Hair Loss or Hair Trouble

SAY ADIOS TO PREMATURE GREY HAIR! Tanya Munshi
Are you in your twenties and already worrying about a grey hair that showed up? Well, there’s nothing to worry about. All you need to do is review your eating and lifestyle habits to get your natural hair color back. Food Tips A bowl of yoghurt a day keeps grey hair away. Basically, you need to include vitamin B in your diet. Avoid oily, artificially flavored and colored food products. Heavy-duty carbohydrates in your diet can reduce antioxidants in the body, making the hair dry and brittle. Incorporate cashews, almonds, fish and sea food in your diet. These are rich in melanin, iodine, iron and mineral copper that are essential for healthy hair. Home Tips Massage soaked tea leaves or concentrated tea water on the scalp and leave on for about 10–15 minutes after shampoo. Regular washing of hair with tea extract twice a week helps in converting grey hair to black or brown. Make your own hair mask! Mix olive oil and a mashed banana and apply it on your hair. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes before a wash. Apply this hair mask once a week for about two months and then stop. You can start this routine again after two months. Henna leaves if boiled in coconut oil can be applied as a paste in the hair and washed after an hour of application. Coconut oil and henna make hair black. Healthy Habits Tension and worries are the key culprits causing grey hair. Practice physical exercises like yoga to keep tensions and worries at bay. Physical exercises are a must for proper blood circulation. Blood carries oxygen to every corner of your body, giving you a sense of well being and good health. Exercises such as toe touching are good for your hair as the blood reaches the head and scalp, promoting hair growth. As far as possible, avoid smoking and drinking. Smoking causes premature greying. Refrain from using too many hair products such as sprays or gels. Some chemicals may be harmful and can cause greying due to overuse or prolonged use. Heavy intake of caffeine — coffees, colas and teas — can cause premature greying. Keep your caffeine intake moderate — one to two cups per day is ideal. Brush your hair thoroughly every night before heading to bed. This will promote blood circulation in the scalp and sound sleep, both essential in preventing greying.
IMPROVE BLOOD CIRCULATION TO PREVENT HAIR LOSS
Hope you apply oil in your hair. Take warm coconut oil & rub it on the scalp with cotton wool. Then apply this oil till the ends of your hair (from root to the tips). After this dip your towel in hot water (that which would be bearable) and then tie it on your hair. Keep it for sometime. If possible repeat this procedure. This helps the oil to penetrate into the roots of the hair. Moreover it helps in a good blood circulation in the areas near the scalp and helps in good growth of your hair. Then wash it with oil based shampoo. Your problem of dry hair will get solved.
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY CAN CAUSE HAIR FALL!
Vitamins not only have effect on the colour of our hair but also on the entire hair history. For dry, scanty and falling hair you should have plenty of fruits and vegetables. Leafy vegetables are best recommended, you could add more of spinach and (methi) fenugreek leaves to your diet. Best recommended fruits are amla and mangoes.
UGH! THOSE SPLIT ENDS
Yup, they can make you look impoverished. So gals, make sure you trim those ends before more notice it. Once in two to four weeks is fair enough to keep those splits away. But before you head for the salon, here’s something you should know: • Hair is basically made up of minerals and proteins. • Mineral deficiency can lead to split ends, and weak hair roots. So, to banish those splits away forever: • Make sure you drink a lot of water as water contains minerals. • Pamper your crown with regular oil massages, and make sure you massage the hair ends too.
CHECK! IS THERE LICE IN YOUR HEAD?
The thought of having lice in your hair may make you cringe, and you may think that you are immune to the onslaught of tiny wingless blood-sucking insects. Unfortunately, lice can turn up in your hair anytime. This normally happens through personal contact or when you share items such as combs, brushes, towels, pillows, clothing & hats with someone who has lice. Lice infestation can also occur at beards, eyelashes & eyebrows. So how do you steer clear of head lice & nits (eggs)? • Manually remove them one by one • Applying anti-lice medication (lotion, cream or shampoo) • Use essential oils such as herbs thyme & rosemary
WHY IS YOUR HAIR DRY, COARSE & BRITTLE?
