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generic
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2005
Total Posts : 2

Posted 1/10/2005 12:19 PM (GMT -5)

HI EVERYONE:

HOW DOES ONE REVERSE THE GROWTH OF GREY HAIR? I AM A 39 YR. OLD MALE. I EXERCISE 4 TO 5 TIMES A WEEK (MOSTLY BODYBUILDING), I DON'T SMOKE AND DRINK ONLY SOCIALLY. I WATCH MY DIET REGULARLY AS I LIKE TO STAY IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE. I HAVE A FULL HEAD OF DARK HAIR AND I WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. BUT I HAVE A SMALL GROUP OF GREYS SHOWING UP ON THE FRONT RIGHT PART OF MY HEAD. I ALSO HAVE A SMALL GOATEE WICH IS NOW LOOKING SALT & PEPPER. ARE THERE ANY FOODS WHICH WOULD REVERSE THIS PROCESS, OR STOP IT BEFORE IT GETS WORSE?

-Roy Walford once stated that calorie restriction could slow down the graying of hair. The anticancer drug Gleevec reversed hair depigmentation as a side effect in some people in a study reported in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Also, see Life Extension Daily News: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=1594&Section=AGING - Moderator

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 1/10/2005 4:27:29 PM GMT

patricia379
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2001
Total Posts : 51

Posted 1/17/2005 3:05 PM (GMT -5)

Well for now, there seems to be no 'cure' for grey/ing hair. It is genetic or caused by stress or being malnourished (that is why for most folks, caloric restriction isn't a good idea, as one has to provide their bodies with the needed nutrients to stay healthy while dropping calories drastically). Besides who wants to eat almost nothing for life?

There is a product called Melancore which purports to stop greying and restore color to hair . . . but I looked it up online and it costs about $50.00 a month and yes, there is a guarantee but with a catch: The producer and sellers of the product say to take it at least 9 months for results and if it doesn't work they will refund a month's supply. Sneaky way to make allot of money for hopeful people.

My feeling is, if the product worked wouldn't we hear about it world wide??? It would be a major finding..so I have my doubts about it doing anything at all.

Who knows, stem cell research might come up with an answer far earlier than predicted, as things are moving by leaps and bounds..and not all researchers phoo-phoo cosmetic results of their findings. (after all looking better = better living)

You'd best hit the hair color aisle at your local drug store to cover those greys for now. :wink:

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 1/17/2005 7:17:35 PM GMT

tintinet
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2001
Total Posts : 40

Posted 1/17/2005 3:47 PM (GMT -5)

AFAIK, there ain't no reliable way to reverse gray hair. Rarely, gray hair repigmentation has been reported to occur in a number of circumstances and in association with a variety of supplements (HGH, spin-traps, PABA, etc.) but I've tried most of 'em and gotten little results also.

According to Dr. Peter Proctor, the best way to repigment one's hair is simply to dye it!

dante_cubit
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2004
Total Posts : 32

Posted 1/18/2005 11:18 AM (GMT -5)

Gary Null claimed that chlorophyll could reverse greying hair. Although I don't consider him the most reliabale source of information, he showed his hairline on a KCTS fundraising drive and claimed that his blading/greying had been halted/reversed. Maybe take a look in his books.

Hope this helps.

Dennis James
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2005
Total Posts : 6

Posted 1/24/2005 11:58 AM (GMT -5)

One great though to remove grey hair would be to use the following nutrients:

1. Pantothenic acid

2. PABA

3. Brewers yeast

Take the recommended dosage of the PABA and the pantothenic acid and take 8 of the brewers yeast.

Take them all daily! Watch what happens to your roots in a couple of months.

Hope this works for you.

Let me know!

Dennis James

monahanspipes@aol.com

Life Extension Member

lei.talk
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2004
Total Posts : 408

Posted 2/2/2005 6:28 PM (GMT -5)

Twice, by accident, my grey hair went away.

the first time
was when durk pearson recommended twinlab's dmae-h3.
within a couple of days,
my five-o'clock shadow was noticeably darker.

the second time
was when syntrax offered a new product: proxylon.
i cut my hair every two weeks.
when I got out of the chair,
there was grey hair on the floor
and light-brown hair on my head.

a friend of mine tried the dmae-h3.
his goatee got darker,
later he decided that engaging in "cosmetic-behavior"
was "feminine" and he stopped.

