunate of all are representatives of the Negroid race, who begin to turn gray from 40-45 years old. This is considered the norm. But there are reasons that disrupt this physiological cycle, and early gray hair appears.
Early gray hair in women under 30
Being attractive is one of the main tasks of every woman, which is laid down by nature. Beauty helps to find your companion (or satellites) and keep him (or them) near you, allows you to be confident and even successful. Therefore, the early invasion of aging processes into curls causes panic in many women under the age of 30. To date, scientists are still studying the factors that trigger this process. But some "enemies" have already been discovered.
Factors that can trigger the appearance of early gray hair in women under 30:
- Genetics … The most important reason why hair begins to lose its natural color. And the most "uncontrollable". If the appearance of gray hair ahead of the due time is a family "tradition", you cannot avoid early gray hair. And it is impossible to stop this genetically inherent process.
- Stressful situations … The second most important factor due to which gray hair appears at an early age. Stress blocks many active substances in the body, including the production of melanin.
- Iron-deficiency anemia … Another condition that can affect the condition of the hair. It can be caused not only by an unbalanced diet (diet, vegetarianism), but also by heavy or chronic blood loss. In women, it can be uterine bleeding or menstruation with a significant loss of blood volume, difficult labor.
- Exhaustion of the body … A purely "female" reason, since it occurs most often in women due to severe pregnancy and during breastfeeding. That is, when the expectant mother generously shares all the useful substances with the future baby. Also, subsequent pregnancies and childbirth are not reflected in the mother's body in the best way. Especially if she does not have time or is unable to fully recover from previous deliveries and breastfeeding.
- Improper nutrition … Deficiency of proteins, vitamins and microelements, which must enter the body with food, is also able to trigger the mechanism of hair aging years earlier. The reasons for such a shortage can be of a social nature, when there are no funds for adequate nutrition. Or they can be conscious - fundamental restrictions (vegetarianism) and temporary (mono-diets, protein-free diets). In this case, not only you are starving, but also your hair.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system … Vascular problems lead to oxygen starvation, including in the hair follicles. This leads to a malfunction of metabolic processes in them, which in turn "paralyzes" the production of a natural dye - melanin.
- Problems with the organs of the gastrointestinal tract … Chronic diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver lead to metabolic disorders throughout the body, not bypassing the hair follicles.
- Hormonal disorders from the reproductive system, thyroid gland, diabetes mellitus … These are states that are "getting younger" at a rate no less than gray hair. Therefore, the presence of these problems in a woman under the age of 30 can also affect the appearance of her hair.
- Bad habits … The entire body, including the hair, suffers from the effects of alcohol and nicotine. Therefore, women with such "experience" have every chance of turning gray earlier than they were originally supposed to.
Important! All lovers of flaunting in cold weather or windy weather without a hat should take into account that such walks can also contribute to early aging of hair. No less dangerous for them is the frequent exposure to the scorching sun, which not only dries them up, but also discolors them. This negatively affects the production of melanin.
Early gray hair in girls under 20
By the age of 30, most women already know what pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and chronic diseases are, in contrast to young ladies who are not yet 20 years old. Nevertheless, among them there are "lucky women" who find themselves with gray hairs.
The main reasons for the appearance of gray hair in young girls under 20 years old:
- Genetics … The predisposition to early gray hair is the leader among the causal factors in this age category. Therefore, if your mother or grandmother's hair began to turn gray in her youth, the cause of your premature silvery hairs lies precisely in heredity.
- Stress … As in older women, in young girls stressful situations occupy the second position of the "hit parade" of reasons due to which early gray hair appears.
- Anemias … Namely, iron deficiency, pernicious (B12-deficient). In early girlhood, this happens most often due to a lack of protein food (deliberate dietary restrictions - both in quantity and quality of food). Also, heavy periods can be the reason.
- Hyperthyroidism … Problems with the functioning of the thyroid gland in a maturing organism can also lead to metabolic disorders in the scalp area.
- Vandenburg syndrome … This is a hereditary disease, one of the characteristic features of which is the graying of a strand of hair in the forehead (bangs). Such a silvery "mark" can appear even in babies. Often, such an external sign of the disease is combined with other equally striking signs, such as different colors of the irises of the eyes, hearing impairments, and a wide nasal back.
- Poliosis … A well-defined focus of graying, which can be triggered by a genetic predisposition or occur during life (with shingles, after X-ray irradiation).
Important! Young hair is no less susceptible to harsh diets, frost and scorching sun, bad habits and numerous styling. There is a theory that numerous dyeing experiments also contribute to the early aging of hair.
