This New Treatment Duo Could Halt Grays and Make Hair Thicker

Up to 23% of women have half a head of gray hair by the time they reach age 50, according to research.For the first time, a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial has looked at the effects on a supplement and serum duo on the graying process.Published this month, the study found that 88% of participants using this system, available for purchase now, had fewer gray hairs than those in the control group.GRAY HAIR IS A NORMAL PART of life for plenty of people, but not everyone feels comfortable embracing their inner Andie MacDowell. While solutions to cover up grays have largely been limited to finding a colorist you love, a new study confirms there's a product that could stop new silver strands from forming.It's called The System by Arey, and a new clinical trial published in the current issue of Journal of Drugs in Dermatology suggests there could be something to it. The System, which is a supplement and serum duo, aims to tackle the reasons people form grays that have nothing to do with genetics, like nutrition and oxidative stress.Meet the experts: Joshua Zeichner, MD, is director of cosmetic and clinical research at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Gary Goldenberg, MD, is assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. Jay Small, trichologist, is celebrity hairstylist, and co-founder of Arey. Cindy Wassef, MD, is a dermatologist at Premier Health Associates in Randolph, New Jersey.Dermatologists are skeptical—and say hair dye may still be your strongest option. But the new clinical trial results suggest there's something to consider here. Here's what the trial found, plus why this treatment duo could work.What did the study find?The study authors recruited 173 men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 who had not dyed their hair for at least a month. Participants were randomized into four groups: Those who used The System, those who took the supplement and a placebo serum, those who used the serum and took a placebo supplement, and people who used a placebo supplement and serum. Participants were followed for 26 weeks, with regular visits and check-ins to make sure they were still following their prescribed treatment. The researchers also took photos of the participants' hair during the visits.Researchers discovered that people who used The System had a "progressive decrease" in the amount of gray hairs they had at weeks 12 and 24. Specifically, they had 9 percent less grays at week 12 and 13 percent less grays at week 24. People in the placebo group, on the other hand, saw their grays increase by 10 percent during the 24-week study. At the end of the 24 week trial, 88 percent of subjects in the combination group had less gray hairs or no increase in grays, while only 12 percent had more gray hair. But 35 percent of those in the placebo group had more grays by week 24.The participants who used The System also reported that their hair was three times thicker, fuller, and shinier than those who took a placebo. "To our knowledge, this is the first randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial on the novel use of a combination of an oral supplement and a topical serum on grey hair," the researchers wrote.How does this work?Your hair can go gray from a range of things, including nutritional deficiencies, oxidative, stress, simple aging, and genetics. "A lack of certain key nutrients like copper, iron, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D3 deprives the follicles of the essential cofactors needed to sustain cellular energy and continuous melanin synthesis," says Jay Small, trichologist, celebrity hairstylist, and co-founder of Arey.Other elements like daily UV exposure, harsh chemicals in your haircare products, and pollution can cause oxidative stress, leading to dull, ashy hair that turns gray and then white, Small adds. The System tries to address nutritional deficiencies, while supporting growth and circulation from the outside.While Small says people usually assume that genetics is the main reason they go gray, he says the study "proves that when diet and lifestyle factors are addressed, a majority of us can slow down accelerated hair aging."What do dermatologists think?Dermatologists agree that you can go gray from a range of factors. "A depletion of melanocyte stem cells—cells that make color—in the hair follicle reduces melanin, the actual color," confirms Gary Goldenberg, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. "Oxidative stress, smoking, UV exposure, nutritional deficiencies, thyroid disease, and general stress also contribute to this process."Gray hair has also been linked with a decrease in an enzyme called catalase, which is known to break down hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle that is thought to be the cause of graying, according to Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "Various topical treatments and oral supplements have been brought to the market and are aimed at this pathway," he says. "While they may offer some benefit, none have proven to be the cure we are looking for."Again, people can go gray for a range of reasons and it's hard to say in any given situation why your hair lost its pigment. "We know at least some of the causes of hair graying—the Arey system aims to address some of these known factors," says Cindy Wassef, MD, a dermatologist at Premier Health Associates in Randolph, New Jersey. "If it is playing a role in the graying of hair for that particular person, it is possible that they will notice less grey hair production." Basically, if your hair is graying for environmental or nutritional reasons, this may help; If it’s due to genetics, it’s unlikely to do much.An important caveat to keep in mind is that once hair has already gone gray, Dr. Zeichner says it's "extremely unlikely" that it will repigment, or go back to its original color.What happens from here? Arey's The System is available online now. If you're interested, you can try it. Just be aware that it's not guaranteed to work, especially since it's hard to know exactly what's fueling your grays. "The good news is that if these products aren’t helping your grays, you can always find a good hair colorist," Dr. Zeichner says.Korin Miller is a seasoned freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Everyday Health, Food & Wine, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University and lives by the beach.Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.