Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
A woman's hair, they say, is her crowning glory.But that glory can seem hollow for the 20 million American women who suffer from hair loss.
Relax: natural measures can be taken to fight hair loss. By caring for your hair both inside and out, you can sing a happy tune about your magnificent mane.
Heredity plays a large role in hair loss. In fact, researchers have actually identified a gene associated with hair loss. But that doesn't mean you necessarily have to resign yourself to ever diminishing hair.
The Fabulous Follicle
The root of hair loss starts with hair follicles, the tiny spots from which all hairs grow. Each follicle comes equipped with a capillary that furnishes nutrients and oxygen carried by blood, a muscle that allows the hair to stand erect (Goosebumps result when they contract) and a gland that produces sebum, the oil that protects and lubricates the hair shaft.“As a hair grows, the old hair moves up the inside of the follicle, leaving behind a column of cells that will form a new strand of hair," explains Virginia Castleton, author of The Handbook of Natural Beauty (Rodale Press). In a continuous cycle, hairs grow, rest and fall out, leaving new hairs in their place. As long as this process proceeds apace, your full head of hair continues to satisfy.
However, "when old hair leaves the follicle without depositing new cells, it will not be replaced, and a thinning or balding process begins."
Losing It
Hair can depart for many reasons. Illnesses and certain drugs can cause hair to fall out. (For that reason, excessive hair loss should always be brought to the attention of a health practitioner.)In some cases, the immune system attacks the hair for unknown reasons, causing small patches of hair loss known as Alopecia Areata. Another type of hair loss, Telogen Effluvium, can occur after such major traumas as prolonged high fevers or serious infections, or after sudden hormonal changes, particularly in new mothers.
The best-known form of hair loss is, of course, male pattern baldness, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia. Resulting in the familiar bald-on-top, fringe-on-sides appearance, male pattern baldness is linked to genetics and hormones.
Ladies' Losses
Not as well known but just as distressing is female pattern baldness, marked by "a moderate loss of hair on the crown of the head or at the hairline," says Jonathan Phillips, author of Hair Loss No More (Stanton House)."It is rare for women to develop completely bald areas as men often do," he adds.
Phillips says that women lose hair for many reasons, including Anaemia, prolonged emotional stress and Thyroid problems.
Another cause of thinning female hair is harsh treatments such as overly tight braids.
Shed Pounds, Shed Hair?
Your diet may also affect your ‘Tresses’. Vegetarians, if they neglect to consume enough protein, can find their hair going down the drain, "especially when they first switch to a meat-free diet," according to Phillips. "The culprit is usually a lack of protein in the body. When they increase the amount of non-animal protein, soy products, for instance, in their diets, hair loss stops and often reverses itself."Dieters who restrict calories can also experience hair loss. "Hair loss in women is often associated with crash dieting. Nutritional deficiencies are often the culprit," says Phillips.
Free Radical Attack
Poor diet, aided and abetted by smoking and air pollution, impinges on hair health by activating free radicals, miscreant molecules that can attack cells, including the cells that make new hair.What's more, "fasting or an incorrect diet often results in a shortage of vitamin C, vitamin E, Beta Carotene and other antioxidants, leading to hair loss," Phillips says. These antioxidants can fend off free-radical damage.
Eating for Hair Health
Because of the way nutrition affects hair growth, the first step in hanging onto your hair involves improving what's on your plate. Phillips recommends fruits and vegetables for their vitamins, minerals and all-important antioxidants. Vegetables, fish and poultry supply needed protein, as does the legume family: "chickpeas, lentils (and) soybeans are also rich in protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre and antioxidants."Living in Hair-Friendly Style
Getting active is vital to retaining hair. Phillips suggests that instead of overdoing exercise, you stick with moderate physical activity, which helps circulate nutrient-rich blood to your scalp. Exercise also helps ease stress: "The body shuts down production of hair during periods of stress." Meditation helps many folks unwind, as does yoga.Hair Care the Right Way
When you wash your hair, avoid harsh shampoos and conditioners. Overly alkaline products "causes the hair to become stiff and brittle, and promotes the illusion of extra hair volume," says Phillips.Frizzy, tangled Tresses signal hair that's too dry. Less shampoo and more conditioner are called for. Products that contain B vitamins, Aloe Vera and essential oils, such as Jojoba and Evening Primrose, can help moisturize your hair.
Conversely, hair that gets greasy within a day after being washed is too oily. Gentle shampoos and herbal rinses are called for; look for products that contain Amino Acids mixed with Saponins, peppermint and non-colouring Henna.
How you shampoo is almost as important as what you use. "The correct shampooing procedure should take at least five minutes," says Phillips. "A good shampoo should be conducted with firm massaging technique."
Be nice to your hair during drying. Phillips recommends, "letting the towel soak up the moisture rather than vigorous towelling. If using a hair dryer, always makes sure that you use the cold-medium setting and not the hot setting."
Oriental Medicine:
A Different View of Hair Loss
While modern Western medicine hunts for specific causes of such specific ills as hair loss, Oriental medicine, a rubric that includes India's Ayurveda and Japan's Kampo, along with Traditional Chinese Medicine treats patterns of complaints in accordance with a holistic view of the body and its functions.Kampo, for example, sees hair loss "in terms of bottling up emotional energies in the liver," according to Robert Rister, author of Japanese Herbal Medicine (Avery/Putnam). The liver, in this perspective, isn't the physical liver recognized by western medicine but represents a set of functions, including the regulation of emotional energy. Rister says that when this energy can't circulate properly, "the hair (becomes) lifeless and dull." And if the kidney's primal energies were also blocked, "the hair (falls) out."
Nowadays, the ancient concepts of Oriental medicine have been married to modern science, resulting in hair-support breakthroughs designed for today's active lifestyle.
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