Grey Hair Treatment for Men
For most men, the arrival of grey hair is inevitable. Some men may embrace their wings of silver as a sign of maturity while others avidly search for a grey hair treatment that works. You can't reverse grey hair, and there's little you can do to prevent it. However, there are effective grey hair treatments that cater especially to men. Does this Spark an idea?
-
Grey Hair: When Can You Expect It?
-
What exactly happens to cause hair to turn grey? Your natural hair color is the result of melanin, which hues the hair shaft. The amount of melanin produced in the hair follicle is dictated by a special cell called a melanocyte. Each melanocyte has a predetermined lifespan; after it dies, melanin no longer is produced. The unhappy result for both men and women is grey (unpigmented) hair. It's easier to explain the greying process than it is to predict it. According to the Scientific American, most men note first signs of grey hair at age 30. However, because the time at which you start to go grey is largely genetically determined, some men may go prematurely grey as younger adults.
What Really Works?
-
Unfortunately, there is no medical treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that is proven to reverse grey hair. Some alternative consumer products use the Chinese herb fo-ti, which claims to restore hair back to its original color. Drawing on the fact that premature grey sometimes is caused by anemia, there also are products laden with vitamin B derivatives that claim to treat grey hair. However, these products rely on anecdotal claims to support them. When it comes to grey hair treatment, men have only one "tried and true" remedy: coloring it.
-
Gradually Treating Grey
-
When it comes to coloring grey, most men want to do it gradually and discreetly. While it's considerably socially acceptable for women to change their hair color arbitrarily, be it drastically or through the addition of highlights, the majority of men might not want such an abrupt and noticeable change in their appearance. Progressive colorants gradually cover grey and, when used consistently, can give optimal results. Another benefit of using a progressive colorant over a hair dye is that men don't have to worry about an obvious line of grey peeping out of their scalp as their roots grow out. The most commonly-used and widely-available progressive colorant is Grecian Formula, although there are others.
How Progressive Colorants Work
-
Progressive colorants typically include either lead acetate or bismuth citrate as their active ingredient. These minerals target only hair that is without pigment, so the overall color of the hair remains unchanged. There are downsides to using progressive colorants, however. To get the best results over time, a progressive colorant should be used after each shampoo. Because a progressive colorant must be used more frequently, it also can be more expensive than choosing a permanent hair dye.
Other Grey Hair Tips
-
Progressive colorants won't immediately disguise grey hair; these products are meant to reduce the obvious presence of grey. A semi-permanent, demi-permanent or permanent hair color can restore grey hair to its former natural color with a single application, and certainly there are numerous commercial hair dyes available that are marketed to men, such as Clairol Men's Choice and Just For Men.
Permanent hair dye uses chemicals such as ammonia to allow the color to penetrate the hair cuticle, so these tend to give the most lasting results. If you choose to dye your hair with a permanent color, make sure to choose one that is a shade lighter than your original color. Or you simply could make an appointment with a stylist who specializes in men's hair color.
-
References
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
What are you doing here?
