Weak Roots

#OneMonthtoHealthyHair – Thinning Hair or Hair Fall Causes

March 20, 2015 Swati 3 Comments

Life is pretty unpredictable. It can change in an instant and the next instant you find yourself hurling down the hurricane, literally! Btw, something for all of you to ponder upon – you know there is a problem so is it better to face those problems headlong or to bide time till they settle down themselves.

And, that brings us to the major topic in everyone’s life! Hair Fall or Thinning Hair. Why do we get that? Here I am demystifying various reasons for it. So, read all of them patiently and see which one suits your bill and tackle the hair accordingly. Btw, a disclaimer here – this list is by no means exhaustive. There are numerous other reasons but at least I have tried to broadly categorise the causes of hair fall here.

Also Read: Are these factors causing hair fall for you and how you can work around them? {Hair Care}

Reasons for Hair Fall

#1. Shock, Tragedy or Physical or Mental Stress

Any life-changing event, good or bad, is somewhat stressful and has effect on the body, whether it is marriage, moving into a new house, getting pregnant or even travelling. Tragedies like a death in the family or an accident can also have their effects. And, the shock of these things can unravel after a few months.

For the time when these changes are happening in your life, generally the body stays inert and the shock of the event gradually sets in as the time passes. And, then, those changes affect your body. That is why you can notice hair fall certain time after the event.

#2. Diet and Lack of Exercise

I know you must have been tired by now reading this point over and over again! But, nothing can beat this. If you are regularly following a balanced diet and getting your regular dose of exercise, nothing can really harm you. This is most often the simplest cure for all your ailments.

– Lack of protein

Well, hair is made of protein and water. So, obviously, if your body has less protein intake, the structure of the hair is weakened. And, gradually, the hair falls off.

– Weight Loss or Crash Diets

Aah, this is something I would love to go on and on about. Weight loss is NOT the result of crash diets or skipping meals or eating whenever you feel like. All this results in bad health. So, whenever you really think of losing weight, sit back and formulate a plan with a doctor or a dietician. You do not want to compromise on health. And, on this point, I would say that making some very small changes in your everyday life can have HUGE benefits on your weight.

#3. Medical or Hormonal Issues

– Pregnancy

Generally, in pregnancy, you observe hair fall after the delivery rather than during the pregnancy. It is because all the hairs go into the resting stage during the pregnancy and they fall out once body returns to normal state. This is usually temporary and resolves itself.

– Anemia

Iron deficiency, especially when it progresses into full-blown iron deficiency anemia, can cause hair loss. “It sends your body into survival mode, so your body channels oxygen to support vital functions as opposed to ones like keeping your hair intact,” (Source)

– Hypothyroid

Iron deficiency slows your body’s thyroid function and blocks its metabolism-boosting effects, according to the National Academy of Hypothyroidism. (Source)

– Vitamin B family

Vitamin B1 – B12 are all very important for hair growth and healthy hair. And, sometimes, some bodies are resistant to absorption of B vitamins easily from the diet sources which is why they need supplements. For that, you need to get consultation with the doctor. And, eating a balanced diet also helps in this area!

– Immune system

Now, at this point, I would like to mention that there are some autoimmune disorders in which the immune system is hyperactive and considers the hair as a foreign body and starts attacking the hair follicles. There are various types of such disorders with differing intensities. Some of them lead to permanent hair loss and some are treatable.

– Medications

Now, if you have been taking any antibiotics or contraceptive pills or anti-depressant or stimulants or any other strong medications for terminal illnesses, they all can cause some side-effects. And, then, there are medications which your body rejects or does not suit you. So, may be you are one of those categories!

#4. Heredity or Age

– Heredity

Aah. This thing with genes, I wish I could avoid. I have genetically fine and thin and flat hair and prone to LOADS of splits! I so wish I had the hair of my friend. She did NOT know what a split end was?

Yeah, so, you really can not do anything about those genes. They determine most of the things about your hair – color, texture, volume, length, hair fall issues like male pattern baldness.

But, the good news here is that hair changes its texture every 7 years. So, take good care of your hair and you can actually control the genetic characteristics to an extent.

– Age

But, what you can not control is your age and your body’s aging process. If you have not been on the active side, your body’s metabolism and other functioning have already slowed down by the time you have reached the late twenties and the time you cross the 30, your hormones are wreaking all their havoc. The first to witness it is the hair because it is such an unnecessary organ of the body, if it is called an organ!

So, keep yourself physically active and change your hair and skin routine to suit their needs and everything should be fine. Getting a doctor’s consultation should do you good to make out for the deficient vitamins in your body or anything else your body might need.

#5. Scalp Health and Hair Routine

– Scalp problems

Do you have psoriasis or eczema or alopecia areta? Or, may be your scalp is not well fed (poor blood circulation on the inside and nothing on the outside) which leads to weak hair roots. Or, may be you have the common dandruff or just unclean scalp.

– Clean Scalp

Remember never to let sweat accumulate on your scalp. The salt in the sweat causes lot of hair fall. And, then, we have hairs which get broken in between. All this happens because of poor scalp health.

– Hair Care Routine

And, then, your hair care routine also has a lot to do with how your hair is doing. There is a compulsive disorder in which the person afflicted with it keeps on playing with the hair and pulling it all the time. That leads to hair breakage and thinning. The disorder is called tricholomania.

