Archive for the 'Hair Care' Category

Superfoods for Healthy Hair

We’ve all learned through the years that a well-balanced diet is healthy for our body and critical for optimal health and performance.  Our hair is no different A mixture of protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and iron are all required for healthy, strong hair.

Good hair nutrition begins with getting enough protein, which is the building block of your hair. Then you need complex carbohydrates to help assemble the proteins for hair growth. Other important vitamins and minerals include B complex, which is associated with energy production and building good hair and skin issues, folic acid, B12, and zinc.

Hair follicles can have low energy levels just like we do.  Therefore, it’s very important that you eat a high protein mean at the start of each day.  Consider the following food choices for breakfast and the other daily meals in order to give you hair the healthiest opportunity to grow and thrive.

If you don’t have high cholesterol, try eating red meat twice per week.  It has the protein your hair needs, but also is full of B vitamins, iron and zinc, which are all important for healthy hair.  Bacon is another great choice as it’s also full of B vitamins, zinc and protein, but since it’s also high calorie, it’s not the best choice if you’re also trying to lose weight. Eggs and egg whites are another great protein option, especially for vegetarians or those who cannot eat red meat or bacon due to dietary restrictions.  Salmon is another great protein choice, and works great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You’ll find it’s also full of B vitamins, including B12, and other vitamins and minerals.

Just be sure to keep in mind that you should also have complex carbohydrates, which feed you energy over a longer period of time than refined carbohydrates, with your protein source at meals. Brown short-grain rice is an ideal form. It’s also a good source of B vitamins and some fiber. Whole grain choices complement your protein consumption by helping organize the proteins for the hair to utilize for optimal growth and health.

Vitamins That Help With Hair Growth

Loss of hair, or baldness, is the result of not having enough vitamin B supplements.  Vitamin B is very important, as it contains B3 niacin, which is very important for growing hair.  Vitamin B6 is another important vitamin, containing nutrients such as sulfur, biotin, magnesium, and zinc.  Without these vitamins, your body won’t be able to grow hair as much, which commonly results in balding or hair loss as we get older.

What many people fail to realize, is the importance of vitamin B.  Research has shown in the past that vitamin B is very important to hair growth.  Men who consume foods that are rich in vitamin B are less likely to experience hair loss.  Vitamin B is an essential vitamin, and also one that enriches the overall quality and thickness of hair.

Vitamin A is also important with hair growth.  To get the proper amount of vitamin A, you should consume fatty acids.  Some examples include flaxseed oil, primrose, and salmon oil.  If you consume these types of fatty acids, you’ll get the right amount of vitamin A that is needed to enhance the growth of your hair.  If you are worried about hair loss, you should make sure that you are getting enough vitamin A and vitamin B.

Vitamin E is also important for hair growth, as it stimulates your intake of oxygen and helps to improve your blood circulation as well.  If your blood is circulating properly, then the growth of your hair will be enhanced.  The proper circulation of blood is very important with hair growth, as the blood is what helps your hair to grow, and the necessary vitamins to flow through your body.

Another necessary vitamin for hair growth is biotin.  You can find this essential source in rice, green peas, soybeans, oats, yeast, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.  It is also found with some types of shampoos as well.  If you are using shampoo that contains biotin, you’ll be getting into your root tips faster, which will help to promote the growth of your hair.  Even though you may be using shampoo that contains biotin, you’ll still need to take the necessary vitamins and supplements as well.

Before you take any vitamins or supplements, you should always consult with your doctor and get his opinion.  There may be some vitamins and supplements that you shouldn’t be taking, which is why you should always consult with your doctor before you make any decision.  Your doctor will be able to run tests and go through your history with you, letting you know what you can and can’t take.  This way, you can choose your vitamin supplements accordingly – and know without a doubt that there will be no long term side effects or problems.

What is Thyroid Hair Loss?

Most people who are suffering from hair loss should immediately make sure that they are not suffering from thyroid hair loss. Whenever your body requires extra energy, which might be due to stress or other illness, the hair cells get shut down automatically to redirect the energy elsewhere. The common condition where hair loss can occur are poor diet and nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes, surgery, and many medications, but noticeably, thyroid hair loss.

Before starting the treatment plan for your thyroid hair loss, the following key points should be taken into consideration such as evaluation by a dermatologist, to find out if there is are nutritional deficiencies, making sure that it may not be of the side effect of the thyroid drug, adherent to alternative therapies and last but not least rule out the possibility of thyroid rug side effect.

Although there are three types of hair loss such as thyroid hair loss, autoimmune alopecia, and male pattern hair loss. Thyroid hair loss can occur both in hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. When suffering from thyroid hair loss, you’ll often find more hair in the shower, in drains and in hairbrushes with absence of specific hair less patches. Thyroid hair loss is noticeable among some people even after starting the treatment especially in Synthroid medication.

Synthroid is useful in hypothyroidism but it produces thyroid hair loss as its side effect for some people and this is not known by some of the medical professionals also. So make sure that hair falling is not due to Synthroid.

Thyroid hair loss can also occur if your condition is under treated. TSH of around 1-2 is optimal for a large number of people who are suffering from hypothyroidism with no hair falling.

