Archive for June, 2009

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Rapid Hair Loss Causes and Tips to Prevent Rapid Hair Loss

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Causes of Rapid Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common worry for people of all ages. Proper hair care and treatment is a big commercial industry driven and financed by the huge demand for better hair care products and the desire to have a perfect crop of hair. Heredity can play an important role in hair loss, however, when hair loss occurs as a result of heredity, it is usually gradual and takes place over the course of a few years.

Rapid hair loss can occur because of stress. Stress has the ability to alter the inner workings of the hormones in the body. This stress can be either psychological stress or trauma to the body caused by an accident or major surgery. Sudden hair loss can also be caused by abnormalities in the thyroid gland. Since the hair cells are the fastest growing cells in the human body, in the event that some other part of the body requires energy at a level of priority, the hair cells are shut down and the energy redirected to that organ. Hair loss is one of the first symptoms of thyroid problems. Thyroid problems are extremely common, although more in women and than in men, and are very often unnoticed. If you experience sudden rapid hair fall, you might need to consult a doctor to determine the correct underlying cause of the condition, so it can be treated.

Remedies for Hair Growth

One remedy which also helps in hair growth is to grind lime seeds and black pepper seeds together until they combine to form a paste. Apply the paste to patches of your hair. The first time you do this, it might irritate the scalp a bit, but this is only part of the healing process. Aloe vera gel is well known for its medical importance. Massage the gel into your scalp and leave it for half an hour and rinse it. Perform this about 3 times a week for best results. You could also use coconut milk in place of aloe vera gel.

Another remedy is to mix equal amounts if warm castor and almond oil and massage your scalp once a week with this mixture. You could also apply castor oil on the scalp and the roots (avoid applying it to the entire strand of hair). Wrap your hair in a newspaper and tie it with a cloth. Let it rest overnight and wash it the next morning. Perform this for 7 to 10 days for best results.

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Causes,Treatments and Tips for Greasy Hair

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Causes of Greasy Hair

A number of people face an issue of greasy hair. In today’s world, hair is one of the most important aspects of a person’s appearance. The quest for perfect hair seems to be a never ending one, what with a billion dollar industry putting exorbitant amounts of money into research and manufacture of hair care products that will help most individuals more content with their hair. A lot of how your hair looks and behaves, though, has got to do with how you treat it. Nutrition is one of the most important, yet ignored, aspects of how you treat your hair. A diet low in vitamin B will commonly lead to greasy hair. Heredity can also be an underlying cause of greasy hair.

Greasy hair is directly related t the over secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands (that exist just under the layers of the skin). Sebum is a waxy substance which helps keep the hair supple, soft and waterproof. When there is an overproduction of this substance, it can cause the hair to look heavy and flat.  Even just hours after shampooing your hair, it can be made to look extremely stringy. Washing your hair too frequently can also cause your hair to look greasy as washing the hair will strip it of its natural oils. To counter this, the sebaceous glands need to produce larger quantities of sebum to create a balance.

Tips for Treating Greasy Hair

The best way to treat greasy hair is to condition it internally as well as externally. To elaborate, you must give your hair the proper nourishment it needs by way of moisturizers and other hair care products; as well as take care of it internally by eating the right kinds of food. Avoid brushing your hair too frequently, or vigorously. Instead of using a moisturizing shampoo, start to use a clarifying shampoo. Massage your hair and scalp lightly when applying the shampoo and do not scrub your scalp as this might damage the hair follicles. Washing you hair every morning with an oil control hair care product will be extremely helpful.  When shampooing your hair, use lukewarm or cool water and avoid hot water. In between shampooing sessions, you could also use cornstarch or oatmeal to remove excessive oil that builds up near the scalp. If you have extremely greasy hair, leave the shampoo on the scalp area to soak for a longer period of time before rinsing.

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How to Treat Hair Loss due to Thyroid

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Thyroid and Hair Loss

Hair loss can become a major problem for a number of people not just for aesthetic reasons or appeal, but also on an emotional level. Having a good crop of hair is a craving for a lot of people and most of them spend a lot of money to make sure their hair looks great, so it is easy to understand the repercussions that hair loss might involve. There are a number of reasons for hair loss. A bad diet, inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals, heredity, surgery or even a reaction toward some kinds of medication are all possible causes of hair loss.

One very common cause of hair loss is a dysfunctional or abnormal working of the thyroid gland. Since hair cells are the fastest growing cells in the human body, whenever there is a problem in the body, the hair cells are shut down and the energy is redirected to another part of the body that requires it at a higher priority. In this scenario, the treatment must be directed toward correcting the thyroid issue as, if resolved, will automatically resolve the hair loss issue as well. The thyroid gland is located on both sides of the thrachea and secretes thyroid hormones which regulate the rate of metabolism. Once there is a disruption in the metabolism of the body, the most common resulting effect is hair loss. Thyroid dysfunctions or abnormalities are more often encountered in women and are accompanied by a number of other symptoms like lethargy, nausea and menstrual imbalance.

