Healthy Hair & Hair Loss

Click here to read this article in Marathi: केसांचे आरोग्य & केसगळती

Did you notice the hair in the title picture? That was my hair in the 1980s.😀 As per definition, I had perfectly healthy hair- soft, silky, thick, heavy, shiny, etc. I was anticipating to lose hair during pregnancies and childbirths due to hormonal changes. Guess what? I did not lose much hair during both pregnancies and childbirths. I was happy. After moving to America, I started losing my hair. I figured out it was due to water/weather changes. Still, it was not too bad. But recently, I started losing a lot of hair, which made me worried. Then, I started looking at different causes and solutions. I can say that the reason was menopause. While searching for an answer, I came across few home-made oils. I decided to share it with you. Then I thought, anyway, I am writing about it, let me write some very basics about hair health. There are hundreds of homemade oils/preparations for hair loss. I am sharing my own experience with homemade special oils (details at the end of the article).

• Hair has great social significance for humans.
• Hair is made of a tough protein called keratin.
• A hair follicle holds each hair into the skin.
• Hair growth begins inside the hair follicle.
• Blood vessels nourish the cells in the hair bulb, and deliver hormones that modify hair growth and structure at different times of life.
• Hair grows at different rates in different people. The average rate is around one cm per month.
• Human facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body.
• Hair color is created by pigment cells producing melanin in the hair follicle. With aging, pigment cells die, and hair turns gray.
• On average, we lose 50 to 100 strands of hair a day from the scalp.
• A single hair has a lifespan of about five years.
• Human hair grows faster in warm weather because it stimulates hair growth.
• Cutting your hair does not affect in any way the rate of hair growth, nor its texture.

Healthy hair indicates a good health and good hair-care practices. Genetics and health play an important role in healthy hair.

Good nutrition is vital for healthy hair. Poor nutrition and some health conditions can cause hair loss. A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy scalp and hair. Diet should contain protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and an appropriate amount of fat.

• The essential omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B12, and iron, found in fish sources, prevent a dry scalp and dull hair color.
• Dark green vegetables contain high amounts of vitamins A and C, which help with production of sebum and provide a natural hair conditioner. It also has iron and calcium.
• Legumes (kidney beans and lentils) provide protein, iron, zinc, and biotin. A deficiency in biotin intake can cause brittle hair and can lead to hair loss. Biotin can be found in liver, egg yolk, soy flour, and yeast.
• Nuts contain high sources of selenium and are important for a healthy scalp.
• Vitamin B6 helps prevent dandruff and can be found in cereals, egg yolk and liver.
• Vitamin B12 helps prevent the loss of hair and can be found in fish, eggs, chicken and milk.
• Vitamin C, Vitamin E are required for hair follicles.
• Beat- carotene (which eventually gets converted to Vitamin A) is also important for hair growth.
• Zinc (meat, eggs and seafood, pecans, walnuts, cashews and almonds), Calcium (dairy products), Iodine, Sulfur, and essential fatty acids (fish oil, flaxseed oil, walnuts) are important.
• Spinach, broccoli provide vitamins A and C which are used in sebum production (secreted by hair follicles)
• Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A.

Water is important for good hair health.

Getting enough sleep regularly is equally important.

Stress and genes play a role in graying of hair.

Causes of hair loss: Anemia, thyroid problem (hypothyroidism), depression, some medications, crash diets and rapid weight loss, scalp infections, too much heat (hot weather, hot head baths, using hair straightener), damage due to chemicals (some hair dyes, hair bleaching, improper use of shampoo/conditioner), hormonal changes (pregnancy, childbirth, menopause).

Here, I am sharing two home-made hair oil recipes with you.

1. Mustard-Fenugreek oil: I bought 500 ml organic mustard oil for hair. Some people use mustard oil for cooking. I am not sure if there is any difference between edible vs. hair oil, but to be on the safer side, buy hair oil only.

I added two tablespoons of Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds) to oil and boiled it until the seeds turned black. After cooling down, I filtered it and stored in the bottle. I am using it the night before by thoroughly massaging it into my scalp and washing my hair the next day. I noticed that my hair loss went down significantly!! My hair texture also improved a lot. 

If you are fine with the stickiness and smell of this oil, you can leave it on your hair just like some people do with the coconut oil. If you do not like oily and sicky hair, you can apply this oil either overnight or few hours before you wash your hair.

2. Coconut-Hibiscus oil: This is another home-made oil I made recently. I used coconut oil, curry leaves, dried Hibiscus flowers, Fenugreek seeds and Castor oil. Use only few tbsp of castor oil as it is very sticky and thick oil. You can change the ingredients as well as their portions as per your choice.

• Curry leaves are rich in essential nutrients, antioxidants and amino acids that prevent hair thinning and hair fall by strengthening hair follicles. Curry leaves are rich in beta-carotene and proteins that stimulate hair growth.
• Hibiscus flowers are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and other nourishing nutrients, which are well known for promoting hair growth, preventing hair fall and delaying hair greying.
• Castor oil has benefits including strengthening strands, promoting hair growth, and nourishing dry scalp.
• Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds) are beneficial to reduce hair fall, prevents dandruff, reverse hair damage, strengthens the hair and adds shine. 

Take coconut oil in a pot, add curry leaves, methi seeds and dried hibiscus flowers and cook them until curry leaves/hibiscus petals become crunchy. Then add 2 tbsp. castor oil and turn off the stove. Allow it to cool completely and keep it for few hours before you strain. Use a strainer or muslin cloth to strain and store the oil in a jar. 

I hope some of the readers can benefit from it. Try and let me know. 🙂