Sunday, September 25, 2011

How to Prepare Herbal Remedies for Hair Loss

Hair fall is not a new thing in human society, but recently it has become too common in women. With an understanding that beautiful hair is an essence of the beauty of women, this article shows you how to treat hair loss naturally — that is, with the use of herbs.

The following are hair-friendly herbs for the treatment of hair loss and how to prepare them as a hair loss remedy:

1.   Onion and honey. With a quarter of an onion, slice it into small cubes and rub on the balding area of the scalp. Leave on until some redness occurs. Next, rub in some honey. Adherents to this method say it will help boost circulation in your scalp and may facilitate hair growth.

2.   Fenugreek. Soak fenugreek in a deep pot of water throughout the night. Massage the liquid onto the scalp and wrap with a cloth for three hours. Repeat every day for one month.

3.   Apple cider vinegar and sage tea. Using apple cider vinegar and sage tea is also another method of treating hair loss. Make a mixture of sage tea and apple cider vinegar and wash your hair with it. You can also make another shampoo with aloe vera, coconut milk and a little wheat germ oil. Rinsing your hair with this mixture is also a good method of treating hair loss.

4.   Coconut oil and amla.  In a half cup of coconut oil, add some dry pieces of Indian gooseberry (amla). Boil the mixture for some time and then let it cool. Apply it to the scalp. This is very useful in preventing hair loss.

5.   Lemongrass. This herb helps stabilize oil production in the scalp. It also provides nourishment to the hair. You can use lemongrass oil for massage as well.

6.   Indian gooseberry (amla). Amla is regularly used by Indians to treat hair loss problems. It is a wonderful hair tonic. It is used in oil as well as shampoo and conditioners. If you can lay your hands on Indian gooseberry, extract its juice and mix it in same quantities with lime juice. Use this mixture to wash your hair.

The above-mentioned herbs not only contain properties that can treat hair loss, but are also very useful for scalp massage and aromatherapy. Aside from those herbs, the use of essential oils from bay, cedarwood, grapefruit, jojoba, lavender, lemon, rosemary or Roman chamomile are also commonly used to detoxify the scalp and to help in the reversal of hair loss. Most of these oils work best when mixed together with carrier oils. To increase the blood circulation, a regular massage must be done with the essential oils. The oils strengthen the hair follicles and regenerate hair growth.

Monday, September 19, 2011

5 Common Culprits of Hair Loss

So you thought it was your mom’s fault . . . Do not buy in the myth that your receding hairline is caused by your mom’s side of the family, it is simply not true. Medical science now knows that baldness comes from both sides of the family. But there is not just one single cause for baldness, there are actually 5 common causes for hair loss.
1. Disease – Loss of hair may occur as part of underlying diseases such as diabetes or lupus. Losing your hair may be an early sign of these diseases and a warning sign to seek treatment to determine the causes.
2. Medication – Hair loss can be contributed to some medications that are being taken such as blood thinners, antidepressants, medicines used in chemotherapy and gout. Usually this cause of hair loss is temporary and hair begins to grow back once medication is no longer taken.
3. Hair Chemicals – Hair relaxers contain very strong chemical and can break the hair internally. Hair coloring, which is already considered a health risk because of its ingredients PPD and lead acetate. Over-processing the hair using these harmful chemicals is one of the major reasons for hair loss.
4. Depression – Although depression itself may or may not cause loss of hair, the treatment for depression may be the underlying cause. Some antidepressants can have hair loss as a side effect of taking the medication.
5. Stress – Hair loss caused by stress usually occurs after severe stress such as surgery or illness. This is referred to as telogen effluvium and may take as long as 6 to 12 months to reverse. The stress of a pregnancy can cause hair loss because of the imbalanced hormone levels and the lowered protection levels.
So find out the root cause of your hair loss problem, then look for the best solutions to grow your hair back now.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Hair Loss Myths: You Ought to Know Better

Every year millions of men—and women—experience the signs of hair loss and balding. Any time a person begins to have suspicions of baldness (fine hairs on the pillow or in the shower), the reasonable reaction is to seek a remedy or ‘cure’. There is a sea of rumors floating out there that attempt to explain the ‘root’ of the baldness problem—a problem that affects more than 30 percent of men and women by age 30. These myths are not only often a waste of time and money, they obfuscate the existing treatments that actually work to halt hair loss and promote hair regrowth.

