The turning of hair from its natural color to gray due to age is called achromotrichia. Graying takes place when the pigment melanin stops being produced in the root of the hair and new strands also grow without the pigment. The primary deciding factor in the age at which a person's hair starts turning gray seems to be genetics. The two genes that appear to be responsible for this change are Bcl-2 and Bcl-w. Over 40 percent of Americans have some gray hair, by the time they are 40. However, many develop premature gray hair, while others may be born with some gray hair as they inherit the trait. Coloring gray hair is an option to overcome this problem. For that, you would like to know how to color gray hair.
Challenges in Coloring Gray Hair
When you consider covering the gray, it is important to settle on a color that will compliment your skin tone and eye color. Many people find that coloring gray hair is not the same as coloring normal hair. A common complaint is that it does not take color well and when it does, it only lasts for a few days. Hair experts say that as gray hair does not contain any pigment, it has a very rough texture, and consequently does not absorb color well. As a solution, some instructions on how to color resistant gray hair suggest that you first bleach your gray hair, which makes it accept color better. One way to do it is to comb 20% peroxide though the hair, leave it on for 5-10 minutes (changes for each individual), and then, rinse it off. This can be followed with an application of the desired hair color.
