Gray Hairs?

Join the club. We all get them eventually. Some even get gray hairs at age 19. However as with all things relating to aging, we certainly don't get gray hairs equally.

It would appear that circulation to the scalp is a major factor causing the melanocytes (the cells which produce hair pigment) to die out.

What does conventional wisdom have to say?

In many of the more advanced healing modalities, graying of hair has been attributed to poor blood circulation to the head and scalp.

For example the Chinese herb shou wu, (literally Mr Black Hair) is famed in China for enriching the blood and darkening the hair.

One Indian healer suggests stimulating the scalp by rubbing one's fingernails together every morning for 5 minutes. This is because of the the acupressure concept where the fingernails coincide with the scalp. (Interesting that they should both feature keratin. Nature works in strange ways.)

Gently massaging the hairline has also been suggested. In fact I believe that Indian families massage each other's scalps with unrefined coconut oil to promote a healthy shiny head of hair. I have tried this, and I have seen some improvement. At the same time take two tablespoons of mollasses a day and two tablespoons of brewers yeast (which are rich in b vitamins, and you can take supplements for these also. One b vitamin which is good for hair is pantothenic acid. You can also perform a daily ritual which allows your head to be lower than the rest of your body daily, preferably for half an hour. After two months you will see a definate improvement in hair colour, but still some white hair. You will ask yourself is this really worth the trouble? Yes I know you. Remind yourself that increased circulation to the head also means less wrinkles, thicker hair (using the above techniques you can see the new hair grow). And of course improved circulation means less tension, and improved mental function. For most of us the brain deteriorates from age 45 to age 90 or whatever, and yes that is a different subject, but supplements have been proven to help that too (niacin, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl l-carnitine. Hehe what a quack I am becoming.

More Herbs

The herbs that increase circulation to the head have been purported to improve mental alertness and memory, and even an increase in hormone levels due to the fact that that the ductless glands - the hypophthalmus, pituitary and pineal glands are all in the head area. Between them they regulate all of the body's hormones secretions.

Longevity

It is perhaps no coincidence that there are stories particularly in China about people who lived to 130, 160 and even 256 years whilst taking herbs. Shou wu and gotu kola are two herbs which have been attributed with this property. It was even said that the individuals involved still had black hair when they were 160 years old.

On a less serious note, see what this jerk has to say about gray hair.