Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
Although this may seem like a permanent change, new research reveals that the graying process can be undone—at least temporarily. Hints that gray hairs could spontaneously regain color have existed as isolated case studies within the scientific literature for decades.
According to a research group at Columbia University if the grey hair was brought on by a stressful event it can go back to its original hair color if that stress is removed from the person's life.
Graying reversal won't work for everyone
If strands are about to go gray anyway — perhaps near middle age — a stressful event might push hair cells past that threshold earlier, the study noted. Then when the stress ends and the hair is just above the threshold, it could revert back to dark.
It turns out that, among people who are nutrient deficient, supplementing with vitamin B-5, high-dose para-aminobenzoic acid, iron, or vitamin B-12 might help reverse gray hair.
Vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin production. Goddard says that vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, has been found to trigger the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that boost the metabolism of the hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.
Vitamin D
When there isn't enough vitamin D in your body your hair may turn grey or white. One study published in The International Journal of Trichology found that children who experienced premature hair greying had low vitamin D levels.
Since baking soda is a scrubbing agent, washing your hair with it can gradually strip the dye from your locks. Baking soda can lighten all hair colors, but it might take a few washes to get your hair to the desired color.
Stress can cause hair to gray prematurely by affecting the stem cells that are responsible for regenerating hair pigment.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and African-Americans in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
Does gray hair from stress go away? Research from 2020 suggests that graying hair is a permanent effect of stress. Once the melanocyte stem cells are lost, you can't regenerate pigments anymore.
“Plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place because there is only one hair that is able to grow per follicle. Your surrounding hairs will not turn white until their own follicles' pigment cells die.” Dr.
Permanent hair color can either lighten or darken and can last up to 8 weeks, although it may require touching up at the roots as your natural color grows in. Permanent color is the best way to achieve full coverage of gray hair, and it's more a matter of growing it out rather than washing it out.
After many washes, the silvery hues will begin to fade to its original colour, which is a very light blonde. This will always be the case no matter what hair dyes that you have employed, regardless of whether it was permanent or semi-permanent.
On occasion, gray hairs can be a sign of illness, such as thyroid disease or alopecia areata (a common autoimmune disorder). If you have other tell-tale signs, such as balding patches, let your healthcare provider know. However, don't panic — these are rare and little cause for concern.
Does lack of sleep send my hair grey or white? Lack of sleep can have a negative effect on many aspects of the body, not only can it lead to tiredness and lack of concentration, but longer term effects such as your immune system and stress. Stress has been proven to cause grey hair as mentioned above.
Gray hair is one of the universal signs of advanced age. More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not.
There are no treatments that are proven to treat (or reverse) gray hair. As researchers learn more about how the graying process happens, they may develop effective medications and treatments for gray hair.
Citric acid can whiten fabrics, and it's sometimes included in skin care products to help lighten dark spots. It's this ingredient that gradually whitens hair, making it appear lighter in color. Using lemon juice alone, however, doesn't lighten your hair.
Eating vitamin C–rich foods like citrus, berries, and leafy green vegetables may optimize melanin production. Taking a vitamin C supplement may help as well. Shop for vitamin C.