Vitamin C prevents hair from thinning, improves hair texture, and cures damaged hair. This vitamin also promotes hair growth. Vitamin C deficiency in the body turns hair to grey prematurely. In addition, this vitamin deficiency causes dryness in the hair.
Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.
It turns out that, among people who are nutrient deficient, supplementing with vitamin B-5, high-dose para-aminobenzoic acid, iron, or vitamin B-12 might help reverse gray hair.
Your hair follicles produce less color as they age, so when hair goes through its natural cycle of dying and being regenerated, it's more likely to grow in as gray beginning after age 35.
With the right nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, L-methionine, copper, folate, calcium, iron, zinc, and antioxidants, you can stop further greying of hair.
Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
Vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin production. Goddard says that vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.
They found that noradrenaline, also known as norepinephrine, was key to stress-induced hair graying. By injecting noradrenaline under the skin of unstressed mice, the researchers were able to cause melanocyte stem cell loss and hair graying. Noradrenaline is produced mostly by the adrenal glands.
Genetics — Genetics plays a big role in how and when you go gray. So if your parents and grandparents went gray early, it's likely that you will too. This is why some people go gray in their 20s, while others don't see their first gray hair well into their 50s.
It's most common for graying to begin in your 30s, though some people spot a few grays in their 20s. If you think you're going gray unusually early, there are a number of possible reasons why. Smoking, for one, has been linked to the early onset of gray hair.
Melanin deficiency is associated with vitamin deficiency. That's why you need to increase your vitamin intake through your food or vitamin supplements. Vitamin A, C and B12 are the most needed vitamins to increase the melanin production in your hair.
If genetics or aging is the cause, nothing can prevent or reverse the process. However, treating graying hair could allow color pigmentation to return if the loss is due to a medical condition.
Vitamin D
When there isn't enough vitamin D in your body your hair may turn grey or white. One study published in The International Journal of Trichology found that children who experienced premature hair greying had low vitamin D levels.
Low copper levels can lead to premature graying, according to one 2012 study. Good food sources of copper are beef liver, lentils, almonds, dark chocolate, and asparagus. These are superfoods for white hair, helping in its reversal.
Some studies have demonstrated that grey and ageing hair can recover its original colour when nourished by diets rich in zinc and supplements formulated with this element. As an additional benefit, zinc also helps eliminate the dandruff present on the scalp.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to Paus.
“Plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place because there is only one hair that is able to grow per follicle. Your surrounding hairs will not turn white until their own follicles' pigment cells die.”
According to one study, endurance exercise may help tackle both hair loss and greying, and extend lifespan by years.
Many men and women experience hair loss and early graying when their hormones are no longer balanced. Hormone changes can occur for many reasons such as stress, significant weight loss or weight gain, an illness you've had, or pregnancy.
There are no treatments that are proven to treat (or reverse) gray hair. As researchers learn more about how the graying process happens, they may develop effective medications and treatments for gray hair.
Eating vitamin C–rich foods like citrus, berries, and leafy green vegetables may optimize melanin production.
Vitamin deficiency causes loss of Melanin in your hair
Vitamin B12 helps Red Blood Cells (RBCs) carry oxygen to various parts of the body, including hair follicles. Its deficiency could lead to hair discolouration because of the lack of oxygen in hair follicles.