Is there a proper way to keep away white hair?

@emily7339 (1337)
Malaysia
March 31, 2013 6:11am CST
I notice one of my friend who is now at her fifties plus, does not do hair dye. She has up to shoulder length hair and now one could see her hair are almost totally white with a little grey. She told me she does not want to dye her hair and let it be natural. She would tied up her hair if it is shoulder length. However sometimes she will maintain short hair style. Will you let your hair grow white and not do anything to it? I wanted to try but I just cannot bear with the uneven color with some white some black here and there. It looks so weird and I am in a dillemma as to what hair dye should I use as there are many hair dyes that are having chemical which is not healthy for us. More scary is they do contain chemical that are cancerogen. How and what do you use in order to cover up your white hair?
7 people like this
32 responses
@victorywp (3524)
• United States
2 Apr 13
hi emily7339, although white hair or grey hair is normally associated with aging, but it also may be an indication of unhealthy habits or a lack of vitamins in the diet, most probably caused by smoking as well as a vitamin B12 deficiency. i read somewhere suggesting that in order to stop our hair from becoming white or grey too early, we should stop smoking, increase our vitamin b12 intake, and limit our vitamin e intake. vitamin b12 can be found in food that is high in protein, including beef, eggs and fish. vitamin B12 controls our body's red blood cell formation, which is vital for hair and nail growth. white or grey hair is caused by a vitamin deficiency, due to a lack of melanin being produced in the hair follicle. sources said that men and women over the age of 14 need about 2.4 micrograms of vitamin b12 daily. vitamin e can be found in green vegetables, olive oil, and poultry. although vitamin e aids in hair growth, too much vitamin e can slow down the production of melanin. the melanin in our hair provides colour, and when stunted leads to white hair. according to sources, we should consume no more than 15 milligrams of vitamin e daily. so, the above are the inner ways to deal with white hair or grey hair problems. as for the outer ways to cover up your white hair as per your question how and what do you use in order to cover up your white hair? i may suggest as below: 1) going bald - try to be bald in order to be bold 2) wearing a wig - hair that looks just the way you wanted all day long and will never grow white at all 3) wearing a cap/hat - easiest way to cover up white hair great ideas?
@victorywp (3524)
• United States
3 Apr 13
hi emily7339, i did not include hair dying because as the word suggests, your hair is dying if you do too much hair dying due to the unhealthy chemicals content in it (as you have also mentioned). LOL! perhaps you could follow with a combination of (1) and (3). first, you may go bald so that you will have no more hair problem. since you have no more hair left, you will not look weird wearing a wig by then!
2 people like this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
3 Apr 13
Hi victorywp, I think you miss out hair dye...this is also one of the ways where the mylotters here suggested besides items 1) to 3). I would love to go bald but I have no courage to do so, haha! As for wearing a wig, it will not be applicable for me as I have a lot of hair and it makes me looks weird. As for wearing a cap/hat, I do not have such habit and not proper to do so when I mixed around with people in various places. I guess I will probably resort to eating healthily to get relevant nutirents for the hair like what you have shared on vitamin B12 and also some highlight or hair dye. I really appreciate you for giving me a detail descriptions of the of nutrients and food pertaining to the growth of white/grey hair. I am happy very with those valuable informatons. It is very useful indeed. Thank you very much for taking your time and effort in doing so! Thank you for your time and respond!
2 people like this
@alpha9180 (301)
• Malaysia
2 Apr 13
Hi emily, As one grows older, white hair will eventually emerges. However, some may have white hair in their early age due to family genes. However, I do have some white hairs too. Due to I am always in the social environment, I usually apply Colour Restoring Cream on my hair. It is not a hair dye. As one use it for a prolong period of time, it will gradually restores natural looking colour to grey hair.
2 people like this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
2 Apr 13
Yes, it is true that some people has white hair due family genes and not due to aged. I am glad to know that you are using the Colour Restoring Cream. This is the first time I heard about it. Looks like it is a cream that you apply on your hair and not hair dye. Probably this is more natural. Thank you for your good information!
