Is there a way to slow down the graying process?

[LadyCelestina]

Just curious as I'm getting a few grey hairs :shrug: and while I would embrace silvery hair,I'm not quite ready for the ashy look the hair develops when the greys are multiplying but the original colour is still more prominent.Also I am growing out dye and want to enjoy my hair it's current natural colour for a while.

[lapushka]

Get yourself a mirror. Can you see them from a normal distance? If no, then don't worry about it. A "few" grays? I'm sure 99% of your hair is still all color. How can it look ashy in that case?

[momschicklets]

I really don't think you can slow down the graying process....if you figure it out please PM me! :D I use a demi-dye on my hair to cover grays. It is a lot less damaging than a permanent color, although there is still *some* damage I'm sure. If you're really not ready to embrace the gray, a demi is a good place to start.

[hendy]

Well L'oreal claim to have it solved:
http://viewthevibe.com/loreals-pill-cure-gray-hair-will-change-everything/

but this product is not even on the market and I guess nobody can tell yet how effective it is...


I am interested in this topic myself, as I don't like the white in my naturally dark hair and I don't want to dye it every couple of weeks...
what I am currently doing is:
1. ad some lighter highlights - they blend the white and I do them twice a year
2. remove the white hairs that are visible in my part (I wouldn't recommend this, as it might lead to follicle damage, but I just can't stand them so I just do it)
3. I take some supplements that claim to have ingredient to help prevent/reverse gray hair, among other vitamins that are said to be good for hair. I have been taking them for the last 6 months and honestly, I cannot say that they really work to reverse gray. I saw some white hairs with black roots when I plucked my partline, but only 1 in every 20-30 is like that. I cannot say if they slow down the graying either, simply no way for me to accurately measure this. I keep taking them because the overall health and growth rate of my hair has improved, so why not...

I will probably try the L'oreal product as it comes out on the market, because it is going to be better researched than the ones I am currently taking...

[Savvyhorsez]

The less stress you have in your life and good genes are about all I think could slow it down. I've been trying to embrace mine, I started going grey at 14, I won't dye, and my hair is too thin to pluck out any strands. Good luck to you!

[Nanna]

My SO has some white hairs in his whiskers and when he was gluten-free for some months the white hairs developed dark roots. It was quite funny looking, but sadly he is now eating gluten again and the effect disappeared. So at least for some people eliminating gluten helps, though it is quite a radical change of life just for hair colour...

[Baby_doll]

The first thing is something I READ I have no clue if it works or doesn't its just something I read, but APPERINTLY taking b5 or pantholic acid can slow the graying process. A word of warning NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES take above 200% of your daily recommendation of any vitamin, especially vitamin A, E, or D. (You don't want to go over 100% of these for long periods of time, of course it's okay if your eating a ton of foods with A and take a multivitamin with it too sometimes, just not everyday, taking too much can cause sever health problems. I can't stess this enough! Your overal diet will effect your graying also, make your not eating a ton of junk and getting that work out in when u can. Also try not to get stressed, stay as calm and collected as you can, and get enough sleep, also if graying early runs in your family, your just gonna have to deal. Also many people believe that dying causes even more grays. (Sorry if I misspelled anything, typing on this iPod is a pain in the butt)

[Madora]

For safety's sake, consult your physician and ask him to test you for any vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Sometimes premature grey hair can be attributed to lack of a certain something...but only your doctor can verify that.

[Addy]

I wish I could speed my greying up! lol

[nakima]

folic acid is suppose to help slow the process. They say people who are deficient gray earlier than most but I would consult with my Dr.

[LauraLongLocks]

Hmmm... well, I am 38 years old and when I was 32 years old, two gray hairs were found on my head. I have yet to find any others, and honestly could not find the existing two gray hairs if I searched for hours. I don't know how to slow it down. I just got lucky with genetics. My mom is 68 years old and mostly still has dark brunette hair.

[DarleneH]

I've heard that eating a spoonful of blackstrap molasses every day will help. I got some and rush out of the house most mornings without thinking about it, so I'm not a good lab rat for this. ;) I posted about it in one of our other forums and need to go check if anyone else has responded since I haven't in a while...

[Jadestorm]

I know that amla and kesham are supposed to prevent premature greying, but I'm starting to get grey hairs and I use both! So I guess it doesnt't work OR I don't use them frequently enough OR I would be a lot more grey by now if I didn't use them. Who knows? LOL.

[redeyedtreefr0g]

I HAVE SPARKLIES!!! I love them.
For a time when I noticed the first few, my husband would joke about wanting to wait until I was asleep and yanking them out. After a while there were so many the joke was no longer funny :P

Now, he's 27 and I turn 30 in a few days. He actually has a few sparklies in his chest hair! And in his mustache! We both noticed on the same day after he buzzed the length down that he may be following in his maternal male relative's footsteps- his hairline seems like it is starting to recede at the sides of his forehead. His grandfather and uncles went mostly bald from forehead to top of head. His father still has a fluffy head of fabulous (now mostly silver) hair. I've read that dominant hair genes are usually passed down from mothers.

