Thursday, December 22, 2011

Treatment Mechanism of Saw Palmetto as a Hair Loss Remedy

Saw palmetto hair loss treatment is a type of herbal remedy that can be used to treat a type of hair loss and baldness called androgenic alopecia.

This condition is also called male or female pattern baldness. This is characterised by hair loss that is usually greatest at the top of the head or around the temples.

Saw Palmetto Hair Loss Remedy: Where It Comes From

The saw palmetto is actually a dwarf palm plant that is native to North America. It primarily grows along the Atlantic Coast of Florida and Georgia. It has been noted that the active ingredient that is responsible for preventing hair loss can be found in the black-brown berries of the saw palmetto plant.

This plant has been widely used by the Native Americans for its medicinal benefits such as treating urinary conditions in men and breast disorders in women. Later on, it has become an accepted treatment for a disease called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, which is one of the most common disorders occurring among men. The plant is popular for treating BPH in areas such as Europe and New Zealand.

Saw Palmetto Hair Loss Treatment: How It Works

Although there are no concrete research studies that have been made about this plant and how it works for hair loss, it is believed that the plant can block an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. This enzyme is responsible for converting testosterone into another hormone called Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. This hormone is responsible for causing hair loss because it binds itself to the hair follicles, decreasing the amount of nutrients that the hair can extract from the blood. The follicles gradually shrink in size and the hair that grows on them consequently becomes thinner. If no action is taken against DHT, this could cause the hair to disappear completely.

Because saw palmetto inhibits 5-alpha reductase, there is no enzyme that can convert testosterone to DHT. This leaves the hair safe from this unwanted hormone.

There are other drugs that can inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT; however, these synthetic drugs are taken in orally and can produce side effects such as erectile dysfunction and gynecomastia. The good thing about saw palmetto is that it is an herbal treatment which has a similar effect to the drug finasteride, but does not affect the entire organism and therefore has no side effects associated with finasteride and other prescription drugs.

How to Use Saw Palmetto Hair Loss Treatment

Saw palmetto for hair loss can be purchased as an oil extract or as an ointment. When purchased as either, it can be used by directly massaging the oil or ointment onto the scalp. The massaging motion on the scalp also promotes blood circulation that brings life-giving oxygen to the hair follicles, promoting rejuvenation of the hair cells. The oil is also easily absorbed by the scalp, making it a very effective treatment.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How to Naturally Revive Healthy Hair Growth

Before you check out the numerous products and remedies in the marketplace to stop hair loss or regrow hair, it’s best to first understand hair loss and growth before deciding on the best avenue for you to pursue, as it may be possible to regrow your hair naturally. Here is a look at some steps to get you started on the right path:

1. Have a balanced diet

While this is a good idea for your overall health and body, this is also good for your scalp. Going on crash diets, starving yourself, or just general bad eating habits will cause your hair to be lacking in much needed nutrients it requires for growth and health.

Required daily amounts of B vitamins and healthy oils that contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are critical if you want to have healthy hair that’s nice and full. Because our bodies can’t manufacture omega-3 and omega-6, it’s important that we get them from foods.

Omega-3 is found in vegetables, cold-water fish and other food sources. Foods where you’ll find omega-3 include canola oil, soybean oil, lake trout, salmon, beans and walnuts. Omega-6 can be found in plant-based oils and animal-based foods. Omega-6 sources would include sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn oil.

If you don’t use any of the above products, you also have the option of taking omega-3 and omega-6 supplements that are available and you could use instead.

2. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Long periods of stress can contribute to hair loss. Stress comes in multiple forms — physical, emotional, or psychological — which can be brought about by certain experiences or daily activities occurring in your life. It’s very important to find ways to reduce the stress you face either through meditation, prayer, exercise or recreational activities.

3. Get enough protein

Your hair is made up of almost 91% protein. The key amino acid in this is called cysteine. By including foods in your diet which include cysteine, it’ll provide your hair with the protein needed to help it grow. Here is a list of the some of the foods to target: eggs, milk, broccoli, granola, yoghurt, garlic, and onions.

