Over the last three weeks, our blogs have discussed different factors associated with hair loss, hair growth and some DIY solutions you can make at home for better hair, skin and nails. This week, we are going to continue with this trend by focusing a bit more on some homemade remedies for hair loss.
We know that there are many reasons that we might experience hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium and alopecia areata. The latter, alopecia areata, has a long and storied history, but rest assured that our homemade remedies have moved on from those used roughly 2000 years ago, which included treatment with caustic compounds or scarification. Today, we understand that hair loss can arise from a number of reasons, including hormonal imbalances to stress, nutritional deficiencies, and other lifestyle factors, amongst others. If you are experiencing unusual hair loss, our first recommendation would be to see your family physician to help sort out the reason why, as there may be more serious health issues lurking in the background. But if you have found out that your hair loss is mainly lifestyle associated, there are a number of things you can do to help while you get those issues under control.
What is the best home treatment for hair loss?
And let’s start with one that all of us can enjoy – a nice scalp massage. Scientific studies have shown that regular scalp massages can lead to thicker hair and stimulate hair growth rates, and the reasons for this seem to be related to the stretching of hair follicle cells, resulting in the growth of thicker hair and may be aided by a dilation of blood vessels beneath the skin that can also encourage hair growth, possibly by increasing availability of nutrients. So why not try giving yourself a nice scalp massage at home? Just using your fingertips, apply medium pressure with both hands to your scalp in a circular motion, working your way around your entire head to cover all areas. You can do this any time of day, it doesn’t necessarily need to be when you are washing your hair. About 5 minutes is all it takes, and if you can do so several times a day, so much the better. To go one step further, you could try a scalp massage while in the shower using essential oils such as cedarwood or lavender, both of which have been linked to hair growth promotion in patients with various forms of alopecia. Just mix one or two drops of the oils with a tablespoon of jojoba or melted coconut oil and massage into your scalp. Just make sure to perform a small test on your skin first to make sure you are not allergic.
Another option as a home remedy for hair loss is a DIY hair mask – think of it as an uber conditioner. There are many recipes available, and all are much cheaper than the specialty ones you can purchase in stores. We have already discussed one in a previous blog where we discussed the wonders of coconut oil. But many others can also help. Some may be more effective than others depending on your hair type. If you have thin hair, you may wish to consider a milk and honey mask. The keratin in honey can help strengthen brittle, weak hair, while milk contains proteins, vitamin B12, amino acids, iron and zinc, which are all excellent hair nutrients. If you have a spray container, combine one tablespoon of honey with one cup of milk and spray into your hair, allowing it to soak in for 10-20 minutes before rinsing out with warm water. A mixture of banana and olive oil also works well, as the latter is rich in healthy fats and vitamin E, while bananas are rich in other vitamins and nutrients. You can blend one ripe banana with a tablespoon of olive oil and apply to your scalp while in the shower, leaving it for 10-15 minutes prior to rinsing. One last one to consider is a combination of cinnamon and yogurt. Cinnamon may help increase the flow of blood to your scalp, while yogurt can not only help cleanse your scalp, but also add protein for increased strength. Just combine one teaspoon of cinnamon with three tablespoons of yogurt and massage the mixture into your scalp and leave it in for about 10 minutes before washing it out with shampoo. Many other recipes are also available, but stress one more time that you should try out a little bit on a small patch of your skin first to ensure you do not have an allergic reaction.
What foods help with hair growth?
Another easy home remedy for hair loss can start with a self-examination of your diet. Are you eating a healthy, balanced diet? Or are you in danger of suffering from a vitamin deficiency of some sort? Keep in mind that you may be a bit more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies if you subscribe to a vegetarian, vegan or some other specialty diet. This is not to say you will, but you should be aware. And with that being said, some foods are particularly helpful for hair growth. Eggs can provide your hair with the proteins and biotin it needs to promote growth. Avocado is another good one, as it contains a healthy fats and vitamins, all of which can help promote hair growth. Similarly, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene which will get converted to vitamin A in your body, which is not only important for hair growth but can also affect the production of sebum, which is an important contributor to hair health and appearance. Finally, a deficiency in zinc has been linked to hair loss, but the best source of zinc from a dietary point of view may not be to everyone’s taste – an oyster. In this case, you may wish to consider supplementation, and especially if you are vegan or vegetarian.
Take away message
This week we discussed homemade remedies for hair loss, somewhat of a continuation of our previous three blogs that have focused on hair growth, hair loss and DIY solutions for better hair, skin and nails. We have outlined some steps you can take at home to reduce hair loss you may be experiencing for various reasons (and for which you should have already discussed with your family doctor). These included scalp massages, which you could perform yourself or treat yourself to, adding DIY hair masks to your routine (for which we have given a few recipes but many more are available), and finally through a self-examination of diet with a few suggestions of foods that can help promote hair growth. We did not mention the DIY hair mask of a single egg, as that needs to be washed out with cold water to prevent curdling or even cooking, and that just didn’t sound like fun…however, you can give it a try if you don’t mind cold showers!
