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Hair and the Older Woman
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When pigmented hair turns gray it changes more than just the color of the hair. The hair's cuticle
layer becomes more compact making the hair more resistant to penetration. This means that often the hair becomes harder to curl, takes
longer to process for chemical services like perms and straightening, and may resist haircolor services. This latter feature of gray hair
is ironic when you consider that covering gray is one of the most common reasons people color their hair.
Getting around gray hair's resistance to haircolor can be worked around by pre-softening - the
process of swelling the cuticle layer before applying the color. This allows the haircolor to penetrate the cuticle layer and be
deposited in the cortex. Without pre-softening, you could find yourself sitting through a twenty-minute color process, only to watch all
the color wash away down the drain and your hair remain the same gray as before.
There are many women who like the look of their gray hair, particularly those whose gray is of the
silver or snow white variety, which can be very striking in certain styles. But, a common complaint in women with this type of gray is
that the hair sometimes seems "dull", "lusterless" and "yellowed" due to environmental factors, product build-up, medications and dietary
issues. The solution to this problem is the use of shampoos and conditioners designed to brighten and remove yellowing from gray hair.
These products use clarifying surfactants and bluing agents to remove residue and counteract the dingy tone. The result is silver hair
that literally sparkles.
Stacy McCurdy - Stylist ©Hairfinder.com
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