Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : April 3, 2020 10:09 AM IST
Greying of hair occurs when cells at the hair base stop producing melanin, which give your hair its colour.
With age, you will also experience changes in your hair. For example, thinning in certain areas of your head, or your hair turning grey or white. Your hair follicles have pigment cells known as melanin, which give your hair its colour. As you get older, hair follicles lose this pigment, resulting in white hair. But some people may have grey hair quite early. This condition is called premature greying.
Premature greying is defined as greying of hair before the age of 20 years in Whites, before 25 years in Asians, and before 30 years in Africans. Nutritional deficiencies like vitamin B12 deficiency, severe iron deficiency, chronic protein loss, and copper deficiency are known as common causes of premature white hair. But there is another less known factor that may be behind your grey or white hair.
Surprisingly, a recent study found new evidence that suggests acute stress can lead to hair going grey prematurely. The research conducted by a team from Harvard University in Massachusetts, US, was published in the journal Nature.
The researchers observed that stress resulted in a depleted number of melanocyte stem cells (MeSCs) in mice. Melanocyte cells, found in hair follicles, are responsible for production of melanin, which determines hair colour.
As they explained, stress activates sympathetic nervous system, which triggers the release of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline. This noradrenaline caused the MeSCs to move away from the hair follicles, which resulted in hair turning grey. This finding may lead to a new treatment for premature greying. Until the researchers find a cure for grey hair, you may try natural remedies to darken your hair.
Artificial hair colours can damage your hair with chemicals. Instead these effective natural remedies to darken your grey hair
Wet your hair with strong black tea, leave it for 15 minutes and then rinse off. Read this process after 2 or 3 weeks to get darker hair.
Apply mustard oil in your hair before going to bed and leave it overnight. Put a shower cap or plastic bag on the head to prevent odour and staining on your bed sheet. Caution: Some people may experience a rash or swelling from using mustard oil. If this is your first time, do a patch test first to check how your skin reacts.
Add a cup of sage in a pot of boiling water. Let it cool down. Then strain and apply to your hair. Leave it for 30-45 minutes and then wash the hair with shampoo. Do it 1-2 times a week.
Make a strong coffee and leave it aside to cool down. Shampoo your hair and rinse it with this coffee. After that wash your hair again with shampoo again and apply conditioner. Repeat the process often and you will notice your hair turning darker gradually.
If you want to give your hair reddish brown tones, this is the best natural wat to get it. Mix 1/2 cup beet juice and 1/2 cup of carrot juice. Wet your hair with this juice and leave it for 30 minutes. Apply this juice on your hair once a week.
