Most of us live in the “the grass is always greener” camp when it comes to our hair. Those of use with straight wish we had curly; curly wish they had straight, long want short, dry want some oil, oily wants to be dry and we’re all in the fight against gray. While we cannot help what we’re born with, on-going research is finding the root causes of many of our greatest hair woes, including a possible reason for gray hair.

According to a new study and Gerald Weissmann, the editor of The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and research professor of medicine at New York University, the root cause of gray hair may have been discovered.

Our hair cells naturally produce minimal amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Anyone who has ever gone blonde or spilled hydrogen peroxide on a colored shirt knows what it can do – it zaps the color out of whatever it touches. To counter this, our bodies normally produce an enzyme that breaks-down and neutralizes the hydrogen peroxide before it can “bleach” the color out of our hair. However, as we get older, we make less and less of the enzyme and the hydrogen peroxide builds up until it can affect the pigment of hair to the point where it “bleaches” the color out leaving us with gray hair.

According to Weissmann, there are antioxidants can also neutralize the hydrogen peroxide, but we presently have no way to effectively get those antioxidants into the deep layers of the hair where the “bleaching” happens. It is “exciting” to have made this discovery, he says. Once we know the root, researchers have a place to begin and they will certainly come up with a way to get the antioxidants into the hair where they can continue to break down and neutralize they hydrogen peroxide before it makes our hair go gray.

For those who suffer with oily hair, it’s important to note that your hair doesn’t produce any sebum, the oil that causes that greasy feeling. Sebum comes from the scalp. So you don’t actually have oily hair, you have an oily scalp. If you have straight hair, your hair will quickly wick oil from your scalp and distribute it through your hair. Those with curly or course hair will distribute the oil more slowly. This is big news when you’re scouring the shampoo aisle looking for your solution. Choose products that are made for oily hair and apply them to your scalp. Allow the shampoo to rinse through your hair, but be cautious about rubbing it in; you may find you’re over-drying the ends.

Frizzy hair is in the top three biggest hair complaints. The good news is that while some wee simply born with it, most have frizzy hair as a result of styling. Heat, in its many forms, is one of the biggest frizz producers. This includes the sun, dryers, flat irons and chemical processes.

To calm the frizzies, get a haircut that’s appropriate for your hair texture and a trim every 8 - 10 weeks to avoid split ends. If you have thicker hair, use styling creams. For fine hair, try a mousse. Dry your hair by squeezing, not rubbing, it in a microfiber towel. If you have to blow-dry your hair, use a finishing product like an anti-frizz serum, light hair spray or pomade. If all else fails, a barrette can be your best friend.

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