Foods To Prevent Premature Hair Graying
Grey hair is treated as a sign of wisdom. This does not hold well in case of premature grey hair. Generally greying should start after the age of forty but these days we observe that large number of boys and girls start getting grey hair when they are still in their teens. Grey hair is caused when the follicles are unable to provide color to our hair. This is when there is lack of or deficiency of melanin in our body.
There are a large number of reasons for having premature grey hair. One of the reasons is tension and stress in life. The other reason is decrease in capacity of our body to produce melanin. This stage should normally come when a person has crossed forty. Whatever we eat also has an effect on the color of our hair. Eating habits of the youth of today have gone bad, they are attracted more towards fast food and junk food which is very rich in starch and sugar and low in vitamins and minerals. This food increases acidity in our body which is the main cause of greying.
Eating balanced food rich in vitamins and minerals is the first step towards avoiding premature greying of hair. Lack of these essential nutrients retards normal working of our cells and production of melanin goes down. For healthy growth of hair, our scalp cells need a lot of oxygen and essential nutrients. It is better if the nutrients come through food and not through vitamin supplements and pills.
The food which we eat should have sufficient quantity of protein for healthy hair. Vitamin B7 helps cell building and renewal, similarly omega-3 fatty acid strengthens the cell walls thus reducing degeneration causing premature greying of hair. Vitamin C and E help increase blood circulation in our scalp. As such it is essential to eat healthy food. Our food should be rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruits and green vegetables are a rich source of vitamins and minerals to our body. Eggs, meat and cereals are a rich source of protein. These help also reduce acidic effect of junk food on our body.
Acidic food tends to increase the level of acidity. This travels to our scalp cells. Acidic action on hair results in bleaching of our hair. Due to this reason it is said that alkaline living will not only prevent greying of hair but will also reverse the process. Coconut oil is a good source of alkaline input in our body. It can be used for cooking. Coconut oil can be massaged on the scalp to prevent greying of hair. Massage will also increase blood circulation.