If you have ever noticed, black hair is one of the most common hair colors among most individuals of any ethnicity or race. Although nowadays, most of us ladies love to experiment with our hair color, few ladies love to stay all-natural and flaunt their natural black hair. On the other hand, with the increase in pollution, poor lifestyle choices, and due to genetics, ladies and even men with black hair often face the issue of premature graying of hair. That is the last thing any woman wants. Mostly because the graying of hair happens in random spots, and we hate it. So, keeping that in mind, we have gathered some vital information about what makes hair black, tips on how to keep hair black, and food for white hair to turn black.
What makes Hair Black?
The color of your hair is due to the presence of melanin. This melanin is produced in your hair follicles. Specifically, there are two forms of melanin that influence the color of your skin and hair – eumelanin and pheomelanin.
Black or dark-colored hair occurs when the production of eumelanin is more. Similarly, when the production of pheomelanin is more, the person has light-colored skin and hair.
Factors that cause Black Hair to turn Gray
Many young women nowadays are in a dilemma and wonder how to keep hair black and stop premature graying. Many seek tips for black hair growth online and even consult the doctors about it. The thing is, in order to know how to keep hair black, you should know the root cause of the premature gray hair. There are a number of factors that lead to the occurrence of gray or white hair prematurely.
There is a saying, what you eat, it reflects on your health. Even if the world is pretty much obsessed with fitness and taking a proper diet, most of us struggle to stick to a healthy diet. How often do you eat your food in a way that your body gets the right nutrition? Rarely, right? But this is what hampers your body and one of the reasons why gray hair appears prematurely. Deficiency of vitamins such as E, B, E in your body leads to premature graying of hair.
Air pollutants, contaminated water affects your hair quality and may even cause premature graying of hair.
Stress is the mother of most health issues. Premature gray hair is one of the results of extreme and continuous stress. However, stress is just the trigger that causes graying of hair. It is not the direct cause.
The genes play a massive role in most things, biologically speaking. If either of your parents or your grandparents had this issue, then most probably you will too.
How to Get Black Hair Naturally?
Unfortunately, if the premature graying of hair is due to genetics, then there is no natural way to get black hair. However, for the others, there are definitely few tips for black hair growth and you will for sure get an answer to the question of how to get black hair naturally. So, how to keep hair black naturally? You can choose to try a number of home remedies that are one of the safest tips for black hair growth. Other than this, you can also increase the consumption of a diet rich in vitamins that will help you get black hair.
List of Foods to Increase Black Hair Growth
What makes hair black? Well, you can try home remedies. Going natural never hurts!!
1. Indian Gooseberry or Amla
As we all know, amla is rich in vitamin C. It is full of health benefits – be it for your guts or skin or hair. So, if you have been worrying about how to keep your hair black and save yourself from gray hair, you can try applying amla juice on your scalp.
How to make the remedy using amla:
- Take 5 to 6 amlas and cut them into tiny pieces.
- You can either soak these in a bowl full of water overnight or else, you can boil the pieces in 2 cups of water and reduce the mixture. Let this mixture cool down completely before you use it. In case you soak overnight, mash the pieces a bit to further squeeze out the juice.
Application:
- There are two ways to use amla in this case:
- You can mix the extract along with any essential oil and massage your scalp for at least 5 minutes. Wash off your hair with shampoo.
- Other than this, after washing your hair, you can simply rinse your hair with this amla extract. The best part about this is that you can also let it stay on your hair or you can wash the amla extract with normal water.
Also Read: Tips To Maintain Bright Hair Color
2. Black Sesame
Using black sesame seeds is one of the age-old tips for black hair growth. It is said that black sesame seeds can help boost the production of melanocytes that is an integral part of melanin.
How to make the remedy using black sesame seeds
- Soak 1 to 2 tablespoons of the seed for at least an hour.
- Grind the soaked seeds into a paste and mix it with a few drops of coconut oil.
- Apply this mixture over your scalp and massage.
- Wash off your hair.
- Try this remedy once or twice a week.
Alternative method:
Instead of applying, many prefer food for white hair to turn black. In this case, if you believe in consuming rather than application, you can consume 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds twice a week.
3. Almonds
Almond is one of the most versatile dry fruits that we know. One of the useful benefits that almond provides is it can help regain the ability of the hair follicles to produce melanin. Most importantly, almond contains the catalase enzyme that breaks down the buildup of hydrogen peroxide on your hair scalp. Hydrogen peroxide is, in fact, the real culprit behind the graying of hair. When hydrogen peroxide buildups on the scalp, it strips away the melanin from the hair follicles and stops further production of the pigment cells. So, to reduce its effects, you have to increase the levels of catalase enzyme in your body.
How to use almonds as a home remedy:
- You can either use the almond oil to massage the scalp, providing the necessary catalase enzymatic effects.
- Otherwise, you can also consume almonds as it is another food for white hair to turn black.
- However, keep in mind to soak the almonds overnight and peel the skin before eating. 3 to 4 almonds daily are more than enough to provide the necessary effects on your health.
Apart from almonds, you can also consume garlic, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cabbage as they also consist of the catalase enzyme.
4. Shikakai
Shikakai is another great option that offers a number of benefits for your hair. It is a component that you commonly see in ayurvedic hair products. Not only does it make your hair shiny and silky, it also keeps your natural hair color pigments intact.
How to use Shikakai as home remedy:
- Shikakai is easily available in the market in the form of powder or in other forms like shampoo or conditioner.
- In case you wish to use the powder, take a few tablespoons of the powder as per your requirement, and mix with plain curd, making a paste.
- Apply this on your scalp and let it stay for 20 minutes. Wash your hair with a mild shampoo.
5. Manage your Diet
Your overall health condition always depends on the type of diet you take. So, in case, you are confirmed that the appearance of grey or white hair has nothing to do with genetics, then you can reduce it by the intake of a natural diet rich in vitamins, minerals. If necessary, you can also visit a dietician or nutritionist for a proper diet chart. So, these are a few things that everyone should know if they want to know how to keep hair black.
Getting the black hair back when it has turned white is a bit difficult but not impossible. You have to be persistent and patient with the home remedies. However, as we said, if it is due to a genetic cause, then it is unlikely that home remedies will work. Then, all you can do is try dyeing your hair at home or with the help of a professional. Along with that, proper hair care is also a must.
Also read: Is Colouring/ Dyeing Your Hair Safe