ET

Green light for grey hair tonic By Robert Uhlig, Technology Correspondent (Filed: 03/07/2001)

A TONIC that restores natural colour to grey hair without resorting to dyes or harsh chemicals and a bicycle pedal that lights up automatically in the dark are among a group of inventions that will receive government grants today.

Also among the 46 inventions that will receive more than £1 million in development grants from Nesta, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, are a new approach to breast screening and an ingenious use of laser technology to remove chewing gum from streets.

The hair tonic, developed by Prof Valerie Randall, a hair biologist at the University of Bradford, and her colleague Dr Philip McGurk, works by switching on dysfunctional pigmentation cells in grey hair follicles.

Dr McGurk said: "We have found differences in the cells of coloured and grey hairs and believe we can now stimulate grey hair cells to produce coloured hair once again."

The £50,000 grant will enable the researchers to test various chemicals they believe will make the pigmentation cells work again.

Dr McGurk said: "We hope to file patents by the end of the year and have products - probably a tonic or a cream - on the market within two to three years."

The Ledal bicycle pedal that lights up automatically in the dark was developed by two cyclists and engineers who were concerned at the number of people cycling without lights at night.

Steven Sumner and Trevor Keena have squeezed red and white lights, batteries, electronics and sensors into bicycle pedals.

Mr Sumner said yesterday: "As soon as it is dark and the pedal senses the pressure of a foot on it, the lights switch on."

The pedal also knows which way up it is and switches on red lights at the back and white lights at the front."

The inventors will receive a £40,000 grant to develop their prototypes into marketable products.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Answers

Why does gray hair need a "solution"? What's wrong with it? Seems like discrimination if you ask me! Humph.

((Smile))

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Well, my hair is pretty well shot through with silver. I used Clairol for about a year then got fed up with it. No way I would use that awful dye and risk gray roots--oh the upkeep to avoid it! I dunno, depends if my hair stays silver or goes yellowish, which I DON'T want. I think I might like to try this stuff if it's safe--and I don't have to sit around for half an hour with a plastic bag on my head!

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

I used to lighten my hair as it was blonde when I was younger and once I got into my late 30's/early 40's it became a light mousey brown. In my very late 40's the grey really hit around my face. I finally let it grow out to be natural and I like the effect as the grey is silver and it looks like I have highlighted my hair.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Dan has steel grey hair, very distingished looking...and I still am mostly blonde, just saw some grey start showing around the temple...I'm excited about them, as I think I've well earned them!

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

My hair is blond, fine and straight. My, er, elder hair is coming in snow white, thick and wavy. Interesting effect.

Unfortuantely, my eyebrows are growing the same way. I have to use my husband's mustache trimmer to keep them under contol, LOL.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

I forgot to add:

My husband has a teeny, tiny grey spot in his beard (none anywhere else) and he dyes it.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

About the eyebrows, Big K. I have some really wild eyebrow hairs! Even if I trim them to a reasonable length, they strike off in every direction of the compass. If I'm going out, I usually put a thin smear of liquid soap on them to hold them in place! I suppose hair spray would do, smeared on with a finger, but I don't use it. Maybe mousse would restrain them too. I just wish the leg hair would hurry up and turn silver so I don't have to bother with shaving as much :)

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

The grey and white chest hairs didn't bother me, and I think the silver-grey around the temples makes me look distinguished... but the damn white pubes bug me...

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Drink enough beer, you won't be able to see 'em :)

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

LOL Carl..."Just For Men For Beards" should do the trick ;)

OG--I have tried mousse, but it itches. The soap sounds like a good idea for non-sweaty days.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

How does a mouse help?

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Ahhh...see, if you glue a mouse over each eye, no one will notice the Larry Hagmen eyebrows.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

My eyebrows are still brown...

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Carl...too much info, honey, way too much info.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

So, when can I expect grey hair to start?

Grandma was blonde thru and thru, and her hair went white. Grandpa had brown hair with some white in it, but he was in his eighties. Granddad had black hair, and was in his 70's. I don't think he was coloring it. Guys didn't do that back then.

Ma and pa have salt and pepper hair. Pa not so much, though, LOL. Guess the kids got to him, huh?

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Barefoot, I started going gray at 18. My mom was almost all gray at 26 and my father at 31. Their parents went gray in their teens. It's a genetic thing, for sure!

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

How can a firemouse help?

Grey hair IS a natural color. I had my first grey hair when I was 14, early grey runs in the Greek side of the family (though you wouldn't know it by looking at the rest of the family, who ought to get bulk discounts on Clairol).

Head getting quite silvery, rest of hair on body light brown still. Haven't shaved armpits since 1969, it's one of those artist/hippie/leftie things, and none of my lovers ever cared.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

In honor of this thread and Carl's white pubes, I'm dyeing my hair blond. Since I'm not pre-lightening it, only the grey will go blond, but that's okay since I'm 93% grey.

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2001

YUCKYUCKYUCK!!!!! I didn't have enough drabber in it and it turned red!!!!! Well, I can pretend I'm a 20-something and the effect was deliberate. At least it's not green, although dark blue might be kinda cool.

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2001

LOL Meemur... go get your picture taken and post it for us :)

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2001