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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Strategies to Stop Hair Loss

Loss of hair can be attributed to many causes. Heredity is only one reason for it. There is a possibility that if your ancestors were bald, you are also bound to follow suit. It appears that there are no immediate solutions and single-use medicines for hair loss prevention.

Certain diseases or mineral deficiencies can be blamed for losing one’s locks. There are specific nutrients that should be consumed to keep the head covered. An iron deficiency, seborrheic dermatitis and hypothyroidism may be responsible for a person thinning on top.

It is advisable to consult a professional nutritionist regarding a balanced intake of minerals and vitamins. That will help in fighting the problem. A healthy natural diet supplemented by other medicines can put a stop to the problem.

Protein content of food should be high. To maintain the right level, you need to drink and eat items that are rich in protein such as milk, eggs, yogurt, and almonds. It is essential to have sufficient vitamins too. Vitamins A, B, C and E are especially good.

Another helpful treatment is aromatherapy. In this therapy, oil extracted from grape fruit, cedar or jojoba is used to good effect. Coconut oil is known to be very effective in this treatment. Applying of aloe vera gel on the scalp is also recommended before a cold-water wash. As far as washing is concerned, continual washing with hot water may aggravate the problem. The towel used for drying should be soft. Hard rubbing or a rough cloth may cause damage to the hair follicles and defeats the purpose of preventing hair loss.

Avoid changing your hair color too often. Do not reapply dye too frequently. Wait at least seven weeks before you do it again. Also avoid too much heat from hairdryers and tongs. All these appearance enhancer appliances can do more damage than help.

You will also find a variety of products formulated for your purpose in the marketplace. Before using them, have a talk with your doctor. Care products containing alcohol should be avoided totally. There are many natural herbs that can combat thinning too. Regular exercise is also recommended.

Cool drinks and junk food are often blamed as factors contributing to this problem. In moderation, it probably won’t do too much harm. In a diet that includes greasy food, you won’t find a lot of the nutrients necessary for hair loss prevention and hair health upkeep.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

7 Hair Loss Remedies You Can Do at Home

Most of the men and women want to see themselves with thick hair on their head. Truly, many of us think that men alone are most affected by hair loss but it is not true as women are also prone to hair loss. There are no guarantees when it comes to reversing hair loss but it is important to at least try to remedy the problem. You can do this without dealing with risky medications. You can make your own natural hair regrowth treatment to get your strands to grow back stronger and fuller.

1. One of the healthy hair tips is not to comb wet hair. Do not pull or rub your hair for any reasons. Use at a minimum clips to tie them. Protecting them from the sun and pollution is another important task which you can do by using sunscreen and scarves. Make sure you only use cotton headgear.

2. You can give your natural hair growth process a boost by taking a few minutes each day to massage your scalp. This will increase your circulation and blood flow. Nutrients and proteins are transported to your roots through the blood, so good circulation is important in order to make sure the vitamins and minerals your strands need reach their destination.

3. One of the most vital herbal cures for hair loss is the Indian gooseberry or amla. Team this up with shikakai powder—both readily available at Indian grocery stores. Keep three to four pieces of amla soaked in water with about 2 teaspoonfuls of shikakai for about half a day. Massage the concoction into the hair and scalp, in place of a chemical shampoo, for a soothing effect. An effective natural treatment for thinning hair, this will cool the hair follicles and scalp while cleaning the hair at the same time.

4. Green tea is one of the best natural remedies that can easily be used to stop further loss of hair. Green tea simply works because it contains natural compounds that can stop the formation of the hormone DHT. DHT is the major culprit in most hair loss.

5. Brushing your hair fast and in a hurry is harmful for their condition. Let me tell you that it is very essential to treat your locks with care for healthy hair growth. Remember that they are delicate and get damaged if you treat them harshly. Be slow while combing your hair. Do not tie them tight, especially while sleeping. It is good to use a loose-tooth comb instead of a hair brush.

6. Dab a little jojoba oil onto your fingertips before you begin the massage. This natural oil will protect your scalp from dandruff and flaking. It also keeps the strands strong and coats them with protein which will prevent your ends from splitting. Also, by massaging your scalp, you will prevent your follicles from getting clogged. Clogged follicles block nutrients from reaching the roots.

7. Grind a handful of leaves of the myrtle plant and steep it in water for a whole day. Before bedtime, massage the concoction directly on your scalp and cover your hair with it. Wrap a cloth or towel on your hair and keep it on overnight. In the morning, wash your hair thoroughly. Alternately, boil a handful of rosemary leaves in a quart of water. Strain it and let it cool. Then, rinse your hair with the concoction for hair loss prevention. Another hair loss remedy involves rosemary and olive oil. Grind a handful of rosemary leaves and mix it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, one egg yolk and 2 teaspoons of lime juice. Apply the mixture to the hair roots and wash with water after about an hour.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Stem Cells: Man’s New Hope for Hair Loss

Fresh insight into the role of stem cells may signal new hope for balding men everywhere. So just how close are we to the cure? And will you make the “cut” when we get there?

