Try These Natural Hair Loss Treatments

This article will examine the different types of natural hair loss treatments. Hair loss can be a problem for both men and women alike. Losing your hair can affect many aspects of your life, especially your self confidence as you worry about your personal appearance. There are many types of conventional treatments for hair loss, including surgical procedures. However, there are natural hair loss treatments that may be less expensive and could be just as effective for your hair loss problem.

The use of herbs for hair loss has been proven to be successful in some cases. Herbs may be taken internally or applies externally, depending on the herb. For this article we will list the herbs that can be applied externally for hair loss treatment.

Onion pulp has been a popular remedy for the treatment of hair loss. The sulfur content of the onion stimulates hair growth. Apply an onion paste to the area of the scalp that is experiencing the hair loss.

Safflower oil applied to the scalp has been very effective in stimulating hair growth by giving increased blood circulation to the scalp.

Aloe Vera has been used by Native Americans for centuries to promote healthy hair and prevent hair loss. It protects the scalp by healing it and promoting a balanced PH level. It also can cleanse the pores of the scalp. Preparing a combination of Aloe Vera gel with wheat germ oil and coconut milk and using it as a shampoo, has proven to be very beneficial in hair re-growth and preventing hair loss. You may want to look at your favorite health food store for premixed Aloe Vera shampoo.

Rosemary and sage are two herbs that have shown benefits when used externally. Mix rosemary, sage, peach leaf, nettle and burdock together in a pan of water and boil. Strain the loose leaves from the liquid and use the liquid to wash your hair daily. This can thicken the hair and stimulate the scalp to promote hair growth.

Massaging your scalp with essential oils, lavender in particular, has been shown to increase hair growth in mild cases of hair loss. Blend six drops each of lavender and bay essential oils in a base of four ounces of either soybean or sesame oil. Massage this into the scalp and let it set for about 20 minutes. Once it sets for 20 minutes, shampoo your hair with your favorite shampoo mixed with three drops of bay essential oil.

These are just a few natural treatments for hair loss. It is important to find the cause of your hair loss first to be sure it is not caused by an underlying disease. Other ways to help with hair loss is to start taking a good multi-vitamin and to eat a healthy balanced diet. Get plenty of exercise to stimulate blood flow to all parts of your body, including your scalp. Hair loss can be overcome once you know natural treatments for hair loss.

Helpful Tips On Preventing Hair Loss

This article will give you some helpful tips on preventing hair loss. For some men and even women, hair loss will be hereditary and there is not a lot they can do to prevent it. But if you don't have the hair loss gene, there are steps you can take to keep your hair healthy and prevent it from falling out.

First and most importantly eat a healthy balanced diet. Your hair needs nutrition to grow and be healthy. Try to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. If this is not possible, take a good multi-vitamin everyday that can provide you with the required daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.

Get plenty of exercise and plenty of sleep. Exercise increases the blood flow to every part of your body, including your scalp. Increased blood flow can nourish the hair follicles and keep them strong and healthy. Your whole body, including your scalp and hair needs rest to rejuvenate, so try to get at least eight hours of restful sleep each night.

Avoid hair treatments that can damage your hair. Frequent dyeing, hot curling irons, blow dryers, perms and frequent brushing or combing can all do damage to your hair and result in hair loss. Be gentle on your hair, using a soft bristled brush and letting it air dry whenever possible. Avoid vigorous combing when your hair is wet. It is more prone to breakage at this time.

If you notice excessive hair loss, see your doctor right away. Hair loss can be a sign of an underlying disease that needs treatment. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus can cause hair loss. Also disorders of the endocrine system, such as diabetes may cause you to lose your hair. Any type of hormone imbalance can be a big factor in hair loss also. It is important to find the cause of your hair loss and get treatment to prevent further hair loss and damage to other body organs.

Certain medications can cause hair loss. Talk with your doctor about your medicines and ask about the possibility of them causing your hair to fall out. You may be able to change to another medication that has less of a risk of causing hair loss.

There are a number of myths out there about hair loss. Here are a few of them:

- Wearing a hat will cause hair loss. While it may be true that a lot of bald men may wear a hat to cover their thinning hair, a hat in no way caused their hair to fall out. If wearing a hat caused baldness, everyone in the national baseball league would be bald!

