Monday 28 November 2011

Herbal Remedies: Healthy Hair from Roots to Tips

Instead of chemical solutions, the best hair loss treatments focus on improving scalp health naturally and soothingly. A healthy scalp means having healthy hair follicles that are actively growing hair. If you want a healthy scalp, here are some tips to get you started:

Saw palmetto is a popular herbal remedy for hair loss. You can find saw palmetto extracts in the form of a liquid or pill at your local health store. You can also try a topical method by purchasing saw palmetto shampoo or adding a few drops of the liquid extract to your scalp when showering in the mornings. Rub a few drops on your scalp and allow it to sit at for at least 3 minutes before rinsing. You should avoid ingesting saw palmetto if you are anaemic or currently taking oral contraceptives or blood thinning medications.

If you don’t like the idea of using drugs and chemicals, you can go the natural route. Many herbal supplements are available at your local health food store that can be effective for thinning hair. Silica, licorice extract, and jojoba oil are some of the ingredients you should look for when shopping for herbal hair remedies. They are all natural and have proven effective for the treatment and prevention of baldness.

Fenugreek, black beans, coconut, and lemon juice — these herbs pack a powerful punch against hair loss and balding. Fenugreek is even touted as a natural hair regrowth herb. Coconut is one of the few oils that actually contains protein easily absorbable into the hair strands, and thus, is one of the few oils that strengthen the hair follicles.

Olive oil derivatives, with soaked shoe flowers make effective fragrant hair tonics. Infusions made of avocado leaves treat many scalp-related problems. It is predominantly due to its astringent property, which makes it an effective hair loss remedy.

If you must know, your hair can be damaged by hair products that contain harmful ingredients. Getting your hair dyed frequently or having it permed can also result to hair loss. Even the use of all-synthetic-content shampoos and other styling products such as hair sprays, gel or mousse can damage your hair, leading to hair loss. If possible, choose hair products that are made from natural ingredients such as aloe vera, rosemary and sage.

Monday 21 November 2011

Treating Hair Loss by Caring for the Scalp Inside Out

It’s a proven fact that massage stimulates healing of hair loss by increasing scalp circulation. In your scalp, this means the healing nutrients from your diet can more easily reach your ailing hair follicles. Almost all hair loss programs incorporate scalp massage, combined with a topical remedy, to stimulate new hair growth and stop hair loss.

In addition to a once-a-day intensive massage combined with a topical remedy, you should also grab any chance you have throughout the day to do a quick massage.

There may be a spare 2 minutes in the afternoon as you take a break from staring at work on the computer screen. You can massage for a few minutes while you wait for dinner to cook. There are many opportunities, so keep an eye out.

This will keep the blood flow stimulated throughout the day, lengthening the healing time. If you’re already using a healthy shampoo which contains nutrients, a portion of those nutrients will be left on your scalp even after rinsing. Giving yourself a massage throughout the day will let those nutrients have better access to your weakening hair follicles.

However, treating your scalp from the outside can only do so much. Sure you can heal the hair follicles externally. But then again, this doesn’t prevent the attack coming from the inside. Abnormal hormones, toxins from the environment, and other symptoms of generally poor health invade your scalp through the bloodstream. They attach to the tissue around the hair follicle, sickening it.

No matter how you nurture the hair follicle externally, another attack will soon make it sick again. The best hair loss treatment programs realize this can be a never-ending process. You’ll eternally have to play catch-up, forever healing your scalp. Forever, that’s, unless you correct the problem internally.
Once you correct the problems inside your body, the attack on your hair will stop. This means your healing scalp treatments will be more effective. You’ll be able to heal the follicle once and for all and finally re-grow hair.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Hair Loss Treatment for Men: Now You Don’t Have to Worry about Side Effects

Hair loss affects both men and women, but it’s a more common condition in males. As men age, their hairline gradually recedes upwards and bald spots begin forming at the top of their heads, until eventually there’s only a rim of hair left on the sides. Why does this happen? Surprisingly, testosterone is to blame.

Simply put, when testosterone reacts with the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, dihydrotestosterone (or DHT) forms. DHT is a naturally occurring hormone found in the prostate, adrenal glands and, of course, the scalp. DHT often causes damage to the hair follicles. With DHT build-up in the scalp, nutrient absorption by the follicles is obstructed. The follicles are then slowly made weaker, causing them to become incapable of growing thick, well-pigmented, and long hair strands.

Are There Side Effects When Using Hair Loss Treatments?

Unfortunately, there are negative consequences from using some hair loss treatments, and these usually occur when undergoing prescription products. The most significant symptoms include erectile dysfunction and diminished libido. Many users have experienced adverse sexual side effects while taking drugs like finasteride, and even more alarmingly, after stopping the prescription. Organizations like the Swedish Medical Products Agency and the UK’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have looked into these claims and concluded that using the prescription hair loss treatment could result in permanent sexual dysfunction.

A natural hair loss treatment, on the other hand, successfully reverses hair loss in men without these sexual side effects.

