The premature arrival of grey hair doesn't have to be the end of great locks...
This post is for all those out there who suffer from a ‘granny patch’ and to reassure those of you who freak out at the sight of a single rogue one. You are still beautiful, young and to be honest you and your hairdresser are probably the only people who notice them.
I was only 18 when I my hairdresser and I found my first grey hairs - unwelcome intruders in my dark brown locks. It meant losing my signature full-fringe in the hopes that growing it out into a longer side fringe would cover the uninvited grey strands. Although, shocked and horrified at the time, today two years on I have learnt to live with and even like my ‘granny patch’, as my hairdresser calls it.
Despite it being a well-known fact of life, everyone’s first grey hairs are frightening and even disturbing. They stand out in the mirror and taunt you; you are getting old.
But when you are not anywhere near 'old' at all (whatever you may consider that age to be), you start to think you are the only girl in the world with grey hair. I certainly felt that way, but thanks to my fabulous hairdresser I was reassured that she saw other ‘sufferers’ all the time, and that I was anything but alone.
THE CAUSE
Grey hair is caused by our hair follicles, which surround each strand of hair. They have a number of pigment cells that produce melanin, which gives the hair its color. Usually these pigment cells continuously produce melanin, but if your body stops generating it, the strand of hair will have very little pigment to paint over its normally transparent hue; so it looks grey, white, or silver. Melanin also provides moisture to the hair strand, so when less is produced, hair tends to grow brittle making grey hairs curly or wiry.
The usual greying age is between 30-50 years, with woman greying later than men in general. However, a lot of it is down to genetics, so most of us will start having grey hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did – an excuse to give Mum a call so you know what to expect. But we are all unique and thus like everything else it varies from person to person.
We have all heard at least one old wives tale about grey hair, like a shock causing someone to ‘go grey’ overnight. There is only one rare disease which causes this so don’t fret. And that one about pulling out one gray hair causes ten to grow in replacement – it’s not true, so if you have the odd one – pluck away.
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
* Depending on where you are greying, and the extent of it your hair dresser may be able to cut your hair in a way that will hide it.
* Your hairdresser should always be your first port of call - they specialise in dealing with these types of situations, so make an appointment and discuss a plan of action with them that suits your budget. If you can't afford salon treatments all the time, thats ok - they'll be able to give you advice anyway.
* Many home hair colour kits do an excellent job of covering greys. They are effective and kind on the budget - not to mention the fact they make your hair super, super shiny.
* Hot tip: For a night out, pull out your mascara and simply cover the grey hairs - it works a treat (and my hairdresser approves!). Plus, it reminds me of being a little girl in the 90s with a copper hair mascara Mum gave me to wear at parties Ironically now I try to look younger as well as stand out: some things will never change!
This post is for all those out there who suffer from a ‘granny patch’ and to reassure those of you who freak out at the sight of a single rogue one. You are still beautiful, young and to be honest you and your hairdresser are probably the only people who notice them.
I was only 18 when I my hairdresser and I found my first grey hairs - unwelcome intruders in my dark brown locks. It meant losing my signature full-fringe in the hopes that growing it out into a longer side fringe would cover the uninvited grey strands. Although, shocked and horrified at the time, today two years on I have learnt to live with and even like my ‘granny patch’, as my hairdresser calls it.
Despite it being a well-known fact of life, everyone’s first grey hairs are frightening and even disturbing. They stand out in the mirror and taunt you; you are getting old.
But when you are not anywhere near 'old' at all (whatever you may consider that age to be), you start to think you are the only girl in the world with grey hair. I certainly felt that way, but thanks to my fabulous hairdresser I was reassured that she saw other ‘sufferers’ all the time, and that I was anything but alone.
THE CAUSE
Grey hair is caused by our hair follicles, which surround each strand of hair. They have a number of pigment cells that produce melanin, which gives the hair its color. Usually these pigment cells continuously produce melanin, but if your body stops generating it, the strand of hair will have very little pigment to paint over its normally transparent hue; so it looks grey, white, or silver. Melanin also provides moisture to the hair strand, so when less is produced, hair tends to grow brittle making grey hairs curly or wiry.
The usual greying age is between 30-50 years, with woman greying later than men in general. However, a lot of it is down to genetics, so most of us will start having grey hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did – an excuse to give Mum a call so you know what to expect. But we are all unique and thus like everything else it varies from person to person.
We have all heard at least one old wives tale about grey hair, like a shock causing someone to ‘go grey’ overnight. There is only one rare disease which causes this so don’t fret. And that one about pulling out one gray hair causes ten to grow in replacement – it’s not true, so if you have the odd one – pluck away.
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
* Depending on where you are greying, and the extent of it your hair dresser may be able to cut your hair in a way that will hide it.
* Your hairdresser should always be your first port of call - they specialise in dealing with these types of situations, so make an appointment and discuss a plan of action with them that suits your budget. If you can't afford salon treatments all the time, thats ok - they'll be able to give you advice anyway.
* Many home hair colour kits do an excellent job of covering greys. They are effective and kind on the budget - not to mention the fact they make your hair super, super shiny.
* Hot tip: For a night out, pull out your mascara and simply cover the grey hairs - it works a treat (and my hairdresser approves!). Plus, it reminds me of being a little girl in the 90s with a copper hair mascara Mum gave me to wear at parties Ironically now I try to look younger as well as stand out: some things will never change!
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