Gray Hair Treatment

Herbs have been used in the traditional folk medicine of all nations for ages to treat premature aging conditions such as premature gray hair. Admittedly, traditional medicines have not always been effective in reversing or preventing gray hair and to this day no herbal or medicinal cure for age-related and genetically-determined graying hair exists. Nonetheless, herbal remedies have experienced a tremendous revival in popularity recently and now account for well over 50% of trade with hair care products. Their attractiveness stems mainly from the general belief that they are free from harmful side effects and can stimulate natural healing processes in the body and thus reverse medical conditions naturally.

By far the most popular herbal remedy for reversing gray hair today is Fo-Ti root. It can be found as a principal active ingredient in almost any natural gray hair product. Fo-Ti (polygonum multiflorum), is a climbing plant native to China and now widely grown also in Japan and Taiwan. In traditional Chinese medicine it has been used for thousands of years as a popular longevity tonic because of its assumed ability to counteract the body’s aging processes. In China it is well known under the local name He shou wu, which stands for "black haired Mr. He". The legend has it that an old villager, Mr. He, who lived in the 9th century A.D. took Fo-Ti and restored his black hair, youthful appearance and vitality and fathered children at the ripe age of 60. He lived to 130, maintaining his natural hair color. In addition to influencing the aging processes, Fo-Ti is credited with many other health-providing properties highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Among other things, it is also believed to extend hair growth cycles and thus it can be frequently found in many commercial hair regrowth products. As is so often the case with herbal cures, Fo-Ti has never been clinically studied as a potential gray hair treatment. There is no scientific or recent empirical evidence that it can help reverse graying hair.

PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) and folic acid are two vitamins from the group of B vitamins credited with the ability to reverse greying hair. Their presence in the body is thought to be essential to maintaining one’s original hair color and it is possible that a shortage of one of these two vitamins might lead to hair turning gray. Their extra intake can be beneficial in gray hair conditions caused by vitamin B deficiency but will not restore your original hair color in conditions caused by hereditary factors or old age. Nevertheless, these two vitamins are used in almost any commercial gray hair remedy out there.

There are many other herbal ingredients such as ginkgo biloba, eleuthero root, Asian and Siberian ginseng, gotu kola, green tea, rosemary, chamomile, horsetail, etc. that you can find in natural grey hair products, having mostly auxiliary functions, such as promoting a healthy scalp environment or providing additional nutrients to your hair follicles. Some other herbs, such as sage, can be used to add color to your hair, working as a natural hair colorant while also giving your hair more shine, which gives the impression of there being less gray hair. One traditional method of reversing graying hair, originally from India, which may sound anecdotal, is rubbing your fingernails against each other to help stimulate circulation (as nerve endings are located under the finger nails), thereby reducing the amount of gray hair.

One can conclude that no scientific proof seems to exist that any exercise or herb, vitamin, mineral or nutrient contained in the natural remedies can reverse premature or age-related graying of hair. If you decide to try any commercial herbal remedy for gray hair, keep in mind that besides there being no guarantee of its effectiveness, no daily dosage has been established and side effects might occur, despite the general belief that herbal remedies are safe and free from them.

For most females dying their hair has become a part of their monthly routine. Some men have resorted to dying their hair using regular hair dyes, too, but many others are looking for less noticeable alternatives, such as progressive hair colorants. Progressive hair colorants work stepwise by changing the hair colour for several days after they have been applied, which makes the change less noticeable and allows the user to control how much grey he/she leaves untreated. One thing that both types of products - conventional hair dyes and progressive hair colorants - have in common is that all of them contain chemicals that can be potentially harmful to their users.

Both, hair dyes and progressive hair colorants work by a chemical reaction involving the components of the colorant and the oxygen in the air. The principal difference between the two is that the chemical reaction in conventional hair dyes lasts only for a few minutes as the substance is being applied to the hair versus working slowly for several days in progressive hair colorants. The chemicals that fuel these chemical reactions are typically poisonous and can trigger allergic reactions.

P-phenylenediamine (PPD), is believed to be the leading cause of hair colour allergic reactions with ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, diaminobenzene and, to a lesser extent, also metallic compounds said to account for their fair share, too. Metallic compounds such as lead acetate or bismuth citrate are found mainly in progressive hair colorants whereas PPD, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and diaminobenzene are typical of conventional hair dyes. One of the recently applied molecules used in progressive hair colorants is 5, 6-dihydroxyindoline that is usually described as the best option amongst the chemical molecules contained in grey hair colouring products but it has also been found to cause allergic reactions.

Herbal hair dyes might appear to be a healthy alternative to traditional hair colouring products. Unfortunately, the natural hair dyes are no stranger to causing allergic reactions either and were recently found to be even more allergenic than most chemical products. Thus, when choosing hair colouring agents you should always consider the potential health risks as most of them contain substances that can cause poisoning if used carelessly and can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should always use a patch test before applying any such product and closely follow the application guidelines in order to minimise exposure to potentially harmful substances.