Post Edited (lei.talk) : 6/10/2006 5:57:56 PM (GMT-4)

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 2/3/2005 5:34 PM (GMT -5)

I have been using a traditional chinese herbal formula in this regard (Not just Ho Shou Wu but the orgininal formula that includes several herbs). It seems somewhat effective but I have not achieved a full reversal. The last time I tried DMAE it seemed to cause muscle cramps. I've not tried PABA,but it seems worthwhile. GH-3 was supposed to do this also.

There is definately a copper connection, but I dont think anyone has worked it out completely. You can't just megadose on regular copper or you will get real sick. There are some folks that talk of an ORMUS form of copper, but no hard science behind it yet.

- Am wondering about a tyrosine connection too. Tyrosine is necessary for melanin formation and Gleevec, which reversed gray hair in some people who used it, is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. How does it work?- Moderator

lei.talk said...

generic,

Twice, by accident, my grey hair went away.

The first time was when Durk Pearson recommended DMAE-H3. Within a couple of days my five-o'clock shadow was noticeably darker.

The second time was when Syntrax offered a new product: Proxylon. I cut my hair every two weeks. When i got out of the chair, there was grey hair on the floor and light-brown hair on my head.

A friend of mine tried the DMAE-H3. His goatee got darker, later he decided that engaging in "cosmetic-behavior" was "feminine" and he stopped.

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 2/3/2005 4:37:45 PM (GMT-5)

alfax
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2005
Total Posts : 241

Posted 2/3/2005 7:12 PM (GMT -5)

Iis there any conclusive evidence of any significant link between HGH levels and gray hair?

Is there any evidence that clorophyll can reverse gray hair? In what book or writing Gary Null says that?

Can stem cell treatment in 10-20 years reverse gray hair by substitution of "old" melanocites by new ones?

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 2/9/2005 1:17 PM (GMT -5)

Here is something interesting:

http://www.geocities.com/fricker3/ev/ev.html

The site is about vitiligo, which is a condition marked by depigmented areas
on the skin. While vitiligo is not gray hair, I think that there is at least a possbility
that the mechanism of depigmentation may be similar.

Since there are some success stories listed there, using DMAE-H3 topicaly, it
seems like it might be worthwhile to investigate this. It should be fairly easy to
rub a bit into a graying area and see if it makes a difference.

My recommendation would be to do this before retiring in the evning since, as I
recall, DMAE smells like fish, though one message on the above-mentioned page indicates that the source for one company's DMAE-H3 is vegetarian. This is good since I've grown quite suspicious of fish-derived supplements, due to nearly universal contamination of farmed fish with mercury, PCBs and other nasty stuff.

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 2/9/2005 12:20:45 PM (GMT-5)

estella
Registered Member

Date Joined Feb 2005
Total Posts : 6

Posted 2/14/2005 3:07 PM (GMT -5)

Wow. You are right. Sounds like it won't work. There is less biotin in this hair related supplement than most.

Thanks!

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 2/21/2005 1:34 PM (GMT -5)

Seems DMAE may not only affect coloring,but also have a possible use in maintaining/restoring hair growth:

http://l2.espacenet.com/dips/viewer?PN=AU6720600&CY=gb&LG=en&DB=EPD

(The above patent was talked about in a USENET posting)

It's interesting that for many people, the areas that begin to to gray first are also the same areas where people first lose some hair. Of course this may have something to do with circulation to that area, oxidation due to UV exposure, or hormones.....

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 3/1/2005 3:28 PM (GMT -5)

SOD compound protects against graying:

Interesting study using an SOD compound in a gel:

http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=get-document&issn=0031-8655&volume=080&issue=03&page=0579

Protective Effect of Superoxide Dismutase Against Hair Graying in a Mouse Model
Issn: 0031-8655 Journal: Photochemistry and Photobiology Volume: 80 Issue: 3 Pages: 579-582
Authors: Emerit, I., Filipe, P., Freitas, J., Vassy, J.
DOI: 10.1562/0031-8655(2004)080<0579:PEOSDA>2.0.CO;2

The (above) looks to be something that could easily be incorporated into a scalp gel (aloe or liposome carrier).

Here is a source: http://www.youngagain.info/cgi-bin/product.cgi?id=1853

although I would prefer to see a spray from LEF so we would know that the amounts were correct, assay etc. Anyone know anything about the above company?