What Is a Natural Hair Loss Treatment?

A natural hair loss treatment may refer to an all-natural supplement that is clinically proven to help men re-grow their hair. The regimen consists of tablets and a topical solution created from a blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs. These tablets are made from natural DHT blockers, the ingredients ranging from avocado oil to pumpkin seed meal, while the topical solution is applied to the scalp in order to battle DHT from the outside. Unlike other routines, an herbal hair loss treatment does not use harsh chemicals.

After a couple of months, you will notice significant results. This is because your body will be producing less DHT, making it harder for the hormone to bind itself to hair follicles, giving the follicles a chance to strengthen and grow thicker, longer hair. Using both the tablets and topical solution will speed up your efforts, as some users have reported improvement after a mere two weeks.

A hair loss treatment formulated with herbs presents a safe and effective treatment for hair loss. It’s usually available over the counter, helps men of all ages, treats levels of hair loss, and re-grows their hair. They don’t come with the sexual side effects (or other symptoms for that matter) its prescription counterparts are notorious for causing.

Monday 7 November 2011

Overcoming Male Hair Loss with Over-the-Counter Treatments

There can be numerous reasons that men begin to lose hair prematurely. For some it may only be a short-lived issue caused by stress or lifestyle choice; however, for others, it’s a permanent condition if left untreated — often known as androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness.

The importance of treating hair loss as soon as possible is not often stressed enough. This may be because men wish to avoid speaking with their doctor, or they refuse to acknowledge the condition at all. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that if men wish to maintain a healthy head of hair, then their best defence is to begin a treatment programme as soon as possible.


Prescription Treatments

Prescription hair loss treatments have a history of causing ill-wanted sexual side effects including reduced sex drive in men. I’d advise you to discuss the options for prescription products with your family doctor. For many, negative sexual side effects can be enough to avoid considering any of these medications; however, they are not familiar with over-the-counter alternatives which can help them keep their hair.

The cause of most hair loss cases is the same: a hormonal sensitivity of the scalp which causes hair follicles to stop producing new healthy hairs and become dormant.

In order to stop the process, you must relieve the hormonal sensitivity in one of two ways:

1. You must either reduce the production of the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in the body which is the culprit of causing hair follicles to become dormant.
2. You must stop DHT from binding with hair follicles on the scalp.

Over-the-counter hair loss treatments use either one or both of these methods.


Oral Treatments

There are several oral drugs that claim they can reduce premature hair loss by either reducing the production of DHT in the body or blocking the DHT that is produced from reaching the scalp and binding to hair follicles.

While some products have received positive feedback from consumers, you’re usually better off either using a topical treatment that is applied directly to the scalp in conjunction with an oral supplement or just a topical product all on its own.


Topical Treatments

Topical treatments make up the majority of over-the-counter hair loss treatment products. Creams, serums and shampoos are the usual form these products take. Also you will often find kits that contain a shampoo, serum and oral supplement altogether. These products offer a multi-pronged approach to treating hair loss both directly on the scalp and at the DHT production level.

Effective topical products contain a concentration of the FDA-approved hair loss ingredient minoxidil. You’ll find concentrations of 2.5% and 5%. Usually the 2.5% is enough to get the job done.

Other products will contain all-natural ingredients claiming to stop hair loss. While you may find wonderful results with these products, I’d urge you to look for clinical studies and trials of a product to prove its effectiveness before spending a dime.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Stop Hair Loss with the Right Shampoo

In a world flooded with shampoos for every hair condition, it’s not hard to believe that you might be confused in choosing a right shampoo for your hair. I’ll ask you a very simple question: What shampoo is in your shower at home and how did you come up with that brand of choice?

Many women base their buying decision on the brightly colored bottle and delicious scent of a shampoo. And then, when they find strings of hair clogged at the drainage in their bathroom, they blame it on their shampoo. When they find tons of hair stuck to their comb after a clean wash, they still blame it on the shampoo.

Well, you can partly blame it on your shampoo; however, it was you who made the choice, remember?

There are many varieties of shampoos available at different places. Rather than falling into the web of strategic corporate advertising with the shampoos’ alluring packaging and attractive promises, we should make an informed decision based upon the actual content of the shampoo in the bottle. It is imperative that you choose the correct kind of shampoo for your hair especially to people who are experiencing hair loss.

A good shampoo can help reduce symptoms or the effects of balding by utilizing certain active ingredients to counter the effects of hair loss. These ingredients can range from herbs like saw palmetto which is said to be effective for fighting male pattern baldness to pro-hair vitamins like Biotin which is essential for hair growth. While these hair loss shampoo ingredients might look enticing and promising in your battle against hair loss, you should take note that the shampoo is not the primary treatment for hair loss.

Although your shampoo won’t be a major role player in stopping hair loss, it’s still significantly important that you choose a good hair loss shampoo specifically for your hair loss condition. That is because a good hair loss shampoo helps conditions your scalp and hair, controls oil and residue build-ups and helps keep your hair manageable.