- Standing on your head can prevent baldness. This has never been proven to be true. But if you like to stand on your head, go for it!

- Hair loss in females means that you are not a proper woman with two X chromosomes. This is crazy because hair loss has nothing to do with chromosomes but has everything to do with hormones.

- Hair loss in women is a sign of an overactive brain. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to back this statement up.

Hair loss can be upsetting at any age. Do your best to stay healthy and follow the above tips for preventing hair loss.

Causes Of Hair Loss: Prescription Medications That Cause Hair Loss (Part 2)

Hair loss is not always the result of disease, radiation treatments, or even genetics. In fact, most cases of men and women who lose their hair can be the direct result of prescription drug medications. In this article we will cover three drugs in particular; anti-inflammatory medications, anabolic steroids, and hormone replacement drugs.

Anti-inflammatory Medications: These drugs are used to relieve inflammation as well as reduce pain. Included in this category are ibuprofen and naproxen, both of which can be obtained over the counter. Anti-inflammatory medications (also referred to as NSAIDS) such as these have been reported as a contributor to hair loss in both men and women. Although rare, children's hair loss may also be affected by anti-inflammatory drugs.

If your doctor is going to prescribe you anti-inflammatory drugs, and you are concerned about hair loss, then you may want to discuss if the prescription he is giving you is one of the following: Relafen, Clinoril, Voltaren, Nalfon, Rofecoxib, Celebrex, Lodine, Orudis, & Indocin. All of these drugs have been reported to cause hair loss as a side effect.

Anabolic Steroids: When we hear the term “anabolic steroids” the first thing that usually pops up in a person's mind are bodybuilders who are known to abuse this drug in order to increase muscle mass. Indeed, anabolic steroids do increase a person's muscle mass if taken correctly because they are considered to be a male hormone, otherwise referred to as a synthetic androgen. However, one of the major side effects of taking anabolic steroids is premature hair loss in both men and women who were under these hormones.

Even if these medications are not abused in a way that bodybuilders treat them, just a slight dose of male hormones prescribed by a doctor can cause hair loss in people that are genetically sensitive to DHT.

Such medications that include testosterone and is considered an anabolic steroid prescription drug include the following: Depo-Testosterone, Android, Testred, Winstrol, Danocrine, Halotestin, Virilon, and Metandren.

Thyroid Medications: Last but not least, men and women who have a thyroid disorder have been shown to experience hair loss as a result of the medications given to help their condition. Two examples of these thyroid medications that are linked to hair thinning and baldness are thiouracil & carbimazole.

Causes Of Hair Loss: Prescription Medications That Cause Hair Loss (Part 1)

If you are concerned about future hair loss, or are currently in the process of losing your hair, then consider prescription medications as a possible cause to the problem. There are alarming amounts of reports on the number of prescription drugs that are known to cause hair thinning, as well as baldness. This is a side effect these drugs that everybody should ask their doctor about before taking them.

Before we go on, please make an important note here that not all prescription drugs will cause hair loss, so do not be afraid to take any recommendations from your doctor. And also, many cases of prescription drugs resulting in hair loss is temporary and last for just a few weeks to at most a few months. This is of course in regards to people that go off their medications during this time period.

Other factors should also be taken into consideration, such as the potency of the drug, the dosage amount, and an individual's unique response to the medication. While hair loss may be a side effect for one individual, it may not affect another person's hair follicles at all.

The following list are a few examples of prescription drugs that have been reported to cause hair loss in both men and women:

1. Drugs that lower cholesterol: There are many cholesterol-lowering drugs that pose a danger to cause hair loss as a side effect. One such example medication is called Lopid .

2. Blood Pressure medications: There are a few beta blocker blood pressure medications that have been reported to cause hair loss in some cases. A few examples of these drugs would be Corgard, lopressor, and Blocadren.

3. Parkinson's medications: Not all Parkinson's medications have been linked to hair loss, but one such example drug that has been known to affect a person's hair is called Dopar.

4. Arthritis medications: Some medications designed to relieve arthritis may cause hair loss. For example, naproxen, penicillamine, and methotrexate, are such drugs.

