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5 foods to prevent gray hair

Gray hair can be the result of a nutritional deficiency such as a lack of vitamins B-12 or B-9.

Black woman with short gray hair

Hair goes gray when color-producing cells stop producing pigment, says Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide can also build up in the hair, bleaching the color.

Nutrition can help prevent premature graying, but if your hair is changing color as a result of natural aging, there is nothing your diet can do for you.

  • Chicken

Low levels of vitamin B12 can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, and yes, dry, thinning and prematurely gray hair. You can keep your B12 levels topped up by consuming lots of eggs, cheese, milk and chicken. “We know that stress uses up vitamin B, and some studies have shown that taking large doses of certain B vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid) have begun to reverse the process of greying in three months,” says trichologist Sara Allison. “The hairs revert to white when the vitamins are stopped.”

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  • Soyabean

A food that is well known for its ability to prevent premature greying of the hair is soybeans. They contain copper, manganese, Vitamins A and B, and proteins, which are great for keeping the colour in your hair for longer.

  • Coconut oil

Massaging your hair with coconut oil mixed with sweet almond oil in equal proportions is one of the home remedies for gray hair, that is said to both prevent premature greying of the hair and even reverse it. This is especially true, if you have black hair.

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  • Iodine
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Iodine rich foods will also help you to maintain your hair colour, especially when combined with copper.  The best way to increase the iodine in your diet is to eat more seafood like crab, lobster and tuna.

  • Ginger, honey and carrot

Another home remedy on how to prevent or reverse grey hair is a drink made from freshly made carrot juice, grated ginger and some raw honey; the substance should be taken regularly on a daily basis and is known as a way of preventing grey hair.

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