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7 Natural Ways To Help Prevent Hair Loss
Not all hair loss is irreversible. Sometimes, the foods we eat, the way we live and the amount of stress we deal with on a daily basis can effect the look and feel of our hair. While some conditions, including simply getting older, will mean that some hair loss is inevitable, keeping well and adding extra nutrients to our bodies can help to prevent or delay hair loss however old we are.
If you are concerned about your hair thinning, excessive hair loss or bald spots you should visit your doctor or dermatologist to rule our any underlying causes or conditions. If however, you are just looking for natural ways to improve the look and condition of your hair, try these 7 natural ways to prevent hair loss today.
1.Eat A Healthy Diet
We all know that enjoying a balanced diet can help prevent weight gain and certain medical conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, but we often overlook the fact that they way we eat also effects our hair. Fresh fruit and vegetables, pulses and lean meats all include a variety of wonderfully beneficial, naturally occurring nutrients. These include Iron, B Vitamins, Copper, Zinc, Sulphur and Vitamin C, which are all essential for healthy looking hair. Leafy green vegetables, blackcurrants, blueberries, oranges, strawberries and sweet potatoes are all readily available and do wonders for you hair. So too does fish that is rich in Omega-3, like salmon and sardines.
2.Stay Stress-Free
Whilst thats not always entirely possible, ensuring that you get enough rest and “down time” from the strains of day to day life can help to prevent the damaging effects of stress on our skin and hair. Stress promotes hair loss, and can lead to conditions like Telogen Effluvium, where the roots can be pushed prematurely into a resting state, causing hair loss and thinning. Usually seen in women after pregnancy, extreme weight loss or a “shock” to the system, the condition doesn’t last forever and the hair will eventually grow back and fill out in time.
3.Look After Your Scalp
We spend much of our lives worrying about the way our hair looks, but then forget to consider the health of our scalps. A nourished scalp is a healthy base for hair follicles to grow and flourish. A scalp that is suffering from dandruff, infections or lesions, will cause hair to “die” early and fall out, leading to significant hair loss. Remember to treat your scalp well, and repair any damage using the appropriate medication.
4.Avoid Over Medicating
This is not always possible as some medications that can cause hair loss are actually vital for easing certain conditions and diseases. Some acne medications, antibiotics, anti-fungal creams, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, blood thinners and cholesterol-lowering medications however, can display hair loss as a side effect of continual use. If you need to take your medication then that is clearly a priority. But in some cases, natural alternatives can prove to be just as effective, without hair loss side effects as an additional concern.
5.Be Gentle With Your Hair
Years of constantly pulling and poking at our hair to achieve fabulous looking hairstyles will damage the hair over time. We know it is important to look and feel great, but too much over working of the hair can lead to excessive hair loss. Losing a few strands here and there is normal and part of the natural cycle of the follicles, but continual loss, or clumps after brushing could be caused by traction alopecia, a direct result of over-styling or over-brushing your hair. Try to keep you hair loosely tied back, or hanging free, and avoid tightly pulled ponytails or hairstyles secured with elastic hair bands.
6.Avoid Using Too Much Heat
Hair straighteners, curling wands and other electrical styling aids all heat the hair to achieve their desired look. While occasional use will probably not make a big difference to your hair, daily or continual use will be detrimental to it. Heat causes hair to burn, snap and split and can lead to hair thinning or even hair loss over time.
7.Add Some Instant Volume When You need To
If thinning hair is causing you concern about the way you look, you can use a specially designed product to help boost its appearance, as and when you need to. An Instant Hair Loss Concealer for example, coats each strand to give the appearance of fuller and thicker hair, without weighing it down. This is a temporary measure that can be used as frequently as you need to. Easy to rinse out by simply using shampoo, products like RESTRAND Instant Hair Loss Concealer allow you to maintain a healthy regime for your hair, with the addition of instant volume and coverage, as and when you need it.
Reach out for Support: Hair Loss Charities in the UK
Suffering from hair loss can be an incredibly stressful and worrying time. Utilizing products, like RESTRAND Instant Hair Thickening Spray, is a great way to re-build some of that confidence that may have been lost because of the thinning of your hair. But sometimes, it can be of further help to seek the support of other people that have been in a similar situation.
The UK has a wonderful network of charities that specialise in hair loss. Whether your hair loss is a result of cancer treatment or through conditions like Alopecia, it is very important to know that there are support networks out there that can help you. There is a wide selection of UK charities that you can get into contact with, some which specialise in different conditions and ages.
Charities That Support Alopecia-Related Hair Loss
Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder that affects between 1 and 2 people per 1000 people in the UK. The condition can be both temporary or permanent, and commonly occurs in people between 15 and 29 years of age. There are a number of charities that specialise in Alopecia, and the different varieties that can result in a varying degree of hair loss.
The three main Alopecia charities in the UK are:
- Alopecia Awareness
- Alopecia UK
- Alopecia World
Each charity is a little different, with Alopecia Awareness providing support groups for sufferers, Alopecia UK performing valuable research in the area of Alopecia, and Alopecia World providing an extensive support network where sufferers of hair loss can talk about their condition online. Charities like My New Hair, are also available to support both cancer-related hair loss sufferers and Alopecia sufferers, working with salons nationwide to create wigs for people that need them.
Charities That Support Cancer-Related Hair Loss
The treatment for cancer means that many people must adjust to changes with their body and the way that they feel. Hair loss can be the result of a multitude of different cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. If you have suffered from hair loss as a result of cancer treatment, or are concerned that your treatment could cause hair loss, there are multiple charities that you can reach out to.