3 people like this
@alberello (4752)
• Italy
31 Mar 13
Well, just to answer your questions, I can tell you in advance that I hair, I do not have many left in the head (from what you can see me in the picture). However, even I start to have a few gray hairs, and even if one day I should be completely white in my hair, I shall leave them as they are. As inherent to your second question, I can tell you that from what I know, the only remedy for gray coverage, it is the same color. I'll tell you why my mother uses it.
1 person likes this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi alberello, Well, that is you I see that! It is good that you can save a lot on hair dye...haha. No harm for you to maintain white hair. My husband do have a little white hair. And he leaves it as it is. It looks gorgeous too... I believe your mother has make the right choice. It makes it easier to maintain with the same color. Thanks and really appreicate what you have shared!
1 person likes this
@besweet (9867)
• Ireland
31 Mar 13
Hello! I have white hair from a very young age and the only solution for me is to colour them every month. The white hair are mainly on the front so they are visible when my hair grows. I wouldn't let them be natural because I don't like white hair and I am too young for it, but I have seen older women with natural white hair and it looks fine. I am going to the hair salon to colour my hair once a month, and sometimes I do it at home. There are also some natural products that you could use but I have to say that they are not very effective on white hair even if they promise to give the same result as the chemical ones. You can start colouring them with lighter shades and then let them grow naturally, if you have a dark colour now it will look weird until it grows to the length that you like. Another altrenative is to cut them relatively short and let your natural grey hair grow long if you like them!
1 person likes this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
31 Mar 13
Hi besweet, I am sorry to hear that you have white hair from a very young age. My brother having white hair all over too at the age of twenties. Having white hair is not comfortable but doing it at the saloon is very expensive. I think I may start with the lighter shades and let them grow naturally. This will be a better option. Hi PointlessQuestions, You are right people are getting more modernized and having all kinds of pattern on their hair, haha!
3 people like this
@besweet (9867)
• Ireland
31 Mar 13
Hi! Yes, I had the white hair from my twenties as well and they are increasing as I grow up! I've found a relatively cheap place where they give me a discounted price sine I am a regular customer, so for full colouring and cutting I only pay 50 euros which is great because I pay around 15 for the hair dye when I do it myself and another 15 for cutting at the hair salon afterwards. Having a lighter tone on your hair will probably make the transition easier for you, or maybe you can look for the colouring shampoos that rinse away after a certain period of time and leave your hair colour close to your natural. @PointlessQuestions, my uncle has short hair and a white strap at the front of his head, like the one that you describe! I thought it was really weird when I was younger so I asked him one day, why his hair is black and he has a white part in the front! :P It seems like when he started colouring his hair, he forgot to dye a part of his hair in the front. But because he didn't want to admit that he was dying his hair he adopted this look and he is always leaving those white hair above his forehead!
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
I am really glad for you that you are having a very good and affordable deal to solve your white problem. I do hope to find an alternative since having hair dye in the saloon here is very expensive. As I am no longer working my offline job, I do not want to spend to much money on my hair as it is an going kind of things. I am more comfortable with lighter tone on the hair. I am glad to know that there are colouring shampoos that can be rinse away after wash. I have not heard of it here. Perhaps I need to go and find out more see where I could get one. This will be more convenient and easier...haha
2 people like this
@joycseer (845)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi emily7339, i understand your concern as a person aged, they will be concern of their outlook especially hair is the glory of a woman. Having uneven hair color on our head might cause trouble looking and feel like doing something to it. To leave it as it is really requires much patience and tolerance to accept the way it grows. So, i did some search...but i do not know how effective it will help you. There is a lady who eat a handful of almonds a day. At least it works for her by keeping away her white hair. Just to share with you a bible verse, Proverbs 16:30 - "The gray head is a crown of glory; It will be found in the way of righteousness." As long as we eat proper diet, fresh fruits, drink more water, do not stress...naturally our hair will grow well.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi joycseer, I do believe that consuming the right food to get proper nutrients may help to maintain a healthier hair. Your sharing is sweet and reminds me of Provebs 16:30. Yes, we need to eat proper food and consume more clean water. Stress is the killer for many and we should not dwell in it. I appreciate your effort in responding with such sweet advices, happy mylotting and have a nice day!