5. Blood thinners: Some blood thinners (anticoagulants) may cause hair loss, such as heparin and inderal.

4 Natural Ways To Help Prevent Early Hair Loss

Hair loss occurs in a progressive nature. Most men have a specific pattern in which hair starts to fall out and then over the years increases down the same route. Women on the other hand, do not typically have the same experience. Unlike a receding hairline, or a particular bald spot forming on a man's scalp, a woman will generally experience broad hair thinning throughout the entire top of her head. In both cases, men and women, the pattern in which air falls out increases in time.

Many people assume that losing hair as we age is just a normal part of life. This same group of people also assumes that we have no responsibility when it comes to the cause of hair loss or the increased of the amount of hair that is lost in time. However, this is a wrong assumption. Below are a few examples of how people can directly cause the loss of their hair, whether they realize it or not.

1. Wearing hats most of the time: It is very fashionable these days to sport head coverings and tight caps. However, because hats can affect the blood flow to the scalp, this may cause hair loss. This is especially true if you wear tight hats. The result of hair loss due to covering your scalp with a hat does take time to make it's effects known, but once it starts, the pattern of loosing your hair speeds up faster than if you had never started the hat-wearing habit.

2. Oily scalp: Here is another example of a condition that can be directly related to the decrease amount of blood flow that is available to your hair follicles. By not washing your scalp enough a build up of natural skin oils can affect your hair. Regular washing can help reduce this problem.

3. Brushing your hair too much: This is one issue that I have personally experienced myself. I was once told by a hairstylist that if I want to grow my hair long then I should brush it with 50 strokes every time I went into the bathroom. Needless to say, after about six months, I noticed severe thinning in the areas that I was brushing. Once I stopped, the hair eventually started to come back like normal. Unfortunately, I set forth in motion a pattern that caused my hair to grow back thinner in that area for the rest of my life.

4. Brushing your hair too little: Opposite of brushing your hair too much, by not brushing your hair enough, you may not be stimulating the right amount of blood flow needed to retain growth in hair follicles. It doesn't take much, but just brushing your hair with a few strokes that hit the scalp will be enough stimulation.

Myths And Causes of Female Hair Loss

This article will look at some of the causes of female hair loss and will also list a few myths associated with female hair loss. If you are a woman and are experiencing hair loss, it can be a very trying time in your life. For centuries, hair has been thought of as a woman's "crowning glory." Some women may feel less sexy or even less of a woman without the long, luxurious hair that they are used to.

There can be quite a few reasons for female hair loss. One type of hair loss that is quite common, but not often talked about is, androgenetic alopecia. This is hereditary and affects roughly 50% of women over the age of 40. It is also called female pattern baldness. Like it's male counterpart, it is permanent.

There is another condition called telogen effluvium. This is the rapid onset of hair loss in a scattered pattern on the scalp and sometimes elsewhere on the body. It is usually a reaction to intense stress on the body's physical or hormonal system. It can occur at any age and usually gets better on its own in about six months.

Another cause of hair loss in women is called alopecia areata. This is an autoimmune disease that causes the hair follicles to be attacked by white blood cells. This will slow hair production down dramatically so there may not be new hair growth for months or even years. This is usually not a permanent condition, and the hair may start to regrow on its own.

Now let's look at some of the common myths associated with female hair loss:

1) Shaving your head will make it grow back in thicker. While it is true that the base of the hair shaft is thicker than the end, it will not grow in thicker when you shave it.

2) Hair dyes and perms can cause permanent hair loss. These chemicals can cause hair loss, but it is not permanent. The chemicals may just make your hair more brittle and easy to break off, sometimes at the scalp. But it will grow back on its own.

3) Hair loss is caused by washing your hair too much. There is absolutely no scientific proof to back this statement.

4) Hair loss is caused by too much brushing and combing. While you may see hair in your brush or comb, this is the hair that is in the resting phase of the hair cycle and was due to come out.

5) Female hair loss means that you are not a "proper" woman with two X chromosomes. Hair loss has to do with hormones not chromosomes.

