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How to grow your hair long and healthy
Step One: Proper Nutrition and Illness Prevention
The best way to provide hair follicles with the nutrients they need for active growth is through the bloodstream. In fact, the hair is such a good indicator of the health of the rest of your body that nutritionists can tell whether you're deficient in particular vitamins and minerals just by analyzing a snip of hair. There are certain foods you can eat and supplements you can take to promote optimal hair growth. Let's start with one of the top nutrients needed for healthy, strong hair: Essential Fatty Acids.
Flax Seed Oil is an Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid (EFA). EFA's include Linoleic Acid (LA) and Alpha Linolenic Acid (LNA). Doctors around the world recognize EFA's as essential nutrients for human health. The problem is that EFA's aren't made in our bodies, so we have to eat them or take them as supplements.
Linoleic Acid is considered the most important EFA. It is a necessity for hair health and growth. Without it, humans suffer from hair loss and dry scaly scalp and skin. Veterinarians are known to recommend LA to improve animals' coats. The richest source of Linoleic Acid is flax seed oil - a must for anyone wanting to grow gorgeous long hair. Flax is a seed that can be eaten raw, used as an oil, and taken in capsule form. Nutritionist Dr. Andrew Weil recommends eating whole flax seeds sprinkled on food in his book, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health.
In addition to flax seed oil, nutritionists recommend the following vitamins and minerals to bolster the EFA's positive effects: Vitamins A, B3, B6, C, E, and the minerals Magnesium and Zinc.
Other supplements necessary for healthy long hair:
Evening Primrose Oil is a good source of Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), an EFA essential for cell metabolism and growth. This oil, also found in capsule form, aids hair growth and restoration. Other outstanding sources of GLA are Borage Oil and Black Current Oil.
Silica provides collagen essential for luxurious hair growth.
Lecithin is used by every living cell in our bodies. It helps purify your system and aids in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Choline and Inositol are important for hair metabolism.
Calcium is important for actively growing hair follicle cells.
Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant particularly good for preventing the oxidization of Vitamins A & C, maintains cell membranes and general health of the blood.
Zinc keeps hair follicles from atrophying.
Copper ensures hair pigment.
Manganese and Iron are essential for follicle growth.
Iodine is essential for optimum hair growth.
Niacin restores hair pigmentation when taken over a long period of time.
Biotin has been called "the hair vitamin" because of its growth benefits.
Hair Growth Vitamins and Minerals in The Food You Eat
The quality of your hair reflects in part the adequacy of your diet. Regular well-rounded meals are best for you and your hair. Iron deficiency due to inadequate consumption of red meat or heavy menstrual bleeding in women, could cause hair loss.
So can crash diets and eating disorders.
Vitamin E Sources: polyunsaturated oils and margarines, green veggies, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains, eggs, liver, oatmeal.
Fatty Acid Sources: fish (especially salmon and tuna) and vegetables.
Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A and helps promote healthy skin, hair and nails. It's found in green and yellow vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin A Sources: liver, kidneys, eggs, milk, yellow & green fruit & vegetables (carrots, spinach, apricots, peaches, broccoli, asparagus, yams).
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Sources: whole-grain and enriched cereals, pork, beef, lamb, nuts, and legumes.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Sources: green veggies, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, liver, nuts, whole grains.
Niacin Sources: liver, meat, fish, poultry, peanuts, and enriched cereals. Restores hair pigmentation when taken over a long period of time.
Vitamin B6 Sources: liver, beef, lamb, pork, salmon, whole-grain cereals, lima beans, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, green leafy veggies, bananas, avocados.
Vitamin B12 Sources: liver, kidneys, fish, eggs, milk, milk products.
Folic Acid: Dark green leafy veggies, liver, kidneys, milk and milk products, salmon, tuna, dates, whole grains.
Protein is extremely important to proper hair growth. A diet too low in protein can cause thinning hair or a retardation in the growth cycle. Nutritionists recommend brewer's yeast, calves liver, dairy products, fish, eggs, beans, yogurt, and tofu as excellent protein sources.
*Remember, it's never a good idea to drastically change your diet without first checking with your doctor.
Step 2: Stress Reduction through Aromatherapy and Massage
Stress is one of the biggest reasons people are unable to achieve optimal hair growth. When we get tense, the layer of muscle covering the skull tightens up. This is why we get headaches when we're stressed out.
This same tightening restricts the blood supply to the hair follicles. The follicles become undernourished and affect the condition of the hair and the growth cycle. Stress can also lead to oily scalp and hair, and dandruff flare ups. |
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Hair Growth:
Did you know that......
The "average" hair growth is 1/2 inch per month. That's it.
Your hair is dead protein. Once your hair emerges from your scalp it can no longer renew itself because it's dead.
Excessive stress and some medications can slow or even prevent hair growth.
Smoking, caffeine and carbonated sodas can block your maximum hair growing potential.
Slow hair growth, thinning and wispy hair strands are largely due to the body's inability to provide the scalp with the nutrients required for proper hair growth and hair nutrition.
Normal hair loss is 50-100 strands of hair per day.
There are no miracle pills or other hair products that will make your hair grow faster or thicker. Sorry, but there just aren't. Cycle of Growth: Hairs grow from hair follicles, which are miniature organs in the skin. Each individual hair follicle grows a single hair in a cycle consisting of a long period of growth followed by a relatively short period of rest. During the rest period the hair is still attached to the hair follicle, but it is not growing. After each rest period, the hair is shed, and a new hair begins to grow, and the growth cycle starts again. The life of a given hair is measured by adding the growth period plus the rest period.