– Chemical Treatments / Overstyling

Similarly, if you treat your hair too harshly, comb or brush it quickly and with force or tie your hair or braids too tightly or overstyling it or using too many harsh products, all this can affect your hair in the long run.

– Changing Products

Another thing is when you change your products or hair care routine, it is generally normal to see a bit of hair fall, because hair takes time to get adjusted with the new routine. So, again this hair fall is temporary and resolves itself.

– Gradual Hair Fall

What you need to keep a lookout on is the gradual hair fall (may happen for years) which you would not be able to notice till it is too late, not the sudden hair fall which makes your hair fall in clumps. It is easy to spot it and handle the situation.

#6. Overdoing your Vitamins

So, yes, this one is internally tied to the hair supplements post I did last week. Sometimes, we overdo the vitamins and that has a negative effect on the body!! So, keep that in mind.

These are a few reasons of hair fall. I have tried to categorize them as broadly as I can but then there are quite a lot of things that must have been left out. So, let me know which hair fall do you think you suffer from?

#OneMonthtoHealthyHair – Activity 6 – How to take care of your Scalp?

March 11, 2015 Swati 10 Comments

So, I had promised you that I shall talk about scalp care but some things happened and it got delayed. Anyways, better late than never.

Just as fertile soil gives blooming plants, clean scalp helps healthy hair growth. Otherwise, it can result in weak roots, excessive hair fall, dandruff, dry scalp issues like seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis and many other such issues.

I would not really go into detail but discuss about some of the major scalp issues faced by you all (the participants) – itchy scalp, dry scalp, dandruff, weak roots, oily scalp – which we face on a daily basis. Though each of these issues deserve their own posts, I am going to provide only a general outline on each of them.

Itchy Scalp

This is something I have also been facing since sometime. This is a condition which comes and goes for me. Generally, the itch increases if I do not wash my hair once in two days at least.

Now, all the scalp issues are generally inter-linked. For example, your itchy scalp can be due to dryness or due to dandruff, in which case you have to deal with either of the issues.

Sometimes, itchy scalp can ALSO be due to the products you use. If you are using harsh products on your hair and scalp, it can lead to itchy scalp as well due to the dryness. This is one of the reason I always recommend sls-free shampoo.

And, also if your scalp is dirty, it can itch so try to wash your hair once in three days at least or even daily if you are exposed to much of pollution and dust.

Now, if your itchy scalp is not because of any particular reason, I hope you have been following the Activity of the Week regularly. Scalp massages results in production of sebum which reduces scalp dryness and helps relieve the itch.

Other ways to reduce itchiness include using cooling hair oils like Navratna or even using scalp vitalizers help. My recommendations would be Biotique Mountain Ebony or I have been using this Keo Karpin hair vitalizer but I have no idea if it is available widely. I found it in one of the supermarkets. Massaging lightly after applying them relieves the itch.

Also Read: Does your scalp get itchy?

Dry Scalp

So, as I mentioned above, itchy scalp can be due to dryness in which case you have to combat the dryness.

First – Regular scalp massage with bare finger tips also improve sebum production.

Second – Regular usage of essential oils helps curb the dryness.

Third – Regular after wash hair care routine ensures no scalp dryness.

Fourth – Use skin friendly products which are gentle enough for your scalp and hair.

These are just few tricks to curb the dryness of the scalp.

Also Read: Why Hair Tangles – Reasons and How to Avoid?

Dandruff

I have written quite a lot about dandruff! So, why dandruff really occurs is quite contradictory. It can occur when there is less oil or it can occur when there is more oil. So, whether you have oily or dry scalp, it really does not matter. And, dandruff is always more or less accompanied with hair fall and itchy scalp.

First – Tea Tree oil helps reducing dandruff so use this essential oil while massaging your scalp. Leave for 30 minutes and then wash off.

Second – Use vinegar treatment. It really works wonders for dandruff.

Also Read: How to get rid of Dandruff?

Weak Roots

The simplest reason why you might have weak roots is because of lack of proper nutrition, both internal and external. Your protein intake might be less or your scalp is not getting enough oxygen supply due to poor blood circulation or you are getting old and you have not treated your body in the right way or may be hormones! The reason can be anything.

And, weak roots can lead to hair fall and hair breakage. So, what you can do?

First – Eat proper food. Up your protein and iron intake which is the Activity of the week as well!

Second – This was a tip I got way 4-5 years back when I went for my first hair cut before embarking on serious hair growth. My hair stylist told me to use Vitamin E and evening primrose oil tablets in my hair oil to improve my hair volume. I do not really know how well it works because I did it for few days and then stopped it but no pain, no gain 😉

Also Read: Are these factors causing hair fall for you and how you can work around them?

Oily Scalp

Aah, this is something I really do not have much experience with. But, I do know a few tricks which really help oily scalp.

First – Henna controls the oil production so regular henna masks helps with oily scalp and oily hair as well.

Second – Vinegar is a great home remedy for oily scalp. Also, it works amazingly for dandruff as well.

Also Read: Shahnaz Husain Beauty Tips

So, this is just a general round up of each of the above scalp issues. But, make sure that you follow at least one of the solutions towards solving each issue. There is no healthy hair growth without healthy scalp.