Melanin is a pigment that is naturally produced in the hair follicle and “injected” into the hair fibers as the protein is formed and pushed out of the head. It’s the same kind of melanin that gives your skin its color. Although there are slight chemical modifications (eumelanin and pheomelanin) that are responsible for the variety of colors such as brown, blonde, and even red heads.

No one knows why hair follicles stop producing melanin. Genetics mostly. There just gets to be a point where the melanin producing gland just stops producing. Thus you get grey hair.

Slowing the process? No one has figured this one out just yet. And the truth is that only the pharmaceutical companies would be looking for the solution anyway. Cosmetic companies focus on things that do not react with your body. I’m not sure if there will be a solution to this problem anytime soon.

The primary reason that grey hairs seem more kinky and unruly is because you just notice them a lot more. When a grey hair is on your head it sticks out like a sore thumb against a darker background. We’ve actually tested hair tresses with only grey hair and people could not blindly feel any differences. Think about all the hairs on your head that are unruly but they are the same color as the rest of your hair so you don’t notice them.

The other possibility is that in addition to the shut-down of the melanin, the hair follicle could also stop producing natural conditioning agents like sebum and 18-MEA. This could cause the hairs to behave as you describe. However, the first reason suggested is more likely the case.

Thanks again for the mention. We’ll link to this post on our own site.

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