How to Promote Healthy Hair Growth

HAIR LOSS & THINNING

One of the best comforts you can have when life brings you traumatic experiences is to know that you are not alone. Hair loss in women is not as socially acceptable as hair loss in men. Like so, women's anxiety, fear, confusion and feelings of helplessness can be exponentially higher than men's. Many women are now, increasingly, experiencing hair loss/thinning more ever.

The common questions asked is: "What can I do?  Why is it happening? or How can I make my hair grow again?" While there is no cure for hair loss, there are ways to encourage healthy hair growth, thickness and luminosity.


Before I go on describing what you can do to make your hair beautiful and strong, it is important to consider what are some of the factors that may cause hair loss and damage to the follicle.

According to the Mayo Clinic, we shed about 50-150 hair strands daily. Our head holds over 100,000 strands. If you start noticing unusual hair loss and/or discover patches of hair loss,  consult with your doctor. This might be a sign of a serious medical condition.

CAUSES KNOWN TO AFFECT HAIR LOSS/THINNING

The most common forms of hair loss/thinning in women are:  Telogen Effluvium and Androgenetic Alopecia. Telogen Effluvium occurs when women experience any of the hormonal imbalance symptoms below. This form of hair loss/thinning is temporary and hair can regrow as soon as the condition is treated. Androgenetic Alopecia, on the other hand, causes diffuse hair loss patterns accompanied by a decrease in hair density (similar to male pattern baldness). 

• An unbalanced diet (e.g., low iron and protein) or crash diets 
• Birth control
• Alcoholism
• Heredity (know to cause Androgenetic Alopecia)
• Medical conditions (e.g., thyroid and scalp infections, Crohn's, disease, syphilis or IBD) 
• Hormonal imbalance (e.g., pregnancy, menopause)
• Fevers due to illness
• Medications (e.g., antidepressants)
• Vitamin deficiency (zinc or iron)
• Chemical services  (relaxers, permanent waves and color services) that over process the hair & constant tight hairstyling (cornrows, ponytails). These can cause irreparable damage, breakage and possibly traction alopecia.
• Low quality hair products (especially those containing sulfates, sodium chloride and silicone) 
• Severe stress and excessive weight loss or shock
• High levels of DHT (DiHydroTestosterone) known to contribute to male and female pattern baldness (know to cause Androgenetic Alopecia)

WHAT TO DO

Consult with your doctor and ask to run some tests specific to hair loss. Once it's been determined what form of hair loss you may have (Telogen Effluvium or Androgenetic Alopecia), the next step is to follow you doctor's treatment recommendation.

If your hair loss is caused by a chemical reaction  (relaxer, perm, hair color or any other chemical), it's important to stop these services completely. To prevent hair breakage, it is important to avoid permanent color services and highlighting during relaxers appointments. Instead, opt for a demi-permanent or semi-permanent color to prevent over processing and further damage to the cuticle.

Research shows that promoting healthy hair growth can be done by adding vitamins such as biotin, zinc, B-6, folic acid, magnesium, sulfur-carotene and/or silica to our diet. These vitamins are known to help improve the health of your hair.

Incorporating a diet rich in proteins will also promote a healthy environment for your hair to grow. Examples of protein-rich foods are soy products, yogurts, eggs, meats, beans and fish rich in Omega 3. Nuts such as walnuts, peanuts and almonds are rich in vitamin E. It's a vitamin well known to promote hair growth.





Maria Arias
Owner of Nolan Vincent Salon & Spa