Fact Check: Can lemon juice-coconut oil mixture reverse greying of hair?

Hyderabad: A Facebook post has gone viral on social media that claims that a mixture of lemon and coconut oil can help reverse the greying of hair.

According to the viral video, coconut oil has luric acid which is known for cleaning the build-up of sebum from the scalp, stimulating blood flow, promoting the regeneration of hair follicles and restoring the natural pigments of hair shafts. Whereas, lemon juice contains vitamin C, citric acid, flavonoids and antioxidant complexes which hydrate and repair hair.

The viral video explains how to apply lemon and coconut oil to hair. The first step is to take a bowl of coconut oil, mix it with juice from half a lemon and apply generously on the hair by making small sections. The video advises washing away the mixture after 30 minutes with any shampoo.

Is the reversal of grey hair possible? Let’s find out.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

Why does the hair turn grey?

According to Medical News Today, “The human body has millions of hair follicles or small sacs lining the skin. The follicles generate hair and color or pigment cells that contain melanin. Over time, hair follicles lose pigment cells, resulting in white hair color.”

Is lemon juice safe for hair?

According to Healthline, “Lemons have citric acid and can be used to naturally lighten your hair, though it works best in lighter hair tones. But using lemon juice topically may irritate your skin or cause a contact reaction. The citric acid in lemon juice is a natural bleach, or oxidizing agent. It whitens hair by chemically reducing your hair’s color pigment, or melanin. When exposed to the sun, the citric acid accelerates the bleaching process.”

So, lemon being a hair lightener can’t help darken grey hair, as claimed by the viral video.

Regarding the benefits of coconut oil, a Healthline article says that coconut oil is beneficial for hair. But an extra application may cause a buildup of oil on your hair and scalp. This could make your hair greasy and dull, especially if you have very fine hair. However, there is no scientific evidence that proves that coconut is beneficial for darkening hair.

Can hair colour be restored?

According to Medical News Today, “If genetics or aging is the cause, nothing can prevent or reverse the process. However, treating graying hair could allow color pigmentation to return if the loss is due to a medical condition. When diet and vitamin deficiencies are the cause of prematurely white hair, correcting these may reverse the problem or stop it from worsening.”

Hence, we can confirm that the lemon juice-coconut oil mixture can’t reverse the greying of hair. However, we still can control or slow down the grey with proper measures, if it's due to a medical condition. Talk to your healthcare expert.