4. Try aromatherapy

Using oils every day and massaging them into your scalp can help promote hair growth. Studies have shown that some people see a significant amount of re-growth in their hair after massaging a mixture of essential oil and carrier oils.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

How to Get Your Hair Constantly Growing

Hair grows in phases. Any hair growth discussion would be incomplete without talking about the follicle. The follicle is the part of the scalp from which the hair grows. These are essentially skin organs that build the shaft of the hair and then the hair itself. During the 3 phases of hair growth — which last for varying durations of time and differ from person to person — the hair continues to grow, stops growing and then falls off.

According to accepted definitions, it is normal for the human scalp to lose 50 to 100 hair strands every day. However, when the amount of hair that is lost exceeds this number, the need for intervention to promote natural hair regrowth is desired.

What can you do to promote hair growth?

In order to promote hair growth, what is required is an understanding of how hair grows, what are the problems that affect it and the causes for such problems. Today, many are faced with problems of male pattern baldness. It is prevalent in all countries and is a reason for concern for most men. Therefore, a lot of time, effort and money are spent on research in order to develop products that induce natural hair regrowth. Some of them can be used by people themselves at home while others may require the assistance of a specialist for administration.

How do you know if a product can work for you?

There is no definite way to know if a product that is known to induce natural hair regrowth can work for you or not. What you have, as an individual, to weigh if a product is good or not is the reputation of the product, the experiences of the people who have used it and of course your own reservations about trying it. It must be added here that your reservations for trying a product that helps the hair regrow naturally should be well founded, since most natural products do not have side effects. Hence most of them can be tried without worsening the problem. Unlike synthetic or artificial preparations which may cause unintended effects, natural products are safe for trying.

What are the commonly used natural extracts?

For natural hair regrowth, the commonly used extracts today include ginseng root, vital amino acids and vitamins that are required in the body, ginkgo biloba, rehmannia, horsetail plant and nettle extract among others. These extracts are not quick fix solutions. They are meant to help the body repair itself and so as to allow natural regrowth of hair. Hence, when you try them, you should not do so with the aim of achieving results in a restricted or predetermined span of time. Rather you should try them and measure results in a liberal manner, so as to ascertain their effectiveness.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Stem Cell Hair Regrowth: Revolutionising the World of Hair Loss Treatment

The world of stem cell research has extensive coverage — even delving into stem cell hair regrowth. Stem cell hair regrowth is all about using stem cells to treat hair loss.

The concept of stem cell hair regrowth is still currently a theory but scientists are looking into the possibility of using stem cells in order to produce healthy hair follicles. Scientists believe that placing stem cells near dying or damaged cells and stumped hair follicles will revive the said cells and follicles back into life. Since stem cells can grow and transform into specialised cells, it has been considered to be an effective means of regrowing hair.

Stem Cell Hair Regrowth: Innovative Treatment

Growing hair follicles by stem cells is an innovative treatment that can recover lost hair. The avenue is now open for stem cell hair regrowth and many clinics and doctors are immersing their practices in this brand-new concept. Stem cell hair growth is a promising non-invasive and non-surgical treatment but as effective as hair implants, which is the surgical treatment for hair loss.

The promise of stem cell hair growth is backed up studies and experiments done on mice, on the specific purpose of growing hair and combating hair loss. The stem cell hair regrowth treatment is still in its initial and research stage. Some say it may take a decade or more before stem cell hair regrowth can be perfected and used by men who have frontal hair loss. There is also a considerable amount of time before the treatment can be launched into mainstream medicine.

Surgical and Non-Surgical Hair Regrowth Solutions

In the mean time, there are available treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, aside from the possibility of stem cell hair regrowth. Surgical methods often include hair transplant wherein healthy hair follicles are transported from the back and sides of the head to the bald scalp areas. Non-surgical methods many include oral medication, creams, hairpieces and other means to cover the balding patches.