The five main cancer-related hair loss charities in the UK are:
- Cancer Hair Care
- HeadStrong Cancer Support
- Little Princess Trust
- Hero by LPT
- Walk the Walk
HeadStrong Cancer Support and Cancer Hair Care, both provide support networks where you can talk to people and learn how to prepare for hair loss, while Walk the Walk is helping to fund hair-saving caps for cancer treatment patients. Little Princess Trust and Hero by LPT, are charities that support children undergoing cancer treatment, with Little Princess Trust supporting girls and Hero by LPT supporting boys.
Helplines That Offer Support When You Need It
Along with the support provided by UK charities, there are also helplines that specialise in giving hair loss advise. BeBold and Hairline International, are two of the helplines that can be contacted if you need support with your hair loss.
Reaching out for support during hair loss is one of the best ways to adjust to your new appearance. With products like Instant hair thickening spray available, and a great support network through UK charities, there is no reason you should have to combat your condition alone.
Is Stress Causing Your Hair Loss?
While genetic pattern balding may take the stage as the most common cause of hair loss, it is definitely not the only one. It is important to be aware of other potential causes of hair loss, especially if you are beginning to consider a treatment plan that can cost a lot of money, and take a considerable amount of time to show any positive results. Of all the possibilities other than pattern baldness, stress is one of the most common factors that can make one lose hair. This can be both good and bad news depending on how you look at it. Although identifying sources of stress and then figuring out how to eliminate it can potentially reduce the stress-related hair loss, and sometimes even reverse it, changing our lifestyles and outlook on life can be a little difficult sometimes.
There are three types of stress-related hair loss and each is unique in its own way. Telogen effluvium is the most common stress-related condition causing hair loss. When a person suffers from a significantly stressful event, the body can send signals to the hair follicles which sets them into a resting phase. When this happens, the person is unaware that any damage has occurred, but after a few months they will experience a high degree of hair loss as the follicles ‘let go’ of the hair. While telogen effluvium is a passive bodily reaction to stress that often flies under the radar, there is another common cause of hair loss from stress called Trichotillomania. People who suffer from this type of stress-related hair loss actually pull their hair out when they are feeling stressed or depressed. While it may seem that this would be an easy condition to treat, people who suffer from this condition generally act on irresistible urges which are difficult to control. The third, and final, condition causing stress-related hair loss is called Alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a far more serious condition which is triggered by intense stress. This condition causes the body’s immune system to attack the hair follicles making them fall out in large quantities in a short amount of time.
The most difficult part about suffering from hair loss caused by stress may be the hair loss itself, but it is more likely that stress may be a more important thing to get a handle on. It is generally understood that stress is a major cause of many illnesses, and if a person is suffering from enough stress to make their hair fall out it is likely that they may be in line for other stress-related problems as well.
To reduce stress, there are a few things that everyone can do. A combination of a good diet, plenty of sleep, exercise, and leisure activities is necessary for healthy living. If any of these are missing from a person’s life, there is a very good chance that they are experiencing stress at levels beyond what would normally be considered healthy. It is also a good idea to review any medications as many of them have serious side effects that can lead to both mental and physical stress. By managing stress, there are so many health benefits that come along with it, and maintaining healthy hair is one of the things that people can enjoy.
If hair loss is causing you stress our hair loss concealer provides an instant solution.
The truth about testosterone and hair loss
Hair loss is an extremely common problem for both men and women and it can be very troubling when experienced first-hand, especially if you aren’t prepared or expecting it to happen. With hair loss an issue in around 40% of men in their mid-thirties, it is important to know that you are not alone when it comes to hair loss. Of course, hair loss is also a serious issue for women but in this piece we are mainly focusing on male hair loss and the role of testosterone.
Those suffering from hair loss often look to find the primary reasons behind it, but there is a lot of mis-information around concerning why and how hair loss occurs. With hair loss being something that around 80% of men will eventually encounter, even 40% of women by the age of 40 will suffer from thinning hair, it is important to get the facts straight.
Causes of Hair Loss
There are a number of reasons why hair loss occurs and in some instances the effects aren’t always permanent. Certain cases of Alopecia, along with instances of Anagen Effluvium and Telogen Effluvium, are generally considered to only be a temporary cause of hair loss, with hair able to grow back normally in a period of months.
Male pattern baldness however, is a hereditary condition that is present in a large number of men. This permanent condition will eventually lead to significant hair thinning and a receding hair line. In some cases this can eventually lead to complete baldness. With the majority of cases of hair loss being caused by male pattern baldness, this is where most of the misconceptions lie and the truth about testosterone’s role becomes murky.
The Role of Testosterone
One of the biggest myths about hair loss is that it is the direct result of testosterone levels, a myth that many use to explain why women don’t suffer from hair loss to the same extent as men do. Men and women both contain varying levels of the testosterone hormone along with the oestrogen hormone. While testosterone is a factor in hair loss, the testosterone levels in your body aren’t the defining reason why hair loss may be becoming a problem, but they do play an important role.
It is not testosterone itself that can cause hair loss, but a molecule produced by testosterone, known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is produced when testosterone becomes synthesised with an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, which is made naturally in the body. Over time, DHT makes hair follicles reduce in size, activating the thinning of hair until the follicles close completely and no more hair is able to grow.
DHT plays many important roles in the maintenance, protection and regulation of the human body, with hair loss being a potential negative result of its purpose. The process required to form DHT only happens with around 5% of the testosterone in the body. While this does mean that the higher the testosterone levels, the more chance that DHT will be produced, it is again, not a defining factor. Only people with a genetic predisposition to the negative effects of DHT will be prone to the effects of DHT production with the result of hair loss.
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