According to Doctors James Balch and Mark Stengler in "Bottom Line's Prescription for Natural Cures," most of us lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But these hairs should be replaced by new hairs at the same rate. There are a number of reasons why hair renewal might not keep pace with our hair loss, including genetics, age, stress, medication, and diet. First, examine the side effects of any medications you're taking. If that's not the answer, there are a number of home remedies that can help.
Reduce Stress
Stress can cause hair to fall out quickly, even in patches. To reduce stress, Dr. Edmund J. Bourne advises in "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook" that you practice deep relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing for 20 to 30 minutes a day. These regular, brief periods of deep relaxation can increase your relaxation throughout the day. Exercise is also a very effective and healthy way to combat stress and increase circulation.
Diet
Hair loss is one of the symptoms of undernourishment. In "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments," naturopathy expert Dr. Geovanni Espinosa suggests that you cut processed food out of your diet, and also saturated fats, which reduce blood flow, since proper blood flow to the scalp is essential for hair health. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those high in biotin, a type of vitamin B that, according to Dr. Robert Schulman in "Solve It With Supplements," creates the bonds between hair molecules that keeps hair strong. Eat foods high in protein, as protein is the main building block of hair. Eat foods high in iron, such as green leafy vegetables and blackstrap molasses. Then eat fruits and veggies high in vitamin C to improve iron absorption.
Supplements
Dr. Espinosa also suggests supplementing your diet with vitamin C, iron and biotin. Additionally, he suggests 500 mg of silica a day and a daily multi-vitamin. Doctors Balch and Stengler suggest 30 mg of zinc and 3 mg of copper daily, a full-spectrum enzyme complex be taken with each meal to increase nutrient absorption, and a vitamin B-complex that contains biotin and vitamin B-12, which are essential for hair growth. A B-complex will also help reduce stress, which causes hair loss.
Herbs
The primary herbal remedy for hair loss is saw palmetto. Many home hair loss remedies aren't as effective against male pattern baldness as baldness with other causes. Saw palmetto, however, is useful in treating prostate disorders and male pattern baldness because it is an antiandrogenic. It inhibits the testosterone DHT, which causes male pattern baldness by its presence in the hair follicle. Unlike a testosterone blocker like Finasteride, it also is antiestrogenic, and doesn't cause feminizing in men. "Bottom Line's Prescription for Natural Cures" references a study published in 2002 in the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine" that found that 60 percent of male subjects experienced improved hair growth when supplementing with 400 mg saw palmetto and 100 mg of beta-sitosterol daily. The "PDR for Herbal Medicines" warns that pregnant women shouldn't take saw palmetto due to the hormonal effects.
In "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments," both naturopathy expert Dr. Geovanni Espinosa and herbalism expert Dr. David Kiefer suggest mixing some herbal extracts and essential oils into your shampoo to stimulate circulation in the scalp. Dr. Espinosa suggests adding five drops each of rosemary, thyme, cedarwood, and lavender oils to your shampoo. Dr. Kiefer suggests nettle leaf, birch leaf, and burdock root, which should be added as water-based tinctures, as alcohol on the scalp can increase hair loss.
References
- "Bottom Line's Prescription for Natural Cures"; James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.; 2004
- "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook 4th Ed."; Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D.; 2005
- "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments"; Editor Dr. Victor Sierpina; 2007
- "Solve It With Supplements"; Robert A. Schulman, M.D.; 2007
- "Bottom Line's Prescription for Natural Cures"; James F. Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D.; 2004
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