Gray hair is a symbol of wisdom and authentic beauty. Embracing your silver strands can be liberating, but it does come with a set of challenges. Gray hair lacks pigment, which often causes it to take on a different texture and appearance than before. As you have probably noticed, your gray mane can be course, fine, and flat. The good news? With a few tweaks to your hair-care regimen, you can bring life and volume back into your hair. Read on for the ultimate guide to boosting volume in gray and silver hair.
What Causes Gray Hair?
Your hair follicles have pigment cells, called melanocytes, which are responsible for giving your hair color. With age, your melanin-producing cells start to die. Eventually your inventory of melanocytes runs out, so your hair no longer has pigmentation. Without pigment, new hair strands grow in gray, silver and white. Your genes are mostly responsible for determining how early and how quickly your hair turns gray. Graying can occur as early as your 20s, but most commonly occurs in your 40s and 50s. Stress can also affect the rate at which your hair grays.
How to Get Volume in Gray and Silver Hair?
Get Rid of the Gunk
Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Oil, dirt and product residue builds up on the scalp and gives hair a dull, flat appearance. To get rid of the gunk, consider using a scalp exfoliator once a week. Scalp exfoliation removes dead skin cells from the scalp, lowering the enzyme population that causes hair to shed.
It also improves blood circulation to the scalp. Increased blood circulation helps your hair follicles receive the nutrients they need to support strong hair. A clean scalp is the first step to getting volume in gray hair.
Choose the Right Shampoo
Your gray strands will benefit greatly from a good shampoo. A volumizing shampoo will wash away impurities and lift your roots. Volumizing shampoos contain lightweight ingredients to ensure your hair isn’t left feeling heavy and weighed down.
A volumizing shampoo, like the one from Better Not Younger is packed with natural ingredients like burdock root extract and bamboo to create fuller, weightless hair. It is best to avoid volumizing products with an elevated pH count, polymers, and sulfates.
Take Your Vitamins!
It is important for your hair follicles to derive the essential vitamins to support strong, voluminous locks. Consider implementing these vitamins into your diet through colorful foods or a daily supplement:
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps boost hair volume. It helps produce sebum, a natural oil produced by the scalp that moisturizes and protects the hair. Vitamin A fights off free radicals that weigh your hair down and give it a flat, dull appearance. Vitamin A can be found in foods like carrots, squash, cantaloupe and eggs.
Vitamin A improves hair health, however, too much of it can lead to hair loss. Observe the daily recommended amount to ensure you aren’t overdoing it.
Biotin
Biotin, or B7, is a water-soluble vitamin that strengthens hair by encouraging the production of protein. Biotin has also been correlated with hair growth improvements. Biotin protects against dandruff and breakage, promoting smoother, softer strands. Good sources of biotin include eggs, fish, meat, seeds and nuts.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps synthesize collagen, which is essential to hair strength and growth. It also helps your body absorb iron, another mineral essential for hair growth.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects your hair and scalp from free radicals. Foods like oranges, strawberries, broccoli and brussels sprouts are high in vitamin C.
Marine Fatty Acids
Marine fatty acids, like omega-3, fight dry and brittle hair, while boosting its shine and volume. Fatty acids provide proteins and nutrients to hair follicles and prevent hair follicle inflammation, which can lead to hair loss. Marine fatty acids introduce shine and elasticity to limp strands. Consume salmon, tuna, nuts and seeds for fatty acids.
Choose the Right Hairstyle
Often times, the longer fine hair grows, the flatter it lays. Shorter hair can give the illusion of a fuller-looking mane. If you have thin hair, a long bob or shoulder-length cut keeps hair from appearing flat. Additionally, adding layers to your cut can add body to fine hair. Layers introduce dimension and movement that will make your tresses look more voluminous. Be mindful that over-layering your hair can make it look choppy. Other styling tricks to get volume into gray hair include switching your part or getting bangs.
Conclusion
Many women that celebrate their silver strands also experience changes in their hair’s texture and appearance. Luckily, there are plenty of solutions to combat flat, lackluster gray hair. From choosing the right shampoo and hairstyle to supplementing your diet with essential vitamins, it is possible to get volume back in gray and silver hair.