The costs of hair loss treatments vary from one kind to another but the most expensive remains to be hair transplantation. This is due to the price of hair grafts. A hair graft’s average cost revolves around 6 dollars per graft. If there are many hair grafts to be transported to cover a bald area, it would be costly for the patient and would require a number of sessions to complete the whole transplant.

Non-surgical methods are comparatively cheaper than a hair transplant but these require constant reapplication or ingestion, depending on the treatment’s mechanism.

For the meantime, these are the hair loss treatment options. However, with stem cell hair regrowth, treatment of hair loss will be revolutionised.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Proven, Approved, and Foremost Hair Loss Products

Studies show that more than three and a half billion dollars a year is spent on hair loss treatments. The bad news is that studies also show that nearly all of these products don’t work at all for most of the people who buy them.

Losing one’s hair is a very depressing situation that can affect both men and women. The American Hair Loss Association advises people who experience thinning of hair to only use products approved by the FDA. Excessive falling or thinning of hair and weak hair regeneration or growth can be caused by numerous things, from inherited genes to excessive use of hair products.

Getting professional hair loss treatment is common nowadays and is done differently between men and women. Hence, anyone experiencing a significant loss of hair would try some sort of treatment since a thinning hairline or going bald isn’t really appealing. With that in mind, here are some popular treatments for men and women experiencing thinning of hair.

Finasteride
This drug was first approved by the FDA to treat problems with the prostate glands, but it was noticed that it grew hair, so the company decided to see if that side effect could be turned into a way to help balding men.

In 1997, it was approved as an advanced hair loss treatment and is considered a successful drug in the pursuit of growing hair and helping treat male baldness. It was found to help in 85 per cent of the time in trials. Today, it is a widely used drug to counter baldness among men.

Minoxidil
Minoxidil was discovered similar to finasteride; it had a side effect of growing hair in its original use for high blood pressure. It caused people taking it to grow hair on their foreheads and even eyebrows. When rubbed onto the bald spots on the head, it was shown to slow down thinning of hair. Unfortunately, it also has been found to not give a permanent and a lasting effect.

When it comes to women who are suffering from baldness, it’s hard to know what sort of hair loss treatment to give since a lot of these treatments have androgen properties, which would end up causing women to develop male characteristics, so not many doctors would be advising those mentioned above to women.

Also, women need to tackle their baldness right when they first notice it or else many of their hair follicles will be permanently destroyed and any hair loss treatment would not help very much. The same goes if treatment is stopped. On the other hand, minoxidil is approved to be used by women topically in a two per cent solution only. The stronger five per cent used by the guys is not approved for women, but is still prescribed by some doctors.

A study involving women ageing from 18-45 with mild up to moderate balding showed 19 per cent had moderate hair growth, and 40 per cent had at least some hair growth. This was after using the minoxidil solution for eight months.

Other types of hair loss treatments for men and women could include natural treatments such as certain herbal treatments or special washes. There are plenty of hair thinning treatment products available today. If you are experiencing significant loss of hair and plan to use one of those mentioned above, consult your doctor first and have a clear and better understanding of what you would be getting into. Remember that these are actual drugs also used for something else.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Guidelines to Keep Your Hair Growing with Health

The hormone dihydrotestosterone is mainly responsible for male pattern baldness. However, medical science still does not have any concrete explanation as to how this hormone affects the hair of men. The researchers have only come to the conclusion that dihydrotestosterone leads to a condition known as follicular miniaturization. And that this condition is somewhat responsible for the thinning of our hair. But on the other hand, heredity is a strong reason for hair loss in men. And it is an established truth.

