Hair Loss Medicine

For many women dying their hair has become a part of their monthly routine. Some men have got accustomed to dying their hair using conventional hair dyes, too, but many of them are looking for less noticeable alternatives, such as progressive hair colorants. Progressive hair colorants work slowly by changing the hair color for several days after they have been applied, which makes the change less noticeable and allows the user to control how much gray hair he/she leaves untreated. One thing that both types of treatments - conventional hair dyes and progressive hair colorants - have in common is that all of them contain chemical substances that can present a potential health risk to their users.

Both, hair dyes and progressive hair colorants work by a chemical reaction involving the components of the colorant and also, when applicable, melanin and/or the oxygen in the air. The major difference between the two is that the chemical reaction in regular hair dyes lasts only for a few minutes while the substance is being applied to the hair versus working slowly for several days after washing the hair in progressive hair colorants. The substances that fuel these chemical reactions are usually poisonous and can trigger allergic reactions.

PPD, which is an acronym for p-phenylenediamine, is considered to be the leading cause of hair color allergic reactions with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, diaminobenzene and, to a lesser extent, also metallic compounds said to account for their fair share, too. Metallic compounds such as lead acetate and bismuth citrate are found mainly in progressive hair colorants whereas PPD, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and diaminobenzene are typical of regular hair dyes. One of the recently developed molecules used in progressive hair colorants is 5, 6-dihydroxyindoline that is sometimes described as the most suitable option amongst the chemical molecules contained in gray hair coloring products but it has also been found to cause allergic reactions.

Natural hair dyes might seem to many to be a healthy alternative to traditional, hair coloring products. Unfortunately, the natural hair dyes are no stranger to causing allergic reactions either and were recently found to be even more allergenic than most chemical treatments. Therefore, when choosing hair coloring products you should always consider the potential health risks as most of them contain substances that can cause poisoning if used inappropriately or can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should always conduct a patch test before applying any such product and closely follow the application guidelines in order to minimize exposure to potentially harmful substances.

The potential toxicity of gray hair colorants is one of many topics discussed at GreyHairLoss.com, a resource dedicated to educating the public on the treatment options for premature white hair and hair loss and encouraging its readers to share their experiences with hair care products they have used.

Gray hair at a young age can have various causes, such as vitiligo, thyroid imbalance, vitamin B deficiency, constant and extreme stress, alopecia areata, bad diet, etc. but its greatest trigger is genetics, causing the premature death of pigment-producing cells in hair follicles. When it comes to treating gray hair caused by other non-hereditary health conditions then the focus should be on tackling the primary reason. In treating genetically determined, premature gray hair, any effective therapy should involve interference with our genes. However, at the moment, no such treatment exists that can halt or reverse the dying of pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. There are some commercial products out there, though, containing vitamins, minerals and a Chinese herb Fo-Ti that are said to stop and reverse gray hair but the only evidence supporting the claims made by their marketers refers back to the old Chinese legend of an old villager, Mr He, from one thousand years ago. Vitamins B, namely PABA and folic acid, have been observed to stop graying in people with diets poor in vitamins B but they cannot help reverse gray hair in individuals suffering from chronic vitamin B deficiency, let alone in cases of genetically-determined gray hair.

Therefore, the only available and effective treatment option for premature and age-related gray hair is to cover it. There are two principal colouring options for covering gray hair, which include hair dyes and progressive hair colorants. Hair dyes can be temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent or permanent, depending on the durability of their colouring effects. The ability of the pigment molecules to penetrate into the hair shaft determines the stability of the hair colour. Each hair consists of at least two layers, the cuticle, which is an outer protective layer, and the cortex, which is hidden under the cuticle. Permanent hair dye is, as its name says, the most stable of the hair colouring options and the most effective method of covering gray hair amongst hair dyes, as its large molecules get trapped in the cortex of the hair and resist being washed out but it is also the most drastic method of dyeing hair. Hair dyes are popular, especially with female consumers. Men usually look for more subtle options of covering their gray hair as for a man dyeing hair is socially less acceptable. Progressive hair colorants, with their slow and gradual mode of action, seem to be the right product for men.

