Causes And Herbal Remedies For Gray Hair

If you are starting to find some gray hair on your head, do not despair! Although gray hair is usually associated with old age, it is now known that this is not necessarily the case.

Today, we know that other factors influence the change in hair color. Find out more about this annoying problem in today’s article where we will explain the causes and recommend some natural aids for gray hair.

Why does the hair turn gray?

Do not let it affect you so much what you see in the mirror – do not throw yourself into telling people that now you are old and gray, that people should start calling you “grandmother”, or that you have exceeded your “last sale date”. You can choose to be a “gray fox” like many Hollywood celebrities who do not want to dye their hair, or you can choose a homemade herbal remedy to get rid of the gray hairs.

But why does our hair turn gray at all? The gray hairs occur when there is an accumulation of hydrogen peroxide. However, it is not enough to know the name of the cause of gray hair; we need to understand that this translates to the hair follicles expiring, thus eliminating the source of new hair. When hydrogen peroxide accumulates, it blocks the synthesis of melanin ; the substance that is responsible for giving the hair its color.

If you are a woman, and bleach your hair (there are of course also men who do it), you probably already know that hydrogen peroxide is one of the most important ingredients in hair dye for bleaching. But your body also produces hydrogen peroxide… even though it is good enough in very small amounts.

As we get older, the body’s content of hydrogen peroxide increases because it can no longer form the required concentration of the enzyme that breaks down and converts hydrogen peroxide into its individual constituents; hydrogen and water.

In addition, your hair cannot repair the damage that this increase in hydrogen peroxide causes because your production of the enzyme tyrosinase, which produces melanin, also decreases. While old age is a major cause of this process, it is not the only factor. Genetics can also have a lot to do with it.

Several causes of gray hair

More and more causes of hydrogen peroxide accumulation and enzyme failure are being discovered, for example:

• Hormones
• Climate
• Genetic defects
• Pollutants
• Toxins
• Exposure to certain substances

And what about the relationship between stress and the occurrence of gray hair? Your parents probably used to say that your pranks would “give them gray hair” when you were a child (or maybe you said just that to your own children). It has always been assumed that pressure, too many obligations, and of course stress can cause gray hair.

Have you ever wondered why some presidents (take Barack Obama, for example) start their term with their normal hair color and retire with completely gray hair? Although this theory is not scientifically proven, it is worth thinking about.

Stress can cause many problems in the body, both inside and out. For example, it produces neurotransmitters that can damage your DNA. This can potentially change your hair color. But you can not solely blame the stress, because there are other factors that also have a finger in the pie when it comes to  gray hair:

Genetic factors

Try to think about when your parents started getting gray hair. It probably happened around the same age as when you yourself started getting gray hair. The timing of when hair begins to turn gray is largely determined by genetics. If your ancestors got gray hair at an early age, it is more than likely that you will too.

A one-sided diet

Your diet is also important, not only for your hair, but for your entire body. It is important that you get adequate amounts of vitamin B12 to avoid getting completely gray haired before you reach 50.

Foods that contain vitamin B12 are, for example: eggs, salmon, sardines and tuna. Eating too much fried food or consuming high amounts of coffee and spices can actually also make you gray hair faster.

Unhealthy habits and emotional problems

Gray hair can also be due to bad habits such as smoking, too much alcohol and lack of exercise. Depression and extreme stress can also cause your hair to turn gray earlier. In some cases, hair can even get its “normal” color back as soon as a stressful situation is over.

Two natural aids against gray hair

If you have gray hair, you can try the following two aids at home:

Onion

You can massage your scalp with a little juice from onions to slow down the development of gray hair, according to a study conducted at the University of Bradford. One of the enzymes found in the juice of onions can break down hydrogen peroxide and prevent the accumulation of the substance in your hair follicles. Chop your onion as finely as possible and make it into a paste, or rub a sliced ​​half onion around your scalp.

Avocado

Avocados have medicinal properties thanks to their high content of fatty acids. They also contain minerals and vitamins E. Vitamin E is a great moisturizer and an antioxidant that helps prevent the development of gray hair.

These findings are based on research from the University of Los Angeles, California. Cut an avocado in half and scrape the meat out into a bowl. Mash it, apply it directly on the scalp, let it sit for 20 minutes. Then wash your hair as usual.