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Tips on How to Make Hair Grow Faster Naturally

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Tips to Make Hair Grow Faster

Hair is made up of a kind of protein that the cells at the base of the hair follicle produce. Your diet plays a crucial role in the rate of the growth of your hair. You must eat food rich in protein, such as eggs, fish, milk and dairy products, pulses, legumes and whole grains, to make your hair grow stronger and longer. In order to make your hair grow faster, you should include natural sources of vitamin A and C such as pineapples, oranges, mangoes, sweet potatoes, squash and carrots. Citrus fruits are a rich source of vitamin C. These vitamins stimulate sebaceous glands to produce more sebum, which lubricates the hair follicles and increases the rate of growth of hair.

B and E vitamins are help improve blood circulation, which in turn stimulates the hair follicles; so consuming these vitamins through food or as supplements is also beneficial. Oiling your hair regularly is also essential to stimulating hair growth. At least twice a week oil your hair and scalp with a mixture of almond and castor oils. While oiling your hair, make sure that you use your fingertips to massage the roots of your hair till the point that a warm, tingling sensation spreads across your scalp. This not only helps the oil seep into the scalp but also stimulates the sebaceous glands and the hair follicles beneath the skin, thereby promoting faster hair growth.

Home Remedies to Grow Hair

Onion is a rich natural source of sulfur, which not only has disinfectant properties but is also known to promote growth of hair. Thus, it is useful to slice and crush an onion to pulp and apply its juice on the scalp 10 minutes before shampooing. Massaging your scalp with a mixture of aloe vera extract or juice and coconut milk is also an effective way of growing hair faster. You could also mix the pulp of a ripe avocado with a little wheat germ oil and an egg and apply this paste on your hair and scalp 10 minutes before washing it. This acts as a natural conditioner as well as promotes hair growth. Alternatively, you could also add at tablespoon of honey to the yolk of an egg, blend it well and apply it on your scalp before shampooing for similar effects. For another remedy, soak two chamomile tea bags in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes, and use the water after it cools down to soak your hair. Wash your hair after 15 minutes.

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How does Diet affect Hair Loss and Hair Growth

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Diet and Hair Loss - Diet and Hair Growth

Hair loss is a common problem that is often caused by nutritional deficiencies in the diet. The hair follicle converts amino acids into a kind of protein called keratin, which is the chief constituent of hair. Inadequate production of keratin results in thinning of hair and hair loss. Stress and anxiety, lack of proper sleep, diseases such as typhoid, flu, anemia, poor blood circulation in the scalp and hereditary factors may also be responsible for this condition. This problem is more commonly observed in men than women.

There are a few basic dietary measures that you should follow to stop hair loss. Include natural sources of vitamins and minerals like zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium in your diet. Eat plenty of raw and leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, celery and leeks, beans, soy products, milk, yoghurt, eggs, wheat germ, vegetable oils, yeast, liver, whole grains and nuts to supply these essential nutrients to the body. They improve blood circulation in the scalp and stimulate the hair follicles to produce keratin at a faster rate, thereby reducing hair loss. Vitamin and mineral supplements are also useful in this regard. Cooking food in extra virgin olive oil is recommended to treat hair loss as this is a natural source of monosaturated fats, which rejuvenate the hair follicles and enhance the rate of production of keratin.

Studies have shown that natural sources of iodine play a crucial role in maintaining the general health of hair, so eating carrots, turnips, millet, and walnut and flax seed oils is useful in preventing hair fall. You should avoid foods like artificially sweetened and carbonated drinks, fatty and cholesterol-rich snacks and excessive salt. This is because a high-fat and –sodium diet is believed to be responsible for higher level of testosterone in men, which results in hair loss and baldness. You should also restrict your intake of alcohol, as this reduces the level of B and C vitamins, as well as of zinc and folic acid in the body and adds to the sugar level in bloodstream, leading to faster hair loss. Just like alcohol, caffeine also reduces the level of essential vitamins and zinc in the body, so it is advisable that you cut down on the consumption of coffee and chocolates. You should also drink a cup of spinach and lettuce juices mixed in equal proportions every morning to prevent hair loss.

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Homemade Hair Rinses Recipes and Tips for Rinsing Hair

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Tips for Rinsing Hair

Washing and rinsing your hair properly is an integral part of hair care. Depending on the type of hair you have, you should follow a regular rinsing regime. If you have thin and fine hair and sport a short hairstyle, it is advisable that you rinse your hair with water everyday, as the natural oil secreted by the glands beneath the scalp tend to make short, fine hair look limp and dull very soon if it is left unwashed. You should use a gentle shampoo and a light conditioner to wash your hair. On the other hand, if you have long, thick or curly hair, wash your hair with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner for not more than three times a week. This is because in such cases, the sebum takes a while to travel from the scalp to the tips of the hair and condition it naturally. The ends of such hair types and styles tend to become dry, so while rinsing your hair make sure you apply enough conditioner to the tips of your hair.