The marketing of progressive hair colorants is typically targeted at male customers but they can be also successfully used by women. These products colour hair gradually and unnoticeably and only affect your gray hair. They can be applied selectively to cover only certain areas so that you can leave some area untreated to look more natural. Progressive hair colorants are easy to apply, no plastic gloves are required to apply them, and you just have to spread them on your white areas. Their mode of action consists of the chemical reaction involving one or two substances from the colorant, which in the presence of atmospheric oxygen produce synthetic pigment on the surface as well as in the pores and in the cortex of your hair. As the substance is drying in the air, the chemical reaction begins and lasts until the next shampoo wash. Hence, the longer the substance stays in your hair the more effective it is. The downside is that progressive hair colorants have to be reapplied relatively frequently, which makes them more expensive compared with the majority of traditional hair dyes. Progressive hair colorants are either metallic based or use organic chemicals.

The sporadic controversy surrounding these products results from a wrong understanding of their mechanism of action and the purpose they were designed for. They were not meant to cover all your gray hair with a single application. For people with more than 50% of their hair already white, it is not possible to achieve full white hair coverage with these products, no matter how often they apply them. They were designed for individuals who wish to reduce the amount of their gray and would like to do it discretely and unnoticeably. Frequent shampooing reduces the effectiveness of these products as does exposure to direct sun.

Considering the currently available treatment options it seems that the graying process cannot be reversed. There is no scientific proof that any existing medicine, herb, dietary supplement or natural product can prevent or reverse graying hair. Several cosmetics and pharmaceuticals companies are working on the discovery of the ultimate cure for gray hair but no adequate solution is commercially available yet.

Occurrence of premature gray hair is often associated with excessive stress, psychological shock or trauma, bad diet, vitamin B deficiency and smoking. The fact is, however, that the main cause for premature graying hair is genetics. The pigment that determines the colour of our hair is produced by special cells at the root of our hair called melanocytes. It is the lifespan of melanocytes that determines the onset of the graying process. Once these cells die, the hair turns white.

There is no principal difference between a premature and a normal, age-related graying process. It is by virtue of nature that some people will experience their first gray hair in their teens and turn completely white in their early thirties, while others will keep their native hair colour for many decades. If more than half of a person’s hair is white by the age of 40, it is considered premature.

There are numerous commercial products out there that are claimed to rejuvenate the dead pigment-producing cells and reverse gray hair. Such claims, however, are totally unsubstantiated. The sad truth is that at this point in time no remedy exists that can reverse the graying process. Most of the anti-gray hair remedies either use Fo-Ti, referring to the centuries old legend of Mr He, who recovered his hair colour, youthful appearance and vitality thanks to this traditional Chinese medicinal herb, also known as He Shou Wu or use vitamins B (mainly PABA and folic acid) as their main ingredients, since some forms of premature graying are said to be caused by vitamin B deficiency. However, such products are ineffective for the majority of grey hair sufferers.

Therefore, the only remaining grey hair treatment option that seems to deliver guaranteed results is to cover your gray. Women use various types of permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair dyes but men usually prefer a subtle and less noticeable change in their hair color that does not cover all their gray. Such products are usually called progressive hair colorants. It is obvious that none of these products can make the dead cells produce pigmented hair and thus they must be used continuously to cover the gray of fresh hair. Although there are some natural hair dyes that claim to effectively cover your gray hair, the products that really work well all use certain chemicals. When deciding about hair dyes or progressive hair colorants, you should always take into account the potential health risks, as most of them contain toxic substances and, if used inappropriately, can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should always use a patch test before applying any such product to your scalp and follow the application guidelines in order to minimise exposure to aggressive substances.