21
Is it possible to halt or reverse the greying process?
At the moment I’ m afraid not. Scientists are only just beginning to understand the complexity of‘ canities’, the cells which make hair pigment. What makes them die off and cause de-pigmentation of hair, we just don’ t know, nor how to stop it or why it happens. The greying process may start with anyone over 16 and is classed as a natural, genetic predisposed function. However, premature greying in children can be caused by mineral or vitamin deficiencies and can be reversed.
Can clients wearing hair extensions have their hair coloured?
Yes they can. It’ s best for colour work to be completed prior to extension application, but a client wearing extensions can have a re-growth colour application, provided the tint doesn’ t overlap onto an extension bond. Racoon recommends no higher than a 6 percent peroxide when working with high-lift colour, and great care must be taken not to overlap tint onto bonds. Successful woven high-lights or lo-lights are best achieved during the rotation period, with best results being achieved by highlighting just the top T-section.
Does eating red meat help prevent hair loss?
Well, sort of … red meat is not a cure for thinning hair, but we know one of the main causes of excessive thinning hair in women is a low level of iron, and red meat is very high in iron. There is also a well known study regarding sheep and the quality of wool produced. One group was fed a supplement high in the amino acids found in red meat, the other was not. Results were very interesting. Sheep( and their lambs) on the supplement produced twice as much wool as the control group. However, sheep are herbivores, with no other amino acids in their diet naturally. But it cannot be ignored that a high protein diet is important to healthy hair growth.
Do smokers have significantly more grey hairs than non-smoking contemporaries?
This is one of those things with one foot in fact and the other in speculation. A 1997 study in Science News states you are four times more likely to go grey if you smoke, but we cannot really say that smoking causes premature greying. The study group was limited and genetic predisposition cannot really be accounted for. But the greying process is linked to free radicals in the body and the death of the melanocytes( the colour cells) from oxidization by free radicals, and so I would definitely say there is a‘ relationship’ between the two!
Follow Iain on Twitter @ hairmedic or visit www. hairmedic. co. uk
21