As we age our hair bleaches itself Our hair cells naturally produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching substance you may have used to dye your hair.
This is normal and levels are kept low by catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
The problem is that as we age, catalase levels progressively decrease so less and less hydrogen peroxide is broken down and it accumulates in our hair follicles.
According to research, our hair follicles are unable to fix the damage caused by hydrogen peroxide due to decreased levels of enzymes responsible for repairing this damage and producing melanin, a pigment responsible for hair and skin color.
So in essence, our hair bleaches itself and first turns gray and then white when all pigment is lost.
Genetics is a factor in hair pigmentation Hair color, like eye color, is a lot more complex than we would think and it is not entirely understood; but scientists believe that genetics play an important role.
There are two types of melanin: eumelanin produces brown to black hair color and phaeomelanin results in blond to red tones.
The different ratios of these two pigments leads to the huge range of hair color we see in people around us.
Scientists believe that the amount of eumelanin and phaeomelanin in our hair is determined by many genes.
At what stage in our life hydrogen peroxide builds up and causes graying hair is also thought to have a genetic component.
If one or both of your parents had premature graying, chances are you will too.
Interestingly, researchers also discovered that graying hair is different among ethnic groups.
Asians, for example, tend to gray much slower than Caucasians, which reinforces the idea of genetic influences.
What is extremely interesting is that we, at least theoretically, may be able to stop the aging of our hair by increasing the amount of catalase.
Maybe one day in the not-too-distant future we will be able to throw out hair dye products forever! References: Wood, J.
M.
& all.
"Senial hair graying: H202-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair.
" FASEB.
February, 2009.
This is normal and levels are kept low by catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
The problem is that as we age, catalase levels progressively decrease so less and less hydrogen peroxide is broken down and it accumulates in our hair follicles.
According to research, our hair follicles are unable to fix the damage caused by hydrogen peroxide due to decreased levels of enzymes responsible for repairing this damage and producing melanin, a pigment responsible for hair and skin color.
So in essence, our hair bleaches itself and first turns gray and then white when all pigment is lost.
Genetics is a factor in hair pigmentation Hair color, like eye color, is a lot more complex than we would think and it is not entirely understood; but scientists believe that genetics play an important role.
There are two types of melanin: eumelanin produces brown to black hair color and phaeomelanin results in blond to red tones.
The different ratios of these two pigments leads to the huge range of hair color we see in people around us.
Scientists believe that the amount of eumelanin and phaeomelanin in our hair is determined by many genes.
At what stage in our life hydrogen peroxide builds up and causes graying hair is also thought to have a genetic component.
If one or both of your parents had premature graying, chances are you will too.
Interestingly, researchers also discovered that graying hair is different among ethnic groups.
Asians, for example, tend to gray much slower than Caucasians, which reinforces the idea of genetic influences.
What is extremely interesting is that we, at least theoretically, may be able to stop the aging of our hair by increasing the amount of catalase.
Maybe one day in the not-too-distant future we will be able to throw out hair dye products forever! References: Wood, J.
M.
& all.
"Senial hair graying: H202-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair.
" FASEB.
February, 2009.