New Drug Could Turn White Hair Back to Natural Color

Sick of wasting thousands of hours and dollars on salon treatments to cover up those white roots? Soon, you may be in luck: scientists have created a new drug that can trigger the production of new pigmentation, which may allow hair to return to its former natural shade.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on November 18 2008

The drug, known as K(D)PT, was tested on hair samples from women, though the researchers found that the treatment was only effective when used on samples that had been pre-treated to simulate conditions that cause hair loss, such as alopecia.

Scientists believe that if the drug is extracted into a shampoo, “topical application of K(D)PT may become exploitable for the treatment of post-inflammatory hair whitening that is often seen during the recovery phase of alopecia areata,” researcher Dr. Ralf Paus of the Manchester University and the University of Lubeck in Germany wrote in the British Journal of Dermatology.

After further research, the scientists believe that they may very well be able to restore the natural color of hair that’s gone gray or white due to the aging process. The treatment hasn’t even been tested on humans yet, so it will probably be years before it’s commercially available—but when that day comes, we’ve got a feeling this could be the best-selling shampoo of all time.

Filed under: Science, Weird,

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