The Best Proven Ways To Reverse Gray Hair Naturally (inside & out)

There are quite a few classic and, shall we say, sometimes stinky recipes out there on how to reverse gray hair naturally. I will totally share the best ones with you at the end of this post.

However, the best bet is always on rejuvenating the biological processes that trigger gray hair in the first place.

Now, I have a childhood friend who started getting gray hairs when she was still in her mid-twenties. She’s in her thirties now and that initial handful has grown to a crown-like gray headdress that she’s refusing to color anymore and is displaying proudly.

My father also started graying very young and I almost have no memory of him with dark hair. I have three or four myself randomly spread out.  I’ll never forget that disheartening punch to the gut when I first noticed one on the top of my head.

I think most people would agree that seeing your first gray hair pop up can be almost traumatizing, especially if you still consider yourself “too young” – which I think most people do, no matter how old they get.

There are many ways to try and delay the onset of gray hair or even to reverse gray hair naturally. Bellow I will explain a bit about the science behind hair graying and I will follow that with lifestyle steps you can take to slow that process down.

At the end I will also share some of the most effective DIY recipes to reverse gray hair naturally, for you to try.

What Turns Hair Gray

The reasons are as vast as genetic expression, of course exposure to toxins that might affect that genetic expression, age, lifestyle choices, diet, and basically God knows.

Science explains graying hair mainly in two ways:

• Pigment cells called melanocytes that stop being produced and injecting as much pigment (melanin) into your hair follicles with age
• And, more recently, as a buildup of hydrogen peroxide in hair follicles that basically bleaches the hair from the inside. This is caused by a slowing down of the production of an enzyme called catalase that breaks down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. This hydrogen peroxide buildup happens in your whole body, by the way, so it’s a form of oxidative stress. (1) (2)

The catalase enzyme is a very potent antioxidant the body produces. There is another vital one produced by the liver, called glutathione peroxidase that influences all oxidative processes (oxidation) as we age, including the graying of hair.

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The No. 1 Way to Reverse Gray Hair Naturally

The most powerful tool against graying hair is to keep our antioxidant levels high and optimal – in particular catalase and glutathione.

At the same time, you also need to reduce toxic lifestyle choices that only speed up the oxidation process. We all know them by wrote, so I won’t waste too much time banging on against them – smoking, chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle, eating processed foods and too much sugar.

Another thing to check for is any nutritional deficiencies. Insufficient protein, as well as iron and copper deficiencies have all been linked to the premature graying of hair (*). A lot of people are taking very high doses of Zinc lately and that can interfere with iron absorption, for instance.

Like always, when starting to make changes to your diet and lifestyle it’s important to have patience while waiting for results (which absolutely blows!), but the body has its cycles. You need to give it a few months because that’s how long it will take for you to clearly see new hair growth.

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REVERSE GRAY HAIR NATURALLY
– Lifestyle Choices

1 – Foods

In order to reverse gray hair naturally, we need to get more catalase and glutathione coursing through our bodies. So, how do we do that? Let’s take the catalase first.

→ You can increase your catalase levels in two ways:

Leveling up on your general antioxidants:

• Ashwagandha (5)
• Green tea
• Curcumin
• Saw palmetto
• Vitamin E
• A variety of fruits and vegetables

Increasing the intake of catalase-rich foods:

• Broccoli, kale, cucumbers, radishes, and celery
• Onions (some of the highest levels of catalase)
• Avocado
• Potatoes (especially sweet potatoes)

→ As for the glutathione, there are no foods that are naturally high in it, but there are foods and supplements you can take to help the body produce more. These are:

• Whey protein (6)
• Sulfur-rich foods (cruciferous vegetables, radish, arugula, onion, turnip) (7)
• Foods high in folic acid (chickpeas, liver, pinto beans, lentils, spinach, asparagus, avocado)
• Foods high in selenium (brazil nuts, halibut, sardines, beef, beef liver, turkey, chicken, egg, spinach)
• Foods high in vitamin C (sauerkraut, oranges, red pepper, kale, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, strawberries (8)
• Foods high in vitamin E (almonds, spinach, sweet potato, avocado, sunflower seeds, olive oil (9)
• Milk thistle

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2 – Digestion

It goes without saying that in order to properly absorb all the benefits of those nutrient-dense foods, the gut microbiome needs to be as balanced and healthy as possible.

It is a well-established fact by now that gut issues will degrade your overall health, by messing with the proper nutrition of the body and interfering with its immunity, energy, and metabolism. (10)

Finding ways to minimize stress, adding probiotic foods (i.e., fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi, proper yogurt and kéfir) to your diet and eliminating inflammatory foods are excellent steps towards an optimized gut health.

Among the most inflammatory foods (11) to avoid:

• processed and artificial sugars
• trans fats
• many vegetable and seed oils (especially corn, sunflower and soybean) that are high in omega-6. Olive oil and flaxseed oil are exceptions, as they are high in omega-3 (an anti-inflammatory)
• refined carbohydrates
• excess alcohol
• processed meat and fried foods

These have been repeatedly confirmed by science to elevate inflammation and contribute to premature aging.

