EUK-134 and possible grey hair reversal properties - discussion

[asgeo]

Hi everyone, first post here! :)

I am a 28 y.o. male and have about 20% greys. I have had premature greys ever since 10th grade.
I have been looking up for ways to reverse grey hair and science has come down to one key issue that is in common to greying processes - oxidative damage:
"With ageing, the bulbar melanocyte expression of anti-oxidant proteins such as BCL-2, and possibly TRP-2, is reduced, and the dedicated enzymatic anti-oxidant defence system throughout the follicle weakens, resulting in enhanced oxidative stress. A marked reduction in catalase expression and activity results in millimolar accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, contributing to bulbar melanocyte malfunction and death."


I have been looking online for various grey hair remedies and absolutely randomly found a compound called EUK-134.
It appears to be a mimetic of superoxide dismutase and catalase.
Please find the description of the substance from a skincare website offering a cheap high-concentration of the EUK-134:
EUK-134™ is a mimetic of superoxide dismutase and catalase, forming an exceptionally rare self-regenerating molecule that scavenges superoxide free radicals, eliminates hydrogen peroxide and converts reactive oxygen species into water and oxygen. While it has been around for many years, very few products on the market do use this truly superb antioxidant which can regenerate itself to offer round-the-clock antioxidant support.
Note: this is marketed as a skin antioxidant, but on paper it seems to have all needed qualities to stop oxidative stress and maybe help with reversing gray hairs? Lets have a discussion, what are your thoughts on this? I have searched the web and it's not very popular in the context of grey hair reversal, however I found the patent of the company that manufactures it (it was in german) and translated it and in there it was mentioned to have grey-reversing properties.


Here is a link to the patent. Keep in mind that it is auto translated from German.
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2011079971A2/en


Just search for "grAy" and notice all the mentions about grey hair reversal.

So what are your opinions on this subject? Let's have a discussion.

Best regards,
A.

[lapushka]

I would not put much trust in something like that. If you have been going gray since 10th grade... that's a long time already. And gray can absolutely be beautiful, even coveted. Some want to reach that hair color.

I regularly watch a YT'er, Melanie from MrKongsMom, and she's totally gray, age 40:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrKongsMom

[AutobotsAttack]

Definitely worth a shot!

From what I understand oxidation does disrupt the regular melanin deposition into the hair while in its growth phase from the follicle. I’m not sure how long it would take, and I’m not sure it would allow every last grey strand to eventually keep up the process of producing melanin to keep the keep pigment.

Maybe patch test it first? Does the product have a time frame for it? That would be a bit helpful.

I’d also just make sure your diet and exercise is on point. A lot of the natural hair functions we have, are very heavily influenced by our body’s metabolism and diet.

[SleepyTangles]

Hello asgeo!
I´ve grown up reading books and comics full of silver haired heros/anti-heros/villains/maidens, so for me grey is just another color option. And very versatile, too.
I know that many people feel differently, and I respect that. But if your blood work is ok, if you are healthy, I won´t introduce in my body some molecules without asking my doctor for advice. Graying is a natural process, the supplement is not ;)

Sorry - I had been hasty. I tought this EUK-134 is a supplement to be taken orally. If it´s an external product, then it´s probably not a big deal. As lapushka, I´m not sure it will work, but if its reasonably priced you can try, strand-test for safety.

[Suortuva]

At the moment I'm using The Ordinary's EUK-134 to my face, so it's probably not a big deal to extend that for scalp too. If you try, it would be nice to hear how it's going.

[Kalamazoo]

There are some natural products advertised as helping with premature gray, like wooden combs (particularly those made of neem or sandalwood), neem (oil, leaf, etc.), amla, etc. Black castor oil would also help. And of course, there's black walnut hull extract, although that would probably be clasified as a natural dye, rather than merely reversing premature gray.

I use all of those items regularly. I like having my hair look natural (instead of all a solid color, like dyes tend to do), & I'm not aware of any white or gray hairs right now, although I noticed my first at age 20, 43 years ago...

Caboki sometimes helps me out, too.

This is the first I've heard of EUK-134, so I don't know anything about it.

My natural hair color is blondette.

And, WELCOME TO LHC! :joy:

[cjk]

By any chance do you eat a majority-vegetable diet? Or heavily processed foods?

For those with whom it agrees, dietary changes like keto or carnivore can have unintended effects. My own gray sideburns got much of their color back, for instance, when I started eating keto.

Is this EUK stuff topical, or do you ingest it as a supplement? I know nothing of it.

[Sparkles122]

By any chance do you eat a majority-vegetable diet? Or heavily processed foods?

For those with whom it agrees, dietary changes like keto or carnivore can have unintended effects. My own gray sideburns got much of their color back, for instance, when I started eating keto.

Is this EUK stuff topical, or do you ingest it as a supplement? I know nothing of it.

Im probably going to sound like a complete idiot, but can you tell me what Keto is?

