What can be done to reverse grey hair?

[theotherusero]

Important nutrients for grey hair
Minerals: calcium copper iron zinc
Vitamins: B5 B6 B9 B12 D

What might help
This is what I think can help based on what I read online.

Diet:

• Make sure you get your RDA of zinc but do not supplement it too much because it interferes with copper absorption
• Make sure to not be copper deficient with a blood test, take your RDA of copper with foods, preferably aim to take more than minimum RDA, if you want to take a supplement the best is bioavailable copper by mitosynergy (not cheap but for what i read the others aren’t absorbed)
• Try to lower iron. How? Iron chelators. I need to research this.
• If you want to experiment with diet try following carnivore diet

Supplements:

• Copper peptides: might also be useful for hair loss
• Zinc Thymulin: might also be useful for hair loss
• L-tyrosine: might be useful, tyrosine and copper are needed to produce melanin
• Beta-alanine: precursor of carnosine
• Pterostillbene
• NAC

My considerations: copper seems the most promising. I don’t know which is the optimal zinc daily intake for daily intake, but it is needed to take at least RDA. Try to keep iron low. As for the supplements, there is limited evidence, I think copper peptides and zinc thymulin are the most promising.

What follows are the notes from my online research​

Immune System ​

Surprised no one has mentioned the link to grey hairs and your immune system, specifically the interferon response from your melanocytes stem cells. I have no idea what can be done about this.

Diet and nutrients​

Carnivore diet​

I have read of several people that their greying hair reverses after converting to a carnivore diet (r/zerocarb).
https://www.reddit.com/r/longevity/comments/8pry3q/is_it_possible_to_ungray_your_hair/

Copper deficiency, high iron​

https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/gray-hair-reversal-we-re-almost-there-guys-we-can-do-it.31718/
@AlexanderCPPRBe aware that a few years ago I had 20% of my hair gray, now I'm somewhere around 5%.1. Copper deficiency will cause whatever gene was programmed (because aging is programmed by something, I am not sure what but I am sure we will find out soon if we do WORK together in this) to get gray hairs pretty fast at people, some get it early to 19! lol. I took copper, real copper, you know which one, I won't post here because I don't wanna do any advertising in my posts!2. I tried my best to get iron out of my blood to almost anemia levels. I donated gallons of blood and I took tons of iron chelators, be them natural stuff or not, turmeric, etc.I'm also curious what kind of copper supplement you have used.Mitosynergy he means GET THE REAL copper , the bioavailable copper, is only one brand on the planet as far as I know!Copper definitely has a history of darkening the hair, and supplementing zinc in my experience definitely increases grey hairs.@tankasnowgodNice. I reversed a few gray hairs as well, and from my experience, 1 and 2 were the most important steps. I also regularly took thyroid, and never smoked as well, and do keep wheat intake pretty low. I think iron fortification with wheat may be an issue, especially since it's just the raw metal. It's problematic, regardless of whether it has anything to do with hair color. In my case, I never cut out caffeine, nor drank green tea, nor did wheatgrass or chlorella.What did you take for thyroid and how much ? thank youI usually take 2-3 grains of NDT a day.@MauritioHe's referring to bioavailable copper by mitosynergy. I've tried it as well and also think it's probably the best copper supplement.
https://steemit.com/health/@roused/this-essential-trace-element-helps-prevent-grey-hair-and-wrinkles#:~:text=The%20consensus%20is%20that%20adequate,get%20their%20hair%20color%20back

Zinc​

My father has been supplementing essential minerals and seen color return to the underside of his beard. (Amino acid chelated minerals are better for absorption to my understanding).I’m under the impression Zinc has a lot to do with this. I’d recommend doing your research on minerals—you’ll find that they’re essential for a reason.
https://www.reddit.com/r/grayhair/comments/f80mf3/gray_hair_reversal_we_can_do_it_guys_lets_join/
Total zinc (i.e. from food and supplements) should not exceed 40 mg per day for adults aged 19 years and older. At levels above this, zinc can interfere with the absorption of copper (since these nutrients compete for the same absorption site), potentially leading to a copper deficiency (2).
https://cronometer.com/blog/nutrient-ratios-zinccopper/#:~:text=Nonetheless%2C%20it%20is%20common%20practice,through%20diet%20alone%20(7)

Supplements​

Copper Peptides​

Our fat tissue on top of our head after puberty declines due to testosterone. This tightens the galea and much needed vitamins etc can't reach the follicles or less and less. Copper can keep this fat tissue alive. For some people copper peptides seem to work.

Zinc Thymulin​

A recent study was done on Zinc Thymulin to test its efficacy in the treatment of hair loss. The study indicated that topical treatment with zinc thymulin significantly increased hair growth over 6 months; further, there were no systemic or local side effects from the treatment. The zinc thymulin metallo-peptide optionally also improves endogenous hair pigmentation. For example, by stimulating melanogenesis in grey or greying hair.