Post Edited (zorba990) : 3/5/2005 8:03:02 PM (GMT-5)

PharmaSurvivor
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2004
Total Posts : 10

Posted 3/3/2005 6:39 PM (GMT -5)

I have read somewhere that ashwagandha can restore hair colour, but I have been using it for about a year for other
purposes and haven't seen any grey going away.

functionmed
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2005
Total Posts : 52

Posted 3/25/2005 3:12 PM (GMT -5)

Description
Gray hair involves a change in hair color from its normal color to gray. Hair is regarded as prematurely gray when 50% of scalp’s hair has changed its color to gray by the age of 40.

Biology of gray hair
Gray hair occurs when the melanocytes in the scalp die, causing the manufacture of melanin (the chemical that is responsible for normal hair color) to cease:

- Gray hair contains very few melanocytes in the hair bulb, leading to the production of fewer melanosomes and those melanosomes that are produced contain less melanin than non-gray hair.

These substances retard the onset of or reverse gray hair:
Auxins
Dihydroxyl-5,6-indole (applied topically) reverses gray Hair. This occurs via dihydroxyl-5,6-indole functioning as a precursor molecule for the production of melanin via a slow oxidation process. This compound is not yet commercially-available.

Hormones
There are many (reliable) anecdotal reports claiming that human growth hormone (hGH) replacement therapy has restored normal hair color to gray hair.

Minerals
Gray hair can occur as a result of calcium deficiency.
Copper supplementation sometimes delays the onset of gray hair (due to its role in the production of melanin). research
Zinc deficiency may cause premature gray hair:
Some contradictory reports state that zinc has no effect on the onset of gray hair.

Pharmaceutical drugs
Imatinib Mesylate reverses gray hair (however this use of Imatinib Mesylate is impractical as this drug causes many toxic side effects). peer-reviewed research

Pigments
Melanin can be encapsulated within liposomes and applied topically to the scalp in order to deliver melanin to the cells of hair follicles where it is then utilized endogenously to "pump" melanin which is responsible for hair color back into otherwise gray hair.

Vitamins
Biotin delays the onset of gray hair and may retard the further progression of gray hair. research
Folic acid helps to prevent gray hair.
Inositol has a protective effect on Hair Follicles and via this protection of hair follicles it sometimes prevents or halts the progression of gray hair. research

Occasionally, (in approximately 10-25% of cases) para-aminobenzoic Acid (PABA) use causes gray or white Hair to darken toward its original color (very large dosages of 6-24 GRAMS per day of PABA are required to achieve this effect): research

- A trial undertaken in 1941 concluded that 200 mg of PABA per day for two months resulted in marked darkening of the hair in 30 patients afflicted with gray Hair.
- A trial undertaken in 1944 concluded that 200 mg of PABA combined with 100 mg of calcium pantothenate and 50 mg of Brewer’s yeast per day for eight months caused significant hair color change in only two patients out of 33 afflicted with gray Hair.
- A trial undertaken in 1964 concluded that administration of 6-24 grams of PABA per day for six weeks caused dramatic hair color change and hair regrowth in 5 patients out of 20 (i.e. 25%) with markedly gray hair (hair color returned to gray within three to four weeks of ceasing PABA treatment).

Gray hair is a symptom of vitamin B5 deficiency in rats (this finding does not necessarily extrapolate to humans, although there is scientific speculation that vitamin B5 may also prevent human graying of the hair - unfortunately no studies have yet been performed to refute nor confirm this claim). research

Synthetic substances in synergy

A blend of Retin-A combined with an (unspecified) alpha-hydroxy acid (applied topically to the scalp) is under investigation as a means of returning gray hair to its original color:

- This claim is made on the basis of reports from a New York dermatologist (Jim Baral) who claims to have restored his hair color to normal after accidentally smearing the mixture onto his scalp. His hair color remained normal one year after the incident.

Volatile oils
Eugenol (the principal active ingredient in cloves and clove Oil) (applied topically to the scalp) has been demonstrated to restore hair color (and may therefore be useful for the treatment of gray hair).

These herbs prevent, disguise or (possibly) reverse gray hair
Ashwagandha helps to prevent and treat gray hair (by increasing the melanin content of the hair). research
Eugenol (the principal active ingredient in cloves) (applied topically to the scalp) has been demonstrated to restore hair color (and may therefore be useful for the treatment of gray hair).
Fo-Ti (consumed orally) may reverse gray hair and restore hair color to its natural color. research
Ligustrum is used in China to prevent gray hair (its usefulness is based on folklore).
Sage (strong infusion of 100 grams in 500 ml of water) cosmetically disguises gray air.

