Are You Beard Turning Gray? Can Grey Beard Be Reversed?

There are many reasons why our beard turns grey. Unfortunately, if it’s because of genetics then there’s little to no solution for your grey beard.

However, the color of our hair and beards is controlled by melanin. Therefore, it can easily be reversed if we were to heighten our melanin production.

Whether it’s through products, medication, or even as simple as relaxing, we are able to reverse it. But before you get to that, you must first pinpoint the main reason why your beard is turning grey.

Common Causes

Knowing the cause is an essential part of reversing it. Why? Well, the solutions can differ depending on the reason and it’s more efficient to use a specific remedy rather than trying it all.

Nutrient Deficiency

If you’re pretty confident that you have a balanced diet and your beard is still greying regardless then it might not be the cause.

You would need a diet that includes iron, copper, B-12, and folate to ensure that your melanin production is stable.

Of course, you have to contact your doctors first in order to get the supplements that will be most efficient in reversing your grey beard.

Health Conditions

Some diseases can alter the color of your beard. Whether it may be because of the disease itself or the imbalance that it causes in your body.

Such as:

• Thyroid Disease
• Vitiligo
• Alopecia Areata

Unfortunately for some diseases, it will be impossible or difficult to reverse. The most that you can do is manage your symptoms.

Stress

Stress can and will affect the color of your beard. It will attack the stem cells that regenerate hair pigment, leaving it grey/white.

According to scientists, a chemical that is released as a stress response called norepinephrine will cause your stem cells to activate prematurely. This will deplete your hair’s pigment reserves and will leave you with grey hair.

Old age

As we grow old, it is natural for our body’s production rate to go slower. Some people even find grey hairs as early as 30 years old.

Unfortunately, there’s not much treatment that can restore it. The best thing to do is to color your hair as a temporary solution.

Sun exposure

Being out in the sun for a long time will not only damage your skin but also your hair and beard. In extreme cases, it might even speed up the greying process.

This is due to the oxidative stress that it causes to your hair follicles, leaving your hair grey. The UV Rays are simply too harmful to stay under.

Solutions

Now that you’ve found out the cause of your greying beard, we can move on to reversing it. Try the ones that are applicable to your situation.

Supplements and a balanced diet

Sometimes our beard just wants to remind us to keep on top of our diet and stay healthy. Unfortunately, the ‘reminders’ constitutes changing the color of your beard.

When that happens, try and live a healthier life by tackling your diet. If there’s any reason why you’re not getting the nutrients that you need through your diet then try taking supplements.

If you have health issues, contact your doctor first.

Relax and chill

Relaxing is a good way to stop your hair from greying prematurely. In one study, they found out that stress-related greying can be reversed in as early as three days.

You may even find that some of your strands are two-toned wherein the bottom part is grey/white but the top part is your natural hair color.

This means that something may have happened to cause you stress and turn it grey. The strand becoming two-toned just means that the reversing process has already started and it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.

Sun Protection

You can easily protect your beard by staying hydrated and wearing a hat or sunscreen. After all, the sun is only harmful if you extensively expose yourself to its rays.

You don’t really need to cover up if you don’t want to, just try limiting your outdoor time if you feel that you have more than enough per day.

Soon enough, the negative effects of UV rays will lift and your hair will be back to normal. You just have to constantly be aware of the number of hours you spend so the greying process won’t restart.

How to prevent the greying process

You know what they say, prevention is the best cure. Why go through all of that hassle when you can just prevent the problem from happening?

While it may seem like extra work, some of these take only a few minutes of your time. And it contributes to your overall health, not just your beard.

Meditation

It’s been proven that meditation leaves you with a younger mind. This method helps battle stress and keep your mental health balanced.

The good thing is that it only takes a few minutes to do and doesn’t take up much space! You can easily do it on your bed or on the floor.

It’s perfect for those who are constantly stressed but don’t have enough time to pick up a relaxing hobby. It doesn’t require much experience or equipment either.

Get enough vitamins

Whether it’s through supplements or eating extra food for the day, you should always try to meet your daily vitamin needs.

