Natural Remedies To Fight Hair Loss And Regrow Hair
1. Diet
One of the best ways to boost hair health is to make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet. Try to include the following foods in your diet:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- High-protein foods
- Nuts which contain selenium and can help strengthen hair
Drinking water is also essential to maintain adequate moisture and integrity of the hair shaft.
2. Coconut oil mask
Coconut oil contains fatty acids that can help prevent your hair from losing protein. Massage coconut oil into your 20 minutes before washing, rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water, and follow up with conditioner.
3. Scalp massage
Massaging your scalp gently 1-2 times a week can also help stimulate your scalp and enhance blood flow to the follicles. Aside from coconut oil, you can also try other natural options like almond oil, rosemary oil, argan oil, wheat germ oil, jojoba oil, and pumpkin seed oil.
4. Green tea rinse
Green tea is known to be rich in catechins that help reduce dihydrotestosterone , a hormone that can shrink your hair follicles. In addition to combatting hair loss, green tea can also fight dandruff and prevent scalp dryness.
5. Onion juice
Onion juice is high in sulfur, which is supposed to promote blood circulation in the scalp. Studies have found that applying onion juice on the hair and scalp may help hair regrowth in people with patchy hair loss, although there isnt enough research to back up claims that onion juice can stop hair loss.
6. Ditch the heat
What Is Androgenetic Alopecia
The most common form of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, or, in other words, male or female pattern baldness or hair loss. Androgenetic alopecia is genetic and affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States. Among white women in the U.S., an average of 19% are affected by female pattern hair loss, but that percentage increases with age. The prevalence is nearly doubled in Australia at 32% and much lower in Korea and China at < 6%. As of 2015, no studies had been done on the prevalence of female pattern hair loss in Brazil or Africa.
Male pattern baldness is linked to a sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone and usually manifests as a receding hairline or ring of missing hair. Female pattern baldness instead typically causes the hair to thin all over the scalp but not fall out.
Another fairly common form of hair loss is alopecia areata, which usually presents as patches of hair loss over the scalp and is autoimmune related. In autoimmune conditions, the bodys immune system attacks bodily tissues even when they are healthy. In the case of alopecia areata, the hair follicles are prevented from growing new hair.
To determine the cause of your hair loss, a doctor will typically conduct blood work to diagnose any missing nutrients or autoimmune disorders, take down your family history, study the pattern of the hair loss and potentially take a scalp biopsy.
Which hair loss treatments work?
Hair Loss In Black Women: Tips From An Expert
Almost half of black women experience some form of hair loss. However, few doctors are familiar with black hairstyling practices, leaving many women to sort through unhelpful or even harmful advice on their own.
Dermatologist Crystal Aguh, one of just a small group of dermatologists across the country specializing in hair loss, offers these tips to help women protect their hair and recognize common warning signs of hair loss.
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Herbal Remedies For Hair Growth
Here are a few natural hair loss remedies you could try to stop thinning and regrow hair:
- Ginkgo biloba Full of antioxidants, Ginkgo biloba stimulates circulation around the follicles in order to strengthen the hair shaft.
- Polygonum Multiflorum This Chinese herb has been in use for hundreds of years to reduce hair loss as well as promote hair growth, and is even said to restore hair to its natural color. There hasn’t been any concrete scientific evidence behind it however, just anecdotal evidence.
- Topical aromatherapy applications The theory behind aromatherapy use for hair loss is that by massaging the scalp with certain oils like lavender and rosemary, you stimulate blood flow in the scalp which aims to make follicles healthier. Although its probably the act of massaging rather than the essential oils used that has the benefits.
- Reishi mushroom This is another Chinese herb said to help prevent the balding process. It can be bought in Chinese herb shops.
- Har Vokse A powerful all in one hair loss prevention and hair regrowth product that has a spray that contains herbal ingredients like green tea and Centella Asiatica. It has undergone rigorous clinical testing to ensure it really does work for stopping balding in its tracks in both men and women.
Use Apple Cider Vinegar
Dry, unruly hair is difficult to manage and more prone to falling out or breaking. A lot of people use diluted apple cider vinegar to wash their frizzy hair to make it softer, shinier, and easier to detangle.
Moreover, a healthy scalp is a prerequisite for healthy hair, and ACV might help in that regard too. Dryness of hair and scalp is a sign of increased alkalinity, and this mild acid can help balance it out. Thus, ACV may help relieve itching and flaking of the scalp while stimulating the hair follicles for improved hair growth.
Bear in mind, however, that all these hair benefits attributed to ACV are purely anecdotal with little to no scientific support
Directions:
Note: Do not apply ACV for longer than the recommended period or in undiluted form as it can damage your hair and scalp.
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Complementary And Alternative Medicine
Complementary medicine refers to practices used concomitantly with conventional therapies, while alternative medicine is used in place of these therapies. The NCCIH divides CAM approaches into three main categories: natural products mind and body practices and other . CAM provides the option to choose promising, low-risk, adjuvant and alternative therapies. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of CAM treatment options for alopecia, with most evidence in androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata . Table 1 provides an in-depth summary of these investigations.
Table 1.
Summary of clinical investigations on complementary and alternative treatments for alopecia
Do Natural Or Herbal Hair Loss Remedies Really Work
If you ask the majority of doctors, they will cringe at the mention of natural or herbal remedies and then say something to the effect of there isnt enough evidence to support those claims. In other words, they think theyre probably snake oil, but cannot confirm that to a medical certainty. In some cases, there may not be enough science there to bolster claims, but the fact that theyre coming from online marketing campaigns that are trying to sell a product casts a great deal of doubt on their efficacy.