1 person likes this
• United States
31 Mar 13
My mother is in her 60s and she looks absolutely beautiful with grey hair, especially if she wears a dark green color. She's decided to accept the way her hair and body is changing, and I think that's great. I've always had white hair from the early ages of 21. It's definitely a family gene trait lol all my brothers had it early too. It didn't bother me back then, only now that I'm 40 something, and they're more prominent, especially at the top. I dye my hair maybe once every 6-8 weeks. It's probably not great for the hair, but it does the job. I just buy the nice and easy products at CVS and do it myself. It's cheaper that way and I think my hair looks great afterwards!!!
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi maddysmummy, I am glad to know your mother is pleased with her grey hair. She has make the choice that she is happy with. That's great! I think when I get to that age, I may consider to just leave it as it is too, haha. It is true, many young people are having white hair. My brother is no exception. He is the only one in my family having lots of white hair in his early twenties. But due to he is in the corporate world, so he uses hair dye to covered up the whites. Nice to hear that you are doing the hair dye yourself. I guess I am still needing to learn that. But, for the moment may be I will get my daughter to help me with it. So that I will not make it a mess, haha!
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
6 Apr 13
Hello emily. I have a lot of white or gray hair. Yesterday afternoon I had a haircut and then had my hair dyed black. I am still working and I don't feel good with white hair, which makes me look old. I know that dyeing hair is no good, but I have to out of this reason that I am working. When I get retired from work, I will let it be. Also I have discovered that many teens also have white hair nowadays. If there is some food that can help make our hair become black again, that would be nice. Thanks for the discussion. Have a good day.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
6 Apr 13
Hi williamjisir, This is true if you are still in the working life and meeting many customers and business people, it is very uncomfortable with a lot of white or grey hair. Probably you may look for some hair dye that has less chemical or natural but may be more expensive. I heard of a kind of shampoo with combination of hair dye as well which you could leave on your hair for a while and wash it off. You may refer to Box No. 26, a friend Mavic123456 shared in this discussion for more information. As for something which we could eat for the health of our hair, you may also refer to Box No. 28 in this discussion concerning a herb, called Shou Wu. Our friend here, artemeis is also kind enough to attach the picture of it. Please take a look and see if it is suitable for you. Thanks for your respond and have a wonderful day!
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
5 Apr 13
I am letting mine go white naturally. I don't see any reason to try to appear younger than I am--I am proud that I have lived all these years and done what I have in my life. The white hair shows people that I have experience and have had the strength to get this far. I think white hair is very attractive but most women are horrified. I liked my hair when I was a young girl but I also like it now that it is turning white. I think that women and men who dye their hair are showing their insecurities and fear to the world, their fear of getting older instead of accepting and enjoying it. I hope you won't be afraid to let your hair grow naturally. Dyes are harmful and rarely look natural. People can tell by your face, words, and actions how old you are even if you dye your hair.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
5 Apr 13
You have given me a very good advise. It is good to let it grow naturally as most dyes are harmful. I will try to see how it will turn out by letting it grow naturally. Even though it is a little here and there now but not too obvious but not growing evenly. However, one fine day it will be. Thank you very much for your respond!
1 person likes this
@artemeis (4194)
• China
1 Apr 13
If my hair has uneven color, I would opt to dye because I do not like to appear as if I could not be bothered attitude. I would feel out of character and not to mention insensitive of how others might feel when they look at my uneven hair color. I can always shop for my own brand of hair dye and let my regular hairdresser do it for me. I know of some instant ones but still it would be too troublesome for me to do it on my own. Besides, if I am going for my regular hairdressing then I might as well let my experts do it.
@artemeis (4194)
• China
2 Apr 13
Shou Wu - Shou Wu, a Chinese herb known for keeping our hair black.