Early gray hair in men
With regard to gray hair, men are less fortunate than women - they are more susceptible to such "transformations". Including earlier than the time established by nature. This can be facilitated by the aforementioned heredity, stress and weather influences, bad habits and unhealthy diet. But there are reasons that are inherent in men's early gray hair.
The most significant "male" causes of early gray hair:
- Oncological diseases … Oddly enough, tumor processes in the male body also affect the condition of the hair, which is why the hair turns gray earlier and faster.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract … Disturbances in the process of absorption and distribution of active substances due to digestive problems (hepatitis, pancreatitis, cirrhosis), as well as disruptions in metabolic processes, do not in the best way affect the health of the hair follicles and the production of melanin.
- Autoimmune, hormonal and skin diseases … Anemia, hyperthyroidism, albinism, erysipelas, herpes can affect the processes of melanocyte activity.
- Poisoning with salts of heavy metals … Salts of copper, mercury, lead, penetrating into the body, lead not only to damage to the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, heart and blood vessels, but also to hair damage.
- Medications … Hair discoloration can be a side effect of some drugs (Rezohin, Chloroquine, Finylthiourea, Hydrocholone).
Important! Migraines, lack of copper in the body, seborrhea can also affect hair color. In this case, with timely treatment, gray hair may be temporary.
The main signs of early gray hair
Before listing the main manifestations of early gray hair, let's consider the mechanism of natural hair color loss. To begin with, the main link in this mechanism is the melanin pigment, which is responsible for the color of our curls. Melanocyte, a cell producing this melanin, which is located in the hair follicles, is no less significant "cog" here.
Natural aging processes gradually weaken the activity of melanocytes. As a result, melanin is produced less and less, the hair becomes porous, "empty", which is why it acquires a silvery hue. But not only the color is lost.
Aging takes away the vital energy from hair, it becomes hard, brittle, dull, dry and unruly. Falling out normal hair is gradually replaced by already bleached - first ashy, and then completely white. In the case of early gray hair, the aging process of hair is not triggered by years, but by the external and internal factors already listed above.
Most often, the bleaching process takes place gradually, starting at the temples. Then the silver threads go to the crown and further to the back of the head. Very rarely, gray hair captures the entire head at once (more often as a result of powerful stress or painful shock).
The degree of graying also depends on the color of the hair. So, a separate type of melanin, eumelanin, is responsible for the coloring of curls in dark shades (brown, black), pheomelanin is responsible for the red shade. And the more pigment in the hair, the richer and darker its color. In blondes, light hair color is due to the low concentration of melanin in the hair shafts. This is what saves blonde hair from the early manifestation of gray strands, since they are more visible on dark hair.
Important! The fact has already been proven that removing a gray hair does not save the situation, but only aggravates it: a discolored hair will still grow in its place, and even “infect” several of its neighbors with gray hair.
Features of the treatment of early gray hair
The main thing that all owners of gray hair should take into account: it is almost impossible to return the color to gray hair. Gray hair can be "slowed down" or disguised. And here it is imperative to find out the cause of premature aging of hair in order to know which "pedals" to press.
How to suspend early gray hair
If the causes of premature gray hair are not serious autoimmune, hormonal or chronic diseases, you can slow down hair discoloration with the following set of measures:
- No stress … Try to, if not exclude the occurrence of stressful situations in your life, then at least reduce. Or change your attitude towards them.
- Balanced diet … Introduce into your diet meals, foods and drinks rich in protein and microelements (copper, iron, zinc), vitamins (A, C, E, group B). More precisely, meat, fish, dairy products, seafood, mushrooms, nuts, herbs. From vegetables, it is better to give preference to zucchini, carrots, radishes, cauliflower, from fruits - pears and apples, plums, raspberries, blackberries, cherries.
- Adequate sleep and rest … In order for the body to work without interruptions, including with regard to aging, it needs to be recharged regularly, that is, to fully rest.
- Vitamin therapy … Make it a rule to intensively saturate the body with vitamins A, C, E, riboflavin and folic acid twice a year (in autumn and spring) for 30-60 days. You can take them individually, or you can take them as a complex preparation.
- Healthy lifestyle … Say "no" to bad habits, go in for sports or just make your life more active by walking, exercising.
- Hair protection … Use products that are appropriate for your hair condition (nourishing, moisturizing, regenerating, for colored hair, etc.) to care for your hair. Apply balms, conditioners. Make masks regularly. Protect your hair from the cold and the scorching sun with hats. Do not deplete them with styling and "chemistry".
- Head massage … While shampooing, practice self-massage for 3-5 minutes. The same procedure can be carried out while brushing.
- Hardware techniques … To stop the aging process of hair, methods such as laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, iontophoresis, darsonvalization, plasma-lifting, microelement mesotherapy can be used.