The cure for grays I've ever heard of is dye. Sorry, I'm no help.

[MINAKO]

ö
Well L'oreal claim to have it solved:
http://viewthevibe.com/loreals-pill-cure-gray-hair-will-change-everything/

but this product is not even on the market and I guess nobody can tell yet how effective it is...


I am interested in this topic myself, as I don't like the white in my naturally dark hair and I don't want to dye it every couple of weeks...
what I am currently doing is:
1. ad some lighter highlights - they blend the white and I do them twice a year
2. remove the white hairs that are visible in my part (I wouldn't recommend this, as it might lead to follicle damage, but I just can't stand them so I just do it)
3. I take some supplements that claim to have ingredient to help prevent/reverse gray hair, among other vitamins that are said to be good for hair. I have been taking them for the last 6 months and honestly, I cannot say that they really work to reverse gray. I saw some white hairs with black roots when I plucked my partline, but only 1 in every 20-30 is like that. I cannot say if they slow down the graying either, simply no way for me to accurately measure this. I keep taking them because the overall health and growth rate of my hair has improved, so why not...

I will probably try the L'oreal product as it comes out on the market, because it is going to be better researched than the ones I am currently taking...

L'oreal claims this since 2007, its not happening, lol, even if they could nail to develop a pill, it would be copied for cheap in no time an that would destroy a huge market.

[meteor]

My understanding is that the process is driven by genes, but your best bet is still probably just to stay healthy and avoid developing any dietary deficiencies... There are lots of herbs in traditional medicine that claim to somehow slow down the greying process, but no scientific research that I could find, unfortunately, so I wouldn't trust those claims. (If somebody finds something, please do share! :) )

I found this article (http://www.hair-science.com/_int/_en/topic/topic_sousrub.aspx?tc=ROOT-HAIR-SCIENCE^AMAZINGLY-NATURAL^GREY-HAIR&) on this subject interesting. It looks like some dietary supplements are being tested right now to prevent greying, for example this one by L'Oreal: http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/02/28/a-pill-to-prevent-gray-hair-is-it-finally-on-the-way/, however, L'Oreal claims that it has to be taken many years (10 years!) in advance, before the greying process even begins.
"Researchers at the University of Bradford in the UK demonstrated how over time, accumulated oxidative stress leads to the overproduction of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicles. In other words, the hair begins to bleach itself from the inside out. The buildup of hydrogen peroxide begins to block the production of melanin, the pigment that gives hair its blonde, red or brown color. Underlying this process is a series of complex chemical mechanisms involving the effects of oxidative stress and follicle damage on key enzymes. One is catalase, which is supposed to break up the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen so the body can eliminate it. But catalase levels drop as we age, allowing hydrogen peroxide to accumulate unchecked."
Research (The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology): Senile hair graying: H2O2-mediated oxidative stress affects human hair color by blunting methionine sulfoxide repair - http://www.fasebj.org/content/23/7/2065.abstract
Quick article on this (Science Daily): Why Hair Turns Gray Is No Longer A Gray Area: Our Hair Bleaches Itself As We Grow Older - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223131123.htm
It looks like we still don't completely understand some details of the greying process yet, but with more research, some solutions are being developed for those who want to keep their hair from greying? Probably way more to come! ;)

[Swan Maiden]

What exactly is considered premature graying? I am 31 and have noticed in the last few months my temples have sprinklings of bright white hair. I also have a white rogue stripe that I noticed around 22 years old ( I was deployed then so it may have been from stress, ir a birthmark I have never noticed)

I personally love my white hairs, I am ashy blonde so its not very noticable.

[meteor]

L'oreal claims this since 2007, its not happening, lol, even if they could nail to develop a pill, it would be copied for cheap in no time an that would destroy a huge market.

For sure! They claimed the product would come out in 2015, and usually companies are late when they make claims like that many years ahead...

However, I'm really happy that they are beginning to understand the process of greying, because that's the only way any solutions (for those who want to delay it) can ever be created.
I do want to know what that mysterious fruit extract in L’Oreal’s product is... it's supposed to to somehow boost levels of catalase, MSR A and B, and tyrosinase, which are supposedly necessary to break up the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen so the body can eliminate it and melanin production can go on undisturbed.
And yes, if it's successful, I believe there will be a huge supplement market with copycats of the original product...

[DarleneH]

this article mentions copper in shiitake mushrooms helping with grey:
https://www.yahoo.com/health/7-foods-that-make-you-look-younger-111397640493.html

That lines up with the mention of copper in molasses I posted in another thread about grey hair.

[MsVenus]

I have heard that a fenugreek seed paste is good for that.

[Arctic]

I have read copper supplements can help, but they should not be taken lightly if one doesn't have a deficiency. Copper can be dangerous in too large quantities, apparently.