Whatever the cause of your hair loss there is treatment for it. Minoxidil 2% solution is approved for use on women, but may not be effective for everyone. There are also hair transplants and scalp reduction surgeries. However, if you don't want to go those routes, consider wigs or hair weaves. The most important thing is to know the causes of female hair loss and how it relates to you.

What Is Considered Normal Hair Loss?

This article will teach you about the normal growth cycle of your hair and about what is normal hair loss. Your hair goes through a normal progression of loss and re-growth each year. This is the same principle as shedding old skin cells for new ones.

Hair has a growth cycle. Normally, a hair growth cycle will last for two to six years. This growth stage is called the anagen stage. Each hair grows at a rate of approximately one half inch per month. Ninety percent of all the hair on your head is in the anagen or growth stage at one time.

The other ten percent of your hair is in the telogen or resting phase. This phase will last for two to three months and then that hair is shed. New hair will start to grow from the same hair follicle to replace the shed hair. This cycle repeats itself over and over, year after year.

This is why you may notice hair in your hairbrush or in your sink or shower. Your body is naturally shedding the dead hair to make room for the new hair. It is normal to shed anywhere from 100 to 300 hairs per day.

But what is not normal for hair loss? When you start shedding more hair than you are reproducing, you will start to notice thinning patches or bald spots. However, for men that are genetically prone to get male pattern baldness, this may actually be normal in terms of their genetic makeup.

Temporary hair loss can be normal in certain situations. For example, it is completely normal to loose a large amount of hair after surgery or a major illness. This is a reaction to the stress that your body endured during this time.

It is normal to lose a large amount of hair about three months after childbirth. Being pregnant caused a lot of hormone imbalances in your body. After childbirth, the hormones return to normal which could result in hair loss.

You also have to remember that certain types of hairstyles and styling products may cause hair loss. If you wear a style that causes a lot of pulling traction on the root of the hair, it may result in hair loss. Some chemicals that are found in dyes and perms can make the hair brittle so that it breaks off easily. While this is not normal hair loss, it is easy to rectify.

If you have noticed an excessive amount of hair in the sink or shower lately, and it is not caused by one of the above conditions, see your doctor. Let him know about your sudden, excessive hair loss. He may want to run a series of tests to investigate the cause. It may be a problem that is temporary and easily fixed or your hair loss can be an indicator of an underlying disease or health problem.

Once you know what is normal hair loss and what isn't, you will be able to tell when something is wrong and when you need to see your doctor.

Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?

Yes, stress can definitely cause a person to lose their hair! However, it is important to note that the type of stress we are referring to in this article is not the everyday stress experience that most of us go through. In terms of hair loss, the type of stress that causes this condition is the result of sudden emotional shock or a very disastrous physical accident.

This type of hair loss is known as “telogen effluvium”. When an extremely stressful incident occurs, what happens is that the hair follicles that are actively growing are suddenly shifted forward into the “regression phase”. Soon after, the follicles then begin the “resting phase” and when the growth cycle of a hair follicle reaches this resting place, it falls out rather easily.

How soon after a stressful event does person's hair begin to fall out?

When a person goes through a physiological or an emotional event, hair does not begin to fall out anywhere from a few weeks to a few months after the event. But once it has begun, hair loss continues at a fast pace.

And because it takes some time for their hair to start shedding after the stressful event, the person is usually not aware that it is related to that past experience. It never occurs to them that the hair loss they are experiencing is not because of a new “sickness” or anything of the sort, it is simply the aftermath side effect of the stress they went through a few weeks or a few months ago.

What are some examples of severe stressful situations that would cause hair loss?

As we stated earlier, “stress” in terms of hair loss does not mean the standard stress most people experience from work, financial, relationships, etc. Instead, occurrences such as going through the sudden death of a loved one would be an example of a stressful situation that could result in hair loss. Getting a divorce would be another example. Having to take care of someone close to you who has a terminal disease may also fall into this category.

And of course, physical experiences that cause a lot of damage to a person's body will also produce stress at such high levels that hair loss is an eventual side effect. For example,a heart attack or a major surgery may cause a person's hair to fall out. Sickness that keeps a person in a long period of deterioration, such as the flu or malaria, may cause hair loss. And also, accidents such as vehicle crashes or any other similar situation where the body undergoes sudden physical damage, may cause hair loss.