Why does hair turn white?
White hair: always hidden, now in many cases proudly displayed. Many people have changed their views on grey or white hair! A real counter-trend. But why does hair turn white when we get older? Let’s find out together!
What white hairs are?
White hair is hair that simply no longer produces colour. It all starts at the root with melanocytes, which are cells at the base of the hair follicle that produce melanin, the natural hair colour. Melanins are a whole class of pigments that determine the natural colour of hair, eyes and skin. Hair colour specifically depends on eumelanin, which is responsible for the darker shade, and pheomelanin, which is linked to the warmer shades of colour.
Why does hair turn white?
Over time, the body reduces melanin production. When the melanin-synthesising skin cells, the melanocytes, stop producing melanin, hair is no longer pigmented and grows white. From the moment it turns white, it will continue to grow white. The first appearance of white hair occurs around the age of 40 in both males and females. From this age the number of melanocytes decreases by 10% to 20% every ten years.
What are other causes of white hair? Science has also shown that stress can actually cause white hair to appear: when the hair is still under the skin (as follicles), it is influenced by stress hormones. Stress is of course a factor in addition to other pre-existing factors such as biological age.
Preventing white hair: remedies
How to prevent white hair? Are there any remedies for white hair? Certainly if stress is one of the causes, attention needs to be paid to one’s well-being and lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle helps to reduce stress and thus the appearance of white hair.
Looking after your diet can also help, particularly by taking B vitamins and minerals such as copper and selenium. It is important to stock up on antioxidants and thus increase consumption of fruit and vegetables in general.
White hair highlighting
How to cover white hair? The only solution in this case is to dye it. It is always best to ask your salon for advice and proceed with the application of professional dyes.
A quick and effective remedy for enhancing white hair is undoubtedly white hair highlights. They are designed to enhance grey, greyish or completely white hair. They are colour masks that are easy to apply and take little time to apply. The ideal colour masks in our range are the anti-yellow shampoo and mask and the pearl grey mask (after anti-yellow toning).