The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-02-15
why HAIR CHANGES
Turns White Because Of Air in
the "Cortex."
Expert Gives Some Information About
the Human Head covering-ouaI-
ity Of Hair Remains Same
Through Life.


There are very few people whose
hair begins to turn gray before they
are twenty-five years old, but there is
scarcely anyone whose hair does not
show some trace of gray by the time
he has reached fifty.
Generally the first signs Of grayness
appear about the temples and then
gradually spread through the whole
hair. Gray hair comes from the eternal
change Of things and Is merely indlca-
tive of age and the passing of time.
You may say this cannot be so, be-
cause you have had gray hair. That
Is all well and true, but the passing
Of time and the changes which come
with age begin the moment person is
born. The losing of your baby teeth
is nothing more than the sign of age.
remarks writer In the Brooklyn
Eagle.
From generation to generation
patches of white have appeared in the
hairSof different members of a family.
This is due to heredity, but further
than that no one knows.
Severe head wounds, long sick
nesses, chronic dyspepsia, malaria,
fevers, anemla. violent headaches and
almost any debllltating disease will be
apt TO bring on gray hairs.
One theory advanced by q large hair
dressing establishment In Chicago is
that gray hair comes from an impov-
erished condition of the blood.
Another theory Is that the change is
based on the quantity of blood. II is
true that persons hair has instantly
turned white from being suddenly i'm
mersed in ice-cold water. The reason
given for this is the basis of the
quality" theory.
A third and new theory is based on
the fact that the color of the hair IS
Influenced by the amount of air which
is In the cortex, the outer covering of
the hair. 1t has been found that by
placing one of the hairs which has
turned white into ether or turpentine,
which eXpels the air, the hair re-
sumed its natural color. Why air In
cortex should make this change no one
knows. 1t is on the same principle
that the egg turns snow white when
air Is beaten into It.
The air theory is that which is held
by the best dermatologlsts. Hair grows
I'm little scales closely fitted one upon
the other. Once these scales get sepa.
rated, the air comes In and forms eth
er rounded separated globules OF
groups by themselves. When the aiI
bubbles get between the hair cells and
the cortex the pigment is obscured and
the hair straightway loses its colol
aud appears white.
This theory by all odds seems the
most acceptable. The reason othel
theories about the quantity and quality
of blood supply to the hair cells do moi
hold as much weight is because white
hair is generally as healthy and of the
same texture as the hair before, and
in fact, Is practically the same hair
differing only In color. If the blood
had much effect 1t would not only in
terfere with the coloring matter, bu
would also change or weaken the hal
itself.
Then, too, these theories do not ex
plain what has happened to make tn,
color change. The air theory explains
this, and also gives you a logical rea
son why the quality OF the hair re
mains apparently unaffected.