Recall that all of these methods only stop graying by improving nutrition and metabolic processes in the hair follicles. That is, they activate the growth zone of the hair shaft. They do not relieve gray hair.
Treatment of gray hair at an early age with masks
Traditional medicine has in its arsenal many effective masks that can be used to detect early gray hair or to prevent it. They are made up of readily available ingredients and are easy to use.
The most effective hair masks for graying hair:
- Castor oil … Before shampooing (not earlier than an hour before the procedure), apply slightly warmed castor oil to dry hair, rub gently into the hair roots and warm your head (with a towel, handkerchief) so that the oil better gives the skin all its beneficial substances. After an hour, wash your hair with your favorite shampoo.
- Sesame oil + olive oil … Apply a mixture of oils taken in equal parts on the head like the castor mask described above.
- Cottage cheese + black pepper … Mix 100 g of cottage cheese with 1 g of black pepper, apply the mixture to dry hair along the entire length. After an hour, wash off with warm water and shampoo.
- Cognac + honey … Mix raw yolk with 10 g of honey and 15-20 g of brandy and apply the mixture first only on the scalp, rubbing into the hair roots. After 15-20 minutes, treat the hair along the entire length with the mixture and keep it on the head (under insulation) for another 15-20 minutes. You can wash off the remnants of the mask from your hair with warm water.
- Carrot + lemon … Mix 1 tsp. lemon juice with 1 tbsp. l. carrot juice and rub gently into the hair roots for 3-5 minutes. After 15-20 minutes, rinse the mixture off your hair with warm water.
- Onion + honey … Mix the juice of one onion with honey, shampoo and olive oil in equal amounts (1 teaspoon of each ingredient). Apply to hair for 20 minutes, then rinse with water, shampoo if necessary.
Important! Apply the above masks regularly - 1-2 times a week for a course of 2-3 months, twice a year. They will help improve microcirculation and saturate the hair follicles with nutrients.
Getting rid of the causes of gray hair at an early age by staining
The only 100% remedy for getting rid of early gray hair today is camouflage, that is, staining. Modern proposals in this area allow you to satisfy any requirements, even those who categorically do not want to dye their hair.
Ways to dye gray hair at home:
- Natural remedies … For ardent opponents to change the natural color of their hair with the help of dyes, there is a natural alternative for masking silver strands - henna and basma. What needs to be taken into account with such staining: the first - the effect may not be the first time, the second - the color may be unpredictable, the third - it is not easy to repaint after natural dyes. Therefore, it is better to entrust this procedure to a specialist hairdresser.
- Tinted shampoos, mousses, balms … This is the easiest way to hide early gray hair. But only if the gray hair on the head is not more than 10%. To do this, it is better to use platinum, blue or lilac shades or a little lighter than natural.
- Home paint … When choosing paint, pay attention to whether it is able to cope with gray hair. Then you can move on to the choice of tone. Professionals advise to choose coloring compositions 1-2 tones lighter than their natural color and to avoid dark and red tones. Black, dark brown, black-brown tones, burgundy color, as well as fiery reds and ginger shades fall into the taboo zone. They are also able to mask gray strands, but when the roots grow back, the contrast of dyed and bleached hair will be very noticeable.
Methods for dyeing gray hair in a salon:
- Toning … This is a "light" hair coloring using dyes with a low oxidant content. The plus of this way to hide gray hair is a more gentle effect on the hair and giving it an external gloss. Minus - instability and limited use (only in the initial stages of graying - up to 25% of the total hair volume).
- Professional paints … The principle of choosing a shade is the same as in the case of dyeing hair at home. That is, the ideal option is a shade a couple of tones lighter than natural.
- Highlighting … It is used if the number of gray hairs has exceeded 35%. This dyeing method refreshes the color well.
- Blonding … The best option for masking gray hair. Especially for those with blonde hair.
- 3D coloring … A modern method of highlighting, where 3 colors of the same range are used, or in the case of gray hair in several tones, the most similar in color to gray hair.
- Bronding … One of the options for ombre, when the main hair color is lighter than the color of the roots. To cope with gray hair, it is better to use a combination of light pastel tones with browns.
Important! Salon treatments are still considered more effective ways to hide gray hair. They reduce the risk of unexpected color and uneven coloration to a minimum. How to get rid of early gray hair - watch the video:
Gray hair at an early age can be perceived in different ways. It could be a sign of growing up (or maturity), wisdom, or just an excuse to change your image. But not the reason for depression or complexes. Change your lifestyle and the way you treat your hair - and it will have fewer conditions for the appearance of early gray hair.
