How to Reduce Gray Hair Through Nutrition

If you are determined to ward off the onset of graying hair, or have already begun to gray and want to cut if off at the pass, there are ways to reduce the incidence of graying--even though the condition may well be genetically based. If your parents grayed prematurely, you probably will, too. But there are methods available to you that other people have had success with in their efforts to reduce or prevent graying hair.

Things You'll Need

• Vitamins
• Wheat grass juice

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Instructions

• 1

  Rethink your diet. Make sure you are getting enough iodine and iron. If you are iron-deficient (anemic), this can exacerbate hair loss and may affect the color of your hair. Take iron supplements and/or eat iron-rich foods. Iodine is found in seafood, bananas and carrots--the latter being particularly helpful when it comes to maintaining a healthy head of hair that still has pigment (color) in it, according to Womenfitness.net.

• 2

  Note that melanin production has everything to do with the color of your hair. As we age, the melanin supply decreases, and our once-dark, red or blond hair becomes transparent because there is no longer any pigment in it. It is believed that ongoing stress can trigger the onset of gray hair, according to Worldofhair.com. Stress may well upset melanin balance and production. Eating right, coping with your stress appropriately, getting adequate amounts of sleep and taking daily supplements may ward off gray hair.

• 3

  Take a vitamin that contains the B vitamins, specifically Biotin, which is considered food for the hair. If you are deficient in the B vitamins or are short on iron, copper and/or iodine, this may exacerbate the graying of your hair.

• 4

  Realize that Vitamin B-5, which is also called pantothenic acid, may prevent premature graying of hair, according to Vitaminstohealth.com

• 5

  Avoid eating foods that contain refined sugar and flour, because it is believed that these items hasten the graying of hair, according to Home-remedies-for-you.com

• 6

  Realize that certain medical conditions--such as Grave's Disease, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's Disease and hypothyroidism--are associated with the onset of gray hair. If you think you may be suffering from any of these ailments, consult with your doctor and get treatment, if necessary.

• 7

  Stop smoking if you are a smoker. Smoking has been linked to prematurely graying hair.

• 8

  Consider using herbal remedies, but discuss this with a herbalist before proceeding. There is a Chinese herb called Fo Ti--also known as He Shou Wu--which reportedly restores color to hair, according to Add-Hair.com.

• 9

  Use sage infusions to tone and darken your gray hair. Add-Hair.com reports that sage has been used for years to cover up gray hair.

• 10

  Earthnotions.ca reports that drinking wheat grass juice will return your gray hair to its original color.