Firstly though, the most successful drugs to treat male pattern baldness do so by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into another chemical known as dihydrotestosterone. Dihydrotestosterone is largely what is believed to cause male pattern baldness and drugs such a propecia have been shown to effectively stimulate hair growth in the majority of men. On the other hand, because its a hormone inhibitor that was originally prescribed for the purpose of reducing the size of prostates, propecia is also known to cause some sexual disturbances in some men.
But what about the natural hair loss remedies? Are they worth looking into?
For most patients, the best options will still be the big 3. Those are hair transplant surgery, minoxidil based medications, and finasteride, also known as propecia. These treatments are proven to work for cases of male pattern baldness that does not have any outside mitigating factors like nutrition or hair treatment.
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How Thinning Hair Occurs In Women Vs Men
A healthy scalp has around 80 percent of its hair follicles in the growing stage while the other 20 percent is in the resting stage. Hair thinning and loss occur when that vital growing state either slows down considerably or stops.
What causes hair to thin out for women? Just like our bodies change with age, most women notice some hair thinning as they get older. This is quite natural. Its said that by the age of 50, half of women will complain of hair loss. If a womans thinning hair is related to female-patterned hair loss, then the thinning is believed to be 90 percent genetic and 10 percent hormonal. Youll probably be surprised to learn that female-pattern baldness affects about 30 million American women. You cant change your genetics, but thankfully, you can work on the hormonal aspect .
Thinning hair in women typically occurs slowly all over the entire scalp without a recession of the hair line . If a woman has female-pattern hair loss, it can lead to extreme hair thinning but rarely leads to baldness.
What about thinning hair in men? For men, hair thinning can start as early as puberty and progress for many years to come after that. The thinning usually begins above the temples and travels around the perimeter and top of the head. Ultimately, this can result in a ring of hair often referred to as a horseshoe remaining along the bottom of the scalp. For a lot of men, hair thinning continues until there is no hair left resulting in a completely bald scalp.
Red Wine Is Beneficial For The Hair
Thats right. Red wine is not only a tasty beverage that you indulge in from time to time. It turns out that it has unexpected hair benefits. Are you curious what they could be? Lets see:
- Red wine protects the hair from UV damage.
- Its rich in antioxidants such as bioflavonoids. It keeps your hair young and lustrous.
- The antioxidants present in the red wine, repair damaged hair.
- It stimulates the blood circulation on your scalp. Moreover, it strengthens the blood vessels and may lower your chance of getting dandruff.
- It contains resveratrol, which has many potential health benefits. Among them is preventing hair loss.
The bottom line is that regularly drinking a glass of wine may do you some good. But if you dont enjoy the taste of wine, there are other options.
Required Ingredients:
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How Can I Tell If I Have Female Pattern Hair Loss
Its best to make an appointment to see a dermatologist. Dermatologists are the experts in diagnosing and treating hair loss. A dermatologist can tell you whether its FPHR or something else that is causing your hair loss. Other causes of hair loss can look like FPHL, so its important to rule out these causes.
Radiation Treatment And Hair Loss
Radiation therapy uses a high-energy beam to damage quickly growing cells in your body. The goal is to target cancer cells, but some normal cells get damaged as well.
Radiation only causes hair loss on the particular part of the body treated. If radiation is used to treat the breast, there is no hair loss on your head. But there might be loss of hair around the nipple, if you have hair there.
Radiation to the brain, used to treat breast cancer that has spread to the brain, can cause hair loss on your head. Depending on the dose of radiation, your hair may be patchier when it grows back or it may not grow back.
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Preventive Measures Against Hair Loss
- Consume food, which is rich in vitamin A, B, C, E, protein and iron.
- Intake flaxseeds, fish and walnuts to get fatty acids, which is essential for natural health of hair.
- Increase the quantity of biotin, silica and zinc in your meal as it induces hair growth as well as keeps the scalp healthy.
- Avoid using hot or warm water for hair wash as it increases hair loss.
- Do not use very hard shampoos on hair instead, go for mild ones that contain moisturizer.
- Use steam to rejuvenate your hair. Dip a clean towel into hot water, squeeze the excess water and cover your hair with the towel. Leave it till the towel cools down. This increases blood flow towards the scalp and even clean the pores, present on the scalp.
- Rubbing of fingers vigorously on the scalp after washing hair also increases blood circulation and prevents hair loss.
- Drink adequate amounts of water, based on your weight and sodium intake.
- Keep your scalp clean and avoid dirt and dust.
- Hair trimming is again a good option for preventing loss of hair.
- Do not tie back your hair tightly.
- Do not comb your hair when it is wet, and do not even towel-dry it again and again roughly.
- Avoid blow drying on a daily basis. It damages hair follicles and makes the scalp dry.
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Coconut Oil Protective Barrier For Hair
Over the last several years coconut oil has grown massively in popularity as a health supplement, in skincare products, shampoos, conditioners and other hair treatments. Lauric acid is the primary saturated fat in coconut oil and when used topically it acts to slow the growth of certain types of bacterial fungi/viruses. Additionally, lauric acid also has anti-inflammatory properties, a familiar constant among all of the natural remedies listed in this article.
It must be noted that it has not been scientifically proven that coconut oil directly promotes hair growth. On the other hand however, coconut oil is effective in strengthening hair follicles and nourishing the scalp.
Coconut oil benefits for hair:
- Coconut oil is similar to sebum the bodys natural oil that keeps the scalp from drying out while also coating hair roots to protect them from damage
- Coconut oil has lauric acid that helps bind the proteins that make up hair follicles, protecting the strands and preventing breakage
- Known to penetrate the hair shaft which protects it from excess heat and environmental pollutants
- Contains anti-bacterial/fungal properties which prevent infections that would otherwise inhibit hair growth
- Massaging the scalp with coconut oil helps to improve blood circulation which further ensures that the nutrients reach and nourish the hair follicles
What can you do?
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