For most of their well-known time in the universe, men have faced a common battle transcending cultural or socioeconomic barriers. It’s the same fight faced by your father, and your father’s father, and every other man who ever made it past 40. Caesar, Shakespeare, and Churchill all fought it. Chances are, you will too.

For the broad majority of men, baldness still remains the scourge of our vanities. Maybe it gets to us because, on a psychological level, aging represents a loss of virility, symbolized by hair loss. Or maybe it’s simply because—like aging—we can only control it so much.

The fear of balding continues to persist in an age increasingly obsessed with youth and the preservation of vitality. Baldness continues to represent some fundamental, inescapable, awful truths for men: You will get old. It will not be pretty. People will think differently of you. One day you will wilt, and eventually, die. Baldness reminds those of us doomed to it that we are masters of our destiny only so much. We are men, and men can do great, impossible, incredible things. But we can’t fight the tide.

Or so we’ve thought.

Recent news of a promising new breakthrough in remedying baldness has heads buzzing. Thanks to a bunch of mice who demonstrated in a laboratory setting that dormant follicular stem cells can be stimulated to cause the regeneration of hair, there might be hope for you yet.

Earlier this year, a group of scientists led by George Costarellis at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that male pattern baldness may arise from a problem with the activation of cells rather than the numbers of cells (or thought-to-be “dead” cells) in the heads of bald men. Basically: Even though it appears as though bald heads have less hair than others, they actually just have less active hair follicles, those ports in your head from which hair grows. Apparently, there is a difference.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

5 Herbs to Heal Her Hair Loss Hurts

Treating hair loss in women need not be stressful. If you are looking for a hair loss treatment that can help regrow hair or provide natural-looking hair growth, there are surgical options and custom-made wigs and hairpieces. You may also find a treatment that can work for you at pharmacies or online stores, but make sure that you have a doctor’s prescription with you.

So what should you look for when buying products that prevent further hair loss? So many brands claim to have accurate results, but it’s not safe to immediately purchase these products or you might find yourself falling into a scam and losing your money over something that’s not helping your condition at all.

In seeking a treatment for hair loss in women, find out if the product has gained the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, check the labels and instructions; opt for ones that are easy and hassle-free to apply. For best results, topical creams and serums for hair loss are usually applied twice a day. When used daily and vigilantly (as instructed), you will begin to see real results after a month or two. You can check in the mirror and see new hair growth or improvement in the thickness or volume of the hair. Take note, however, that stopping the application or usage of the products can lead to the former problematic state of suffering from hair loss or alopecia.

Another wise move to make in looking for hair loss treatments for female hair loss is to check the ingredients of the hair loss product. Hair loss products that contain herbal or organic-based ingredients are bound to be more effective and safe in treating hair loss. Herbal remedies offer real hope for many people who are enduring the problem of hair loss. The following are natural hair loss remedies ideal for the sensitive scalp of women:

1. Ginkgo Biloba – This popular herb improves the blood circulation to the brain and skin. Herbalists believe that the increased blood flow to the brain area delivers more nutrients to the hair follicles, thus promoting hair regrowth.

2. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) – Catechins are found in green tea. Catechins are compounds that contain antioxidant properties, making the cells, tissues, and follicles in the scalp healthy and capable of hair growth.

3. He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) – Also known as Fo-Ti, this Chinese herb has traditionally been used to treat hair loss. It can also be used for other preparations such as tea and can also come in capsules.

4. Pygeum (Pygeum africanum) – Derived from the bark of an evergreen tree, pygeum works similarly to green tea.

5. Saw palmetto (Seranoa repens) – This herb currently serves as the main ingredient of hair loss products. Saw palmetto extracts contain properties that can efficiently inhibit the buildup of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the scalp.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

9 Offers from Nature to Cure Hair Loss

Lack of vitamins, inadequate nutrition, genetic causes and inadequate hair care can all result to hair loss. There are many treatments for hair loss available for men and women today. Many of these treatments, however, are very costly and may include unwanted side effects. For these reasons, many people have opted for alternative medicines to treat their hair loss.

1. One of the best natural hair loss treatments is the use of almond oil. Massaged onto the scalp two to three times a day, this oil is effective in preventing hair loss.

2. Hydrotherapy: This involves putting a hot cloth and a cold cloth alternately around one’s head. This treatment can be done daily. Hydrotherapy is useful as it increases circulation of blood in the scalp and removes dirt that may be blocking hair follicles.

3. Grind together lime and black pepper seeds to make a fine paste. This paste has been found to be one of the most valuable remedies for hair loss. Apply the paste twice a day for a few weeks on the scalp or patches of baldness. Although this paste has a mildly irritant reaction, it helps maintain blood circulation to the affected area and increases hair growth.

4. A lot of people have experienced good results with the use of this natural remedy. Rub coconut oil on your scalp and massage it gently. You can do this at night. It can make your scalp sticky and warm in the morning.

