Dealing with unexpected gray hair can be confusing. Yes, it’s a natural part of the aging process (and there are so many chic ways to let it grow out, it can even be a welcome change), but when you’re nowhere near where you thought you would be for that type of hair transformation, it can be a bit jarring. So what gives?
There are many factors that play into our hair graying prematurely. Family history, free radicals in the body, and oxidative stress are just some of the most common ones, says Morgan Rabach, MD, board-certified dermatologist at LM Medical NYC. One that doesn’t get talked about enough is how food—or lack of certain ones—can impact when those gray strands will appear on your head.
“Vitamin deficiencies can contribute to premature gray hair by interfering with melanin production and causing oxidative stress within the hair follicles,” adds Samantha Dieras, RN, DCN, director of ambulatory nutrition services at Mount Sinai Hospital. “The melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) may become damaged or dysfunctional in the absence of these nutrients, leading to loss of color.”
Disclaimer: eating or not eating certain foods isn’t the end-all, be-all to losing your natural color. Dieras goes on to say that while studies have shown that it may be helpful to eat certain foods for repigmentation of their graying hair, it’s still a small part of the gray hair puzzle. With that in mind, the five best types of foods to incorporate into your diet to at least help include:
Copper-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Liver, oysters, potatoes, and mushrooms
The element copper is key to melanin synthesis, says Dr. Rabach, and low levels of it may cause reduced pigmentation production in our hair. Some foods you could eat to offset a copper deficiency include potatoes, where one whole potato contains 675 micrograms (mcg) of the nutrient, and mushrooms, which contain 650 mcg for every half cup cooked. If you love shellfish and meat, oysters are packed with the nutrient and contain 4,850 mcg of copper for every 3 ounces cooked, while 3 ounces of cooked beef liver contains 12,400 mcg.
Iron-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Red meat, poultry, legumes, and spinach
Dr. Rabach explains that iron is needed for melanin production, so low levels of it may lead to reduced pigment in our hair. Some of the most iron-rich foods you can turn to avoid a deficiency include red meat, which according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans created by the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services, can contain about 2.5 milligrams of iron for every 3 ounces cooked, and chicken, which has 1 mg of iron for every 3 ounces cooked.
If you’re looking for vegetable options rich in iron, try legumes and spinach. Legumes, which include foods like chickpeas and lentils, are rich in iron; half a cup of chickpeas contains 2.4 mg, and half a cup of lentils contains about 3.3 mg of the nutrient.
Vitamin D-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Salmon, sardines, milk, and orange juice
Vitamin D is extremely important to hair health. Studies show that a vitamin D deficiency can lead to hair loss and premature gray hair. Dr. Rabach says that low levels of vitamin D can lead to melanocyte dysfunction, which impairs the way cells produce pigment in the hair and weak strands.
To make sure you’re not deficient in the nutrient, try foods like salmon and sardines. Salmon contains about 383 to 570 international units (IU) of the nutrient, and one can of sardines contains 164 IU of the nutrient. You can also turn to drinks like milk and orange; one cup of milk contains 115 IU, and one cup of orange juice contains 100 IU of the nutrient.
Vitamin B12-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Clams, chicken liver, and sardines
Vitamin B12 is another nutrient your hair needs for melanin production. Dr. Rabach explains that a B12 deficiency reduces oxygen to the hair follicles and hinders color from producing. To make sure you’re getting enough B12, the best foods you can eat are clams, chicken liver, and sardines.
Tinned fish is long known for all its health benefits (and its recent rebrand as a chic kitchen pantry item doesn’t hurt either), and one tin of sardines contains 8.22 mcg of the nutrient. If you want to go the shellfish route, clams contain about 17 mcg of vitamin B12. But the food that is the most B12-dense is chicken liver; one serving of chicken liver contains 70.7 mcg of the nutrient.
Folate-Rich Foods
Foods to try: Beef liver, spinach, and black-eye peas
Folate, aka folic acid or vitamin B9, is crucial to making sure your metabolism and DNA function properly. When you’re deficient in this nutrient, you’ll notice changes in your hair and pigmentation. Some foods you can easily add to your diet include spinach, which contains 131 mcg of the nutrient for every half a cup cooked, and black-eye peas, which contain 105 mcg for every half a cup cooked. Beef liver is the most vitamin B9-dense, with 215 mcg in every 3ounces
But again, experts say that while it may be helpful, food shouldn’t be the only thing you rely on when dealing with premature gray hair. Dr. Rabach’s best advice for preventing it from coming prematurely is the same advice you’d get for better health overall: optimize nutrition, reduce stress as much as you can, and try to get enough sleep.
Have a beauty or wellness trend you re curious about? We want to know! Send Vogue s senior beauty wellness editor an email at beauty@vogue.com.
