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There's this ridiculous trend among young women to dye their hair grey... enjoy your youth now, cause...
I just found my first grey hair on the weekend!
Scratch that: I found two! And it does NOT look as good as Stacey London's seen in the picture below.
My family has a long history of beautiful hair and I am not ready to be the grey sheep.
During my research around this crappy turn of events in my life, I came across an article that answered all my questions! Originally posted in Cosmo (I know, I know... but stay with me, here), the writer interviewed hair expert, a.k.a., trichologist, Madeleine Preston.
The article has been edited for this post and the original can be found here.
WHY DO WE GET GREY HAIR ?
"Grey hair is a combination of normally pigmented hairs interspersed with white ones. Hair turns white when the pigmentation cells responsible for colour (melanin) stop being produced."
Slow down the greying...
"Nutritional and hormonal factors can affect hair colour as well as stress but, by and large, the predisposition to go grey earlier or later in life is genetic. (. . .) A multivitamin supplement such as Seven Seas Perfect7 contains Omega-3s, which prevent the hair from being dry and lifeless as they have a moisturising effect which can also reduce itching and flaking dandruff. The supplement also contains copper, which is known to prevent the onset of greying hair by boosting the production of melanin (the pigment that gives hair colour)."
How to MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR:
"Hair consists of protein (keratin) so it is very important for strong healthy hair. Foods like eggs and fish are all good sources of first class protein. Proteins consist of amino acids (some essential and some non-essential). Essential amino acids are more abundant in animal protein and more easily absorbed. Deficiencies of iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin D, B12 and B6 can be common so it's important to eat foods that contain these vitamins or, if you're vegetarian, it may be necessary to take them in supplemental form."
Is lifestyle a factor?
"Since hair is such a barometer of our health, any improvements we make to our general well being will be a bonus for our hair. A well balanced diet rich in proteins, carbohydrates – which contain key essential vitamins and minerals – are great for hair growth. As hair is recognised as a non-essential tissue by the body we need to top up our energy levels with proteins and carbohydrates every 4-5 hours. Research indicates that the energy available to non-essential tissue such as hair follicles may be reduced after this time. As certain diseases can have an impact on the immune system and may possibly cause deficiencies it is wise to have blood tests at least once a year through your own GP or private practitioner."
gET A MASSAGE!!
"Like our bodies need regular exercise, so does our head. Shampooing hair daily means we are massaging our scalps, which in turn results in a clean fresh healthier scalp. Massaging our scalps through needing action means we are taking vital nutrients to the scalp via the blood supply and feeding our follicles."
NOTE TO SELF: Get a scalp massager, ASAP!