I do not know if you are alright with Chinese herbal treatment which I learned from my grandmother. There is a herb called Shou Wu (see picture) which is inexpensive and can be easily bought in Chinese medicinal shop. You can ask them to grind into powder form where you can add into your hot beverages like tea or soup. It is being used to help with keeping our hair from greying. Please note that the herb needs to be taken under advisement for individuals who have diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure or heart disease. It must NOT be taken with flu medication. Women who are pregnant must not take it, too.
@artemeis (4194)
• China
2 Apr 13
The daily dosage is 1 teaspoon per bowl of soup / tea and 2 times a day. Take 1 month for every 3 months. I do not know if it is good to go with oatmeal as far as taste is concern but I thought you might consider going with the following list of hot beverages and soups which can provide scalp health. 1. Pu-er tea 2. Jasmine tea 3. Green tea 4. Black beans soup (Pork ribs/Chicken claws) 5. Black chicken Ginseng Soup 6. Peanuts with pork ribs soup (with red dates/dried longan) 7. Fish and seaweed soup 8. Black sesame paste *sweet Note: If you do not have any underlying health problem or under special medication you can take a teaspoon daily like your daily coffee. If you have any doubts please check with a qualified Chinese physician.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
2 Apr 13
How nice of you sending me the photo of the herbs. I have save it unto my desktop and try to check with the chinese medical hall see if they do sell this herbs. I have also taken note of the the restriction in taking this herbs. Can be taken on a daily basis? How about if I add it to my oatmeal during breakfast? And how much each time per serving?
3 people like this
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
1 Apr 13
Hmmm wellll, you are not gonna like this suggestion, but maybe if you shave it all off it will grow back a more even color.... If you dye it, don't do it at home. Get it done at a salon.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi cupkitties, I do not think it will work by shaving it all off. It will still grow back the same thing. I never dye at saloon. The labor here is very expensive. I will try get my daughter to do it for me. Currently I may consider to have the plant based - Henna. Thank you for your suggestions!
3 people like this
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
1 Apr 13
Sure is.... dont get older. We all are going to get white or grey hair sooner or later.
• Mexico
1 Apr 13
Very true, my dad was grey at 38 years old. People used to tease him all the time.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Oh, really? It is sad...My brother does have a lot of white hair at his early twenties. He had it covered with hair dye...
1 person likes this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi mariaperalta, Time will never wait for us. It ticks away every second, every minutes....and soon when we realized we will be an old lady...haha! It is true that everyone will get white or grey hair sooner or later. So, we will just have to face it...
1 person likes this
@Mavic123456 (21898)
• Thailand
1 Apr 13
this is very difficult. i can't figure out on how i may help you solve your dilemma I wish I have something to contribute.. how about asking a beautician or dermatologist they might have some pills to help you deal with your grey hair.
@Mavic123456 (21898)
• Thailand
1 Apr 13
here in thailand there is shampoo and dye at the same time. you just shampoo this and all grey hair is gone. it will stay on for a month..
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi Mavic, It is all right. I guess I would not take any pills for my white hair. It is just a little here and there and some are hidden beneath and I do not feel at ease. I am hoping to find some hair dye which is non chemical. Most probably I will just have some highlights to compliment the grey. Thanks for your participation!
3 people like this
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
That's right! I heard about it and have been looking for it here but I could not find it. I really hope to get it someday as it is so much convenient compare having to do the usual hair dye. Thanks for the info.
3 people like this
@jiiiiin (586)
• Philippines
31 Mar 13
My sister which is just 16 and I just 18 have already white and gray hair strands. Mine is just few and not noticeable but my sister has more white hair strands. You can notice it when you look at her hair. Mom told us that it is in our family genes to have that but my cousins seems to dont have visible white hair strands. My sister dye it many times with different dye products. Now only few white hair strands is visible in her head.
@jiiiiin (586)
• Philippines
1 Apr 13
I hope my sister would know that there are harmful chemicals in hair dyes. She keep on coloring her hair to have hair high lights.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
31 Mar 13
Hi jiiiiin, Yeah, some people are have white hair at young age due to some family genes. Same goes to my brother. He has that at the age of early twenties. So, he has no choice but to apply hair dye products. But be careful of the hair dye products. As far as I know there are many hair dye which contains chemical that are harmful to our scalp and thus cuase sickness.
