Eumelanin and Pheomelanin: The two melanins that determine your hair color

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Melanin is a natural pigment that determines the color of human hair. Once the production of this pigment is slowed down, the hair can turn silver or white. This is also part of the aging process, but we can still improve our hair color through melanin supplements or certain foods.

1. Where does natural human hair color come from?

Melanin is made from cells located in human hair follicles, called Melanocytes. These cells have the ability to convert amino acids in the body into different types of melanin pigments, thereby determining the natural hair color of each person.
Our hair color is usually determined by two main types of melanin, including:
Eumelanin: is a brown or black pigment, mainly responsible for the dark color of the hair. For people who have a large amount of eumelanin in their body, their hair color is usually brown or black. Pheomelanin: is a yellow or red pigment, mainly responsible for warm, bright colors for hair. For people with a large amount of this melanin usually has blond, blond, or red hair. In general, Pheomelanin pigments are usually smaller in structure, finer, and much more diffusive than eumelanin pigments. Depending on the amount of these two types of melanin, each person will have a different hair color, namely:

2.The role of melanin in human hair

According to scientists, melanin holds an extremely important biological role for human hair. In fact, the pigment melanin helps protect hair from damage from the sun's rays (photoprotection) and ultraviolet (UV) rays.
On the other hand, dark hair types often have very good resistance to UV rays, and they also break down faster than light hair types because the photosynthetic capacity of eumelanin is higher than that of pheomelanin. .

3. How does Melanin affect hair color?

Melanin pigment will undergo significant pigmentary changes throughout a person's life. In other words, your hair color will change over time but it is impossible to keep the same color forever.
This is also the reason why some children are born with blonde hair, but in adolescence and adulthood, their hair changes to brown. On the other hand, hair color can also be influenced by external environmental factors, such as harmful chemicals, pollutants and climate change.
In fact, the body's slow production of melanin is part of the aging process. Several studies have found that most people start to develop gray or white hair before the age of 50.
The slowing down of melanin production not only affects the pigmentation of the hair, but it also has a big impact on the vitality of the hair.

Indeed, melanin plays a protective role in the hair. An abundance of eumelanin will help protect hair against high levels of sun exposure and its undesirable consequences such as dryness and brittleness. Therefore, for people with gray hair, there is usually no melanin and the texture of the hair is also very dry and brittle.

4.Causes of gray hair

Human gray hair color can come from a combination of pigmented and non-pigmented particles on individual hairs. In addition, the hair color will not change suddenly to silver, but will change gradually over time.
Another cause of gray hair is that the human body does not produce enough amino acid tyrosine - a substance that is essential to make melanin, which determines hair color. Sometimes, gray hair can also be caused by aging or certain diseases.
In addition, gray hair color can also be caused by the death of stem cells inside the hair follicle. Melanocyte stem cells, including age-related DNA accumulation, can trigger cell death (apoptosis). Normally, a human hair can last for an average of 3-7 years, then fall out and be replaced by a new hair. Over time, the percentage of white hair will gradually become more dominant and dominant. In particular, the hair growing on the temples will have a shorter life than other areas. Their shedding time is similar to that of beards. This is also the reason why the hair here often turns silver first.

5. Can adding melanin restore hair color?

Currently, we still don't have enough scientific evidence to prove that melanin supplements have the ability to help prevent or restore gray hair.
On the other hand, melanin supplements are not generally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so you need to do your due diligence before using any melanin supplements.

6.Some foods help promote the growth of melanin in the hair

Here are foods that can help you improve the vitality of your hair, while promoting the growth of different types of melanin in your hair.
* Foods rich in antioxidants: many foods contain large amounts of vitamins, have high concentrations of antioxidants that help increase the production of melanin in the hair. Antioxidants have the same effect as supplements, helping to protect the body's cells from damage from free radicals.
Some foods are rich in antioxidants, including:
Dark chocolate Green leafy vegetables Blueberries Artichoke beans Pecans *Food containing copper: copper plays an extremely important role in the production produce melanin, so you should add the following foods to your daily diet, including:
Almonds Crab meat Peanuts Lentils White mushrooms Beef liver

* Foods with vitamins A, C and E: Studies have shown that adding a variety of foods containing vitamins A, C and E will help improve hair, skin and nail problems. Not only that, vitamins also help protect the skin from harmful UV rays from the sun. Certain foods help you get the right amount of vitamins A, C and E, such as fish, meat, green vegetables, citrus fruits, berries, nuts or whole grains.
*Foods rich in vitamins B6 and B12: vitamins B6 and B12 have been shown to boost melanin production. Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, helps activate the production of enzymes and participates in chemical reactions that promote the metabolism of hair proteins (including melanin and keratin) in the hair follicles, thereby stimulating the growth of hair follicles. Enjoy hair growth and renewal. In addition, vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, helps promote healthy hair growth by increasing the production of red blood cells. Some studies have shown that a vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to premature graying of hair. Therefore, vitamin B12 supplementation is really essential to prevent this condition. You can choose from a number of foods rich in vitamin B12, including: poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products.

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