Why does hair turn gray as we age? Hair starts out white, and then pigment (melanin) is added to it—as we age, this process starts to shut down (things like genes, environment/toxins, hormones, and stress all play a role too!).
But science is starting to figure out more and more that aging isn’t inevitable. We are even figuring out how to reverse it, as scientists have successes lengthening telomeres. Once you realize how much power you have to prevent signs of aging, your view of the world really changes!
It’s probably been drilled into you that if you take good care of yourself, you’ll age more slowly. Whether that’s sleeping enough, exercising your heart, maintaining a healthy weight (easier on your joints!) or meditating (cuts back on stress and preserves telomeres!), there’s lots you can do to stay younger, longer.
Here’s another one (that still shocks me): gray hair and your copper intake are strongly related. I mentioned that hair turns gray as the process of adding melanin breaks down—but the exact mechanism isn’t pinpointed. We just have really good theories. Well, those theories should be adjusted to the influence of more copper in the diet—it reverses graying hair!
People have been telling me about this for a while, but I’ve been giving it a lot of side-eye. I imagined you’d have to either take a lot of copper, or that it wasn’t a huge effect. Then I saw it for myself—white hair turned grayer with “pepper” added in, rather than the usual take over of “salt”, at just 1 teaspoon of colloidal copper a day.
Now that I’ve seen it for myself, I’m pretty impressed.
Now, an important note: you can take too much copper, and “overdose”. What too much is, though, will vary from person to person. Some people may be starting out slightly copper deficient (it depends on where your food is grown, and the quality of the soil. Hard to know even if you eat really healthy!). Others may be more in the middle on their copper levels. And some may be genetically predisposed to easily have too much copper intake.
How white/gray/colored your hair is isn’t a good indicator of how much copper you need, because there are just so many factors at play, like genes, diet, stress, etc. But copper is one of those factors, and getting more improves hair color. Health just has to remain priority 1!
What to watch out for: ideally, a doctor or nutritionist can help watch/test your copper and iron levels (too much copper means too much iron). One early warning sign you can detect yourself is a persistent metallic taste (but don’t solely rely on this—taste is another thing that genes make vary!). Basically, monitor your health closely, and don’t let vanity drive you to go overboard. Consulting a doctor or nutritionist is a brilliant idea!
Want to see for yourself? Try some colloidal copper.
Have you witnessed graying hair reverse? Share your story!