Are you experiencing severe hair loss? If your answer is yes, then you should immediately follow the guidelines mentioned below:

First of all, you should consume loads of protein to stop hair loss. A good protein diet will ensure healthy hair in your body. This is because our hair shaft is made out of keratin, and this is a type of protein. Therefore, the formula is pretty simple: increase the intake of protein in your diet chart. Include fish, egg whites, and milk for at least one of your meals. However, this does not mean that you should neglect the importance of vitamins and minerals in your diet at any cost. A combination of vitamins B and C, taken along with biotin, will definitely make your hair follicles healthier. On the other hand, minerals such as potassium will make your hair shafts stronger.
Secondly, you should not let yourself get stressed. Anxiety and worry is not at all healthy for your body. It is not at all good for the health of your hair. Therefore, you should keep your-work related worries at the office. Always try to keep your mind in a relaxed state. A session of yoga and meditation will definitely help you to achieve that state of mind. Your time spent on these age-old practices will surely reflect on the health of your hair.

Next, to stop hair loss, you must lead a disciplined lifestyle. Remember, drinking alcohol and smoking is never good for your hair follicles. Too much intake of caffeine and carbonated sodas is also not good for your hair health. Moreover, disturbances in your sleep pattern and insomnia are very damaging to the immune system, and they eventually make your hair shafts weaker. So, try to correct these practices and make a habit of going early to bed. Try not to work late at nights; it will help to strengthen the immune system and also improve your hair growth at the same time.


You must also not underestimate the importance of exercising. Regular exercise for about forty minutes a day will keep your mind and body healthy. Moreover, exercising will also help you to keep the stress levels under control. And this is always good for your hair health in the long run. You would be surprised to know that sweat plays an important role as far as the health of your hair is concerned. While too much sweat is not good for your hair follicles, drops of sweat on the other hand can unclog the hair pores.

Friday, November 4, 2011

For Safe and Effective Treatments for Female Hair Loss, Go Natural!

There are certain natural remedies which can be used to treat hair loss in females. While male hair loss is predominately caused by a combination of genetics and a by-product of the male hormone testosterone, in women it can be caused by a much wider variety of factors. Though not nearly as common as male balding, loss of hair (alopecia) in women is no less troubling to those who suffer from it. While some females go for surgical options or wigs, there are promising dietary and natural alternatives that can help promote healthy hair regrowth and reverse the effects of female alopecia.

Proper Diet

It is important to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to prevent one of the root contributors to female hair loss. A diet which is low in fat but still provides sufficient protein is good for hair growth. High-fat intake can interfere with the natural growth mechanism of female hair, especially when combined with other environmental factors.

Since hair follicles are made from protein, inadequate protein intake can contribute to weakening the hair follicles; in turn, hair growth is at a slower pace and of poor hair quality. Sufficient dietary intake of protein can help reverse sudden shedding of hair.


B Vitamins

The B vitamins serve an important role in promoting hair growth. Women experiencing hair loss may have a vitamin B12 or B6 deficiency. Good sources of vitamin B6 include meat, eggs and poultry. There may also be a biotin, or vitamin B7, deficiency which can contribute to unhealthy hair follicles. Although found in a wide variety of foods, good sources of biotin include salmon, egg yolks and liver. It can be helpful to take a vitamin B complex supplement which provides a good daily amount of all B vitamins that contribute to healthy hair.





Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil has also been used to promote hair growth when the hair loss is due to the hair follicles being clogged by too much sebum. This type of alopecia can occur with certain hair conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis. If the hair loss is due to genetic factors, jojoba can alleviate the effects of environmental factors that inhibit regrowth. Jojoba oil is also rich in vitamin E and antioxidants.






Lavender Oil
Lavender oil has been used as a remedy for hair loss in both men and women. This is because lavender oil contains anti-septic and anti-inflammatory properties which help treat thinning hair. This oil can be massaged onto the scalp and absorbs easily and cleanly.







Aloe Vera

Another safe and natural remedy for female alopecia which has been used effectively is aloe vera. An enzyme in aloe vera promotes hair growth. Aloe vera can come in a gel or lotion form which can be applied directly to the scalp. The aloe vera gel can also be combined with coconut milk and wheat germ oil to create a shampoo to wash the hair. Some studies have indicated that it may be beneficial for hair growth when consumed orally as well.