Sound like an impossible delusion? I may have agreed with you once upon a time, but science – and beauty researchers – apparently can make the impossible dream a reality.

Image: Sxc.hu

According to an article in the Times of India,

Dr. Bruno Bernard, head of the hair biology research team at L’Oreal Paris, points out that hair goes grey when the pigment-producing cells, known as melanocytes, die or no longer work properly. He, however, also highlights the fact that such cells often survive long after people go gray.

He and his colleagues have also found that the cells lack a certain enzyme, known as TRP-2, which is found in the skin and protects it from losing its pigment.

If researchers can learn to copy and recreate the enzyme’s action on hair follicles, re-awaken the cells, allow people to maintain their hair color for longer, or even reverse the process.

One can only imagine how much a shampoo that erases gray would cost…and the lines to get it once it was available!

We all know people who are in their later years, and swear they’ve never once dyed their hair. And then there are those people who start going gray in their late teens. At the very least, something like this could sort of even the playing field, and maybe even avoid playing with chemicals and hair dye quite as often!

But it is a little Brave New World-esque…and anti-nature, in a way. (Though I suppose hair dye is, as well.) I’m curious, if something like this existed, and was available at a palatable price point – would you try it?

I think I would! Then again, nature has so far saved me from my gray fate!

Now if only they can find an anti-cellulite soap. I am so there.

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Can We Shampoo Away Aging?

Today in the New Scientist there was an article I instantly got sort of engrossed in – it was an overview of a study being done on laboratory mice that sees a relationship between going gray and protection against cancer cells.

Image: Sxc.hu

Basically, cells called melanocytes produce the pigments that color hair and their numbers are supported by stem cells. Hair goes gray when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines.

So, now the news is that Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan have figured out why this decline happens.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, below – warning, it’s in total science-ease!

When the researchers exposed mice to radiation and chemicals that harm DNA, damaged stem cells transformed permanently into melanocytes. This ultimately led to fewer melanocytes, as it meant there were fewer stem cells capable of topping up the melanocyte pool.

It took me a bit to dissect, but I think I finally got it…and it’s pretty amazing.

Now, obviously it can’t help with all cancers, but stem cells and melanocytes color our hair, by turning off the division of those stem cells when they’re damaged and would pose a heightened risk of producing cancerous or pre-cancerous cells if allowed to continue dividing.

So what does that mean? It means we have something of a red flag at our disposal – in a sense. If we see a person with grey hair, that means that these stem cells are missing or reduced, which means they have a reduced chance of cancer coming out of these cells.

In short, there’s a silver lining to every silver hair!

(Can you sense me grasping to smell the roses???)

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Can Gray Hair Protect Us From Cancer?

President Obama just about one year ago:

and just this past weekend at the Rose Garden:

Clearly, our president is going gray – and sort of quickly!

It’s been said forever that stress ages you – Marie Antoinette famously went white-haired the night before her execution! But it makes me wonder about this in normal day-to-day situations. Like, clearly, the president has a more stressful job than I do. He is saving the world, I am conditioning my hair – but what is the root cause? Can boy problems make me gray? Or my visa bill? Is he just aging? Am I?

This is way too deep conversation for a Saturday morning. But the proof IS in the images. Obama is a pretty strapping dude still, and he is on a steady course toward white-haired! Scary stuff.

In reality, hair just goes gray when the cells in charge of hair pigment age out of function. However, if you are stressed out, hair sheds more quickly, so the hair that is not-gray will shed and leave beyond that hair that is-graying. That said, the old wives’ tale is true – stress can make you go gray. Just not directly!

So what can we do? Lead a cleaner life, try to have less stress, and sleep at night. i.e. My pal President Obama and I: BOTH DOOMED. At least he gets to be the most powerful man in the world while he’s at it. Alas.

Images: Zuma Press

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Does Stress Make You Gray?

Your body isn’t the only part of you going to heck! Check out an excerpt from an article I just read on Forbes.com:

• Hair color all over the body (chest, scalp, facial hair, etc.) changes to white or gray, and may begin as early as the 30s.
• Losing hair is normal as you age, as it doesn’t grow as fast as once did.
• Hair becomes thinner.
• Baldness may occur in men and women.
• Body hair that remains may become more coarse.

While I am oddly thrilled about the body hair part – never having to wax anything ever again is not a bad thing, the rest is…ugh.

I JUST turned 30, which, according to this article is the beginning of the downward spiral. I however, am DETERMINED to not be an old lady before my time. Especially since, I feel, if I still have to deal with PMS and boy drama, I should look as hot as possible while doing so.

Some tips I’ve learned in my obsessive-compulsive study of the subject:

• A lot of hair “aging” is about hormones. Taking estrogen-dominant birth control pills can help slow or stop the process! (And deal with that PMS issue as well.)
• Take your vitamins and eat your protein. A lot of hair health is about nutrition, just like the body. Vitamin B is a hair biggie. (But you know this, we talk about hair loss and protein all the time.)
• Don’t over-process your hair. You lose it, you may not get it back!

Image: Sxc.hu

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My Body Ain’t the Only Thing Getting Older

(Image: Saks Fifth Avenue)

Fendi Selleria Textured Hobo ($1560)
Such a lovely ‘Pewter’ coloured pebbled leather shoulder bag with a cool woven shoulder strap. This would look sharp with a suit and with a pretty spring dress.

(Image: Saks Fifth Avenue)

Alexander McQueen Messenger Bag ($1840)
A lush distressed leather messenger bag in ‘Stone’. It’s versatile and stylish without looking too masculine or casual.

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Think Gray For Your Next Bag

And yet, it happens to all of us – some even younger than others – and when wallet-watching causes us to spend less time at the salon, we are increasingly trying to deal with the situation at home.

Too many times, we try to put that champagne blond on our hair, peek at mirror, and discover gray is showing through. Gah!!!!

Any colorist will tell you that gray hair can be stronger than hair processing. It is a ferocious foe!

I recently looked into No Gray though. (Not for me! I am still gray-free, I swear!). It is a new product from DeveloPlus, and it’s formulated to mix with hair dye or tint and will keep the gray from breaking through.

When mixed with a home hair-coloring product, it adds pigment to the color mixture by penetrating through the cuticle and helping the color to cling to the hair much better. This leads to – better (no gray) color! Yay!

Well, until it wears off. (In about 4-6 weeks.)

Image: Sxc.hu

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Hope for Diminising That Gray

The dress is from MINT jodi arnold and comes with side pockets.

I looked for the clutch in the above photo on the website but didn’t see it (perhaps they are sold out?).  This Francesco Biasia Blanca handbag would look darling with this dress, though:

Both are availabe at Pink Mascara, which ships worldwide.  See their Look Book and sale pages too.

If you liked this post, you might also like the previous post: American Retro Mini Dress.

Photos Courtesy of Pink Mascara

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