Fact Check: Can applying gooseberry oil to hair reverse greying?

Hyderabad: A video showing a home remedy to turn grey hair back to black is doing rounds on social media.

The caption of the Facebook post reads, “My 55 year Mom and Dad applied Natural dye once a week & covered white hair permanently | Homemade Indian Gooseberry (Amla) Oil. (sic)”

The viral video advises boiling four to five gooseberries in mustard oil, with a teaspoon of turmeric, till they almost dissolve. Applying the oil on grey hair before a hair wash will turn the greys into black, the post claims.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

As we age, it is normal for hair to turn grey. But grey or white hair can appear at almost any point of time in life. There are certain factors such as genetics stress hair dyes and many other deficiencies that contribute to the loss of melanin in hair. The human body has millions of hair follicles. These follicles generate pigment and hair that contains melanin. As we age, the hair follicles tend to lose pigment cells resulting in the greying of hair.

Several causes behind the greying of hair are vitamin deficiency of B6, B12, biotin, Vitamin D or Vitamin E leads to premature greying. Other factors include genetics, oxidative stress, certain medications, smoking and excess use of hair dyes and hair products.

If the cause is in the genes, then reversing the greys may not be possible. However, treating grey hair is possible if it is due to certain medical conditions or deficiencies. There is no evidence that gooseberry oil can act like a natural hair dye. The oil and supplement can only benefit by nursing the scalp or by providing antioxidants to the body.

Healthline stated that the claims about gooseberry supplements for hair having potential benefits are yet to be explored through clinical research and its overall efficacy is unclear. The results of gooseberry supplements have only been anecdotal so far.