Like wisdom teeth and a smile, gray hair is something most people will enjoy for years. So if you’re feeling the money, you’re not alone: A study found that 74% of people between the ages of 45 and 65 have at least one gray hair. While some hide their grays, others turn to a tried-and-true remedy: hair dye to cover them up.
But lately, rumors have swirled that gray hair may not be permanent, along with many solutions that claim to reverse it, from hair products like shampoo to natural remedies like foods and vitamins. Whether hair can truly return to its original color is once again debatable.
First, What Causes Hair To Turn Gray?
Let’s start with how hair gets its color. “Hair color is determined by melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells in the hair follicle,” says Christine M. Shaver, MD, a dermatologist at Bernstein Medical Hair Restoration Center in New York City. “There are two types of pigment (melanin) produced by melanocytes: eumelanin, which gives hair its dark color and makes hair brown or black, and pheomelanin, which gives hair its red or yellow color.”
According to her, different types of hair color are created using different components of eumelanin and pheomelanin, which are determined by genetics. “Graying occurs when melanin production in melanocytes decreases over time,” says Dr. Shaver. “Usually, the loss of melanin causes the hair to turn white.”
“Uncolored hair can look different than naturally colored hair and is often seen in places like the front temples or around the hairline,” adds Kerry Yates, a trichologist and founder of Color Collective in Dallas, Texas. While age is the most common cause of graying hair, other factors can contribute to graying, meaning those who start seeing gray hair in their 20s and 30s, says GH Beauty Lab CEO Sabina Wiesemann. These include:
- Medical conditions: Autoimmune diseases such as vitiligo, alopecia areata, or thyroid disease can cause premature graying, says Wiesemann.
- Geneticist: “Some people may inherit genes that can lead to early and permanent graying,” Wiesemann says.
- Oxidative stress: “Our body’s natural antioxidant defenses decline with age, leading to increased oxidative stress, which causes melanocytes to weaken and produce less melanin, which contributes to hair loss,” Wiesemann explains. Regular exercise and sleep deprivation, as well as smoking, excessive stress, and alcohol consumption, all increase oxidative stress.”
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies: An absence of certain essential vitamins and minerals can also cause gray hair. “An absence of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia and neurological problems that can affect the hair follicles and reduce melanin production,” Wiesemann said. “The mineral copper is an important component of tyrosine, an enzyme involved in melanin production, so a lack of copper can lead to hair loss, and vitamin D, zinc, and iron deficiencies can also play a role. Fall is gray.”
- Stress: “Constant anxiety or a stressful period can affect the nervous system, affecting the ability of melanocytes to regenerate or produce pigment,” Wiesemann added.
Can You Stop Hair From Turning Gray?
Not at all. “It’s impossible to stop graying completely, but there are steps you can take to slow down the aging process of your hair,” says Dr. Shaver. “Since certain nutritional deficiencies can lead to premature graying, maintaining a nutritious diet can help maintain your hair color.”
Additionally, since chronic stress can lead to premature graying, it’s important to reduce daily stress and physical exposure to the hair, such as heat and harmful chemicals, she says. “Avoid smoking, which has been shown to cause premature graying, and get regular medical checkups with your doctor to screen for any underlying medical conditions that may be affecting the health of your hair and causing premature graying,” says Dr. Shaver.
Some Say That Vitamins Like B12 And Copper Can Reverse Gray Hair. True?
Despite what you may have heard (or read), vitamin supplements are not the Holy Grail for gray hair. “There is currently no scientific evidence that taking vitamins such as B12, copper, and folic acid can reverse gray hair,” said Dr. Razor. “Deficient levels of these vitamins, although rare in the typical Western diet, have been found to cause rapid graying, so if a vitamin deficiency is identified, correction may help prevent premature graying.”
Can Hair Products Like Shampoo Reverse Gray?
When it comes to shampoos, sprays, serums, and treatments that claim to restore gray hair to its original color, things are complicated. “Topical products that claim to reverse gray hair typically work by targeting one of the processes that cause hair aging and reducing the production of melanin, which causes graying,” says Dr. Shaver. “One common ingredient is antioxidants (like vitamins C and E), which can reduce oxidative stress in the follicle, which may be involved in the aging process and therefore graying.”
Additionally, she added that a buildup of hydrogen peroxide in hair follicles as we age is thought to cause hair to fade. “To prevent this, catalase can help break down hydrogen peroxide, which could theoretically reduce graying,” Dr. Shaver explained. “And some ingredients claim to increase melanin production by containing ingredients like certain peptides, which are essential for efficient melanin synthesis.” However, their effectiveness is questionable: “These methods lack sufficient scientific support because they fail to delve into the science behind their subjects or provide double-blind eye tests to prove their effectiveness,” Wiesemann said. “Instead, they rely on consumer perception studies.”
Other products claim to stimulate hair growth and combat graying. “They promise to regenerate the hair follicle, switching it from a resting phase to an active growth phase, and as a result, the hair restarts the melanin production process so that any melanin still in the follicle is regenerated,” Yates said. “I did a study on hair loss treatments where several participants had over 50% gray hair and daily use resulted in new hair growth that appeared colored, returning the overall appearance of the hair to its natural color.”
However, she noted that “the percentage of participants who achieved these results was small and did not see gray hairs that were completely stripped of color and began to produce melanin and revert to color-treated hair.” According to Wiesemann, underlying causes of gray hair, such as aging and genetics, require addressing biological factors, which hair care products cannot do.
Are There Foods Or Natural Remedies That Can Reverse Gray Hair?
Everything from coconut oil to onions and ginger is touted as a cure for gray hair. But what’s in your pantry won’t help restore your hair color. “A diet amusing in vitamins and nutrients can improve hair health and reduce premature graying, but there’s no evidence that diet can reverse the graying process,” says Dr. Shaver.
The same goes for natural remedies. “While there is some belief that some natural ingredients like cumin, black tea, black sesame, and coffee can slow down the graying process because they’re rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, and amla (Indian gooseberry) is thought to promote melanin production, the scientific evidence to support these claims is limited,” says Wiesemann. “These stories are based on anecdotal evidence and lack scientific support.”
Dr. Shaver added: “These natural remedies often contain the vitamins we mentioned above or have antioxidant properties that reduce stress and therefore aging of the hair follicles, but they do not reverse gray hair.”
The Bottom Line
If you’ve already gone gray or were born prematurely, no proven diets, vitamins, hair products, natural remedies, or other treatments can permanently reverse gray hair. “Gray regression, associated with aging and genetic factors in which melanin-producing cells are damaged, is no longer possible,” said Wiesemann. “Premature graying is related to health conditions, lifestyle (such as stress), or nutritional deficiencies. Reversal of graying is sometimes possible depending on the underlying causes.”
“There are rare cases where gray hair has been reported to reverse, situations that typically involve stopping the medications that caused the graying or treating the underlying medical condition (such as thyroid disease or alopecia areata, which is an immune attack on the hair follicle),” Dr. Shaver explained. “In these cases, hair color can be restored by addressing the underlying cause, and once the problem is addressed, the hair will gradually begin to gray at a genetically determined rate of aging.” If you suspect a medical condition may be to blame for your graying hair, see a dermatologist for an exam. Shaver recommends it.
And note that there may be a (multicolored) light at the end of the tunnel: “While there is no enduring cure for gray hair, there is promising stem cell research that focuses on controlling melanocytes and reactivating the genetic pathways for melanin production in hair, and we’ll see that become a reality in the future,” Wiesemann said. In the meantime, pair your silver highlights with hair care products designed to treat and enhance gray hair, or even dye your hair gray to ease the transition.