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Grey/white hairs
Hi –I am going to turn 33 years old this year and I have been noticing every once in a while I’ll find a very thick white hair in my eyebrows – I am female by the way – They seem to just come from nowhere. I never notice them when they’re short so it’s always a shock when I see them and they’re so long. Does white hair mean a sign of premature aging? Will my hair on my scalp start going white too? And what are some things I can do to prevent my hair from turning white. I read b12 and vitamin d help. Which I already take 110,000% of b12 and 3,000 iu’s of vitamin d a day. I also do infrared light on my face 10 mins/5 days a week and 15 mins/4 days a week on my scalp .
Thank you.
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7 Replies
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Hi – from a nutrition standpoint, hair depigmentation can indicate a need for more copper, zinc, B12, biotin, and protein.
Do you consume organ meat like chicken liver for example? You’ll find all of these nutrients in organs.
Have you had these specific nutrients checked before?
Do you have signs of low stomach acid? We need stomach acid to break down our protein.
Let me know.
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Hey ,
There are a lot of reasons why hair can turn grey. Unfortunately, there is a genetic component here as well. An indication of if you are getting grey premature is by looking at how old your parents became grey.
Although there is a genetic component to it, lifestyle factors can influence becoming grey as well. Melanocytes in the hair produce melanin which gives hair its color. These melanocytes are cells and just like every cell in the body they produce waste products and free radicals. One of those products is hydrogen peroxide – the same stuff that is used to bleach hair.
Normally hydrogen peroxide gets neutralised by an enzyme that protects cells from free radical damage that is called catalase. When we get older our melanocytes’ ability to produce catalase goes down and the hydrogen peroxide bleaches our hair from the inside out turning it grey.
When the body experiences more oxidative stress and inflammation the enzyme catalase gets busier and hydrogen peroxide can do more damage.
The nutrients Bernadette mentioned are important. Here are some other things you can do.
• Vitamin D – most people are deficient. If you don’t know if you are deficient, I would recommend testing your levels and bringing serum vitamin D levels into the ideal range. Here is a handout that can guide you if you like to know more about vitamin D. Vitamin D regulates a lot of the genes that are necessary to reduce inflammation. It is also involved in calcium metabolism and also calcium plays a role in hair health.
• Adding in Omega 3s helps to reduce inflammation as well. I usually recommend my clients a maintenance dose of 1000 mg EPA + DHA. If you are experiencing symptoms that are related to inflammation, I usually recommend higher dosages (usually between 2000 and 4000 mg)
• If you have autoimmune issues, this can be a source of inflammation as well. Autoimmune diseases can lead to becoming grey early for this reason.
• A lot of B vitamins are involved in hair health. Folate and B12 keep red blood cells healthy which transport oxygen to hair follicles. Vitamin B5 and B6 play an important role in healthy hair as well. Basic B is a B vitamin supplement from Thorne with all the B vitamins in the bioavailable form – just click here.
• Another supplement I could recommend is this one from Pure Encapsulations called Hair/Skin/Nails Ultra. It has a combination of nutrients that is mentioned by Bernadette. Just be aware that I wouldn’t combine it with Basic B from Thorne. It is the one or the other – not both. Hair/Skin/Nails Ultra has also 30mg of zinc in it. If you are using other supplements containing zinc, I wouldn’t recommend this product either since you might risk getting too much zinc in your diet.
• Remove foods that are inflammatory as well as possible. If you are lactose intolerant, have food sensitivities or are allergic to foods, I would avoid them. If you have symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation or diarhea after certain foods, avoid these.I hope these tips will help you!
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does the red light therapy do anything to reverse or slow the process, do you think?
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I tried to find some research on this but couldn’t find anything. Most of the research was on red light helping hair growth and thickness.
So I also reached out to BioLight to see if they have any information about this. Will get back to you as soon as I hear back.
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great! Thank you! Fingers crossed for good news!
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so they’ve given me a half answer so far. They said: “Red light therapy can help this process by helping the body produce more melanin to reverse or prevent further greying hair. The red light helps to stimulate blood circulation and oxygen flow to the root of your hair follicles.”
But they did not provide a study like I had asked, so I’m still waiting to hear back with some science to back that up. I’ll keep you posted.
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Here was their latest reply:
Red light therapy works by promoting cellular health through targeting mitochondria, which is why it can work as a “regulator” for certain health issues, as it promotes healthy cells!
https://scientificliterature.org/Dermatology/Dermatology-18-123.pdf
In this study, we can see that photobiomodulation drove the activation of hair follicle stem cells and alleviated hair follicle atrophy caused by aging: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34019818/
[Image]
So in plain English, what they’re saying is that red light therapy can help with the activation of stem cells, which as you can see in the image above, helps keep hair pigmentated.There’s your good news.
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