Hair loss is not just for men anymore, women suffer from hair loss as well. We lose hair due to pregnancy and childbirth. But if it continues, it may be a serious problem. Hair usually grows back when the child is six months old.

Our hair grows about 25 feet in a lifetime and on average we lose about 100 hairs a day from our scalp. Most of our baldness is attributed to hereditary factors. In other words we inherited it.

Causes:

It is normal for women going through menopause to have thinning hair and the hairs grays. Menopause thinning hair usually has a hormone link and they are ways to prevent or reverse it.

Radiation around the head or chemotherapy for cancer will cause hair loss, but should re-grow after treatments are finished.

Outside of the above reasons, sudden loss of hair loss in women’s hair in large numbers or in patches is called alopecia and can be cause by a number of things.

Deficiency in nutrition, vitamins such as B-Complex, poor scalp circulation, illness or surgery, diabetes, too harsh shampoos, hair dyes, hot dryers, fevers, heavy metal poisoning, anemia, alcohol and smoking can be factors in hair loss.

Glandular imbalances are found to be major reason women lose their hair, such as an imbalance in the adrenals, thyroid or pituitary glands. Imbalances can be caused by stress, emotional or physical trauma or shock.

Treatments:

To counteract, add a multi vitamin and B-complex to your daily vitamin routine. Take about 50-100mg of B-complex three times a day. Your vitamin routine should also include pantothenic acid.

Minerals and amino acids are important to hair growth such as calcium/magnesium, biotin, folic acid, zinc, and iron.

Essential fatty acids which can be found in evening primrose oil, fish oils, or wheat germ oil are good for both growth and helping your hair retains its natural color.  Try adding kelp to the diet, which is great for thin, falling or brittle hair.

To help control hair loss, avoid harsh shampoos that contain dyes and chemicals, avoid using hot dryers, harsh brushing, and harsh conditioners.

Other herbs good for hair is horsetail which is rich in calcium and silicon. Sage tea is used for dark hair and chamomile tea is good for blond, comfrey is good if you hair is dry and lavender for oily hair.

Good hair nutrition includes whole foods, fish, onions, garlic, eggs, greens, carrots, nuts and seeds such as sesame seeds and wheat germ. These foods contain the necessary vitamins and minerals to help with the problems of hair loss.

Herbs known to help with hair loss include:

• Dried nettle
• Yarrow
• Rosemary for light hair
• Black walnut for dark hair

Hair Loss formula:

Mix the three herbs according to your hair color, make a strong tea by bringing the water to a boil, pour over herbs and allow to cool completely. Strain out the herbs and place the liquid in a pint plastic container, adding just enough water to fill. Use as a hair rinse every time you shampoo. DO NOT RINSE out the mixture.  This mixture is known to encourage growth; make the hair shine and control dandruff. Over a period of a few months it may even re-grow your hair.

When washing hair, alternate using both hot and cold water ending with cold, do this three or four times.

According to James A. Duke the author of “The Green Pharmacy” Sal palmetto for men helps with baldness and tincture of stinging nettle can help prevent balding in those with thinning hair.

Oil Treatments:

Rubbing an oil in the scalp can help to stimulate the hair frolics, these include; castor oil, aloe vera gel, olive oil, or wheat germ oil. Rub oil in your scalp the night before you plan on shampooing your hair. Wrapping your hair with a turban before bed will help to prevent the oil from staining your pillowcases.

According to Dr. John Christopher, massage the scalp with castor oil and apply hot wet toweling over the head and leave for thirty minutes. Leave the oil on the head until morning and wash with tar soap or a good bio-degradable soap and rinse. Repeat a second wash and rinse with a tea made of sagebrush, chaparral and yarrow. Leave the rinse in the hair. Repeat this same process except one night use olive oil and the next night use wheat germ oil.

Folk Treatments:

Another oil treatment is make an olive oil infusion with garlic and rub this formula on the scalp and leave overnight, repeat this for several weeks until the hair has stopped falling out or you just give up. Or make a rosemary olive oil infusion and use on the hair.

Mix onion juice with honey, ¼ c. to 1 Tbsp., and massage it into the scalp every day. Make an infusion with olive oil and rosemary and rub this mixture in the scalp every day.

Mix 2 tsp. of cayenne pepper with 1 c. olive oil. Massage into scalp every day.

One formula I found mixed onion, garlic, cayenne, and honey, rub into scalp and rinse with rosemary tea.

Rub the bald area with apple cider vinegar using a soft brush two times a day. Vinegar is good for the scalp and can be used for all kinds of problems with the hair.

Southernwood is a traditional remedy for hair loss. It can be taken internally in a tincture and made into an infusion as a hair rinse.

Hair loss especially in women can be a traumatic and affect the ways we feel about ourselves. Some of the remedies may sound a little far fetch but the problem is not. Maybe some of these will help you, and if nothing else, by increasing nutrition in your diet you will feel good even if you don’t like the way you look in the mirror. All of us have some problem or other we are self conscious about.

Here to your good health! Sharon K