This article will point out the irrelevance of these myths and give you the straight facts.

Myth 1: Genes for hair loss come only from the mother’s side of the family
Although the inheritance of balding and hair loss genes from the mother’s side is slightly stronger, androgenetic hair loss (pattern baldness) can be inherited from the mother’s side of the family, the father’s side, or both.

Myth 2: Men who are bald have high levels of testosterone
This myth falls into the same category as another familiar myth: ‘the size of a man’s hands or feet determines . . .’ Hair loss is caused by a greater sensitivity of hair follicles in some parts of the scalp to DHT (dihydrotestosterone) rather than to increased levels of testosterone. DHT causes the hair follicles to shrink (miniaturize) and eventually disappear. If elevated levels of testosterone were the problem, then all of a person’s body hair would be susceptible to hair loss—not just the areas on the crown and front of the scalp.

Myth 3: A sign of genetic baldness is seeing hair fall out
In contrast to popular belief, going bald is not due to massive amounts of hair falling out but rather by normal thick hair gradually being replaced by finer thinner hairs—a process resulting from miniaturization of hair follicles. If large patches of hair suddenly start falling out it, is time to see your doctor. This is not a sign of balding but rather a more serious medical problem.

Myth 4: Wearing hats makes you go bald
People who accuse their hats as being the cause of their hair loss think that wearing hats all the time prevents the scalp from breathing. Actually hair follicles get oxygen from the blood stream rather than from the air (much like how a plant gets water from its roots and not its leaves).

Sunday, September 4, 2011

10 Tips to Keep Those Tresses Growing Healthy

There are many ways to ensure that your hair grows healthy. Currently, many hair growth products are available on the market. These products promise hair growth and prevention of hair breakage. But aside from the use or application of these products, it is best to also be mindful of proper hair care practices.

Here are a few tips that will help you maintain or attain healthy hair growth:

1. Crash dieting should be completely avoided. Healthy hair growth is possible only with a balanced, healthy diet. Vitamins significantly aid in hair growth. Foods rich in vitamin A—like dairy products, fish, spinach, and apricots, among other items—provide good nourishment to the hair. Foods rich in vitamin B—including meat, fish, bananas, and green leafy vegetables—are also good for hair growth. Foods rich in vitamins E and C also aid in hair growth. These foods include citrus fruits, melons, tomatoes, potatoes, nuts, broccoli, and whole grains. Micronutrients like iron and zinc found in red meat also help hair growth.

2. You must treat your hair gently to help it grow. The way you comb or brush your hair is very important. If you have curly hair, which becomes tangled easily, use a conditioner. You should also avoid tugging hair vigorously. Treat your hair gently and allow them to grow, without straining your hair shafts. Tight cornrows and tight ponytails can damage your hair.

3. You might be using excellent, big-name hair growth products promoted by hair care experts. However, if you do not get a good night’s sleep, hair growth is bound to be hampered. Sleep is the only way that the body has to recharge its batteries. Sleep promotes not only hair growth, but hair regrowth as well.

4. To make hair grow faster, protect your locks from direct exposure to the sun. Excess exposure to the sun can cause a lot of damage to the hair follicles, resulting in dull and damaged hair. Too much heat and chemicals must also be avoided at all costs, if you wish to keep the hair roots and shafts intact.

5. Stress hinders hair growth. Psychological problems like depression and anxiety result in excessive hair loss. Try to stay happy and stress-free as much as possible.

6. Recent studies indicate that keeping your hair warm makes it grow faster. Factually, while hairs grow nearly half an inch during the summer months, hair growth decreases to less than half that length during the cold winter months.

7. Keep your hair clean. Dust, grime, and pollutants tend to damage hair. These damage-causing substances can be prevented by wearing a hat, scarf, and like accessories.

8. Use high-quality recommended hair growth products that contain vitamins and organic-based ingredients or herbal extracts. While direct vitamin intake from fruits and vegetables is the best way to go about hair growth, frequent use of a mild shampoo and moisturizer also helps hair grow faster.

9. Multivitamin and multimineral tablets are extremely beneficial. These are healthy, natural ways of promoting hair growth, saving multiple visits to the hair salon.

10. Damaged hair should be treated very carefully, that is, with the use of mild hair treatment products of natural formulation and not ones that contain synthetic or harsh chemicals.