[asgeo]

I exercise 5-6 times a week and eat a very balanced diet - a lot of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish eggs, healthy fats etc. EUK 134 is applied topically. It is a skin antioxidant. Maybe I will order it from The Ordinary as they have it in a very high concentration and will do a patch test with photos under the same light and see if any results will be made.

[Kalamazoo]

According to Mary Ann Crenshaw: The Natural Way to Super Beauty, (c) 1974, p. 176:

"B vitamins, it is claimed by both hair experts and nutritionists alike, are the ones that can change your hair from white to color again. Sounds phenomenal, all right, and it is. So phenomenal that we're going to give it a chapter all its own, next.

"Gray, Gray, Go Away!"

So that means one can either take Vitamin B pills, OR one can :google: "vitamin B foods"

and find webpages like https://www.livestrong.com/article/22253-foods-high-b-vitamins/

which lists good food sources of B. Then, just eat anything from that list that sounds good to you.

[cjk]

Im probably going to sound like a complete idiot, but can you tell me what Keto is?

Keto is shorthand for ketogenic diet. The Atkins diet is a ketogenic diet but certainly not the only way to do it. Basically you track 3 macronutrients; protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You keep your carb intake super-low.

It doesn't happen for everybody. Everybody is different. But the return of hair color is not that uncommon. Some people go the other way, hair sheds are not uncommon either.

[cjk]

EUK 134 is applied topically. It is a skin antioxidant. Maybe I will order it from The Ordinary as they have it in a very high concentration and will do a patch test with photos under the same light and see if any results will be made.

My thinking goes like this. Hair is not alive. The follicles are alive, but the hair itself is not. Same basic stuff as our fingernails.

Gray hair, and particularly white hair, lacks pigment. That's why it doesn't have color, the color-stuff is missing. Unless you apply color to the already white hairs, I expect them to remain white.

If, however, you can get the follicles to start growing pigmented hair, then your color would be there again. In new growth.

That's why I asked. Rubbing a cream on your hair shouldn't turn it back to your original color. But if it goes INTO your body, whether by swallowing a pill or even just rubbing it on the skin topically, then maybe it can kick-start the pigments, again.

I look forward to your updates, I want to see if this works for you. You've obviously done your homework, now let's see if theory translates into reality.

Be sure to document!

[SleepyTangles]

By any chance do you eat a majority-vegetable diet? Or heavily processed foods?

For those with whom it agrees, dietary changes like keto or carnivore can have unintended effects. My own gray sideburns got much of their color back, for instance, when I started eating keto.

Is this EUK stuff topical, or do you ingest it as a supplement? I know nothing of it.

Funny cjk: when I was 16, I was moderately anemic due to an iron deficiency. I got my first grays in that period, but I never connected the two things. Yet, when my anemia was solved (both by supplements/medical help and more red meat in my diet), all these grays disappeared. Like they never grew back or the suddenly regained their color.
My new grays have started coming in just a year ago, and that´s in line with my family general graying patterns. No health issues involved this time, it seems.

asgeo, I wish you luck with the product, hope it works for you. How is the graying pattern in your family? There are a lot of young silver-haired people?

[iforgotmylogin]

I wouldn't be surprised if hair follicles aren't completely resistant to penetration from topical things, it may in fact be aided by capillary action

[asgeo]

I am talking about applying it topically on the scalp, not just wetting my hair with it. I will order it and give it a try, let's see what happens, in theory it should work... :)

[lapushka]

Don't be too disappointed if it doesn't, though. And keep us posted. With some pictures. Maybe take some before and afters?

[*Wednesday*]

If you are 28yrs old and 20% grey since the 10th grade (15yrs of age?) seems more genetic than the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide which is more related to extrinsic factors. How do you know your greying is from this and not purely from a genetic standpoint or hormonal?

From an external standpoint (Extrinsic factors) is more chemical buildup in the hair shaft (toxins, pollutions etc.) which can affect hair color. Elimination of toxins may help. Internal standpoint (Intrinsic factor)….Diet, age, genetics, hormones. When the hair is forming in the follicle melanocytes inject pigment into the cells/Keratin. This is what gives us our hair color. Melanocyte stem cell production depends on internal factors. Pigment is a transfer to the hair’s cell or keratin.

I’m often a skeptic but give it a try and see if it works. What many people don’t consider is the stress in their life and the amount of sleep they receive. High stress, lack of sleep and age releases Cortisol or keeps it elevated. High release of cortisol can reduce collagen production, thrust the hair into the rest mode, cause premature greying. Cortisol is lowest when you are sleeping. There is truth to getting your “beauty sleep.” The body repairs and regenerates itself while you sleep. Maybe have your cortisol levels checked.

[sidhartha2004]

I started going grey 7 years ago , at first I freaked out a lot and started eating healthy , regular oiling and taking less stress but no matter what I do they just keeps growing ... slowly I got used to them and just became part of my natural look . only thing we can do is stop worrying about it and take it easy.