In most cases, your hair is a reflection of your overall state of health. So having healthy hair is not only a thing of beauty, it indicates your health is on the right track. In some cases, early hair loss or graying is no cause for concern. Even healthy individuals can lose up to 100 hairs a day. But hair thinning, brittle hair, premature graying, and hair loss could be telling you that your body is asking for some support.
There are some bigger health concerns that affect the quality of the hair. For example, an underactive thyroid may cause the hair to become dry, fine, weak and easily damaged. Autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis can cause itchy patches on your scalp. Adrenal fatigue is also known to cause hair loss. This article is intended to address the more subtle issues that can impact your ability to have healthy hair.
Get Some Protein
Your hair is made of a protein called keratin. If you are not getting enough high quality protein, it can cause brittle and easily broken hair that is hard to grow. Find good source of proteins and amino acids and make sure you have the stomach acid and digestive enzymes to effectively break it down so that it can be absorbed into your blood stream. Good sources include 100% grass-fed beef, organic poultry, pasture sourced eggs and wild caught fish like salmon. If you are vegan or vegetarian, consider consuming high quantities of single celled algae like spirulina and chlorella as well as pea or hemp protein powders which are easy to digest.
Vitamins, Minerals and Healthy Fats
Many nutrients are required for healthy hair and almost any vitamin deficiency can result in hair loss. The body’s vital tissue and organs take a higher priority and are the first to feed from nutrients when the body is lacking vitamins and minerals, leaving the hair depleted of its tools required to maintain strength and shine.
For example, if you deficient in iron, you may see hair loss and poor hair quality. You may find it helpful to supplement with iron for a short period of time until you increase your iron uptake from your diet. Best food sources of iron include grass-fed red meat, organ meats such as liver and pasture-raised eggs. If your vegan or vegetarian, stick with a high quality multi-vitamin.
Other vitamins that directly affect hair are vitamins B12 and C. A lack of vitamin B12 may cause premature graying while a vitamin C deficiency can leave your hair dry and dull. Other vitamins including A, B, C, D and E as well as minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium are also vital to hair health. A deficiency in these nutrients can lead to hair problems.
And don’t forget healthy fats because they are extremely important for producing proper hormones and are critical for healthy hair and skin. These good fats enforce moisture protection in the skin and hair to maintain shine and youth. Some of the key fat-soluble vitamins discussed above are better absorbed with dietary fat consumption. Add good dietary sources of essential fats to your meals including wild-caught salmon, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oils, nuts and seeds.
Life Style Factors
Drinking plenty of water, getting good quality sleep, and managing stress are also important for cellular regeneration and repair including your hair cells. Inadequate amounts of sleep cause disturbances in hormone levels, increase stress and weaken the immune system. This contributing factor alone can exacerbate any current vitamin and mineral deficiencies required for maintaining healthy hair. Seek natural remedies to help you sleep better at night improving your quality of health and life.
If your sleeping well but are under other stress for a significant of time, you may see it affect your hair health. Stress influences hair health by causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Learning to manage and address the stressors in your life along with eating a healthy diet can stop and reverse your hair problems. Short term stressors will not cause your hair to fall out but chronic stress can. Other sources of significant stress can come from a severe illness, relationship problems, medical diagnosis, major surgery, or life altering events. Implementing a meditation practice and/or a gentle exercise program may help relieve the stress on the body and give it the best chance at re-balancing.
Hormone Balance
In-balanced hormones or changing levels can result in thinning hair or a receding hairline. This is especially true for women during pregnancy and menopause. Pregnancy not only effects hormone levels, it can cause a shift in the production of oil-producing glands which affects the texture of the hair.
Another way hormones affect hair health is through the conversion of testosterone to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which harms hair follicles, and happens in both men and women. Under normal conditions, women have a minute fraction of the level of testosterone that men have, but even a lower level can cause DHT- triggered hair loss in women. Here is a link to an article about how to balance hormones naturally. http://sharonledwards.com/hormones_balanced_naturally/
Treat Your Scalp Well
For truly healthy hair, pay attention to your scalp. Start by purchasing shampoos, conditioners, and styling products that are chemical-free and made without soap agents or perfumes. These can play a role in inflammation and produce excessive sebum, which clogs the pores on the scalp and suffocates the hair follicle. Nurture your scalp by giving yourself a head massage to stimulate circulation and promote hair grown. For a deep moisturizing and stimulating scalp treatment, mix 3 teaspoons of cater oil with 6 drops of rosemary or peppermint essential oi. Massage the blend into the scalp and cover your head with a warm town to let the steam trigger circulation to the head. You can also increase blood flow to the scalp of doing a yoga inversion pose for up to five minutes a day. You may also want to exfoliate your scalp like you do your face. Try adding finely ground coconut sugar to your favorite chemical free shampoo. This is a must if you’re using a lot of styling products. Finally, pay attention to the tension in your face and scalp. Releasing any tension may allow the hair follicles to fully function.
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