Other foods like dairy and gluten-containing grains have conflicting data. Generally speaking, if you have any kind of sensitivity or intolerance to them you should avoid them, as they will cause an inflammatory response in your body.

Nevertheless, even if you are able to tolerate these foods well, you should probably not base your diet around them, if you want to reduce inflammation and reverse gray hair naturally.

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3 – Exercise

Another great way you can increase your glutathione levels is simply to exercise regularly.

This is sound advice all-round for just about every ailment (physical, mental, and emotional) under the sun. However, as it turns out exercise also boosts your glutathione levels, along with your general antioxidant levels, that keep our bodies running smoothly. (12)

It has a role in DNA repair, reducing oxidative stress in the body, slowing down the aging process, and helping to fight off diseases. (13) ) (14)

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REVERSE GRAY HAIR NATURALLY – Natural Remedies

Now, part of the fun of homemade remedies is all the weird and sometimes messy, and (quite possibly) fowl smelling concoctions, you begrudgingly are willing to try, only to be absolutely blown away when one or two of the things ACTUALLY works!!

And of course, something as inevitable (and exasperating) as graying hair has a few doozies as well!

Below are 4 of the most effective homemade recipes to reverse gray hair naturally.

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1 – Onion juice scalp massages

The high sulfur content mentioned earlier is amazing topically as well. Not just for bringing the color back to your hair, but also in helping it grow stronger if you’re going through a thinning phase. (15)

how to:

Get hold of an onion, cut it up and juice it, or pulp it and strain the juice.

Massage the juice onto your scalp and let it sit for at least 30-45 minutes before washing it out. You can also leave it on all night.

Repeat 3 times a week.

Note: if you’re doing mostly water only hair washing, you’ll find it’s almost impossible to get rid of the smell. Even washing with soap can sometimes leave a faint aroma that will get more intense when you exercise or get your hair wet. To minimise this just make sure to wash thoroughly and finish with a vinegar-water rinse.

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2 – Coconut oil & lemon juice massage

This one comes directly from Ayurveda, which considers premature graying a sign of unbalanced Pitta Dosha element, the fiery body element – hot, intense, acidic, pungent, and spicy.

To balance it you need to adopt lifestyle choices that are cooling to the body, like time in nature, massages, meditation, as well as cooling and sweet foods.

In Ayurveda, they advise to rub coconut oil (which is cooling and light) directly on the scalp, to help with graying and thinning (another sign of Pitta imbalance).

Science has definitely confirmed the high penetration power of coconut oil into the hair shaft, both nourishing it and protecting it from water loss and breakage. Pairing it with a couple of drops of lemon essential oil will add a nice dose of antioxidants as well. (13) (14)

how to:

You can apply coconut oil, alone or mixed with a couple of drops of lemon essential oil, directly to the scalp with a massage.

Let that sit for as long as possible, even overnight, and wash off.

Repeat once or twice a week.

3 – Tea rinses

This one is a classic. To reverse gray hair naturally, You can use chamomile if you’re a blond; hibiscus or rooibos if you’re a redhead; black tea, rosemary, or sage if you have dark hair.

how to:

Basically, you steep the herbs in hot water for a couple of hours. Let that cool down.

After washing your hair in the shower, do a final rinse with the tea.

The effect is much better if you leave it on and just let your hair dry, but some people do rinse it off after a few hours.

It’s a gradual process, meaning it will take a series of rinses over time to actually notice the full effect.

Try to do it as often as you wash your hair.

4 – Potato skins

Apparently the starches in the potato act as a natural colorant and many people swear by it as a good way to gradually darken your hair.

how to:

For this purpose, boil potato skins in a cup or two of water for about half an hour, letting it reduce a bit. Strain and let cool.

After washing your hair in the shower, apply the liquid as needed. Let it act for at least a few minutes, or put on a shower cap and let it sit for a while.

After that simply rinse off.

If the smell doesn’t appeal, you can try adding a couple of drops of an essential oil of choice to the “tea”. Keep in mind that essential oils do not diffuse (mix) well in water solutions, so shake the mixture thoroughly every time you pour out the liquid to ensure a more even distribution.

Repeat at least once a week.

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There are many more concoctions out there that might reverse gray hair naturally, but these are the ones most recommended, which is always a good sign.

In Ayurveda, there is also a lot of talk about Amla, or Indian Gooseberry, both eaten as food for its highly nutritious profile (in particular vitamin C), as well as applied to the hair as a powder to enhance growth and natural pigmentation (color).

It is not as readily available as the above options, of course, but if you want to go more exotic and don’t mind the higher price tag you can find the powder in many health food stores and online. Quite probably in Indian supermarkets as well.

What about you? Are you actively trying to reverse gray hair naturally? Do you have any success stories to share? Anything you tried that didn’t work? Let me know in the comments below.