Gray Hair Causes
Hair gets its natural color from a pigment called melanin that is produced in the hair bulb. As one grows older, the amount of melanin produced in the hair bulb keeps decreasing, which leads to the natural process of graying. However, sometimes hair starts graying prematurely due to factors like deficiency of nutrients like vitamin B, copper, iron and iodine in the diet, insufficient sleep, stress and anxiety, overconsumption of alcohol, tea and coffee, excessive intake of oily, sour and spicy food, and prolonged illnesses like typhoid. Graying is also genetic in nature and often runs in the family. Regular use of hair dyes and colors and lack of proper hygiene may also cause graying.
Gray Hair Cure - Home Remedies to Stop Gray Hair
Though it is difficult to stop the graying process completely, the rate at which hair turns gray can be arrested by following a few simple home remedies. One of the easiest ways of countering graying is to make liberal use of curry leaves as condiment in cooked food. You may also crush a few fresh curry leaves and add the juice into a glass of buttermilk and drink it every morning to prevent graying of hair. Also, every morning crush a small piece of ginger and add it to a tablespoon of honey and eat this mixture. This helps prevent graying.
Another useful remedy is to add a pinch of common salt into a cup of strong black tea and massage your scalp with this. After about an hour wash your hair with water. You could also apply butter made from cow milk on your scalp twice every week in order to treat graying hair. Indian gooseberry is known to be highly effective in stopping hair from graying. Cut a few of these berries and dry them in shade. Then boil them in a cup of coconut oil till a dark sediment gets deposited at the bottom of the container. Massage your scalp with this thick extract once every week.
Alternatively, you could also rinse your hair with water into which Indian gooseberries have been soaked overnight. A mixture of the juice of these berries to which a few drops of lime juice and almond oil have been added is also beneficial in treating graying hair. Alternatively, you could soak a few dried pieces of ribbed gourd in coconut oil for four days and then boil this solution till it is reduced to a dark and viscous decoction. Massage your hair and scalp with this extract to treat graying hair.