Gray hair can make you look a lot older than you really are.
Although there’s nothing wrong with having a little gray in your mane, many people prefer to hide it under an expensive dye job.
Gray hair is inevitable as you age, but recent studies suggest that you may be able to delay it by adding more wheatgrass into your diet.
Why Does Hair Turn Gray ?
Pigment cells located at the base of each hair follicle are responsible for the color of your hair. As you grow older these cells begin to die, leaving your hair gray. Naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide can also build up in the hair, bleaching the color (1).
In some people, gray hair can be a sign of nutritional deficiency (B-12) or thyroid problems. However, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, hair pigmentation is influenced by the quality of blood and the strength of the kidneys (2).
What is Wheatgrass ?
As its name suggests, wheatgrass is the young grass of the wheat plant. It’s typically sold in natural health foods as a powder, capsules or as seeds that are grown, harvested and juiced.
Wheatgrass is said to be good for the blood because it’s high in chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is used by plants to trap light and create energy. It’s fat-soluble, so it needs to be taken with healthy fat, like coconut oil, in order to be properly absorbed into the bloodstream (3).
How Wheatgrass Prevents Gray Hair
Research suggests that chlorophyll decrease oxidative damage induced by chemical carcinogens and radiation. It’s currently being studied as a chemopreventive agent for liver cancer (4). It’s also believed to directly fight tumors (2).
The College of International Hollistic Studies explains that protects the liver and the blood by neutralizing toxic substances like cadmium, nicotine, strontium, mercury, and polyvinyl chloride (2).
Additionally, it’s believed that these mechanisms prevent cell aging, including the aging of hair pigment cell. It contains antioxidants that fight the natural aging process associated with the production of free radicals.
Also, the molecular structure of chorophyll is remarkably similar to that of hemoglobbin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. This might explain its capacity to improve blood quality and oxygen transportation to the scalp.
How To Use Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass promotes blood flow and packs a nutritional punch of vitamins and mineral that feed hair follicles and the hair shaft.
To use, it’s recommended that your drink 1-2 fluid ounces of fresh-squeezed juice daily or take 1 tablespoon wheatgrass powder a day (2).
You can use it as a conditioner by pouring 1-2 ounces of fresh juice on clean, wet hair. Let it sit for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Follow up with a vinegar rinse and style as usual.
sources:
[1]https://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-nails/abcs-premature-graying
[2]https://www.naturalmedicinecollege.ca/natural-medicine-library/can-wheatgrass-turn-grey-hair-back-to-its-natural-colour/
[3]https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/chlorophyll-chlorophyllin
[4]https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/chlorophyll-chlorophyllin