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Hair Care and the Aging Process

As we get older, it becomes harder to keep hair healthy. As we age, so does our hair. Hair color fades to gray and hair loss begins. There are many hair care products that are designed to take away the strain from seeing thinning, graying hair and which get hair healthy again.

The most obvious sign of aging hair is gray hair. This happens when the production of melanin which gives hair its color starts to decrease with age, causing hair to turn gray. Hair turning gray comes not only from aging but from mental and physical stress as well.

Hair coloring is the most popular way of not showing gray hair. This is done with traditional dyes that now cannot only shade the gray but can also make hair healthy. Dying hair with henna which is an all natural plant dye also makes aging hair healthy to a degree.

Aging hair is also drier and needs more moisture than young hair. Even hair that was once greasy can become dry. How to make hair healthy during the aging process is to use a shampoo and conditioner with a heavy moisture content in them. There's a plethora of products that fit this need.

Another problem with hair as aging occurs is hair thinning. A normal strand of hair has a life span of around four to five years and when it falls out a new one grows in its place. When someone ages, many hair follicles stop producing new hair altogether. This causes hair to appear thinner. Thinning hair is both genetic and just a natural process of aging. Hair healthy foods such as leafy greens, raw oats, foods rich in iron, and dried fruits help slow this process.

Male pattern baldness has begun to be attributed to high testosterone levels during puberty. Testosterone levels can be raised with a diet high in fat and cholesterol. But a diet for healthy hair in men would have to be low in fat and meat, something not typically found in the United States.

With all this in mind, some hair healthy tips on how to keep aging hair healthy include:

• Deep-condition hair at least once a week to counteract dryness.
• Eat hair healthy foods in order to slow hair loss and improve texture.
• Use beauty products for hair care that are gentle on both fragile and brittle hair and add moisture.
• Protect hair from the sun, because it too has a drying and bleaching effect.
• Use a protein treatment at least once a month to add protection and bounce.

These beauty tips should help hair growth and are just a few of the ways on how to have healthy hair, in spite of aging. Having shiny hair healthy is not an impossibility for older people.

The previous article is on the Immune System and Aging.

Other wiki resources:  cellular aging; obesity and age; aging enzyme; immune system and aging; collagen and skin