Aside from wrinkles, sagging facial muscles and the tired haggard look, one of the most obvious manifestations of looking aged is graying hair. The sad part of it is that it affects men and women alike and could happen at any age.  This may probably be the reason that many anti-aging treatments especially hair dyes were formulated ling before most anti aging treatments came to be. With rapid advances in science though, gray hair treatments are today not only limited to the manufacture and sales of hair dyes. There are several approaches that could be resorted to in combating the onset of graying hair.

Treatments for graying hair could be categorized into the following basic approaches:

Cosmetic Treatments

Hair dying is the most convenient, most common and the oldest approach to treating gray hair. Hair dyes are formulated so that the molecules could penetrate through the hair cuticles without causing cuticle damage. While most hair dyes employ chemicals in their formulas, the most common ingredient being ammonia, there are also hair dyes that use vegetable colors for those who have concerns regarding applying dyes with chemicals on their hair. Henna and sage are the best examples for these.

Medical Treatments

What gives the hair color is the amount or the concentration of melanin that is present in the body. Melanin gives skin color as well as hair color. It is also a determinant whether a person will tan or burn in the sun. The production of melanin in the body slows down as a person ages. The purpose of medical treatments for graying hair is to reverse the slowing down process of melanin. Drugs are applied to reverse the depigmentation some of the drugs used are Auxins, Imatinib Mesylate and Gleever. These drugs are always dispensed by qualified physicians as others may cause side effects, are not commercially available or are in fact treatments that were originally intended for other ailments.

Application of Topical Nutrients

The following are universally accepted topical solutions that are applied to improve the nutrients that the hair receives and fight against graying hair. Some of these are ancient remedies and are proven trough time.

Eugenol Oil - Applied topically, the active ingredients of eugenol oil come from cloves. Eugenol oil has demonstrated to restore the dolor of the hair.

Amla Oil - This oil strengthens the follicles of the hair facilitates pigmentation and hair growth.

Ligustrum - Has long been used by the Chinese to prevent graying of hair.

Ashwagandha - This one increases the melanin in the hair treating the grays and giving back its color.

Superoxide Dismutase - Are compounds that are often found in hair gels to protect against graying of the hair.

Shampoos with Omega-3 - Omega 3 are anti-oxidants that fight against degrading of the cells. Omega-3 provides nutrition for the hair follicle to fight against premature graying.

Melanin - Could also be applied topically in the scalp.

Retin A - When combined with alpha-hydroxyl acid are powerful agents that give back the hairs natural color.

There are also several nutrients for the hair that could be taken orally. They could be in combination with other drugs or are their main ingredients. These oral treatments could come in the form of capsules and tablets. Some of these are vitamin 12, minerals, Biotin, folic acid, Para - Aminobenzoic Acid, and Inositol.