Explain the cause of gray hair! 30s to 50s age-specific measures!

How black hair turns white

Even a few gray hairs can be annoying. If you are in a dark color such as black or brown, your eyes tend to go.

So what causes gray hair? First of all, if you know how hair is made, you can understand the mechanism of gray hair.

Hair is actually dead cells

Hair is made from hair roots in the skin.

Specifically, it is born from the hair bulb inside the hair root and the dermal papilla inside it. It grows by dividing and proliferating cells called bosaibo.

By the time the hair comes out of the skin, the hair follicles are already dead. The part that protrudes from the skin is called the hair shaft, and this dead cell part is the so-called “hair”.

all newborn hair is white

Hair is a pigment cell “melanocyte” between hair matrix cells, and it turns black with melanin produced by the action of the enzyme tyrosinase. In other words, all hair is white when born with dermal papillae.

Gray hair is a state in which the hair, which should normally be blackened by melanin, has grown as it is without becoming black. If melanin is not supplied to the hair for some reason, or melanin production is not successful, the hair turns gray.

Why does it turn white in the middle?

The roots of my hair are white, so when I plucked it out, the ends were black. You’ve never had that experience?

In the first place, I would like to refrain from pulling out gray hair because it damages the hair root, but the reason why it turned white halfway through is the discontinuation of melanin supply or a failure in melanin production.

Hair is born at the root and pushes up (grows) while repeating cell division and proliferation, so it is said that the hair, which was black at first, turned white in the middle of the growth process because melanin stopped acting for some reason. It is possible.

Gray hair cause 1: Aging

There are individual differences in the age at which gray hair appears. Some people have it in their childhood, teens, or 20s, but most people start to notice it in their 30s. And with age, the amount of people who care and the amount of gray hairs will increase. This is because as we age, melanocytes become less active and less melanin is produced.

The reasons for the decline in melanocyte function due to aging are that the enzyme tyrosinase, which is essential for producing melanin, decreases with age, and that the blood flow in the body decreases and the function of various cells declines. Such will be considered.

Many people in their 30s have gray hair due to factors such as stress and genetics, which will be described later, but it seems that many of the causes of gray hair in people in their 40s and 50s are due to aging.

In addition, it is difficult to improve gray hair due to aging by turning it back to black dramatically, so it is necessary to take countermeasures such as gray hair dyeing.

Gray hair cause 2: Stress

Stress makes your hair turn white. She may have heard such stories. However, in fact, it does not become all gray in a short time such as overnight.

This is because there are no blood vessels or nerves in the hair, so once the hair is born and colored, the color will not change from there.

However, if melanocytes and melanin do not work well at birth, the hair will turn white. The cause is considered to be related to poor blood circulation, which causes poor blood flow in the body, as with aging.

Poor blood circulation is caused by stress as well as aging. This is because the capillaries shrink due to the autonomic nerves and hormone balance being disturbed. That’s all, the causal relationship between stress and gray hairs is big.

The best way to deal with it is to avoid stress. Even if you care too much about gray hair, it will fall into a vicious circle of stress, so it is important not to worry about it too much.

Conversely, it can be said that gray hairs that have temporarily increased due to stress may return to black hair, so it seems better not to think too much.

Cause of gray hair 3: Lifestyle habits

In order for melanocytes to work well, they need a normal blood stream and a lot of nutrients in that blood. Unbalanced lifestyle habits, such as an unbalanced diet with a lot of fat and oil, lack of exercise, and lack of sleep, can lead to deterioration of blood flow and a decline in melanocyte function.

In terms of diet, it is a good idea to pay attention to the health of your hair, not just gray hair, but also to take measures against thinning hair and hair loss, and take vitamins, proteins, and minerals consciously. In particular, minerals are necessary to activate the enzyme tyrosinase, which is necessary to make melanin.

Copper is one of the most important minerals. Copper is abundant in seafood such as squid, octopus, and shrimp, as well as liver, nuts, and beans. While taking these consciously, try to have a well-balanced diet and a regular life.

You can’t expect a dramatic improvement from your diet alone, but in the long run, you can expect your scalp to be in better condition and less likely to turn gray.

Cause of gray hair 4: UV rays

Ultraviolet rays are also closely related to gray hair.

Melanin is the ingredient that makes the skin darker. If your skin turns black when exposed to UV rays, you might expect that your hair won’t turn black either. It is not.

Rather, the hair roots and hair matrix cells are damaged, and the mechanism of hair growth and coloring does not work well, increasing the risk of gray hair when exposed to UV rays.

In particular, the hairline, where the scalp is exposed, is susceptible to UV rays and is prone to accumulation of damage. It is believed that UV rays accelerate the aging of the hair roots, resulting in more gray hair at the hairline.

You can’t apply sunscreen to your scalp, so be sure to protect your scalp from UV rays by wearing a hat or parasol, not only in summer but also in winter and early spring when the amount of UV rays increases.

Gray hair cause 5: Genetics

It has been pointed out that gray hair, especially premature gray hair, has a genetic component. Although the details have not been elucidated, it is said that people with few genes related to melanocytes are more likely to have gray hair.

If you have a blood relative who had prematurely gray hair, or if you have had gray hair since you were young, start by taking preventive measures to eliminate the causes introduced so far.

In addition, there are hospitals that treat premature gray hair. Let’s look for people who are interested.

The cause of gray hair other than hair is the same

It turns out that it is thought that if melanin is not normally supplied to and produced by hair matrix cells due to poor blood circulation, etc., hair will turn gray. This cause and mechanism is not limited to head hair, but also applies to body hair in general, such as eyebrows and armpit hair.

In addition, it is NG to pull out even if you find gray hairs in your eyebrows. Hair roots can be damaged as well.

If the cause of gray hair is temporary due to stress or unbalanced lifestyle, it may return.

Also, you should never dye your gray hair, as it is dangerous if it gets in your eyes. If this bothers you, we recommend using eyebrow mascara, which is a mascara for eyebrows. Since it is makeup, it needs to be removed by cleansing every day, but it is safe because it is a product for the eyes.

Enjoy fashionable and gray hair with gray hair dye

Preventing gray hair is the same as creating healthy hair. It is difficult to turn gray hair back to black due to aging, but measures to create beautiful hair are not meaningless.

It is possible to slow down the pace at which gray hairs grow and reduce the number of gray hairs, even if you just continue to slowly condition your hair. As a result, you will have a hair quality that does not make you feel your age.

Also, there are many different shades of gray hair dyes these days, so it would be a good idea to enjoy looking for a color that suits you.

However, people who are aging gracefully stop dyeing their gray hair and enjoy being fashionable with gray hair. In particular, you can enjoy hair manicure with colors such as blue, purple, and orange, which you could not enjoy with dark hair such as black. It’s fashionable because it’s white.

Of course, even if you say that “gray hair” or “white hair” makes it easier to color, the way the color comes out varies depending on the hair type. Find the color and hairstyle that suits you by consulting at a beauty salon or actually trying it out.

There are various ways to deal with gray hair, such as reviewing lifestyle habits, dyeing gray hair, and gray hair that makes use of gray hair. Considering it as an opportunity to take on new fashion challenges, it is also a good idea to try to find your own personality instead of “gray hair = old”.