If you use hair perming or coloring products regularly, it is advisable that you rinse your hair with a water-based shampoo and a heavy conditioner in order to counteract the harmful effects that the strong chemicals present in these hair products produce on your hair and scalp. You should also check whether the shampoo and the conditioner you use are meant for your hair type. Before washing your hair, disentangle all the knots and then soak your hair in water till all the dirt and dust are washed away. Then apply shampoo on the roots of the hair, dividing it into sections instead of working it into lather all over at once. Wash it away with water and then follow the same procedure with the conditioner.

Home Remedies for Rinsing Hair

Besides these general rules, you may follow a few home remedies for rinsing your hair depending on its type. If you have oily hair, you should soak a few dry soap nuts in a cup of water overnight, grind them the next morning and strain out the soapy extract in a bowl. Use this extract to rinse your hair after shampooing. If you have dry and frizzy hair, make a hair pack using a conditioning solution by mixing some apple cider vinegar, glycerin and castor oil and using this to rinse your hair after shampooing. For normal hair, the pulp of a cucumber, applied 15 minutes before washing the hair, serves as an excellent natural rinse.

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What causes Itchy Scalp? Suggest Remedies for Itchy Scalp Treatment

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Causes of Itchy Scalp

Itchiness and dandruff are often the consequence of a dry scalp. The chief culprits are often excessive use of hair coloring and styling products, which contain strong, harmful chemicals, shampooing too often, using blow driers and curlers regularly, head lice, dry climate, psoriasis and allergies caused by certain forms of medication.

Home Remedies for Itchy Scalp

You should adopt a few precautionary measures to avoid getting a dry, itchy scalp. Do not go overboard when it comes to washing your hair. Besides cleaning off the dirt from your hair, regular shampoos can also wash away the natural oil on the scalp that is responsible for giving the hair its natural glow. Always rinse your hair very well after shampooing and use a baby shampoo to minimize damage to your hair and scalp. You should also make it a practice to massage the roots of your hair with your fingers after bathing, so that the glands underlying the scalp are stimulated to produce sebum, which makes the scalp naturally well moisturized and prevents it from getting dry and itchy.

Besides these general measures, you may find a few home remedies particularly useful in treating a dry, itchy scalp. Wash your hair with water and then use a solution of equal parts of vinegar and distilled water to soak your hair. You may use cotton wads for this purpose and wait for 5 minutes after applying this solution, and the follow it up with another water rinse. This leaves your scalp feeling clean and smooth. You could also substitute vinegar with baking soda for similar results.

For another remedy, make a mixture of distilled water and witch hazel extract in the ration 2:1 and let it soak into your scalp and hair. Wash it off after 15-20 minutes to get rid of itchiness. You could also make a hair treatment solution by mixing honey, glycerin and some green tea extract and massaging your scalp and hair with it. These ingredients soothe dry and damaged scalp and relieve itchiness by moisturizing the scalp naturally. For another remedy, apply aloe vera juice or extract directly on the scalp and leave it on for half an hour. Then use a mild shampoo to wash your hair. In addition, crush half a cup of juniper berries and add to it two cups of boiled water, and when the mixture cools down apply it on the scalp. Rinse it off after 10 minutes.

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How to Stop Hair from Breaking Off? Suggest Remedies for Breaking Hair

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Hair Breaking

Hair is made up of a natural protein called keratin, which is responsible for its natural thickness, texture and strength. Sometimes hair becomes dry and brittle due to external environmental conditions such as extremes of temperature and exposure to direct sunlight on a regular basis. Application of heat and pressure on the hair through perming devices may also cause lasting damage to the hair and make it prone to breaking easily. Contact with harmful chemicals present in hair styling products, and to air and water pollutants may also cause hair to become weak and brittle.

Home Remedies to Prevent Breaking Hair

There are few simple home remedies that you may follow to prevent hair from breaking off easily. Make a paste by mixing equal quantities of vegetable oil and honey and apply this all over your hair and scalp and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. You may use a shower cap to let the paste soak into the hair and scalp fully before washing it off with your regular shampoo.

Another remedy is to add two tablespoons of olive oil into the yolk of an egg and blend them together very well till the mixture becomes frothy. Now soak your hair in water and apply the mixture on the ends of your hair without letting it come into contact with your scalp. After a few minutes shampoo it away. A very easy way of preventing hair breakage is to burst 5 vitamin E capsules and add their contents into your regular shampoo while washing your hair. Alternatively, you may also simply massage your hair and scalp with a hair oil containing vitamin E every alternate day. Another useful remedy to treat this problem is to warm jojoba, olive, almond or coconut oil in a pan over a low flame till it is mildly warm. Apply this oil on your hair and wrap it around with a warm towel for half an hour before washing your hair.

For another remedy, mash a ripe avocado to pulp and add a little olive oil to it, and then apply this paste all over your hair. Wash your hair after 15 minutes. This is an excellent natural way of conditioning your hair and restoring to it its lost strength and bounce.  You could also treat damaged, brittle hair by grinding three carrots and refrigerating the extract with two tablespoons of olive oil and then using this as a hair mask.<

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