Alternative therapy such as evening primrose oil is found to be highly useful in correcting thyroid hair loss. Aromatherapy is also found to be extremely effective. Essential oils of thyme, cedar wood oil, lavender, and rosemary mixed altogether and applied on the hair will help to stimulate hair growth.

The thyroid hair loss can also be corrected by using Ayurveda medicines such as Bhingaraj oil or brahmi oil. Both oils should be applied to the scalp without disruption for at least 3 months for hair growth stimulation. In addition to this the ayurvedic herbs amla and ashwagandha will also help stimulating hair growth.

The final treatment for thyroid hair loss is hair transplantation if there is serious illness. Small plugs of hair are removed from the back or side of the scalp and implanted to areas of the scalp with little or no hair.  The effect can be seen after several months. Tissue expansion is another procedure that helps to treat thyroid hair loss. In this type, a small empty sac is slot into the skin. The sac is filled up with saline water for a course of time. Automatically, the skin begins to rejuvenate to give bulging appearance. This new skin with hair follicles is placed over the adjacent bald patches.

Why Do We Loose Hair?

For centuries, men, women and even children have had to endure the embarasment and emotional pain caused by hair loss. There are number for reasons for hair loss. Some people experience higher level of hair loss after illness or some weeks after surgery. The other reasons for hair loss are chemotherapy regimens used in cancer therapy and anticoagulants. The hair will return to normal once the medication has been stopped.

Other reasons for hair loss include too much vitamin A and anti-depressant therapy. The physical reasons for hair loss are over or under-active thyroids, certain fungal infections and hormonal imbalances. Even underlying problems such as lupus or diabetes may result in excessive hair loss.

The common reasons for hair loss in an individual varies from genetics, pregnancy, diet, improper hair care, cancer treatment and illness. Male pattern baldness is noticeable among many men, which is marked by thinning hair near the forehead and at the crown. If it has not stopped by using suitable medications, it can eventually remove all the hair on opt of the head. Hair loss can be inherited from their mother, their father, or from both parents.

The other essential reasons for hair loss are as follows: -
· Toxic substances
· Severe radiation
· Illness and infectious diseases
· Heredity factors
· Ageing
· Hormonal Imbalance
· Injury and impairment
· Nervous disorders

Pregnant women may notice hair loss problems within a period of about 3 months after delivery. This is also attributed as a reason for hair loss. During pregnancy, high levels of particular hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal growth and loss cycle starts again.

Improper hair care can also be one of the causes for hair loss. Excessive combing or brushing, hair styles such a ponytails or braids, which pulls at the hair, and last but not least the over usage of chemicals such as bleaches and dyes. Although these are the reasons for hair loss due to improper hair maintenance, physiological imbalances such excess production of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

An excessive level of  DHT influeces the growth cycle of a hair by preventing the availability of the nutrients to the hair thereby causing excessive hair falling.

Deficiency in Protein and Iron is found to be the major reasons for hair loss. The hair falling is noticed extensively only after the body recognizes the deficiency. This happens after about three months of deficiency. This can easily be achieved by the dietary inclusion of proteins and Iron.

Medications prescribed for blood pressure, arthritis, depression, and birth control pills are also among the reasons of hair loss. Stopping the medicine and select another type of medicine and contraceptive is the best way to treat this condition.

The 3 Most Popular Types of Hair Loss Treatment

Millions of men all over the world have to deal with hair loss. The main effect of hair loss is not only that the person looks older but it also hurts one’s self-esteem and social confidence. That’s why hair loss treatments are getting more and more important. We can call hair loss also balding, the reasons for hair loss are numerous. one of them is heredity. Though hair loss runs in the family, the scientists claim now it can be cured by gene manipulation. Men with genetic predisposition for hair loss may have sensitive areas in the scalp for male sex hormones. As age advances, these sensitive areas suffer from severe biological imbalance. The male hormone DHT is the culprit who ruins the hair. Slowly, over a prolonged period, the follicles wilt and finally the hair become thinner and shorter.

Hair loss can be treated with natural remedies and also chemo-therapically. There are three types of hair loss treatment available for the persons suffering from this condition.

The first and most accepted hair loss treatment is the natural based therapy. The main advantage of having this type of hair loss treatment is that there is no side effect. Other treatments may help to damage the existing hair, to make a half-bald person into a full bald person. The cosmetically based lotions, shampoos and herbal supplements help a lot of people suffering from hair loss. Many patients who used these treatments feel that by using these products, the regrowing of hair is positively influenced. Moreover, these products help to clean the scalp thereby the hair follicles are able to breathe and deliver important nutrients to the follicle and hair.

The second type of products widely used is the topical solution. Rogaine is one of the commonly used topical solutions for hair loss treatment. The main ingredient in this product is Minoxodil. This element is having the skill of growing hair, which is medically proven. Sometimes the Minoxodil is available in combination with Retin A. The purpose of adding Retin A to Minoxodil is to help the hair follicle in the scalp to absorb Minoxodil. But this combination cannot be purchased in drugstires. It requires a prescription from a physician.

The third type of hair loss treatment broadly used among the hair losing individuals is the oral treatment. Propecia is being taken orally by people suffering from hair loss. The main action of Propecia is lowering the chemical levels in the body, which hinders the growth of hair. In many studies it was found that Propecia is having hair-regrowing effect.