L-Tyrosine​

I think that tyrosine and copper are needed to produce melanin. So that's why copper might help. Maybe tyrosine helps too.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/600qem/after_consistently_taking_ltyrosine_ive_noticed/

Pterostilbene and NAC​

https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/comments/bcdh07/nac_and_gray_hair/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Supplements/comments/akcruq/going_gray/

Beta-alanine​

https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/anyone-had-success-with-reversal-of-grey-hair.22766/page-2 https://lmreview.com/exploring-the-frontiers-of-anti-aging-medicine-an-interview-with-dr-marios-kyriazis/
David: What kind of dosage do you recommend a healthy person take? Dr. Kyriazis: I started with fifty milligrams a day, but now I recommend a higher dose—perhaps about two hundred milligrams a day. I know that some people use a thousand or more milligrams a day, but I don’t see the reason for that. I think about two hundred milligrams a day, in association with other supplements, should be enough for a healthy person.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnosine
Carnosine is synthesized in vivo from beta-alanine and histidine. Since beta-alanine is the limiting substrate, supplementing just beta-alanine effectively increases the intramuscular concentration of carnosine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Β-Alanine
β-Alanine is the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which is to say carnosine levels are limited by the amount of available β-alanine, not histidine.

He Shou Wu (fo-ti)​

Can have side effects, I need to research more about it.

 

[KNemo]

One potential solution would be hitting the immune angle via immunosuppressors. Rivertown RT1640 consist of Minoxidil, Cyclosporine A, and a drug hitting a FK506/Tacrolimus sub-target and have been reported (though AFAIK only in a patent) to not only regrow hair on humans but also reverse graying.
Related:

US20170042859A1 - Compositions and methods for treating alopecia - Google Patents

The present invention is directed to a composition for treating alopecia containing minoxidil, cyclosporine A and a compound that binds FK506 binding protein 4 suitable for administration to humans. The present invention is further directed to treating alopecia in humans by administering a...

patents.google.com

Error - Cookies Turned Off

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

 

[Poppyburner]

Improvement of Hair Graying during a Treatment of Male Pattern Hair Loss Using 1,927-nm Fractionated Thulium Laser Energy and Polydeoxyribonucleotide Injections

Yoon Jin Choi, Suhyun Cho, Young Koo Kim, and Dae Suk Kim. Med Lasers 2017;6:37-40. https://doi.org/10.25289/ML.2017.6.1.37

www.jkslms.or.kr

(PDF) Darkening of white hair in Parkinson's disease during use of levodopa rich Mucuna pruriens extract powder

PDF | On Feb 1, 2013, Renato P Munhoz and others published Darkening of white hair in Parkinson's disease during use of levodopa rich Mucuna pruriens extract powder | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

 

[telogen]

One potential solution would be hitting the immune angle via immunosuppressors. Rivertown RT1640 consist of Minoxidil, Cyclosporine A, and a drug hitting a FK506/Tacrolimus sub-target and have been reported (though AFAIK only in a patent) to not only regrow hair on humans but also reverse graying.
Related:

US20170042859A1 - Compositions and methods for treating alopecia - Google Patents

The present invention is directed to a composition for treating alopecia containing minoxidil, cyclosporine A and a compound that binds FK506 binding protein 4 suitable for administration to humans. The present invention is further directed to treating alopecia in humans by administering a...

patents.google.com

Error - Cookies Turned Off

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

looks promising, but how safe is this?
Playing with strong immunosuppressors is kind of scary when bacteria infections already kills considerable amount of people and is getting harder and harder to treat. What is know about the safety profile of RT175?

 

[Mighty]

Use ink. It is easier and safer.

 

[KNemo]

looks promising, but how safe is this?
Playing with strong immunosuppressors is kind of scary when bacteria infections already kills considerable amount of people and is getting harder and harder to treat. What is know about the safety profile of RT175?

I think RT175 is intended to not be as immunosuppressive like tacrolimus however Cyclosporine is absolutely immunosuppressive. If Rivertown ever find the money to do larger trials we'll know. I guess if RT1640 is better than Minoxidil for hair growth and really restores hair color a combination of RT175 and WAY316606 could be a safer alternative?

Use ink. It is easier and safer.

Use a wig. Even easier.

 

[polishkickbuttowski]

I imagine melanotan would considering it can change ginger hair to dark brown. But honestly i agree with @Mighty just dye it and dont worry about crazy chemicals.

 

[pegasus2]

I imagine melanotan would considering it can change ginger hair to dark brown. But honestly i agree with @Mighty just dye it and dont worry about crazy chemicals.

