Can you reverse hair ageing?

Yes, there is a way to revive brittle, thinning hair that has lost its youthful lustre.

- EVA-MARIA BOBBERT

Joan Crawford once said, "The most important thing a woman can have, next to talent, is her hairdresser." For many women, hair is a precious ornament, something Marie Antoinette expressed to maximum effect - her gravity-defying up-do's stood two feet high, crammed with feathers, flowers, jewels and even a model ship on one occasion, to signify a French naval victory. The ill-fated queen's elaborate pouf was an influential symbol of her lofty status and she used it to full advantage.

Yet, it's what happened while awaiting execution that truly immortalised her locks: The 38-year-old's natural strawberry blonde allegedly turned white almost overnight, a rare event still known as "Marie Antoinette syndrome".

Sudden greying happens because pigment-making stem cells on the scalp become 'stuck' and fail to mature (though it's usually a slow creep). Recently Japanese researchers discovered that grey hairs are also potentially reversible (in mice at least) by ingesting or applying luteolin, an antioxidant found in broccoli, celery, carrots and onions.