Handsome man looks at grey hair in his beard

Can You Prevent Grey Hair? Here’s How Repigmentation Works

March 27, 2025 BY JAY SMALL, TRICHOLOGIST, HAIRSTYLIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF AREY

The short answer? Yes. Proactive haircare can prevent new grey hair and even allow repigmentation of existing grey hair. Think of your grey hairs like wrinkles and fine lines – the sooner you treat them, the faster you’ll see results.

Is Grey Hair Repigmentation Possible?

As a Trichologist (haircare expert) and a hairstylist for over 20 years, I know how important hair color and health are to my clients. Going grey used to mean you either accepted your new silvers, or you reached for some hair dye. It’s only recently that scientists have focused on the repigmentation of grey hair.

Your health, your hair’s health and your grey hair are all connected, because healthy hair with fewer greys and thicker, shinier hair starts with good nutrition. That’s why Arey’s core haircare product is our nutritional supplement Not Today, Grey. Related: why your first grey hair is a message from your body.

Like most people, you may think you don’t have a choice when it comes to going grey. Conventional wisdom says if your parents went grey then you you will too. Turns out that’s far from the whole story. Actually, only 30% of the reason you go grey is caused by your genes. The remaining 70% is under your control.

How Grey Hair Repigmentation Works

Repigmentation works best on hair that is less than 30% grey. That’s when you still have a lot of active melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) and your greying process is most reversible.

If your hair has already turned white, your melanocytes are no longer able to produce pigment and your hair will not change color. The active ingredients in The System work with your active melanocytes to boost pigment production to prevent new grey hair¹and provide protective antioxidants to combat greying from oxidative stress.

Here’s what Arey’s clinical research has shown are the best ways to slow, delay, and even repigment your grey hair:

The Best Ways to Reverse and Repigment Grey Hair

While it’s true that white hair cannot regain its former color, studies² have shown that many grey hairs still have functioning pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) in their roots. That means there’s a lot you can do to prevent grey hair and encourage repigmentation of grey hair. According to Dermatologist Ralf Paus, at the University of Miami, “greying is probably much more reversible than had been thought for a long time.”

As a Trichologist I know that your lifestyle shows up in your hair. That’s why Arey’s core haircare product is The System – the combination of our supplement Not Today, Grey to address nutritional deficiencies, and To The Root™, our antioxidant-rich serum to combat oxidative stress.

Here’s how Arey’s The System works to slow grey hair:

✅ Step 1 – A Nutritional Supplement to Slow Grey Hair

If you’re on a restricted diet or just not always getting the right nutrition for your hair health, you’re not alone. A University of Oregan report found that almost 80% of the US population isn’t eating a balanced diet³ leading to deficiencies in vital micronutrients.

Several common nutritional deficiencies⁴ have been linked with premature hair greying including:

Vitamin B deficiency: low levels of B12 are a common cause of going grey early.⁵ Other vital B vitamins for hair health and pigmentation are folic acid (folate/ B9) and biotin (B7).⁶
Iron deficiency: iron deficiency affects more than 25% of people worldwide.⁷ Low iron levels can cause hair loss and grey hair.
Low levels of copper & selenium: these deficiencies⁸ have been linked with hair loss⁹ and premature greying.¹⁰
Vegetarian and Vegan diets: restricted diets make it harder to absorb all the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy hair growth.

Vegans¹¹ and vegetarians are often low in iron because they only consume non-heme iron – iron that is found in plant-based foods. Because non-heme iron isn’t as easily absorbed by your body as heme iron (from animal products), you absorb less than 10% of what you consume.¹²

The good news is that a targeted hair supplement like Not Today, Grey can make up for anything your diet leaves out.

✅ Step 2 – A Scalp Serum to Combat Greys From Oxidative Stress

Your pigment-producing melanocytes can be impacted by nutritional issues but they are also vulnerable to damage from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an overproduction of free radicals (reactive oxygen species) that damage your melanocytes on a cellular level. You can read more about protecting your hair from oxidative stress here.

Oxidative stress and free radical damage¹³ can be caused by:

- Emotional stress
- Pollution
- Smoking
- Sunlight

Protecting your hair from oxidative stress comes down to antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that stop cell-damaging free radicals in their tracks. The good news is that your hair roots produce their own protective antioxidants.¹³ The bad news is that greying hair seems to have lost the ability to produce those protective molecules, leaving it extra vulnerable to cellular damage and total pigment loss.

For the best results, I recommend using Not Today, Grey, and To The Root™ together. This powerhouse duo is a clinically proven grey hair solution that our study shows delivers results in as little as 3 months.

Clinically-Proven, Proactive Haircare – The Best Way to Prevent Grey Hair

Your scalp and hair health is important to us. That's why we offer up to 25% off on all subscription orders to help keep you on track with your grey hair journey. Because we believe that science + consistency = results.

We are Arey.

Have questions? Check out our FAQ page or say hey@areygrey.com.

Jay Small with customer

AuthorJay SmallJay Small is a sought-after hair stylist and Trichologist in Los Angeles with over 22 years of experience. His clients consist of high-profile business and creative leaders. He trained as an apprentice to the owner of Paul Mitchell and worked in education and product development for Paul Mitchell Systems. Jay is incredibly passionate about the creative process both in terms of styling hair and developing effective products.

REFERENCES:

Should Men Dye Their Grey Hair? Here’s What the Experts Say

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