Dye doesn't look good, and it's a crazy chemical itself that destroys your hair

 

[pegasus2]

Some things I didn't see covered yet​

Efficacy of an agonist of α-MSH, the palmitoyl tetrapeptide-20, in hair pigmentation​

D-PDMP​

Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root

Discovery of a Highly Selective MC1R Agonists Pentapeptide to Be Used as a Skin Pigmentation Enhancer and with Potential Anti-Aging Properties

Medication-Induced Repigmentation of Gray Hair: A Systematic Review

Case report on premature hair graying treated with Melitane 5% and oral hair supplements

Topical Bixin Confers NRF2-Dependent Protection Against Photodamage and Hair Graying in Mouse Skin​

PGF2a

AKG

Oltipraz is a potent NRF2 activator that might be useful for both hair growth and pigmentation.​

Preferably, the compound capable of increasing GSH levels is selected from lipoic acid, oltipraz, kaueol, caffeestol, angeliclaclactone, diallyl sulfide and benzyl isothiocyanate.

Fibroblast population in the dermis of the Oltipraz treated group was significantly higher than that of the control and vehicle groups. Fibroblast population in Oltipraz treated group was reported 92.29% higher than the controls (p=0.003) and 104.25% higher than the vehicle group (p=0.003).The volume density of the collagen bundles was 38.03% and 57.75% higher in the oltipraz treated group compared to the control and the vehicle groups, respectively, which both were statistically significant (p<0.001). Consequently, the volume density of hair follicles was higher in the oltipraz group in comparison to the control (66.1%; P=0.043) and the vehicle (210%; p=0.001) groups

The Effects of Oltipraz on Tissue Regeneration in the Process of Wound Healing: A Stereological Study - PMC

To determine the effects of topical administration of 20% oltipraz solution on histomorphometrical and stereological aspects of skin tissue in full thickness skin wounds in laboratory rats. Thirty-six male Wistar portion rats (220±20 g) were ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The problem here is that it inhibits HIF1A, which might not be a problem combined with PGE2 or stemoxydine to upregulate it.

Additional NRF2 activators

Small molecule activators of NRF2 may therefore be useful in the management of HF pathologies associated with redox imbalance, ranging from HF greying and HF ageing via androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata to chemotherapy‐induced hair loss.

alterations in NRF2 signaling have been observed in stress-induced loss of pigmentation disorders of both the skin and hair follicles, such as vitiligo and hair graying


Some more things for gray hair that you can google:

HGH
DHEA
Estrogen
Niagen+NAD3
Superoxide Dismutase
L-Dopa (I would think this would cause hair graying if your dopamine levels are already normal)
PABA
Polygonum multiflorum
Forskolin
FOXO4-DRI
Thymulin
LLLT (I wouldn't waste my money, but some say it works)


I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things, but I think we've covered most of it now.

Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives depletion of melanocyte stem cells Taken together with this study, this is possibly a factor in gray hairs being less susceptible to balding.

The good news is it's now believed some melanocyte stem cells remain in gray hairs regardless of the cause of graying, leaving the possibility for reversal of gray hair in all cases.

 

[Poppyburner]

Going grey can be REVERSED, study claims

Researchers from Columbia University found the process of going grey can be reversed in hairs that have only recently turned grey.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Liver transplant makes 61-yr-old ‘young again’ | India News - Times of India

India News: Executive registrar of Mudra Institute of Communication and Advertising K G K Pillai, 61, has recently got a three-year extension.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

I found this rather interesting anecdote in an online forum:

'[Elawin:] My hair has been losing its grey too. I eat a lot of leafy green veg, and a little meat. I also do not use shampoos or conditioner on my hair either, but prefer to use ACV instead. I was about 11 before we even used shampoo, and even then it was only once a week. I'm beginning to think I should never have used it. [...]

OK. Here are 4 photos of me. One is pre-grey hair, two with grey hair (both taken in the same year), and one is last night. I completely changed my diet between the first three photos and the fourth one, and all are with my hair its natural colour at the time the photo was taken.

This one was taken on 26-12-2010

These two were taken in 2014

and this one last night (15-04-2017)

The grey is gone.

epicuric said:
That's incredible! So do you attribute that to a diet high in leafy veg? How long did it take ? I stopped using shampoos and conditioners 12 years ago, and whilst my hair is in great condition the progression of grey hasn't stopped.