These substances increase the risk of gray hair
Recreational Drugs
Tobacco smokers have a four times greater likelihood of gray hair compared to people who do not smoke tobacco. research

Gray hair may increase the risk of these ailments

Cardiovascular system
People with gray hair have been found to have an increased risk of heart attack compared to people without gray hair. research

Musculoskeletal system
Prematurely gray hair may be a warning signal for osteoporosis:

- Epidemiological studies link prematurely gray hair to increased risk of osteoporosis - researchers believe that the same genes that control early graying are the same as those that control bone density.

Over 74% of our society are said to be zinc deficient.

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 3/25/2005 2:23:02 PM (GMT-5)

lei.talk
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2004
Total Posts : 408

Posted 3/28/2005 3:02 PM (GMT -5)

functionmed-

thank you!

your post is the best example

of why i read the lef forum.

Post Edited (lei.talk) : 6/29/2005 5:48:49 PM (GMT-4)

Gus
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 45

Posted 4/13/2005 1:24 PM (GMT -5)

OK

Can someone summarize what would be the best try here?
I realize that any of these may or may not have limited success.

So, can someone list which ones may have the best chances of success?

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 4/13/2005 1:57 PM (GMT -5)

I have been trying DMAE-H3 for the past 2 months and I do see some darkening of eyebrow hairs. Since the PABA in this formula is involved in copper metabolism, I still hold by my original assertion that this all has to do with copper.

This time the muscle cramping was much less severe (probably due to my high intake of magnesium) and passed within 2 weeks. I can now take a full dose no problem (10 drops). I am contemplating taking more ...

lei.talk
Registered Member

Date Joined Dec 2004
Total Posts : 408

Posted 4/15/2005 2:34 PM (GMT -5)

zorba990-

this is slightly off the topic,

but, as long as you are talking about

the muscle cramping caused by twinlab's dmae-H3...

feed it to your girlfriend.

you will love it.

so will she.

this may not be as "wholistic"

as building up her oxytocin levels

with diet and sexercise,

but, there is a more immediate effect.

Post Edited (lei.talk) : 9/1/2005 9:10:23 PM (GMT-4)

alfax
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2005
Total Posts : 241

Posted 4/18/2005 5:18 PM (GMT -5)

WHEN WILL AN EFECTIVE ANTI-GRAY HAIR PRODUCT BE COMERCIALIZED?

IS LEF DOING ANY RESEARCH IN THIS AREA?

I UNDERSTAND GRAY HAIR MAY NOT BE A PRIORITY IN ANTIAGING RESEARCH.

BUT AS A MEMBER OF LEF I (AND PROBABLY MANY THOUSANDS OF OTHER LEF MEMBERS) THINK THAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF GRAY HAIR (ON SELF ESTEEM AND WELL-BEING) SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED AND GRAY HAIR DESERVES A LOT MORE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

I CHALLENGE ALL OF LEFs MEMBERS WHO HAVE THIS CONCERN TO URGE LEF MORE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THIS AREA.

- We understand your concern and would all love something that would prevent hair from graying, but you're right, it's not a priority. At least the cause has been found http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/307/5710/720, so an effective treatment shouldn't be too far behind, given its blockbuster potential. - Moderator

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 8/24/2005 6:55:55 AM (GMT-4)

zorba990
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2004
Total Posts : 710

Posted 4/19/2005 12:42 PM (GMT -5)

One thing that would be interesting would be to study the hair of people
as they use ionic copper/zinc, ho shou wu, DMAE-H3, high dose PABA, etc and other things that seem to have worked some for some people and see if any of the above would cause the sudden reappearance of the MITF+ stem cells in those hairs.

The study makes it seem as though the process is inevitable and irreversible.
I suspect this is not true, and that the stem cell populations can be increased
given the right medium and circumstances (nutrients + stimulation).

I suspect that as time goes on we will realize that targeting nutrients and
antioxidants in new ways that saturate the cells (like using ingested and
topical liposomes) that oxidative damage that may be causing the stem cell
depopulation can be at least partially if not fully reversed.

