Table Of Content
- Can Vitamins, Supplements, and Other Remedies Reverse Gray Hair?
- Chemical hair dyes and hair products
- Spotting Silver Strands? How to Prevent Grey Hair (And Maybe even Reverse it)
- How to Donate Your Hair to Support People With Hair Loss
- Makeup can help tackle surprising gray roots
- Vitamin B-9 (folic acid)

If you’ve been grey for many years, reducing stress probably won’t have an impact on your hair color. She recommends the B Hair supplement by Hair Clinic (which can be ordered through her salon), since it also contains folic acid, biotin, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium in addition to B12 and B6. “All of these will nourish the hair root, increase density in the hair shaft, have a calming effect on your sympathetic nervous system along with boosting growth and preventing loss,” she says. Additionally, she recommends this B-Complex by Pure Encapsulations. Melanin helps protect hair against free radicals such as UV rays.
Can Vitamins, Supplements, and Other Remedies Reverse Gray Hair?
Oxidative stress causes imbalances when antioxidants are not enough to counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage cells, contributing to aging and disease. Just like you polish your silver jewelry, you do the same for your hair. "A good haircut is essential. Precision-shaping paired with deep hydration will save the day," says Marris Ambrose, color director at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa Color in New York City. "There are many options, depending on the amount of gray present and the look you're going for. Possibly paint some white streaks around the face for a stronger statement."
Chemical hair dyes and hair products
Revlon ColorSilk is free of ammonia, and Madison Reed's Radiant Color Kit, while on the pricier side, is made without ammonia, parabens, resorcinol, PPD, phthalates, and gluten. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Just remember that if a supplement or alternative treatment sounds too good to be true, then that’s probably the case.
Spotting Silver Strands? How to Prevent Grey Hair (And Maybe even Reverse it)
The silk is meant to create less friction, protecting the hair from breakage, unwanted frizz, and fly-aways. While some people celebrate gray hair as a sign of maturity and wisdom, many feel that they look older when their hair starts growing gray and would like the gray to go away for a more youthful appearance. You should address any concerns about premature grays or hair loss with a doctor.
This will ensure that color is deposited to the root and that it will be distributed evenly throughout your hair. There's no hard-and-fast rule about when (or if!) you should stop coloring your hair and go gray; it's ultimately a personal choice. When Aral did decide to go fully gray, her experience both personally and professionally — this scientist has tested a whole lot of hair dye in her years at the GH Institute!
Just because you’re going gray, doesn’t mean you have to dye it
“They may help in addressing thinning hair, and while there is no good data to support this, I have my own theories that the use of these shampoos may minimize graying hair,” he says. So, while there are no guarantees, it’s another possible option to explore — just proceed with caution if you have color-treated hair, as this ingredient can potentially strip away dye. We can’t escape the aging process, but preventing free radical damage, correcting vitamin deficiencies, and managing stress levels?
It's basically like an eye shadow (which will also work if you're in a pinch). If you've never lightened your hair before, you could find yourself in the salon for an unexpected length of time during the gray transitioning coloring process. "I spent a total of seven hours in the salon and really saw how intensive the process was," Aral explains.
Discovery: Gray Hair Gene Identified - Mayo Clinic
Discovery: Gray Hair Gene Identified.
Posted: Wed, 02 Mar 2016 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Vitamin B-9 (folic acid)
The daily vitamin B-12 recommendation for most adults is 2.4 mcg. The daily recommendation for most adults is 1.3 milligrams (mg), but older adults and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding require slightly more. However, getting enough vitamin B-5 can ensure that your body is properly converting food into energy. Dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, are prominent sources of this mineral.
Lock in Moisture

Any deficiencies of vitamin B9, B12, biotin, or vitamin D can contribute to premature graying. As for styling, if you have finer hair and want it to look bouncy and healthy, stay away from those thick serums or ultra-thick pomades or creams, because they can just make your hair look flat, and who wants that? Instead, try a light anti-frizz shine spray, to keep things locked down and smooth. Speaking from experience, during my brief foray into grayness, I swear by Alterna’s Bamboo Smooth Kendi Dry Oil Mist, which gives your hair a silky sheen without weighing it down at all.
In addition to helping to regulate thyroid function, taking an L-tyrosine supplement is thought to enhance mood and improve cognitive function, which is why James recommends it for addressing premature graying. “Taking an L-tyrosine supplement will reduce any inflammation, help reduce stress, and has been proven to help with hair loss,” she says. She recommends trying this L-tyrosine supplement from Pure Encapsulations. Getting gray hair is part of the normal aging process, and different people will experience it at different ages.
Zinc is a mineral that’s responsible for protecting your cells and DNA from invaders, which is why people often tout it as a cold remedy. The good news is that you can get vitamin B-6 from a variety of different foods, including fish, poultry, potatoes, and non-citrus fruits. If you don’t get enough vitamin B-6, you may develop symptoms like dry hair, cracked lips, and fatigue. You can’t eat keratin, per se, but ensuring that you get enough protein in your diet can allow your body to extract amino acids and turn them into keratin. You may have heard about keratin treatments for hair straightening and smoothing, but internal keratin can also affect your overall hair health.
The reality is that going gray, like aging, is natural and inevitable, and for some, it can begin earlier than you might expect. In fact, while most people begin to gray between their mid-30s and 40s, it’s possible for others to start at just 20-years-old. With the right diagnosis and treatments, white hair progression can be stopped and reversed in some instances. You also want to make sure your daily (or go-to, if you’re not a daily washer) shampoo is hydrating and full of antioxidants to keep those grays looking bright and fresh. One of our favorites is the Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo, which zaps brassiness and boosts your silver tones. Or try L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo, which gets rid of any unwanted yellow tones that can pop up in gray hair.
It's a question of how much coverage you want and how long you want it to last. "The type of dye you use depends on the amount of gray you have," says Hazan. "If 40 percent or more of your head is gray, permanent color is the best option. If it's 30 percent or less, you can use semi-permanent or vegetable dye." “A lot of women get discouraged from going gray, but the texture [grays] give you can actually make your hair routine more exciting.
Since gray hair is also dry, it's best to avoid heat when styling. Before you get too bent out of shape, though, there is a silver lining. Although gray hair can be the consequence of age, genetics, and stress, vitamins, and minerals you're not getting enough of can hasten graying.
(And it's just about as divisive as liver.) Even its British manufacturers admit that Marmite — typically spread on hot buttered toast at breakfast—is an acquired taste. But if want to fend off the grays, you may want to give it a try. According to the USDA, yeast extract tops all foods in folic acid content. One small schmear of Marmite (about 4 grams) packs a whopping 100 micrograms of folic acid, or 25% of your recommended daily allowance.
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 the white or if they prefer to try and hold back what is a natural aging process. SEEN's shampoo ($29) and conditioner ($29) both contain hemisqualane. For more moisturizing options, Leake recommends the Kerastase Blond Absolu Grey Hair Set ($150), which includes shampoo, conditioner, and heat protection designed to hydrate and protect gray hair. "Moisture is so important in protecting against breakage, and this product delivers," he says.