Possibilities of Treating Premature Grey Hair

Premature grey hair is often associated with excessive stress, unhealthy diet, vitamin B deficiency and smoking. The fact is, however, that the number one cause for premature greying hair is genetics. The pigment that determines the colour of your hair is produced by special cells at the root of your hair called melanocytes. It is the lifespan of melanocytes that determines the onset of the greying process. Once these cells die, the hair turns white.

There is no substantial difference between a premature and a normal age-related greying process. It is by virtue of nature that some people will experience their first grey in their teens and turn completely white in their thirties, while others will keep their original hair colour for many decades. If more than 50% of a person's hair is white by the age of 40, it is considered premature.

There are many commercial products out there that claim to be able to rejuvenate the dead pigment-producing cells and reverse grey hair. Such claims, however, are largely unsubstantiated. The sad truth is that at this point in time no remedy exists that can reverse the greying process. Most of the anti-grey hair products either use Fo-Ti, referring to the centuries old legend of Mr He, who recovered his original hair colour, vitality and youthful appearance thanks to this traditional Chinese medicinal herb, also known as He Shou Wu or use vitamins B (mostly PABA and folic acid) as their main active ingredients, since some forms of premature greying are said to be caused by vitamin B deficiency (read more about substances used in grey hair cures: ). However, such products are ineffective for the majority of grey hair sufferers.

Therefore, the only option for treating grey hair that seems to deliver noticeable results is camouflage. Women use various types of permanent, semi-permanent and demi-permanent hair dyes but men usually prefer a subtle and gradual change in their hair colour that does not cover all their grey. Such products are usually called progressive hair colorants. It is obvious that none of these products can make the dead cells produce pigmented hair and thus they must be used continuously to cover the grey of fresh hair. Although there are some natural hair dyes that claim to effectively cover your grey hair, the products that really work well all use certain chemical substances. When deciding about hair dyes or progressive hair colorants, you should always consider the potential health risks, as most of them contain substances that can cause poisoning if used inappropriately or can lead to severe allergic reactions. You should use a patch test before applying any such product and follow the application guidelines in order to minimise exposure to aggressive substances.