Haircolours

Hair Color: It's all about the color

There are many different hair colors: black, brown, red, blonde and even grey. You are either born with these hair colors or you can change your hair color to achieve the look you want. Let’s look at human hair and its make-up, things that affect hair color, and how you can keep your hair color beautiful and vibrant.

Hair gets color from specific pigments present in the cells. These are called melanin pigments that are found in the hair follicle.  The more melanin, the darker the hair color. The melanin that is found in hair color is Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin.  The different hair colors can also be associated according to the ethnic group and because so many of our ethnic groups are intertwined.

Phaeomelanin is where you get red hair from.  On the other hand, Eumelanin has two subgroups: brown and black.  This controls how dark the color of your hair will be.  More Eumelanin causes your hair to be dark and a lesser amount will cause the hair color to be light.  A person’s genes also control the color that your hair will be.  The human natural hair color also depends on what ethnic background you hail from, and is linked with skin tones and the eye color.

Brown hair is the second most common hair color, black color being the most common one. Black has more Eumelanin and it is denser than all the other colors.  Blonde hair has equal and lesser amounts of both Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin.  Auburn or red hair posses both and is common in persons with European ancestors.

Grey hair or white hair is usually found in persons that are older in age, but there are known instances where children have gray hair.  Sometimes you also find people who have prematurely grey hair or even children having grey hair. This is because of a disease or a vitamin B12 deficiency.  Some children are born with light colored (blonde) hair, but as they grow older, the hair starts to darken up.  Hair starts turning grey because the secretion of melanin starts decreasing as a person ages.

There are also medical reasons or conditions that may affect the hair color of a person.  It can be because of malnutrition, anemia, or if you have a family history of Albinism (Albino), and Vitiligo, which is an auto immune deficiency.  Studies also show that smoking tobacco causes the hair color to turn grey.

These days, people also go to the hair dresser to have their hair color changed.  It is changed by what is called a permanent or semi-permanent hair dying process.  A permanent hair coloring process is when a color, using ammonia or peroxide, is mixed with other chemicals in order to give the human hair a natural looking color.  Semi-permanent process is a hair color that is washed out over a period of hair washings.  The permanent hair color has to be retouched within six weeks because of the new growth. 

After visiting the hair dresser and getting the desired beautiful new hair color, you need to maintain that color too.  There are many tips and tricks available online, even your hairdresser can help you by telling you ways and precautions to keep your hair color. This will help you looking just right until your next touch-up. 

If you are a person who likes to be out in the sun all day, you should keep your head covered, in order to protect your hair.  You can wear a hat, and you can also apply a leave-in conditioner to your hair if you are going to be out for prolonged periods of time in the sun or are going for a swim. 

It is wise to invest in a good shampoo and conditioner that is made for color-treated hair. The more expensive shampoos and conditioners have less detergent in them and will not strip the oils from your hair.  The natural oils are what give your hair that shine.  You can also use a temporary rinse that is close to your hair color.  This will help the color to last until your next visit for your touch-up.