Having hair trouble? UK based professional hairstylist Diana Dudas gives a word of advice. She writes…. It seems like such an enigma. Of the hundred or so emails I receive daily, the same question pops up endlessly. "Why is my hair so, FRIZZY and dry, coarse or brittle?" I intend to try and solve this mystery. And my first clue has to do with moisture deficiency! Oil and Water... 90% of us suffer with dry brittle or frizzy hair because our hair is deficient of (moisture) WATER! There is a certain preconceived notion that has been passed on from generation to generation. That is the idea that our hair is dry, because we are lacking in natural oils. We are told that if we nurture our hair by brushing vigorously 100 times a day, or if we nurture our hair with hot oil treatments and cholesterols, if we do all of these things, then we are sure to be blessed with beautiful, shiny and healthy locks. This might be the case, if you have young virgin (hair that is not chemically treated) hair. But this is certainly not the case, once you have impaled your tresses, with harsh chemicals such as bleaches and alkaline permanents, or if you have naturally curly hair. Naturally Curly Hair... Those of you who have curly hair, have these curls, because of a curvature of the hair follicles. A normal hair follicle under a microscope would be seen as perfectly straight. However yours would have a definite bend in it. This causes the hair to curl. Where the hair curves it compels the cuticle (the outer layer of the hair) to lift. The Cuticle... Under a microscope, A cuticle is similar in appearance to shingles on a roof. When the hair is in good condition, and is straight and has good porosity the tiles or cuticle layers are tight together and in perfect in shape, giving the hair a smooth appearance. This makes light reflect off the hair enhancing shine! When hair is in bad conditioner, is curly or has poor porosity, the cuticle layers are lifted and sometimes damaged and broken. This makes the hair feel coarse and brittle. It also causes the hair to absorb light, giving the appearance of dull lifeless hair. To sum up this scenario. Because curly haired cuticle layer is permanently lifted, it feels, coarse, and brittle and has no brilliance. Hence the dull, lifeless look. It also means that our hair has poor porosity. Porosity... Is the ability for hair to be able to absorb and retain moisture. The best way for me to explain this is to would be for you to imagine a sponge. First of all imagine a brand new sponge. It will have tiny holes in it, and when you immerse it in water, it will soak up a large quantity, and be able to hold that liquid for a long period of time. This is because it has good porosity. Now imagine an old sponge. Its holes have become damaged and distorted. It might even be torn in some areas. When you immerse this sponge in the same amount of liquid, it will absorb far less and will certainly not be able to retain the moisture so readily. It is the same with hair. Hair that has poor porosity will not be able to absorb or retain moisture as well as hair that has good porosity. making hair permanently dry. Hot oil treatments... Traditions have taught many of us that lavishly applying oil to our hair will give us the soft, shiny hair that we all desire. However more often than not, the opposite takes place. Most oils if they are not essential oils do not have the ability to penetrate into the hair shaft. Nor do heavy cholesterols. What they will do, is to lay on top of the cuticle, and coat the cuticle. This may give the hair some Brilliance. However, it will also coat the hair. And causes product build up. Product Build Up... Once the hair is coated, your problems will commence. First of all, the moisture that our hair so desperately needs will not be able to permeate through the wall of product build. The moisture is then not able to find it’s way underneath the cuticle layer. The hair cannot then be conditioned. Also the oils will not diffuse, but sit on top of the cuticle layer. If you use any kind of hot styling tools such as blow dryers or hot irons, what will happen to your hair, is exactly what happens when you put an egg into a hot pan. It will fry! If you live in a sunny climate, the oil will do the same thing. The sun will heat the oil and fry your hair. You must have heard the term, my hair feels fried. Optimum Condition... For hair to be in tiptop conditioner is has to have a moisture (water) content of at least 8%, and the right balance of protein and natural oil. Most of us produce enough natural oil (sebum), to keep our hair healthy, but lack the moisture. After having a chemical service your moisture level will drop as low as 2%, causing, drying of the hair, followed by split ends. The same will happen with constant use of blow-dryers and hot styling tools, such as curling or flat irons. If the moisture level is not restored to it’s optimum 8%; by the use of good moisturizing products your hair will ultimately become brittle and possibly break. What To Do... You need to give your hair lots of TLC, with shampoos that are designed to restore your hair’s moisture level to its optimum 8%. Along with intense conditioners that will help to repair damaged cuticles, improve porosity, elasticity and general health and appearance of your hair. Avoid: • Product build by using products that contain natural ingredients. • Also avoid hot oil treatments, heavy cholesterol type conditioners, petroleum-based and silicone-based products. • Also hairsprays, mousses and gels that have a high alcohol or butane content. Those of you with naturally curly, wavy or frizzy hair, those of you who use hot styling tools or who chemically treat your hair, will need to give your hair extra nurturing by supplying it with the necessary nutrition and moisture that it needs. Sun worshippers need to make sure that your hair care products have sunscreen properties to protect your hair from the damaging affects of the UV rays. Summary... Our hair needs MOISTURE, MOISTURE, and MOISTURE! Who needs to add moisture more than most? People with naturally curly hair, chemically treated, hot styling tool users or people who live in hot sunny and arid climates.