7 tips to know to delay their appearance (and reduce their number), according to an expert

With age, hair follicles stop synthesizing melaninthis pigment naturally produced by the body which is the cause of tanning and color of our hair. This natural phenomenon, which is called canities in the jargon of hair experts, can be accelerated by stress and bad habits which cause oxidative stress in the body’s cells, stress which causes us to grow translucent hair, which we call wrongly White hair.

If they are beautiful, we learn to enhance them and they are even celebrated by the stars who now wear them naturally, many of us still want to delay the appearance of white hair in our hair as much as possible. Good news if this is your case and you notice your first white hairs, or they are starting to settle in your hair, it is possible to slow down their appearance and reduce the number of white hairs that will grow in your hair. hair over the next few months. Eva Proudman, trichologist and founder of the UK Hair Consultants clinic, spoke about this in e-columns of Daily Mail, to reveal the best tips to know to slow down the appearance of white hair.

How to slow down the appearance of white hair?

As the hair specialist explains, “In recent years, more and more research has shown that, for some of us at least, there are ways to slow the rate at which our hair transitions to this state.

These good habits which will slow down canities, will therefore target the sources of oxidative stress, tackling the problem at the root, taking into account your environment, your exposure to certain pollutants, your diet and even your possible health problems. , in addition to going through the care reflexes to take when you take care of your hair. While some solutions may be difficult to adopt depending on your lifestyle, others are very easy to implement into your routine.

Hair care: these essential reflexes to take to delay the appearance of white hair

• massage your scalp regularly : this is certainly the simplest tip to implement according to the specialist. This gesture, known to stimulate hair growth, would also be interesting for limiting the number of white hairs since it “stimulates blood flow to hair follicles and melanin-producing cells”, she explains. Taking the time to massage your scalp with a treatment that promotes hair growth, or even just washing your hair, could potentially help you “to retain their color”.

• wash your hair regularly (especially if you live in a city environment) : according to the expert, “air pollution damages hair color” by damaging healthy cells in the scalp, which are then no longer able to normally produce the melanin that colors our hair. Wash your hair ​​“at least every two days” is therefore a good reflex to take “to eliminate polluted particles that could enter the hair and damage the melanocyte cells of the scalp”warns the trichologist.

These good habits that can limit the appearance of white hair

• consume vitamin B12: according to the trichologist, vitamin B12 is “absolutely crucial for cellular regeneration, including that of melanocytes, and if not sufficiently present in your diet, it can cause your hair to turn gray”. Eating red meat, eggs and dairy products regularly therefore helps maintain the color of our hair.

• learn to manage your stress: bad for health in general, long-term chronic stress is also harmful to the youthfulness of our hair, and “in the production of non-essential cells, such as melanocytes that dictate hair color”, warns the expert. She reminds us that these cells are not a priority and are therefore neglected by the body when we are in a state of chronic stress, which accelerates the appearance of white hair.

These bad habits to avoid to fight against the appearance of white hair

Beyond hair care itself, the bad reflexes you have on a daily basis can also be the cause of intense oxidative stress which accelerates canities. Among them, the trichologist cites:

• to smoke : this is proven thanks to a scientific study from the Medical University of Silesia, Poland, the toxins contained in cigarettes will release numerous free radicals, which “attack and destroy healthy cells in the scalp that produce melanin, the pigment that gives your hair color”, warns Eva Proudman. The expert emphasizes that it is probable that “using an electronic cigarette – also called vaping – is not safer”. Quitting smoking is therefore a good tip to slow down the appearance of white hair.

• not protecting your skull from the sun: Just like tobacco, UV light from the sun’s rays is harmful to the cells responsible for the color of your hair, because it “triggers the same oxidative stress as smoking”underlines the trichologist, who ensures that too much exposure to the sun “also removes color from your hair”. Applying a protective sunscreen to your hair and scalp, and wearing hats in summer, are easy tips to adopt to limit the appearance of white hair naturally.
• neglect your health : “one of the common causes of rapid hair whitening is an underactive thyroid,” underlines the specialist, who encourages monitoring of this health problem which “also reduces the production of melanin by scalp cells that give hair color”.

There is therefore no shortage of solutions to limit the appearance of white hair as much as possible!

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