Vitamins and a change in lifestyle can help stop gray hair from returning.
While gray hair is normally associated with aging, those gray strands may be an indication of unhealthy habits or a lack of vitamins in your diet. According to Susan Craig Scott and Karen W. Bressler, authors of "The Hair Bible," premature graying can be caused by smoking as well as a vitamin B12 deficiency. A deficiency occurs when you're not getting enough B12 in your daily diet or high stress levels are depleting B12 in your body, but can be stopped with a proper, balanced diet.
Instructions
1. Stop smoking. According to the December 1996 issue of the British Medical Journal, there is a connection between premature graying and smoking. Quitting smoking not only reduces your chances of premature graying, it also increases the amount of oxygen in your blood needed for scalp circulation, which promotes healthy, strong hair.
2. Increase your vitamin B12 intake. Vitamin B12 controls your body's red blood cell formation, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is vital for hair and nail growth. Gray hair that is caused by a vitamin deficiency is due to a lack of melanin being produced in the hair follicle. According to the NIH, men and women over the age of 14 need 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. Vitamin B12 can be found in food that is high in protein, including beef, eggs and fish.
3. Limit your vitamin E intake. Although Vitamin E aids in hair growth, too much vitamin E can slow the production of melanin. The melanin in your hair provides color, and when stunted leads to white hair. According to the Mayo Clinic you should consume no more than 15 milligrams of vitamin E daily. Vitamin E can be found in green vegetables, olive oil, and poultry.
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