Up until about 7 years ago, when the first photo was taken, I would eat absolutely anything. After that, the rot set in. I was in and out of hospital and started to be allergic to all sorts of things, not just food (although I did have some allergies before). I already had eye problems (non-vision), throat problems, and gut problems, but now my hearing was going as well. To cap it all, the day after I was given hearing aids, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was while I was receiving treatment after my op (radiotherapy and a load of meds), that one of the MacMillan nurses and I got talking about diet. I already had a list of things I should and should not eat or drink because of my throat and gut problems - which meant now there wasn't much at all in the way of food or drink that I could have - but she gave me some leaflets and a post-cancer treatment recipe book and told me to sit down and work out what I liked and what I could eat. Because I was not at all well after the op, I spent a few months on meals-on-wheels - most of the food was edible, in fact some of it was really nice, but I was feeling half-starved. So, I decided to throw caution and their lists and diet sheets to the wind and eat what I wanted to eat. I now eat mainly leafy greens, plenty of onions and garlic, loads of tomatoes, some carrots and rice or pasta and occasionally potatoes (usually chips!) but still eat meat and fruit once or twice a week. I try to eat more natural food, so all these modern spreads etc are a no-no; it's butter or olive oil now, proper cheese and unhomogenised whole milk - which has helped with the gut problems! In fact, anything which my mother used to give me (except for salt - never have liked it, can't tolerate it, don't use it unless I really have to). Add to this a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/Indian mix as well - you get the idea. Processed junk has gone. I still eat pizzas and burgers and bread, but I make my own - and I've started to make my own cheese. I also spend a lot of time looking up side effects and interactions with my medications, and found out a lot about what else I couldn't eat, and also what ingredients were in these meds (not the actual drug but all the other junk they put in them). The funniest thing is that I can't eat wholemeal or leafy veg within so many hours of one of my meds - and it's not only grapefruit that you can't have with certain statins. I could write a book on it! I "wash" my hair about once every 3-4 months on average. The last time was last week (because I had an important non-medical appointment to go to); the time before that was 2 months ago (same reason); before that just before Christmas because I was going away; and the time before that in August..... ACV (or white vinegar) and a good bristle brush work wonders, although I killed the natural bristle brush I bought in 1964 and now have a synthetic one '

Can diet reverse grey hair

Mod. Edit. Posts moved from another thread. I've not come across that study - will look it up. Sounds similar to studies of both Masai and Eskimo who survive rather well on diets of mainly animal fats and without any of the health problems that are commonplace in first world nations. Let's face...

www.cookingbites.com

 

[sonictemples]

After getting used to hair loss which doesn't have a practical cure, I would just dye it lol wish we could fix hair loss that easily as well

 

[coolio]

Reversal of greying does happen on occasion. It's rare but it is definitely "heard of".

Baldness? Never. Not when it's real androgenic hair loss. Mother nature did not want this sh*t to be reversed.

 

[Mighty]

Use a wig. Even easier.

Well, you are a free man. It is your health.

I will just dye my hair. Once or twice a month. No problem.

 

[Balding curse]

If I have a choice between full head gray hair and balding black hair I will chose the gray hair with a big smile

 

[Balding curse]

Dyed hair looks terrible.

I would keep it gray at least it's better than a bald deformed head.

 

[TurboFixer]

I would keep it gray at least it's better than a bald deformed head.

100%

 

[Mighty]

Dyed hair looks terrible.

Dude, I managed to keep my hair with finasteride. Best decision in my life. If I get older without losing hair, I will already be better than most men in my age. Gray hair or not.

But I wouldn't say dyed hair looks terrible. It depends on the ink you choose. I would say that it is incredibly boring to dye the hair for a long time. Well, maybe it is easier for men with short hair like me, who knows?

Anyways, it seems that fighting gray hair is a lost battle nowadays. Maybe in the future we will have something more solid to stop or reverse the gray hairs.

 

[pegasus2]

Dude, I managed to keep my hair with finasteride. Best decision in my life. If I get older without losing hair, I will already be better than most men in my age. Gray hair or not.

But I wouldn't say dyed hair looks terrible. It depends on the ink you choose. I would say that it is incredibly boring to dye the hair for a long time. Well, maybe it is easier for men with short hair like me, who knows?

Anyways, it seems that fighting gray hair is a lost battle nowadays. Maybe in the future we will have something more solid to stop or reverse the gray hairs.

Gray hair reversal is easier than hair loss reversal, so I don't think it's a losing battle. People have success with just supplements. Hell, I had success just by eliminating stress. Went from gray hairs mixed in everywhere at 24 to not a single gray hair at 26. The older you get the harder it is to reverse it, but I think if you created a hardcore stack to target gray hair you could have a lot of success. Of course targeting hair loss is a million times more important.

 

[telogen]

The older you get the harder it is to reverse it, but I think if you created a hardcore stack to target gray hair you could have a lot of success.

Is there one or two compounds you recommend to begin with in hopes of battling graying? I've been graying since 17, and should be completely gray be the time i hit 40.

 

[coolio]

Dyed hair always looks bad in the same way that cosmetic surgery & hair transplants always look bad. You don't notice the good ones.