Home Remedies for Grey Hair

Some people equate gray hair with getting older (even though graying of the hair can affect even people in their twenties and thirties) and start searching for ways to cover it up. While gray hair may not bother some (who may even find it sexy), it's a concern for others, as you can tell from all the hair colorants and dyes on the market. However, if you're looking for a non-dye answer to annoying and stubborn gray hairs, try one of the following home remedies.

Amla:

Amla (Indian gooseberry) paste enhances hair growth and pigmentation, so regular massaging and rubbing into your hair could reverse the graying process. You can also boil dried amla fruit pieces in coconut oil until it turns black (like charred dust) and apply the oil to your hair to prevent graying or to turn it a black color.

You can also use amla in conjunction with other items to combat graying. Reetha and shikakai are two other helpful Indian plants. Try soaking 10 to 12 reetha seeds and three to four shikakai pods in 1 pint of water overnight and, separately, soaking 10 to 12 dried amlas in half a cup of water. The next day, boil the reetha seeds and shikakia pods for a few minutes, strain, and use the liquid as shampoo. Then strain the amlas and use as conditioner after your head bath. Leave the amlas on your hair for 10 minutes and rinse with clean warm water.

As a last rinse while washing your hair, you also can massage your scalp with 1 tsp. of amla juice mixed with 1 tsp. of almond oil or a few drops of lime juice.

Other Remedies:
1;
While amla is one of the most effective home remedies for gray hair, you have other options. You can massage coconut oil and lemon juice into your hair for 15 minutes daily to combat gray hair.
2:
You also can boil some dried ribbed gourd or torai in coconut oil for three to four days, until it turns black. Massage the oil into your scalp and roots. This will help enrich your roots and restore your hair's pigment. Boiling curry leaves in coconut oil and then applying to your scalp and roots also will help stimulate hair growth and restore your pigmentation.
3:
You also can make a paste to apply to your hair, containing 3 tsp. each of coffee and mint juice, 2 tsp. each of basil juice and henna powder, and 1 tsp. each of fenugreek (methi seed powder) and yogurt. After three hours, wash your hair with shampoo.
4:
Another option is to take 1 tbsp. of salt and add it to 1 cup of strong black tea (sans milk). When the tea is cold, strain it and massage onto your roots. Leave it on for one hour and then rinse (do not wash) with cold water.
5:
The combination of dried rosemary and dried sage also helps in the fight against gray hair. You can boil 1/4 cup of rosemary and 1/2 cup of sage in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes, and let it steep for two to three hours. Then apply the mix to your gray hair, let it dry, and then shampoo. You should repeat this procedure weekly until you reach your desired shade, and then monthly for maintenance.

Diet:

While you can concoct home remedies to help control your gray hair, also make sure to eat foods that will promote healthy hair, encourage your scalp to secrete oil, and give your hair good body, shine, and texture. Drinking a lot of water and fresh vegetable juices helps, but consuming iodine-rich products like bananas, carrots, and fish, in addition to getting enough vitamins, minerals, and proteins, all contribute to your hair's condition.

You want to eat foods rich in vitamin A, such as orange and yellow fruits and vegetables (and especially dark green vegetables). Vitamin B foods you should consume include bananas, cauliflower, cereals, green leafy vegetables, liver, kidney, tomatoes, wheat germ, nutritional yeast, and yogurt.

Drinking 2 tsp. each of nutritional yeast and wheat germ along with buttermilk will help prevent and cure premature graying. (If you do not want to drink buttermilk, you can massage it into your roots twice a week.)

Mineral intake also should be a priority if you want healthy hair. Chicken, green vegetables, and red meat make fine zinc selections, while dried apricots, eggs, red meat, parsley, sunflower seeds, and wheat provide iron. You can get a strong amount of copper from almonds, cashews, crabs, egg yolk, oysters, seafood, sunflower seeds, and whole grains.

Protein items that are good for your hair's condition include cereals, meat, soy, and sprouted whole grains.