Remedies to Reduce Hair Loss

There are a number of remedies with an organic base that will help reduce the hair loss. Aloe vera is a commonly used remedy nowadays. The plant has a balancing effect on the pH levels of the scalp. It is also known to glean the hair follicles and heal any irritated skin. Applying gel made from this plant will help two specific enzymes that are important in hair growth. You could also mix red pepper with water and apply the paste over the affected areas o the scalp. The pepper irritates the skin and allows the release of histamines which can alter cell division and encourage hair follicle production. It is also important to monitor and regulate your diet. The diet must be rich in fruit and vegetable content and low in starch. Also increase your intake of foods high in biotin. Biotin is a requirement for healthy hair and skin. Foods high in biotin content include brown rice, lentils, oats and soybeans.

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How to Get Rid of Cradle Cap in Natural Way

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Causes of Cradle Cap

It is natural for a parent to get worked up and greatly worried by even the smallest sign of the development of a condition on their newborn baby. It doesn’t matter how harmless or common the problem is, most parents would run immediately to the pediatrician. This is natural and probably the safest way to look after your child. Cradle cap is one such condition where it can look a lot worse than it is. Given that it is believed to be caused by natural circumstances when the babies sebaceous, or oil – producing, glands have irregular performance.

The cradle cap will disappear when these glands settle into a routine. When a baby has cradle cap, it looks and is very similar to an outbreak of dandruff. You will notice yellowish scaly flakes all over the babies scalp and it may even extend to regions like the ears and eyebrows. However, as a precaution, also show the condition to your pediatrician to rule out other causes like allergic reactions. Some babies may carry the condition for a short period of time while others may even go a whole year with it. But it usually clears up after that and even though it may look quite uncomfortable, it rarely causes any discomfort in the child.

Treatment  for Cradle Cap

In order to help get rid of the condition, you can try washing your babies hair more frequently and brush the scales away by using a small brush. If you have been regularly shampooing your babies’ hair without seeing any decrease in the flaking, try using some mineral oil or baby oil on the affected area as well. However, if you the flakiness decreases then do not use the oil as this is usually a sign that the scalp is being provided with the correct amount of oil from the sebaceous glands. Also remember that if you leave the oil on the head too long, it may worsen the condition.

You can also rub olive oil into the babies scalp, let it soak for about 20 minutes or till the scales have softened (decide by using your fingers to touch the scales) as this will let you known f the scales are ready to be removed. Use a fine comb to gently remove the scales. Perform this treatment every evening until the condition has gone. Remember that even if no treatments are used on cradle cap, it will usually resolve itself in due course.

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How to Take Care of Baby Hair

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Baby Hair Care

Caring for a baby’s hair can be quite a daunting experience if you are not aware of the irregularity with which it forms. Some babies are born with a full head of hair, while others can go up to their first birthday and still be quite bald. Most often, the hair starts to form over a toddler’s head between the ninth and twelfth months. The reasons are relatively unknown as to the difference in hair growth between individual toddlers, but that does not stop a number of parents from worrying.

Usually the first set of hair on a child’s head is a soft, lightly colored, downy set. This fuzzy hair will usually last for about three or four months before it begins to fall out with new hair replacing it. A popular myth is that if you shave this fuzz of the head of the baby, it will give rise to much thicker hair. There is absolutely no scientific fact to this and is comparable to the appearance of thickness when an adult gets a haircut. The hair will only appear thicker when it is not factually so.

Tips on Baby Hair Care

The key to managing and caring for baby’s hair is quite simple. You must be gentle with it and depending on the texture and quantity of hair, might need a little shampooing from time to time. Shampooing is rarely a daily requirement for baby hair and can be performed when the parent decides it is needed. Haircuts help tremendously in avoiding the tangling of the hair strands.Mot parents decide to trim the hair on their own in the fist year as it is not complicated, primarily focusing on keeping the hair out of the eyes and ears.

For the first few years of a baby’s life, you might want to try some of the commercially available types of baby shampoo. The added advantage is that these shampoos do not contain some of the sulfates used in adult hair care products. While this prevents the eyes from burning if the solution enters them, it may cause the hair to become more stringy and prone to tangling, so be careful and choose a shampoo with a pH factor of between 4.5 and 6. The pH factor will be listed on the bottles contents. While the baby grows into a child, it is normal for the hair to change color – usually turning darker. While still unconfirmed, it is believed that the cells that provide the hair with its color gradually mature and provide the hair with stronger coloration.

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