Genetic Program: Each hair follicle has a genetic predisposition to follow a particular pattern of growth and rest. Some follicles are genetically programmed to continue the cycle of growth for 100 years - or more! Other follicles may be programmed to stop producing new hairs after just a couple of decades. As we age, the hair follicles that are programmed to stop producing begin to spend more time in the resting stage, and less time growing hair.
The facts...
The average person will grow 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of hair per month. That's a maximum of six inches per year for those of us in good health. Less growth or even no growth will occur for those of us in less than perfect or bad health. Therefore, moderate exercise (like it or not) and a healthy diet will result in not only a healthier body, but in healthier hair that grows. If your body is healthy, you can expect to have healthy hair.
Our hair is dead protein once it emerges from our scalp. This is one of the many reasons why we must treat it gently and keep it well conditioned and protected. Additionally, this is also a reason why you should consider a diet high in protein. A diet low in protein may cause your hair to thin and retard your natural growth cycle. On the other hand, a diet rich in protein will usually result in improved hair growth. A few good sources of protein are fish, eggs, beans and yogurt. There's a lot being said about Soy protein too. Studies have found that soy not only strengthens the hair, but actually causes it to grow in some cases. A great source of soy is tofu.
Find ways to reduce your stress. Take some time out of your day to wind down, stop and smell the roses. Take a brisk walk, try some light gardening, or sip some herbal tea while listening to your favorite (relaxing) tunes. Whatever you like to do that is relaxing and peaceful, do it. Also, take a nap. It's important that you get lots of rest and sleep. It's a known fact that to grow hair faster, hair needs an adequate amount of sleep (7-9 hours per day).
We must have essential nutrients in our blood stream to reach our hair follicles (beneath the scalp) in order for hair to grow that is strong and healthy. A depletion or elimination of essential nutrients from our bodies will result in frizzy or brittle hair, slow hair growth, hair loss and sometimes total baldness. Because of our fast paced schedules and lives, we don't get all of the nutrients we need from the foods we eat. And the foods that most of us consume have little to no nutritional values at all. Therefore, consider taking a daily vitamin supplement with a good blend of amino acids and B-vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E. (Always consult with your doctor or nutritionist before taking or adding any new vitamin supplements to your diet. Especially if you're currently taking medications of any kind).
Do not put any type of grease or other hair conditioners on your scalp. Also, wash your hair at least once per week. Our scalps produce their own natural oils which naturally assist the hair follicles with the production of new hair. But it's important to keep your hair and scalp clean and free of oil build up from conditioners and conditioning shampoos. A clean scalp free of oil build up will help the hair follicles to produce new hair from the scalp. There are no magic pills or miracle products that will grow hair for you. I'm sure you've seen and heard the endless advertisements on television, on the radio, in magazines, and even on the internet, promising amazing results if you'll just buy and try their products. Some of these products may or even will improve the cosmetic appearance of your hair. But none will actually grow hair for you. You can grow hair just by doing your best to stay healthy, reducing stress, eating a diet rich in proteins, exercising, keeping your scalp free of oils, and taking vitamin supplements (with your doctor's approval). Most of all, growing hair takes patience, and lot's of it! Remember, under ideal conditions, you'll grow a maximum of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of hair per month. By following these simple tips along with treating your hair very gently and with the utmost of care-- you'll be able to enjoy the experience of new hair growth, and keep your existing hair by minimizing the breakage. You'll find that in a short period of time, you will have a lovely and healthy head of hair.
Hair Loss:
Normal Loss
Normal Hair Shedding: During the resting stage of the cycle of hair growth, the hair follicle relaxes its hold on the hair shaft bulb, and the bulb of the hair shaft moves closer to the surface of the skin. Over time, normal hair movement and shampooing cause the hair shaft to loosen further. Eventually the hair is shed. Shedding hairs is normal. On average we shed about 50-100 hairs each day (we also grow about 50-100 new hairs each day).
50-100 Hairs Lost Each Day: The actual quantity of hairs shed each day depend upon several factors, including the total number of full-size terminal hairs a person has, the average length of their hair growth period, the degree of physical loosening activity (such as vigorous shampooing). Also, worthy of consideration is the number of damaged hair shafts which may break off in the middle, and increase the apparent number of shed hairs.
The following two examples illustrate how 50-100 hairs can be shed each day:
50 Hair Example: For the first example, we have a person with about 100,000 active hair follicles on their scalp, with a 60 month average growth period, and a 3 month average rest period. On average they will shed about 1/63 (60 months +3 months ) of their hairs in any given month, or about 1,500 hairs every 30 days. This works out to about 50 hairs per day, and would be normal hair loss.
100 Hair Example: In our second example, a person with 120,000 active hair follicles, a 36 month average growth period, and a 3 month average rest period, will shed about 1/40th (36 +3) of their hairs in a given month, or about 3,000 hairs. This works out to about 100 hairs per day, and would be normal hair loss.
New Hairs Grow: Under normal conditions, approximately the same number of new hairs will just start growing to replace the hairs that have been shed, so the average number of growing hairs remains about the same all the time.
A Simple Hair Loss Test: One of the easiest ways to determine if you are losing hair at an abnormal rate is to count your own shed hairs. At the beginning of each day collect hairs from your pillow and bed linens. Collect hair from your shower drain, and from your hair brush or comb. Collect hair from your clothing.
Count the Hairs: Count the hairs and put them into an envelope, and mark the day and the quantity on the envelope. Use a new envelope for the next day. Do this for a few weeks. A dermatologist can help evaluate the quantity of lost hairs, and after examination of the hairs themselves, can help determine whether the hairs are being shed, pulled out, or are breaking along the hair shaft. If an abnormal amount of shedding is evident, a treatment plan should be recommended. |
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