Grey Hair

Published 1/29/19, 3:45 PM by Fleur Scalp Care

Grey hair like wrinkles is usually a normal part of graceful ageing for many. It’s a sign that our bodies are going through ageing. But some of us may find the arrival of it dreadful or premature.

Before you go on plucking it out or coating it with a hair dye. Here’s how greying actually works.

Our Hair Colour

Our hair have a special type of cell - melanocyte. This produces melanin, the pigment that gives our hair, eyes and skin its distinctive colours. Melanin also plays a role in providing moisture and adding bounce to our hair.

Melanocytes reside within each hair follicle. It works like a printer where it will produce pigments to embed onto each strand of hair as it grows. That’s why greying doesn’t happen across our head at once but start on individual strands.

Depending on our genetics, the ‘printer ink’ or pigmentation comes in a variety of colours and tones from lighter ones like blonde or red to darker ones such as black or brown.

So Why Grey?

Grey is not one of the colouration but instead a lack of colour pigmentation.

Our hair is made primarily of keratin and the natural colour of keratin is of greyish white. When the printer or melanocytes have stopped working and producing melanin, our hair will begin to reveal its natural grey colour.

Plucking it Out

Some of us may have a habit of plucking each grey hair we spot in the mirror. Others may have heard of the saying that plucking one out will cause ten more to grow.

It’s actually a myth but don’t just yet start plucking.

Each hair grows from individual follicle and plucking it out won’t affect the surrounding hair until their own colouration setup also stops working. And since the melanocytes in that follicle has already stopped producing melanin, the new hair that grows in its place will also be grey.

Plucking out greys won’t do much to help but it can cause damage to the follicle, leading to infection or scarring. This may then possibly result in thinning patches of hair and even hair loss.

Causes of Grey Hair

Grey hair including premature greying is largely due to ageing or genetics.

There are some scientific studies that links a nutritional diet to preventing grey hair. A balanced diet that includes proteins, vitamin B12, omega-3 and copper can also help. When it comes to dietary intake, remember to take note of the daily limits and that moderation is key. Always check with your doctor when in doubt.

Though there’s nothing much you can do about greying, it’s still important and possible to keep it healthy with proper hair care.

Organic Natural Hair Colouring

Some may choose to repeatedly dye their hair to cover the greys throughout the year. This could lead to potential chemical damage on otherwise healthy hair.

You may be interested to learn about our Organic Natural Hair Colouring treatment, using 98% natural ingredients designed to give your hair a natural colour without the damage!