5. A natural hair mask made of a mixture of honey with egg yolk or spinach juice is beneficial for hair growth. Massage the mixture on the scalp, leave it on for thirty minutes and then wash off.

6. Exercise: Besides boosting general health and strengthening our immunity system, exercise increases the flow of blood to all parts of the body, including the scalp. This helps in better growth of hair and reduces hair loss.

7. Prepare a paste with hot olive oil, honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Apply this before a bath or shower and leave it on for 15 minutes. Wash it off afterwards.

8. This herb can help prevent the production of DHT. The body tends to convert free hormones into DHT. This will then induce tress loss. You can try taking stinging nettle tea every day. This will reduce the likelihood of pattern baldness.

9. Gotu kola has a history dating back centuries in Chinese herbalist literature as one of the herbal remedies for hair loss. Those claims have been backed up by research done on rats suffering from alopecia (hair loss) which, when fed gotu kola for an extended period, grew both thicker skin and hair, and had the rate of their hair growth increased. Because the skin naturally thins both as we age, and with the appearance of male pattern baldness, gotu kola may be one of the herbal hair loss remedies with added benefits.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Types of Hair Loss Treatment for Men

Hair Loss Treatment for MenWhether being on a bus, a train, or a plane, heads that are in need of a hair loss treatment for men can easily be spotted because of how apparent thinning hair and bald spots are. Baldness or hair loss has been one of the foremost determinants of a man who’s getting old or reaching the age of 40 or older. Hair loss in men usually starts in their teenage years or early 20s; this is commonly indicated by a receding hairline.

Upon getting older, the receding hairline of men is paired with a balding spot at the crown of the head. Losing hair at the forehead and crown area is the usual pattern of androgenic alopecia. Androgenic alopecia in men is a type of alopecia that is more known as male-pattern baldness. This type of hair loss is due to men’s susceptibility to the harmful effects of DHT (dihydrotestosterone). DHT is synthesized when testosterones are acted upon by 5-alpha reductase enzymes. When the presence of DHT in the scalp gets higher, it causes the hair follicles to shrink (miniaturize). When hair follicles are miniaturized, they only grow hair shafts that are thin, short, colorless, and lifeless. Eventually, the shrunken hair follicles will no longer be able to grow any hair at all, resulting to baldness.

Fortunately, there exist several types of hair loss treatment for men for androgenic alopecia or male-pattern baldness. One type of treatment is by taking hair loss drugs such as finasteride. Finasteride is an oral drug that is to be taken once a day. It is an anti-DHT drug. It suppresses the production of dihydrotestosterone in the scalp by blocking the type 2 form of 5-alpha reductase enzymes. With the presence of DHT being diminished, growth of long, thick, well-pigmented, and healthy hair shafts can be restored. Finasteride is indeed an effective hair loss drug (that is prescribed strictly for men) in obtaining hair regrowth, but it can cause disadvantageous effects to the body, such as impotence, decreased sex drive, and testicular pains.

A type of hair loss treatment for men that is free of harmful side effects is the use of a topical spray and topical serum that are formulated with procyanidin oligomers and saw palmetto extracts. These 2 natural ingredients are equally efficient as finasteride in blocking DHT; due to the ingredients being natural, no damaging systemic effects are to be acquired.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rich in Iron Can Prevent Hair Loss

Prevent Hair LossIron deficiency is one of the causes of excessive hair loss in women. This usually happens when you don’t get enough iron from your diet or, for some reason, do not fully absorb iron. Women who have heavy menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency due to their monthly blood loss. The major causes of low iron levels fall under 3 main categories:

Blood Loss

The general reasons for iron deficiency due to blood loss include bleeding in the digestive tract, often due to ulcers and inflammation of the stomach (gastritis), pregnancy (blood loss during and after delivery may cause a woman to become iron-deficient, which may result in anemia or hair loss), and menstruation. Excessively heavy periods can cause an iron deficiency in women, especially when combined with other factors, such as lack of iron intake. Severe injuries can also cause severe blood loss.

Hair Loss Treatment Decrease in Iron Absorption

A number of medications can decrease the absorption of iron – medications that reduce stomach acids, medications for chronic diarrhea, among others. Some foods such as black or pekoe teas, coffee, bran, soybeans, split peas, dried beans can lessen the absorption of iron into the blood stream.

Taking Vitamin C to supplement your diet rich in iron can enhance the absorption of iron into the blood stream.

Decreased iron intake

Another cause of low iron include decreased iron intake in your diet. Good sources of iron include lean red meat, steamed clams, cream of wheat, dried fruit, soybeans, tofu and broccoli.
A laboratory test called ferritin is often very sensitive for iron deficiency and can detect it in its early stages. If this early form of iron deficiency is treated, then patients may be able to regrow hair more effectively. However, an integral part of the overall treatment include diet modification to include iron-rich foods like red meat, dried fruit, broccoli, raisins, clams, oysters, and spinach. Iron supplements plus the amino acid l-lysine can altogether eliminate certain hair loss in women.