Many people are not aware of the true cause of gray hair, and how it can be staved off or even reversed in some cases. By changing a few aspects of your daily regimen, you can reduce or eliminate the appearance of gray hair.
As a threshold matter, scientists recently discovered that gray hair is the result of the oxidation of your hair follicles. When the follicles are irritated, peroxide builds up in the follicle. This peroxide does what you would expect — it bleaches the color out of your hair. Have you ever noticed that gray hair appears first on your temples or where you shave? This is because you are irritating the hair follicles and causing peroxide to build up. Therefore, the first order of business is to minimize touching or handling of your hair. To some women, this might sound like a daunting proposition. However, today’s styles are so natural that many women can simply wash their hair and let it air dry.
In addition to treating your hair gently, there are certain substances that (at least reportedly) help you retain your natural color. Some people claim that drinking a green juice every day reversed their gray hair and kept it dark well into their 50s. Of course, the green juice is full of important vitamins and minerals that your body needs to combat aging. In today’s world, many people subsist on a diet of processed foods devoid of the key vitamins and minerals. It goes without saying that consuming more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis could reduce the signs of aging.
There are also quite a few folk remedies for gray hair. Some people swear by consuming small quantities of apple cider vinegar, or even applying it to their scalp. Apple cider vinegar is believed to have various other beneficial health effects.
Other people claim that blackstrap molasses can reverse gray hair. Perhaps this is because of its high mineral content. Some people mix it with apple cider vinegar and take it daily.
One man claims that consuming magnetized water (which he created himself by putting bottled water amid powerful magnets and letting it sit) caused his gray hair to turn dark again. This man consumed the magnetized water for months, and took pictures that show the color gradually returning to his hair. Magnets are believed by some to have healing properties, and are used to treat everything from headaches to joint and muscle pain.
Exercise and a healthy diet supposedly also prevent and reverse gray hair. In at least one study, the middle-aged participants consumed a plant-based diet and exercised on a treadmill regularly. Many of the participants showed both weight loss and an apparent reversal of gray hair.
Setting aside the nutritional and alternative remedies, scientists have recently developed a substance that you can topically apply to reverse graying. This substance actually reverses the gray hair rather than covering it up. It does so by preventing the oxidation of your hair follicles with a “modified pseudocatalase.” However, the substance needs to be consistently re-applied to keep your hair from becoming gray again. Furthermore, it may be some time before such a product is available in most markets.
Contrary to what most people believe, gray hair is not a foregone conclusion in your 40s, 50s or beyond. Avoiding excessive contact with your hair is one way to prevent premature graying. There are also certain vitamins and nutrients that are believed to prevent or even reverse graying. Further, scientists have recently developed a substance that reverses graying when topically applied, so that everyone can someday restore their hair to its natural color.