6 foods to help dye gray hair black, nourish hair

Gray hair can appear due to age, this is a problem for many people. However, thanks to some foods that will help reduce gray hair and nourish black hair.

As people age, it is normal for hair color to change. But gray hair can appear at any time in life. Even teenagers and people in their 20s can notice white hairs.

The human body has millions of hair follicles or tiny sacs lining the skin. The follicles that produce hair and color or pigment cells contain melanin. Over time, the hair follicles lose their pigment cells, resulting in white hair.

Gray hair can easily make "appearance age" older than "real age". Taiwan (China) nutritionist Lin Shihang shared his experience of fighting gray hair on the Facebook page Good Food Class.

The main causes of gray hair

He points out that the causes of hair aging include oxidative stress (an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body), genes, environment, lack of specific nutrients, etc.

Medical News Today further explains how these factors affect the appearance of gray hair:

Vitamin deficiency leads to gray hair

Any deficiency of vitamin B6, B12, biotin, vitamin D or vitamin E can contribute to premature graying of hair.

A 2015 report in the journal Development notes studies on various deficiencies in vitamin D3, vitamin B12, and copper and their association with gray hair. It shows a nutritional deficiency affecting pigmentation, the black color of the hair can return with vitamin supplementation.

A 2016 study reported in the International Journal of Trichology looked at factors associated with premature graying of hair in young Indians. It found low levels of serum ferritin, a body store of iron, vitamin B12 and good cholesterol HDL-C common in participants with premature graying of hair.

Premature gray hair genetics

A person's premature graying of hair is largely genetic, according to a 2013 report in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Science and Leprosy.

Race and ethnicity also play an important role. According to a 2013 study, Caucasians can start graying as early as 20 years old, while a person can be as young as 25 years old in Asians and 30 years old in African Americans, according to the same study this year. two thousand and thirteen.

Oxidative stress

Although graying hair is mostly genetic, oxidative stress in the body may play a role when this happens early on.

Oxidative stress causes an imbalance when antioxidants are not enough to fight the damaging effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage cells, contributing to aging and disease.

Too much oxidative stress can promote the development of diseases, including vitiligo of the skin. Vitiligo can also cause hair to turn white due to dead melanin cells or loss of cell function.

Some other factors in life

There is conflicting research on how real-life stress, such as traumatic stress, leads to premature graying of hair.

A study from New York University, reported in Nature Medicine, shows that the cells responsible for hair color can be depleted when the body is under stress.

A study from 2013 reported in the Italian Journal of Dermatology Online, found that smokers are two and a half times more likely to start graying before age 30 than non-smokers.

A 2015 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology also demonstrated that smoking is associated with premature graying of hair in young men.

Therefore, Mr. Lin Shihang suggested that in addition to using external nourishing products, in fact, the following 6 foods can help you provide enough nutrition for your hair.

Read more: How to add Vitamin B5 in your hair care routine to effectively reduce hair loss?

6 foods that "dye black" gray hair

- Foods rich in B vitamins (salmon, spinach, chicken): Involved in energy metabolism in the body, in which B12 is more involved in blood formation, providing adequate oxygen blood for hair.

Foods rich in vitamin C (kiwi, guava, cauliflower): Oxidative stress is one of the main reasons for aging and graying of hair. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant in the human body, which can reduce the damage of free radicals to hair.

Foods rich in vitamin D (dried shiitake, eggs): Studies have shown that people with lower blood levels of vitamin D3 are more prone to premature graying of hair.

Copper-rich foods (oysters, black sesame seeds, dark chocolate): Copper is involved in the production of hair pigment and is an essential ingredient for melanin production.

Foods rich in zinc (oysters, pumpkin seeds): Zinc helps various enzymes in the body work, and also aids in the production of the pigment melanin.

Protein-rich foods (white meat, lean red meat, eggs): It helps build hair tissue and provides enough nutrition for the hair.

Prevent gray hair, hair loss, need to avoid 3 bad habits

Expert Lin Shihang also reminds that 3 types of behaviors should be avoided, otherwise it will easily lead to hair loss and graying, including:

- Eating too many refined products.

- Smoke.

- Improper weight loss.

He explained that eating too much processed and refined products such as potato chips, dumplings... will cause malnutrition due to the lack of nutrients beneficial to the human body; smoking will reduce the concentration of vitamin C and HDL-C (high-density cholesterol) in the body easily cause gray hair; Improper weight loss also easily causes malnutrition, hair loss, gray hair.

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