Can You Reverse Graying Hair? Here’s What Experts Say
We Separate Fact From Fiction When It Comes to Going Gray
You look in the mirror and notice your first silver strand. You wonder whether to pluck it. Maybe you decide you’ll dye your hair at some point. Or you already know you’ll rock the salt-and-pepper look with pride.
For some, this moment happens in their 20s. For others, it doesn’t happen until decades later. Either way, once gray hair makes its appearance, you may start to wonder whether it can be reversed.
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It turns out, it sometimes can. But it depends on a few factors, including what’s causing your hair to go gray in the first place. Here’s what medical experts have to say about the science behind graying – and how much of it is actually in your control.
What Causes Hair to Turn Gray?
Let’s break down what makes hair change color as you age. Hair color comes from melanin. It’s a natural pigment in your hair follicles, and it’s produced by cells called melanocytes. It’s what determines whether your hair is blonde, red or dark. But over time, your body stops producing as much pigment – and that’s when strands start graying.
“Graying occurs when the melanocytes no longer produce enough melanin, which causes non-melanin-containing hair strands to form, which appear colorless and white. When people age, the population of active melanocytes in the hair follicle naturally decreases,” according to Dr. Austin Shuxiao, MD, founder of Peach IV, a mobile IV company in New York City.
“Each hair follicle has a reservoir of melanocyte stem cells that can replenish the dwindling population of melanocytes, but once this reservoir is used up, the melanocytes will deplete, and hair will turn gray.”
But what about stress? We’ve all heard of someone going gray after a particularly traumatic life event. Research shows that nerves in your sympathetic nervous system, which is behind your fight-or-flight response, can affect your hair follicles. A significantly stressful event can cause the release of norepinephrine – and the depletion of pigment-inducing melanocyte stem cells. Without these stem cells, new hair turns gray.
Can You Reverse Graying Hair Naturally?
So, the big question is: Can you reverse graying hair naturally? You can potentially slow down the process if your hair is only partially gray. “It is possible to slow the graying of hair, but once the hair is completely gray, it can’t be reversed,” says Shuxiao.
When the natural reservoir of melanocyte stem cells is running low, things like stress reduction or proper nutrition can reverse the partial graying and cause the hairs to turn back to pigmented, adds Shuxiao. This effect will likely only apply to a portion of your hair though (not the strands that have already turned completely gray).
If graying is linked to a nutritional deficiency, correcting it could also help, according to NHS GP Dr. Asimah Hanif: “Deficiencies in vitamin B12, copper or iron could sometimes trigger premature graying. If your body is lacking vitamin B12 or iron, and that’s what’s causing the gray hair, then correcting the deficiency could help. But once melanocytes are permanently lost, there’s no natural way (yet) to bring them back.”
Habits that Speed Up or Slow Down Graying
Going gray is inevitable. That said, genetics play a role in how soon and fast it happens. And your lifestyle can still have an impact on the process. “Graying is invariably tied to the number of melanocytes stem cells a person begins with when they are born, but lifestyle factors may speed up or slow down the usage of these stem cells,” notes Shuxiao. “A family history of hair graying is the most significant risk factor for a person graying themselves.”
So, which habits make the biggest difference? “Smoking. Chronic stress. Poor diet. Lack of sleep. These all affect overall cell repair and body stress levels,” according to Hanif. “Alcohol also causes huge amounts of oxidative stress on the body and will lead to malabsorption of various vitamins (namely B vitamins),” adds Shuxiao.
Oxidative stress — which is part of the everyday wear and tear of being human — happens when unstable molecules build up faster than your body can handle them. Over time, that damage can mess with the cells that keep your hair pigmented. Some research has even found higher levels of hydrogen peroxide in gray hair, which may literally bleach the color out from the inside.
On the flipside, good habits can help you hold onto your color longer. Eating a nutrient-dense diet and managing your stress levels can go a long way. As for using products that claim to combat graying? Save your money. “Hair dyes and coloring shampoos are really the only way to reliably reverse graying – cosmetically and not biologically,” says Hanif.
There’s no magic fix to prevent nature from running its course. But there might be ways to turn back the clock a little bit if your hair pigment is not completely gone.
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