Shading hair is a regular biological occurrence in human beings. For most people, this hair grows back, replacing the one that sheds. It is a cyclic process that happens unconsciously. You might not even notice that you have shed some hair unless you cut it yourself. Some people experience a condition where they lose more hair than they grow and this can be quite alarming. This phenomenon is called hair thinning. If you notice that your hair is not growing back as fast as you lose it, you should get help with thinning hair. If not addressed in time, hair thinning leads to baldness and could shoot your confidence levels to the bottom. If you are experiencing this problem, here are a few tips that could assist you to reverse that condition.
Improve your diet
If you have noticed rampant hair loss with no subsequent growth, your hair could be thinning. While there are a lot of other causes that can lead to this condition, a lack of a proper diet is vital among these causes. When you fail to get enough folic acid, iron and other essential minerals in your diet, it could contribute to your hair rapid hair loss.
Improving your diet to include these essential minerals is a step in the right direction at preventing hair loss and encouraging growth. Studies show that a diet rich in raw vegetables and some fresh herbs could significantly slow down androgenic alopecia in men and women. In one such study in 2018, those who consumed high amounts of salads, parsley and other vegetables as part of their daily diet showed improvement in hair growth and significantly reduced their rates of hair loss.
In addition to these raw vegetables and herbs, you can also add some multivitamins and supplements to your diet. Multivitamins will ensure you get the deficient mineral elements that you may not get from food. Adding folic acid, a variant of vitamin B, encourages cell generation essential for healthy hair and growth.
Proper hair care
Taking care of your hair is another effective way of reducing or slowing down thinning. Regular washing helps keep your scalp clean and healthy, essential for hair growth and prevents hair loss. You can use mild hair shampoo to keep your hair solid and tight.
Other products that you can use to keep your hair strong and healthy are coconut oil, olive oil and avocado. Regular treatment of your hair with these products help thicken your hair as you lose very little and grow a lot. Coconut oil is especially vital when exposing your hair to heat and ultraviolet light. Regularly massaging your hair with these products encourages a better flow of blood into your scalp, which helps your hair grow stronger and healthy.
Regular combing and gentle styling is another way you can prevent hair loss. Avoid tight hairstyles like braids and tight ponytails that stress the scalp of your hair. You may also want to stay away from straightening iron, blow dryers and other machines that expose your hair to too much heat. The less heat you expose your scalp to, the stronger your hair remains and the less of it you lose.
Medical treatments
Natural ways or methods of taking care of your hair are the best. However, if you are already losing your hair and cannot control the loss via proper diet and care, you can consider some medical treatments to help you either slow down hair loss or reverse the condition. Medical options include laser therapy and platelet-rich plasma addition, among others. Those who lose hair due to genetic conditions and chemotherapy can benefit from low-level lasers or red light therapy. It helps improve hair density by stimulating hair growth. You can also have platelet-rich plasma injected into your scalp to stimulate hair growth. Medical conditions could be costly, but they help when the condition is beyond natural methods.
Avoid stress
You may not have thought about it, but stress contributes to hair loss, much like the other causal factors. Stress affects hormones such as cortisol in your body. Low production of this hormone can lead to loss of appetite and weight loss. If you do not have an appetite, you may not eat the required foods that provide your body with the proper nutrients. As mentioned earlier, a lack of these nutrients will lead to poor hair growth and rapid hair loss. You can engage in activities such as yoga and other physical exercises to reduce stress and consequently reduce hair loss.
Ellen Diamond did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
