Can keto reverse gray hair?


#1

I have a friend who is not into keto but still in a low carbs diet and she has postponed already twice her visit to the hairdresser for the color. Seems like her gray hair are getting black again. Have you heard something like that with keto?


#2

Yep, Brenda Zorn, one of the keto gurus on this forum has had that experience with her natural hair colour growing back. Maybe she can shed more light on the science behind it and her own personal experience. Paging @Brenda


Low Carb - A Hair Tonic?
(Cindy) #3

That would be very cool. I have a LOT of gray that I stopped dyeing when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Sort of my way of saying I’m trying to NOT waste my time doing something (dyeing my hair) that I don’t really want to do. But I don’t like the gray much, either.


(Robert C) #4

(Randy) #5

Interesting. I have very little grey hair. (54yrs old). But I have quite a bit in my beard. It hasn’t lessened any that I can tell in 22 months of keto.


(Carl Keller) #6

(John) #7

I have not noticed any difference in hair color.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Yes, I’ve heard tell of it. . . . (grumble, grumble)

#STILLNOTBLONDYET #COMEONKETOHURRYITUP


(Carnivore for the win) #9

I’ve noticed less gray, in my hair and facial hair, after 9 months of Keto. I do IF 18/6 almost every day with a 24 hr fast every week or two. Not sure if it’s the Keto, or fasting, or both, but something is working.


#10

My graying has halted or slowed. (I’m 52.) My guess is it’s because I’ve stopped eating inflammatory grains. Less blood sugar may be a factor.

One interesting thing I can tell is about my father. He was, ironically, a wheat farmer. He always wore jean pants and shirts, with the sleeves folded midway up his forearm. Always. In his 40’s he showed me how the covered arm hair had grayed, and the uncovered had not. There was a line right where his jean shirt cuff had been. Vitamin D? Don’t know.


(Brian) #11

Same here. Hair is dark brown with a little silver sneaking in. But the beard is quite gray. The gray used to cut out when it got trimmed but not anymore. I’ve had people ask if I color my hair. Nope.


(Lauren) #12

My husband has been grey since he was 15. It would be really weird to see color in his hair.


(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #13

I still have gray but its growth has slowed down so much I haven’t seen any more since a few years in on keto. I’m 5 years ketogenic now.


(Empress of the Unexpected) #14

Sorry to tell you this - mine went flat out white on keto.


(Consensus is Politics) #15

Several months in keto i began to wonder if my hair was getting darker. When i get a haircut, I try to get a traditional flat top. Pretty short on the sides and back, and slighlty more than that on top, made super flat across the top. And cut square where it meets the side, indeed, a 90 degree angle (when the barber can handle it :sunglasses:

Thing is I often wait way to long to get it cut again. Usually when it gets out of control, and coming or brushing just dont matter. So getting cut once it grows out for a few months was exposing grey hair every time. But now it seems reversed. Getting just a little more darker each time. Although nor as fast as it went gray.

Now my beard on the other hand. I began shaving at age 13. I shaved the beard, not the ‘stache. The mustache had white in it just past the corners of my mouth, about 5 to 10 mm wide. I called them my racing stripes. Just before going keto, all of it was mostly white. A year later, its mostly black, but still have the racing stripes, albeit a little less defined. Fuzzy stripes.


(Omar) #16

my wife said I got obvious dark spots disappeared and skin improvement. but no hair color reversal.

But you got me interested to observe closely.


(Art) #17

Since there are basically two ways to approach Keto for weight loss: 1) CICO 2) Eat to TDEE but keep protein to 1g x kg of ideal weight as well as carbs under 20gr

That perhaps those who see a marked improvement are one of the two groups?


#18

This is really interesting. I had, I guess, what you’d call an age-spot on the right side of my face - for some years now. It was getting darker, protruded from the skin a bit, and was quite large. After reading this thread, I decided to go take a look. It’s nearly disappeared!

Another interesting change has been with the skin on my feet. I LOVE walking around barefoot…but the bottom of my feet, especially the heels were worse than sandpaper. The heels were all cracked with massive crevasses, and would sometimes bleed. I noticed last week that they were entirely smooth and healed. Hadn’t done anything to them, either. No cream, or pumice stone. They just healed!

As far as the hair goes, I did notice quite a bit of dark hair where the white had been starting. But so far, none of the white has turned back. I’ll wait and see. But, I find it fascinating - how the dietary improvements can change these things- which I thought were permanent!


(April Harkness) #19

Um…in my situation.nope.in fact its more noticeable. Why? My hair grows longer and faster on keto making my grays stand out. Just yesterday my bf said i had the longest gray hairs he had ever seen.


(Scott) #20

No gray hair here since going keto. Not really much of a valid observation though, I would need to grow hair first to observe this effect. Imagine the people that would flock to keto if it cured baldness.