2 people like this
@wowjen15 (183)
• Philippines
1 Apr 13
I only use cellophane rather than permanent hair color and try and minimize it to every 3-6 months.
@wowjen15 (183)
• Philippines
2 Apr 13
It help to make hair shinier and somehow does smoothing frizzy hair. Yes they have clear coats but since I have white/grey hairs, I tend to choose darker shades of color such as black, dark brown or medium brown. What is nice is there are formulations that are washable so you could try other colors every now and then.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
I came to know cellophane treatment is keeping one's hair from becoming frizzy. It has clear coats as well as other shades. However, I have never try this before. But, glad that it works well with you! Thanks for your sharing.
3 people like this
@cudamani (996)
• India
1 Apr 13
I am around 50 years of age and I do nothing to hide my white hair. I believe that it is better to leave hair as it is. Tampering with hair can lead to unnecessary health related issues.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi cudamani, It is true to be natural. I guess having white hair has something to do with lack of certain nutrients, aging, as well as family genes. I do agree with you for the sake of health issues, it is better not to tamper our hair with chemical hair dye. Thank you for your respond and have a nice day - happy mylotting!
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
1 Apr 13
ive had the same delima as you. ive used all manner of colors for years. ive been wondering if it might work if i just dyed it platinum blonde and see if it will grow out all white after that. that might work. you think?
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi bunnybon7, I do not mind if it grow out all white at the same time and I will not resort to have hair dye. It is the whites appeared here and there a little at a time and that makes me feel odd. I guess platinum blonde should look all right if you have a fair skin. That will be the last resort I would want to try when I get older if more white hair coming out. haha! I appreciate your nice and sweet respond and happy mylotting!
2 people like this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
1 Apr 13
My white hair started to show when i am already 46 years old. Since i am working full time and my office mates are younger than me, i feel there is a need for me to dye my hair, because my grey hair seem to make me old. Thus, i dye it myself specially those at the base of my head. As to the back sides, i let our helper or my niece do it . I feel confident and younger when it is dyed.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi SIMPLYD, I felt the same way as you do. Having white hair among our colleagues make us look outstanding and uneasy at the same time. It is always a sense of looking older among them. I can understand your feeling of being confident and feel younger after you have dyed your hair. Thank you for your sincere respond and happy mylotting!
1 person likes this
@ryanong (9665)
• Vietnam
1 Apr 13
i think we should be healthy and positive, it is the best way to make white hairs comes late. Of course we can't avoid white hairs when we are older but we can make the process is slower. In here, we have a plant root, if we drink it daily as tea, hairs will be black longer. I am still young but i prefer to drink it daily and right now i have no white hair at all while my younger sister she has it.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
I really happy for you that you have a plant root where you can drink as tea to delay the growth of white hair. How marvellous! This is what I long for but I do not have any source of good thing here for that purpose. I know that it is not health to use hair dye too. Thank you for your sharing.
2 people like this
@Adval2013 (436)
1 Apr 13
If I had other options healthier than hair dye, I would not dye my hair at all. I agree with you totally that seeing the uneven colors of hairs when white or gray ones start to appear could be very annoying. Well, we in our thirties up whould really learn to live with it..having gray hairs is inevitable.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi Adval2013, This is very true. I will be having the same option as you. If I could find a healthier option, I would not resort to having hair dye as well. Thank you for taking your time to respond to my post. Have a nice day!
2 people like this
@srisahara (4508)
• Indonesia
1 Apr 13
Hi friend, I do not anything with my white hair that start appear one by one, because it is normal because I growing old and I think I cannot get rid it. I feel better if I consume some healthy food and take enough rest to prevent white hair grow faster. Yes, I never think to take hair dyes.
@emily7339 (1337)
• Malaysia
1 Apr 13
Hi srisahara, Are you the one in the picture with a "tudung"? I guess you are right to consume healthy food that will enriched our hair to make it look healthy so delaying the emerges of white hair. If it is possible, it is better to abtain from having hair dyes. Do you know what specific food that is good for our hair? Do share, if any...
1 person likes this