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.
While certain nutrient deficits and health conditions may spawn premature gray hairs, it's impossible to restore your natural hair color if your grays are genetic or due to natural aging. If you're looking to help stop the rate of graying hair, changes in nutrition may work, but only if deficiencies are the root cause.
It is purported that when Pantothenic Acid and folic acid are taken together it helps reverse graying by taking the hair back to its original color. Inositol, a substance found naturally in the human body, may encourage the growth and overall health of hair.
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.
Gray and/or white hair normally occurs with aging, and genetics plays a role in determining the age at which the first strands of gray appear. But as an article in Scientific American points out, when the graying of hair seems accelerated, scientists have suggested chronic stress as the cause.
“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.”
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.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s.
Gray hair is one of the universal signs of advanced age. More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not.
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.
Eating vitamin C–rich foods like citrus, berries, and leafy green vegetables may optimize melanin production. Taking a vitamin C supplement may help as well. Shop for vitamin C.
Vitamin A, C and B12 are the most needed vitamins to increase the melanin production in your hair. Add citrus fruits like oranges, grapes, pineapple, and melon to your diet. Also eat vegetables like potatoes, carrots, beans, etc. Non vegetarians can try adding red meat, chicken liver, fish, and eggs to their diet.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.
'If you have a vitamin B deficiency, adding foods rich in B vitamins, or a supplement containing them, may be useful in stopping premature greying,' she advises. 'However, at present there is no way to delay when you are genetically programmed to turn grey. '
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.
When your strand turns gray or white, the pigment cells in that follicle have already died. 1 "In other words, plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place," says Gillen, so any plucking is pretty much pointless. You're simply delaying the inevitable.
Does lack of sleep send my hair grey or white? Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on many aspects of the body, not only can it lead to tiredness and lack of concentration, but longer term effects such as your immune system and stress. Stress has been proven to cause grey hair as mentioned above.
Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of prematurely graying hair. Researchers have noted that vitamin B-12 deficiencies are often concurrent with folic acid and biotin deficiencies in people whose hair has started to turn gray early.
It is natural to lose melanin as you age, however, there are also a number of other reasons that might cause loss of melanin. However, it is not possible to restore your hair's natural colour if your greying is genetic and natural.
Ultraviolet Radiation as a Regulator of Melanogenesis
A major extrinsic regulator of melanogenesis is ultraviolet radiation (UVR), including UVA and UVB light. This is the main stimulus for melanin production, leading to induced pigmentation of the skin, or 'tanning'.
Vitamin D is known to enhance the rate of melanin synthesis; and this may concurrently regulate the expression of furin expression.