Hair color is determined by the amount of melanin produce in the follicle cells. Unlike the movies would like us to believe, hair will not turn fright-white overnight or gray prematurely due to stress
Restoring vitality and color to your strands
A man’s hair color is determined by the amount of melanin produced in his follicle cells. Pigmentation production slows down and often ceases completely with genetically reprogrammed hair aging, so eventually hair strands become characteristically colorless, or white. Hereditary determines why one man will gray at twenty-nine and another man at seventy-four. Our genetic blue print determines our natural hair color, its lifelong texture, thickness and the onset of aging. Unlike the movies would have us believe, hair will not turn fright-white overnight, or gray prematurely due to stress.
Several herbal remedies are available which effectively reduce the appearance of graying hair while keeping it strong, thick and glossy. A simple infusion of red sage and rosemary gradually darken graying strands as it nourishes the roots and follicle cells restoring pigment production. Hair texture and manageability can also be enhanced with a strong infusion rinse of sage and nettle. Black tea combined with sage will gradually darken and condition dry, brittle, or graying strands of black, auburn and brown heads.
Hair color restoring tea
1 teaspoon, raw (unhulled) sesame seeds
6 fresh nasturtium flowers
2 cups freshly boiled distilled water
Bring the water to the boil and place the sesame seeds and nasturtium flowers into a bowl with the water. Cover and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the herbal infusion through a fine mesh or cheesecloth and pour into a cup. Drink the tea warm, three times a day.
Other herbs such as calendula and cowslip offer a sweet smelling highlight rinse for blondes, while brunettes can use a color enriching rinse of rosemary and walnut skins. An old English, hair beauty secret consists of dabbing a fresh decoction of chamomile, marigold and rose hips over fair strands before and after shampooing to ensure a cascade of shimmering highlights. Red and ginger locks can dye rinse and condition with henna, safflower and turmeric. For darkest brown and black hair colors there’s hibiscus flowers, walnut skins and indigo flowers.
If you’re looking for something wildly weird, do yourself a favor and stay away from the commercial dye brands. Try a shocking orange with equal amounts of henna on blonde locks, or for a bright red shade; use equal amounts of red henna, marigold, hibiscus flower and marigold. You want an electric blue? Then these ingredients are definitely for you – indigo flowers, black tea and fresh blueberry juice. The lighter your natural color, the better the wild colors will hold. To revive natural color, use herbs that are conditioning, strengthening and stimulating, while at the same time, being some a nature’s best natural dye-plants.
Read More: “How does hair grow and age”
