Gray hair gone back to original color at age 65 after going GF?

Posted by ngb @ngb, 4 days ago

Hi, everyone. Apparently I had Celiac without a single doctor noticing it for decades. It was only by accident that I first realized that I was "gluten intolerant" (I'd never even heard of Celiac or gluten before then) at age 55, and then eventually figured out (again, on my own) that my son and I both have Celiac. I won't go on about how I figured it out (unless someone asks!), but I know it's true.

Anyway, the spring before last my body started falling apart again, as it had when I was 55 and (just for a lark, with no idea that it would help) went GF, and noticed that my awful symptoms started going away after a couple of weeks.

This last time, I realized that I'd been ordering out for two different sauces/dressings from restaurants for over a year, and that neither was GF. My bad.

Long story short--I went back to being strictly GF and taking supplements, and started to get better again.

However, I noticed that I'd lost a LOT of hair, and was hoping it would grow back (I THINK it has, a little). What I found was even better--I'd been coloring it for years, because I'd started to go gray when I was about 18. Then, about two months ago, I stopped coloring it--I figured I'd give it a break, and that I'd start again when the gray roots started to show.

That never happened. My hair's grown at least an inch since then, and there is not a trace of gray, and no gray roots. It's the color it was when I was a kid. I was SHOCKED, but figured I must be delusional or something. So this morning I finally looked it up--apparently sometimes hair DOES return to its original color once deficiencies in iron, B12, etc., are cleared up.

But at 65?!

Has this happened to anyone else? (Sorry for the long post--there was a lot to explain!)

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ngb | @ngb | 4 days ago

EDIT: The articles I read today said that hair SOMETIMES returns to its natural color once deficiencies are resolved--not all the time.

rashida | @rashida | 3 days ago

@ngb that’s awesome! You seem to have hit win-win with your gluten free diet and supplements! Which supplements are you taking? Of course, all meds and supplements - as well as diets in some cases - are body specific, but it would be interesting to know!

ngb | @ngb | 3 days ago

Yes! It's kind of crazy. I mean, I'd think I'd have gray hair by now either way!

I'm not taking anything particularly special--just some Centrum multivitamins (Women 50+, because they have a little iron), and a liquid iron supplement (15 mg., although I'm not sure I always take the full amount), because it's easier on my stomach and I believe that the liquid kind is absorbed more easily.

Other than that, I just try to eat well (um, NO GLUTEN! 🙂 ). I'm a vegetarian, so I guess I don't tend to get enough iron in general anyway.

Go figure!

jacqincalifornia | @jacqincalifornia | 3 days ago

In reply to @ngb "EDIT: The articles I read today said that hair SOMETIMES returns to its natural color once..." + (show)

@ngb LOL don't worry, we won't hold you responsible if all our hair doesn't return to its natural color - but boy are some of us jealous right now!

ngb | @ngb | 2 days ago

In reply to @jacqincalifornia "@ngb LOL don't worry, we won't hold you responsible if all our hair doesn't return to..." + (show)

@jacqincalifornia HA! I keep expecting it to suddenly go pure white overnight or something--it seems too good to be true! (Although I wouldn't mind pure white either.)

cas2001 | @cas2001 | 2 days ago

In reply to @ngb "Yes! It's kind of crazy. I mean, I'd think I'd have gray hair by now either..." + (show)

@ngb thats great! Im vegetarian too and take B vitamins. Just had an iron infusion, had my grey roots coloured yesterday though 😣

nycmusic | @nycmusic | 2 days ago

So glad going GF works well for you as it does for many….about hair coming back dark later in life—a friend in 70s lost hair from chemo, and hair coming back dark…go figure ! Best wishes for best possible health.

pml | @pml | 1 day ago

Hi NGB,
I think that's great about your hair not going gray! I'm 80 and my hair has never gone gray either! I don't color it either. I'm allergic to hair color. My hair has remained golden blonde as it was all my life. I'm not sure why. Even my doctor couldn't tell me why my hair wasn't turning gray; especially at age 80! However what you mentioned about B12 and iron deficencies causing hair to go gray made me realize that I take a lot of B12 and iron. Perhaps that's why my hair has remained it's normal color. I'm glad it has. I don't like change.
I'm glad that your hair has remained it's normal color too. Plus you are feeling better now. I pray that continues.
I wish you the best.
PML

myoga | @myoga | 15 hours ago

In reply to @pml "Hi NGB, I think that's great about your hair not going gray! I'm 80 and my..." + (show)

@pml
I’m not quite sure B12 is the culprit here. I think it’s your genes that keep the hair color unchanged. My mother in law died in the 80s and her hair was still auburn. My husband’s hair is still dark blonde. He’s 70. I’m so jealous!

pml | @pml | 14 hours ago

In reply to @myoga "@pml I’m not quite sure B12 is the culprit here. I think it’s your genes that..." + (show)

@myoga
You may be right. Although my Mom had gray hair but she was sick too at the time it went gray. My Grandmother had white hair. It also might be due to the fact that about 60 years ago; I ran out of money and shampoo at the same time so I washed my hair with Dawn dishwashing soap! It worked great and was much cheaper than shampoo! I've been using it ever since. Regardless, I'm glad it's not gray.
PML

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