My first gray hairs appeared when I was 24-years-old. I was standing in a checkout line with a good friend, buying my baby boy a gift for his first birthday. My friend shrieked when she saw my first two gray hairs, and she automatically reached to pluck them out. I grabbed her hand and emphatically declared that I had earned them with my first year of motherhood. They were staying on my head! Now I know my early shift to gray was not a badge of honor or achievement, it was a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

Your hair will naturally turn gray or white with age, but if premature graying occurs, your diet may be lacking in nutrients or other health issues may indicate.

Health Issues That May be Indicated by Prematurely Gray Hair

• Celiac disease. (Within weeks, a gluten-free diet may result in hair darkening years after going gray.)
• Endocrine imbalance. (Balancing hormones may result in hair darkening within months.)
• Pernicious anemia.

Supplements That May Help Halt or Reverse Graying Hair

• B-12
• Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) (from folic acid)
• Copper

How to Correct a Vitamin or Mineral Deficiency

When addressing nutritional deficiencies, there are 3 things to consider:

• Diet
• Toxic load
• Ability to assimilate nutrients (gut health)

A Healthy Diet – A Healthy Body

The foundation of all health is a truly healthy diet – a whole food diet that consists of 80% or more fresh, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits. One large salad per day filled with a variety of vegetables can change your health. You will be giving your body the nutrients it needs to fuel and repair itself and the prebiotic foods to ensure gut health and on-going detoxification if you include the right foods. To learn more, check out the 80% Raw Food Diet.

A truly healthy diet eliminates processed foods along with all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar. It limits caffeine. It includes healthy fats rich in omega 3s and plenty of pure water.

Detox for Health

Best of intentions and a great diet can only go so far when the body is filled with toxic sludge. We live in the most toxic environment humans have ever endured. Plastics, heavy metals, vaccines, dental fillings, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals – the list goes on and on. Once or twice a year, we need to detox, but it helps if we incorporate foods like raw garlic and cilantro into our daily diet with lots of pure, clean water. When we do, we are detoxing a little each day. To learn how to detox safely, check out Cheap and Easy Detox Diet Plan.

Gut Health

If your gut is sick and inflamed, you are suffering from what is called leaky gut syndrome. Gluten and Candida usually go hand in hand in breaking down the biofilm that lines the gut. Candida actually can drill holes right through the healthy tissue. The result? Proteins and other substances leak into the bloodstream without going through the proper digestive processes. This infiltration leads to allergies, autoimmune diseases, and other disease. And as the gut breaks down, our ability to absorb nutrients is lost.

Onion Juice Reverses Gray Hair

Onion juice has been used for centuries treat thin graying hair and alopecia. Onion juice has many benefits to the hair follicles:

Onions are rich in sulphur and other compounds that are great for killing infections. Onion juice kills germs, parasites, some fungal infections; all can cause hair loss. Onions remove hydrogen peroxide buildup and reduce inflammation while providing enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other nourishment to regenerate the hair floccules.

Studies have shown that daily onion juice applied topically can reduce and reverse greying and regrow hair. You can juice or crush the onion. Apply the onion juice daily to your scalp and lightly massage or brush it in. Leave the onion Juice on the scalp for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Start with a small amount, it’s tricky and it’s messy.

Conclusion

A healthy diet, a thorough detox and the right supplements may not result in darkened hair, but there is no doubt these changes will result in greater health. If you choose to supplement B-12 or folic acid, it is best to take a vitamin B complex. B vitamins work together. Be sure to choose a high-quality vitamin/mineral supplement (or make your own).

If you’re suddenly experiencing rapid hair loss or graying, look at Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Hypothyroidism.

Recommended Supplements:

• B-Complex #12 – Thorne Research
• Morrocco Method Hair Care
• Saw Palmetto – Gaia Herbs
• Shillington’s Prostate Formula
• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula
• Liquid Light – Sunwarrior
• Fundamental Sulfur Powder – Douglas Labs

Recommended Reading:

• Natural Hair Loss Baldness Remedies and Cures
• The Soap and Shampoo Conspiracy
• The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them

Sources:

• Gray Hair – Nutritional Medicine, 1^st Edition, Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
• 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Gray Hair – Good Housekeeping