Eat anti-oxidant-rich foods

The oxidation process needs anti-oxidants to get neutralized. If not, it will create an imbalance and cause oxidative stress. It’s the same harm that sun exposure causes.

Try eating foods like berries, fish, broccoli, green tea, and even olive oil. This will help you neutralize the free radicals from oxidation.

Balanced diet

It is both a solution and prevention to a greying beard. Keeping up a balanced diet is generally healthy for everyone and includes tons of benefits.

You should eat foods that are full of collagen, and biotin, and can help neutralize free radicals. It should also be packed with vitamins, minerals, and iron.

Drop bad habits

Staying up late and smoking will cause your melanin production levels to go down, prematurely greying your beard.

As much as possible, you should not only try to eat healthily but also be healthy. Remember, your beard reflects your health, you can’t expect to take care of your beard when you can’t even take care of your health.

Herbal Remedies for a greying beard

Not a fan of chemicals or medicine? Don’t worry, you can try some of these natural remedies to help prevent/reverse your greying beard.

For some remedies, it would require you to leave the concoction on your beard overnight. Some recipes would also need extra ingredients.

Curry Leaves

It has B complex and zinc which aids in restoring color to your beard. 

1. Let the leaves dry under the sun

2. Wait for it to turn brown

3. The texture should be crispy before grinding it down to a powder

4. Use it as a seasoning on your food or drink

Although, it might take a few months to see noticeable results.

Black tea leaves

It is full of anti-oxidants that would boost your melanin and keratin production. But instead of drinking it, you would be applying it directly to your beard.

1. Boil 1 cup of black tea leaves powder in 1 cup of water. 

2. Let it simmer for around 5 minutes before turning off the heat.

3. Let it cool

4. Strain it before putting the boiled water into a spray bottle

5. Spray it on your beard 

6. Use a comb to spread everything evenly

7. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before rinsing it with water

Cow Butter

It contains a high amount of protein and it will make your beard buttery smooth! It’s perfect for those who are also looking to soften their beard.

1. Only take a teaspoon of cow butter

2. Spread the butter on your palm and massage it onto your beard

3. Let it sit for around 5 minutes before rinsing

4. Use daily (as long as it doesn’t irritate your skin)

Buttermilk

For this ingredient, you would need a microwave and curry leaves. It’s a homemade mask that should help prevent the loss of pigment.

1. Add one tablespoon of buttermilk and curry leaves juice to mix.
2. Microwave it for 30 seconds
3. Let it cool down
4. Once you feel that it is comfortable on the skin, gently massage it to your beard.
5. Let it sit for around 20 minutes before rinsing
6. As much as possible, try it every day

Coconut Oil

This oil contains Lauric Acid which helps restore your pigment’s activity. You don’t need a recipe for it either, all you need is (extra virgin) coconut oil.

Just massage it lightly on your beard before you go to sleep. Make sure that you don’t put too much or else it’ll stain a lot.

Amla and Coconut Oil

If you feel that coconut oil isn’t enough for your beard, try using Amla with it. Amla, or Indian Gooseberry, contains a lot of Vitamin C. 

1. For half a cup of coconut oil, mix in 1 tablespoon of Indian Gooseberry
2. Once completely mixed, apply it onto your beard and massage
3. Let it sit overnight and rinse it in the morning
4. It’s suggested to do it once every week

Aloe Vera

The allicin and antioxidant in Aloe Vera will help prevent your beard from greying. You will also need cow butter to make this.

1. Put half a teaspoon of Aloe Vera and Cow Butter in a container and mix
2. Gently massage it to your beard
3. Let it sit for around 15 minutes before rinsing

Conclusion

Beards mirror how healthy we are. If we want to maintain a glorious beard, we should start by taking care of our health.

Even though it might be tiring to constantly check up on our diet and vitamins, it would be good for us in the long run.

And when it comes to mental health, we should always try to de-stress. After all, it’s a huge factor in a greying beard and will immediately take effect, especially when your body already has a hard time producing melanin.

Remember, your beard is affected by your health. If you want it to look good you have to feel good both physically and mentally.