Once a hair follicle produces hair, its color is set. If a single strand of hair starts out brown, or red or black or blonde, it is never going to change its color. Unless you colour your hair, of course. Interesting, right? 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 the age of 35. Genetics can play a role in when this process commences.
While facing stress can’t turn your hair gray, stress can trigger a common condition called telogen effluvium, which causes hair to shed about three times faster than normal. The hair grows back, so the condition doesn’t cause balding. But if you’re a middle-aged man, and your hair is falling out and regenerating more quickly because of stress, it’s possible that the hair that grows in will be gray instead of its original color. Here is the science behind premature hair greying.
Illnesses & Habits that cause gray hair
You may ask, “how can I stop greying of hair?” Before you move towards the solutions, it’s best to know what causes greying of hair, first. The vast majority of people with gray hair face age-related graying. However, sometimes graying hair indicates an illness, especially if it occurs at a particularly young age. Health problems that may cause premature graying of hair include:
- Vitamin B12 Deficiency- Low vitamin B and grey hair are interlinked closely.
- Neurofibromatosis (also called Von Recklinghausen’s disease): this group of inherited diseases causes tumors to grow along the nerves and can also result in abnormal development of bones and skin.
- Tuberous sclerosis: an uncommon, inherited condition that causes benign tumors in multiple organs (including the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, lungs, and skin).
- Thyroid disease
- Vitiligo: this condition causes melanocytes (the cells at the base of hair follicles that produce color) to be lost or destroyed — perhaps because the immune system “misfires” and attacks the scalp rather than an infection. Luckily, there are also melanin producing foods for hair.
- Alopecia areata: a disorder in which patches of hair may be suddenly lost, especially the colored (non-gray) hairs. This may lead to “overnight” graying because previously present gray or white hairs suddenly become more obvious. When hair growth resumes, it may be white or gray, but colored hair may eventually return.
- Smoking
- Chemical hair dyes and hair products
Hydrogen peroxide, which is in many hair dyes, is one such harmful chemical. Excessive use of products that bleach hair will also eventually cause it to turn white.
Also Read: Castor Oil For Grey Hair
Foods to prevent grey hair
Thankfully, there are ways on how to control grey hair and prevent premature greying of hair. This food to prevent white hair is full of antioxidants. You can incorporate them in your diet and play a part in preventing white hair. So what’s the best diet for grey hair? Or what’s the best diet for white hair to black hair?
A diet rich in antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress, an exceedingly common cause of hair loss among men.
Antioxidant-rich foods include:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- green tea
- olive oil is considered one of the best food for black hair
- Fish is a popular food to stop greying of hair
Addressing deficiencies
Anyone who has white hair resulting from a vitamin deficiency should consume more foods loaded with those vitamins.
Quit smoking
Smoking has adverse effects on the body and contributes to white hair. And researchers have found a link between the habit and loss of hair pigmentation.
Also Read: Smoking & Erectile Dysfunction
Natural home remedies to slow-down and reverse grey hair
Offer an alternative to slow down hair-whitening without harming the body or causing further hair pigment damage.
Curry leaves
The medicinal use of curry leaves goes back centuries. When combined with hair oil and applied to the scalp, curry leaves can slow premature graying.
Bhringaraj
The false daisy or Bhringraj herb will darken hair and keep it from becoming white early, according to some reports. The juice of the leaves is boiled in coconut oil or sesame oil and massaged into the hair.
Also Read: Natural DHT Blockers | Ayurvedic Herbs & Solutions
Indian gooseberry
Also called amla, this is an herbal supplement recognized for reversing premature graying by promoting pigmentation. Its effectiveness is believed to be because the gooseberry is rich in antioxidants and anti-aging properties.
Also Read: Amla Juice Benefits
Black tea
Black tea is a food to make hair black and darker, shinier and softer. It can be used by steeping 3 to 5 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water, cooling and adding to clean, wet hair. Tea can also be mixed with conditioner, left in the hair for 1 hour, and then rinsed out.
Copper
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.
Ridge gourd
The ridge gourd is known for restoring hair pigment and stimulating the roots of the hair. Regular massaging of ridge gourd oil can prevent hair from turning white. Include this in your diet for black hair.
With the right diagnosis and treatments, white hair progression can be stopped and reversed in some instances. A balanced diet and good hair care can also help. In some cases, however, the process is irreversible.
Regular use of natural remedies may slow down and possibly reverse white hair. But everyone’s hair eventually starts to turn white, and the individual has to decide whether they are comfortable with white locks or if they prefer to try and reverse or slow down the natural aging process of their hair.
Sources
Why does hair turn gray?
