Alison Odey

I have for many years I have told people that hair colour is best maintained by the supplementation of minerals in the form of Colloidal minerals simply because these contain ALL the essential minerals AND trace elements needed, in safe amounts and avoiding the danger of over supplementing with just one element.
That is – alongside a healthy dose of good genetics!

Hair is coloured by the production of melanin in the hair bulbs. There are two kinds of melanin, eumelanin which colours the hair brown to black, and pheomelanin that makes it yellow-blond to red. Different combinations of these two kinds of melanin determine then the exact colour and shade of the hair.
It is my understanding that grey hair results when insufficient nutrients are supplied to the scalp to maintain normal melanin production in hair cells called melanocytes.
Several nutrients are responsible to convert the amino acid tyrosine into melanin.
The most common deficiency is copper.

Grey hair contains much less copper, magnesium and calcium than naturally coloured hair.
In addition, as well as sufficient copper, calcium and magnesium, zinc maybe required as well as iodine. These are all found in Colloidal minerals.

Apart from supplementing with colloidal minerals, I have read (haven’t tried myself) that to restore hair colour it is useful to rub diluted copper salicylate solution directly into the scalp.

Next in effectiveness seems to be para-amino benzoic acid or PABA, which is related to the B group of vitamins. Generally PABA has been effective in 10 -25% of cases to darken grey or white hair; after stopping application the colour tends to fade again after several weeks.
In clinical trials amounts from 400 mg up to 15 g of oral PABA have been used daily.
PABA, used orally or topically, is also a natural sunscreen.

Other nutrients required to maintain or restore natural hair colour are the B vitamins pantothenic acid, folic acid (in green leaves) and biotin (highest in egg yolk), as well as the B vitamin inositol. Inositol stabilises cell membranes.
This protects the hair bulbs and helps to keep the hair moist and so darkens its colour.

Causes of premature greyness:
Overacidity causes mineral deficiency and premature grey hair.
This can be brought about by a diet too high in refined foods, sugars and/or proteins  to the deficit of raw foods.

Another cause of fading hair colour is chronic stress. This is often seen is cases of severe emotional stress

Antioxidant deficiency may also contribute.
In the normal metabolism free radicals and hydrogen peroxide are being formed. These need to be detoxified otherwise the melanin-producing enzymes are being damaged. In addition to copper salicylate a high antioxidant intake can avoid this problem.

Hair colouring damages the hair, and it may then take longer for a natural colour to reappear. It is not clear if and to what degree white hair can regain some natural colouring; this may depend very much on additional measures to improve overall vitality and blood circulation to the scalp.

There is much anecdotal evidence that increased blood circulation to the scalp can restore hair colour. This may be done by frequently keeping the head lower than the heart, such as with inversion equipment or slant boards, or by rubbing irritating substances into the scalp such as a solution of cayenne or some aromatic oils.

How to Use Copper
Generally it is considered much more effective to apply copper salicylate directly to the site of the problem as in rubbing a suitable solution into an arthritic joint or an inflamed muscle, ulcerated leg, aged skin or greying hair. Copper salicylate dissolves in water and it may be applied in this way however it can be difficult to obtain. Also to penetrate the skin it should be kept moist for an extended period or combined with a suitable carrier.

When rubbing it on the skin or around a joint you may, for instance, mix the copper salicylate with some magnesium oil which then keeps the area moist for a long time, just guard against accidentally rubbing it off, or cover with a cloth.
Another possibility is to apply it together with aloe vera gel.

Hence most people would try the wearing a copper bracelet or as I always suggest taking colloidal minerals (which contain copper) on a daily basis.

Up-dated August 2014