Halting and Reversing Gray Hair
Given the currently available treatment options it appears that the premature graying process cannot be reversed. There is no scientific evidence that any existing medicine, herb, dietary supplement or natural substance can prevent or reverse graying hair. Several cosmetics and pharmaceuticals firms are working on the discovery of the ultimate cure for gray hair but no satisfactory solution is commercially available yet.
Premature gray hair is often associated with excessive stress, sudden trauma, bad diet, vitamin B deficiency, thyroid problems and smoking. The fact is, however, that the number one cause for premature graying hair is genetics. The pigment that determines the color of our hair is produced by special cells at the root of our hair called melanocytes. It is the lifespan of these cells that determines the onset of the graying process. Once melanocytes die, the hair turns white.
There is no fundamental difference between a premature and a normal, age-related greying process. It is by virtue of nature that some people will experience their first white hair in their teens and turn completely white in their early thirties, while others will keep their original hair colour for many decades. If more than 50% of a person’s hair is white by the age of 40, it is considered premature.
There are several commercial products out there that claim to be able to rejuvenate the dead pigment-producing cells and reverse grey hair. Such claims, however, are utterly unsubstantiated. The sad truth is that at this point in time no proven remedy exists that can reverse the greying process. Most of the anti-grey hair products either use Fo-Ti, referring to the centuries old legend of Mr He, who recovered his original hair colour, youthful appearance and vitality thanks to this traditional Chinese medicinal herb, also known as He Shou Wu or use vitamins B (mostly PABA and folic acid) as their main active ingredients, since some forms of premature greying are said to be caused by vitamin B deficiency. However, such products are ineffective for the majority of grey hair sufferers.
Thus, the only option for treating premature gray hair that seems to deliver guaranteed results is to cover grey hair. Women use various types of permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair dyes but men usually prefer a subtle and less noticeable change in their hair color that does not cover all their gray. Such products are usually called progressive hair colorants. It is obvious that none of these products can make the dead cells produce pigmented hair and thus they must be used continuously to cover the gray of fresh hair. Although there are some natural hair dyes that claim to effectively cover your gray hair, the products that really work well all use certain chemical substances. When deciding about hair dyes or progressive hair colorants, you should always consider the potential health risks, as most of them contain chemicals that can cause poisoning if used inappropriately or can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should always use a patch test before applying any such product and follow the application guidelines in order to minimise exposure to aggressive chemical substances.