Also, as we expand our paradigm to include energy medicine (electrical,
LLLT, etc) we may find that the use of specific frequencies and or energies
will be able to wake up regnerative capabilities that include repopulation of
stem cells. There is some interesting work being done with Xenon and nerve
cells in this regard. And to get even more off track, I suspect that the nature
of Xenon's regnerative capability in this regard will become more apparent
as physics is advanced (string / M theory is not quite there yet).

Whew! Nap time!

alfax
Registered Member

Date Joined Jan 2005
Total Posts : 241

Posted 4/19/2005 6:21 PM (GMT -5)

Has anyone tried MELANCOR?

I find hard to believe that this product works.

i wonder what LEF thinks about products like MELANCOR. It is sold in respectable sites like AMAZON and there's not one single scientific study backing it. AND IT'S QUITE EXPENSIVE.

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THIS?

The ingredients are listed at http://www.melancor.com/html/faq.asp#117 You can put something together like this yourself and see what happens. Most of it is B complex. They say if it doesn't work after a year, it probably won't work for you. - Moderator

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 4/19/2005 6:25:38 PM (GMT-4)

taz
Registered Member

Date Joined Apr 2005
Total Posts : 2

Posted 4/21/2005 12:33 PM (GMT -5)

I know someone who is on metformin for diabetes, since three years, who restricts calorie intake and is regular on some exercise, and has drive, to achieve, whose grey hair has steadily turned jet black. Person's age is 55 years. Unfortunately all the rest of us do not have diabetes.

dang
Registered Member

Date Joined May 2005
Total Posts : 40

Posted 5/2/2005 11:49 AM (GMT -5)

by the way, i'm also aware that extensive use of wheatgrass juice can reverse gray hair. i'm currently using the chlorella supplements, but i will alternative between those and a 'greens' powder (such as www.greensplus.com ) for at least six months. i'm also waiting on a shipment of jiaogulan (gynostemma) tea to arrive, as it has been reported to have a repigmentation effect if used for several months. outside of that, it appears to be full of excellent health benefits anyway.

and i'm trying the proxylon stuff mentioned earlier - i do know that HGH has had some effects on graying, although poorly studied, and at the very least it'll give me a reason to get back in shape. as this is all just now becoming more well-understood scientifically, sometimes anecdotal evidence is all we have to go on, and one person's experience with the proxylon is enough for me to give it a shot. it's cheap.

dang
Registered Member

Date Joined May 2005
Total Posts : 40

Posted 5/2/2005 11:50 AM (GMT -5)

does anyone know anything about this stuff called HAIRBORN? (www.hairborn.com) it appears to work quite well for graying hair and sometimes for alopecia. on the website they don't go into the ingredients at all, so i contacted someone about it and here is the response i got:

"The public ingredients in Hairborn are: Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Ribloflavin (Vitamin B2), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Cyanocobalam (Vitamin B12), Zinc, Pangamic Acid (Vitamin B15), Cellulan (Levo Methionin), Campropan (Levo cistin), Ercatoplop (Levo ornitin), Bioflavonoid (Proantocianidinas), Dry extract Wang Flowers, Dry extract Ginseng, Dry extract Nigrun, Dry extract Root Showu, Artium Lappa, Idrocinan (Dihidrocinan), Chlorella, Serenoa Repens."

the stuff is horribly expensive ($189 for a month's supply), but i think it's intended as a relatively short-term treatment (ie. 2 years or less), and as you can see from the published photos, seems to work rather well on graying hair. i'm using a regimen now that includes melancor, chlorella, copper, sho wu, and a chinese herb formula that is based on polygonum, eclipta, ligustrum, mulberry, sesame seed, rehmannia, etc. - all of which are said to be great for the hair.

i think the key here is patience, as is could take a year or more with persistent treatment to see full results. but if what i'm doing now doesn't do the trick after about 8 months or so i'm going to give it a go with this hairborn stuff, cost be damned.

Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 5/2/2005 11:53:29 AM (GMT-4)

ot03
Registered Member

Date Joined Mar 2005
Total Posts : 63

Posted 5/2/2005 1:31 PM (GMT -5)

I have seen strong claims by a top doctor that copper alone is enough to correct grey hair. I might not have taken him seriously except I saw his photo in the LEF magazine as an award recipient for some major scientific contributions to general medicine. Joel Wallach is the doctor's name he's best known for his book Dead doctor's don't lie ... and for his major emphasis on minerals as being the most important nutrient to consume in colloidal form.

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