I recently saw a headline which read, ‘Goodbye to grey hair, revolutionary new treatment turns greying hair back to its original colour’.
The article was about a potentially wonderful new treatment from L’Oreal. It said that according to the experts at Centre Charles Zviak, L’Oreal’s research and development HQ, the possibility of returning grey hair to its original colour is science, not fiction.
Such is the excitement surrounding this potential new product that for the first time ever British journalists were invited to L’Oreals research centre at Clichy, which is in the northern suburbs of Paris. The journalist who wrote the article I read was invited to the conference room to hear about the latest advances in hair colour.
Patricia Pineau, L’Oreal’s Research Communications Director said, “Hair is an enigma. It is a fibre, a material with physical properties. It is also a living organ that grows, greys and falls out. How can we fight this? Do we need a physical approach or a biological approach?”
Scientists have long pondered the topic of grey hair. Eugene Schueller first established L’Oreal 100 years ago on the Rue Royale in Paris, with hair colour being the company’s main concern.
L’Oreal reportedly spends a fortune on hair colour research, double the amount spent by its competitors. Last year L’Oreal reportedly spent £581 million.
In the conference room at L’Oreal’s research and development HQ Patricia Pineau explained that hair, like skin, contains melanocytes, which are pigment cells that give hair its colour.
She said, “When hair goes grey, there is a progressive disappearance of the melanocytes from the hair. While there are still melanocytes in the hair, there is still hope that it could be re-pigmented.”
She went on to say that the treatment should hopefully be available within ten years, and it will probably be an oral treatment to be used alongside a range of haircare products.
L’Oreal were asked if by developing this new treatment they would be shooting themselves in the foot because if women don’t need to dye their grey hair anymore then they won’t be purchasing L’Oreal hair dye.
L’Oreal made no comment.
As well as this innovative new treatment for grey hair, L’Oreal has also reportedly another scientific breakthrough which tackles the damage caused to hair by dyeing. Dyeing hair leaves it rougher and far more susceptible to breaking.
Traditionally hair dyes use ammonia to remove the colour from hair, once the colour has been stripped away the dye pigments re-colour the hair.
Jean-Marc Ascione, L’Oreal’s dapper Research International Hair Colour Director explained that ammonia does a great job, but it has unpleasant side-effects including aroma and it stings.
L’Oreal has invented a new hair colourant called INOA; Innovation No Ammonia, that is much gentler on the hair. According to L’Oreal it is so gentle that it actually improves the condition of the hair every time you use it, resulting in hair being reverted back to its pre-dyed condition - almost!
The first batch of INOA was recently made available to salons, and it sold out fast.
Unfortunately the darker shades of hair dye still contain PPD; paraphenylenediamine, which is known to cause allergic dermatitis, but in other ways, INOA is a seen as a major advance.
Celebrity hair colourist Jo Hansford has been using INOA at her salon in Mayfair, London, she said, “This is exciting because it’s revolutionary. It is much less aggressive and there is far less fade, which is a huge bonus for the customer, especially for women with fine hair.”
If you are interested in visiting a hair salon that uses INOA visit www.lorealprofessionnel.co.uk/salonlocator or phone 0800 072 6699.
Initially when I saw this article I couldn’t wait to find out what the product was called, how much it cost, and where could I purchase it. Just reading the headline made this product sound like it could be the answer to one of my beauty prayers. It was in fact like most things though, and not my holy grail in hair care.
If and when L’Oreal, or any of the other leading hair treatment companies, do market this new product, I won’t be using it.
Although I would truly love it if I never saw another grey hair on my head, after giving it some thought, I doubt I would feel comfortable taking a pill to achieve that result.
Obviously this new treatment will undergo tests before it is available for consumers, but taking an oral treatment to cover grey hair can’t be very good for internal organs, so I’ll leave this alone and continue to dye my hair with traditional dyes.
In fact, I purchased a hair dye a few months ago which is still sitting unopened in my bathroom, because I am too lazy to use it, and also because I am aware that hair dyes are not particularly good for health either.
I am getting more grey hairs with each new day, so I’m sure it won’t be too much longer before I open the box and cover my grey, but right now I just can’t be bothered, and as the winter weather arrives I’ll be able to hide my grey hair with a hat.
As far as I know, hats are not bad for health, maybe hats are the new hair dye? 
Posted on ZEITGEIST
Life in France
