How to have Healthy Hair

How to have Healthy Hair

More people than I would think come to me for help with their hair.  Many women feel like they are losing hair at an extreme rate.  They are worried it won't grow back and that they eventually will go bald.  A lot of women come to me showing me spots on their scalp where their hair is thinning or where they are already completely bald.  There is a lot of natural things one can do for healthier hair to help hair regrow (even men) or prevent hair from falling out.

Number one thing I ask patients when they complain about their hair is what their stress level is. Stress is the number one thing that causes hair to thin.  Stress affects hormones and hormone levels affect hair growth.  Besides stress management here are other things that can help.

Supplementation

Some of the best supplements for one's hair to become thick and healthy include Saw Palmetto, Black Current Seed Oil, Vitamin E, etc.  Yet I never found that one supplement that could do it all so I developed my own, called Hair Rejuvenation.  It includes wild harvested Black Current Seed, Saw Palmetto, Dandelion, Rosemary, Pomegranate, Raspberry Leaf, Liposomal Vitamin C and Vitamin E. With this combination of ingredients I have found great results in hair regrowth and strengthening weak hair.  

Vitamin C, vitamin E and pomegranate are used for their antioxidants which helps the body have less stress on it from toxins.  Pomegranate also contains punicic acid which stimulates the hair follicles for better hair growth. This will strengthen the hair follicles and stimulates strong and fast hair growth. Also to help detox is dandelion which supports the liver.  Dandelion is also rich with vitamins A, C, B-complex and E. It also contains biotin, iron, sulfur, magnesium and calcium. These all enrich the hair by stimulating and strengthening the hair.   Rosemary has been tested in clinical trials and shown hair growth just as good as Rogaine on men after 6 months of use.   Raspberry leaf supports the hormones while black current seed and saw palmetto are direct hair support.  Hormone support is important because too much testosterone can cause hair to fall out.  Black Currant Seed contains omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids, which help provide moisture for your hair and encourage hair growth and strength. Specifically, the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in black currant seed oil is an omega-6 acid that can help prevent hair thinning, splitting and dryness.

By taking the oxidative stress off the body, while also supporting the hormones and liver as well as the hair I have seen the best results with my patients’ regrowth of hair.  Unfortunately it takes time and it’s usually only in the 4th month that patients start noticing a difference.  

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Simply mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 2 parts warm water. Rinse through your hair after washing at least 2-3 times per week. You can let it sit for 1-2 minutes, and then rinse out your hair completely.
What does apple cider vinegar do for your hair?
This apple cider vinegar rinse closes up your hair follicle to prevent damage by keeping your hair’s pH levels balanced. This gives you smoother, shinier, stronger hair.

Feed Your Hair the Right Nutrition

One of my most important natural hair growth tips is: nutrition.
Hair only grows if you feed it the right nutrients.  
Here’s how to keep your hair healthy by adding some key nutrients to your daily diet:

• Collagen powder (I use Organixx)
• Food-based B-vitamins
• Healthy fats (think coconut oil, olive oil, wild salmon and omega-3s, etc.)
• Antioxidants 

DIY Abundant Hair Growth Serum

This serum is what I use every day to promote strong hair:

• 10 drops rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 2 drops cypress essential oil

Add these oils to 4 ounces of grapeseed oil OR aloe vera gel in a glass bottle. (Use the oil if you tend to have dry hair, aloe if it tends to be oily).
Apply a small amount to your fingertips after washing your hair and massage into your scalp daily.
You can also use the oil to do a deep moisture treatment by massaging a generous amount into your scalp and hair (especially the ends). Leave it in for about 30-60 minutes and then wash as usual. Do this especially if you use heat tools on your hair often.

Scalp Massage

One common reason for hair loss is lack of circulation. Due to lack of circulation the hair roots aren't getting enough blood to them. Without enough nutrients the hair prematurely falls out. What I suggest doing is spending a full minute in the morning and another full minute at night massaging your scalp to increase blood flow to the hair roots. You may find that as you massage in small circular motions using your fingertips, tender spots and it is those spots in particular you want to concentrate on for they are tender due to lack of circulation. You will notice as you massage the tender spots they will become less tender. Continue to do every day, twice a day, for at least 2 weeks in order to see a change.

Natural Flavors are NOT Natural

Natural Flavors are NOT Natural

“Made with natural flavor” is slapped on countless cereal boxes, bottled beverages and even candy wrappers. Jelly Belly jelly beans: made with natural flavors. La Croix sparkling water: made with natural flavors. Even Girl Scout Cookies make the vague claim. But for all its ubiquitousness, what exactly is natural flavor?
Although the term is meant to imply health and nutrition, the inclusion of natural flavor doesn’t in any way mean that a product is actually good for you. Products that boast natural flavor on their packaging can still be chock full of artificial sweeteners, trans fats, and genetically-modified proteins. Natural flavor is another name for a chemical as long as it was originally found in a naturally occurring source.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines natural flavor as:

“…The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

If that definition sounds like it covers anything and everything you are not alone. Food manufacturers take full advantage of the generous FDA natural flavor guidelines at every conceivable opportunity when it comes to marketing products.  

Many of the "chemicals" that make up natural flavors fall under a category called “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. An estimated 3,000 chemical food additives are in this category, yet this does not mean that these chemicals have been widely studied and approved by the FDA. Food companies do not need to disclose the ingredients of a natural flavor if all of the ingredients, which can be up to 100 in one flavor, fall into the GRAS category. Can you imagine up to 100 chemicals in one flavor? Read food labels and you will see 'natural flavors' (it’s actually the fourth most common ingredient found in all food) is conveniently nestled at the very end of the list so people think it's harmless but you now know 'natural flavors' is another name for 'up to 100 chemicals' so do your best to avoid it.  

Healing is About Loving Yourself

Healing is About Loving Yourself

We make hundreds of choices a day.  To what time we wake up, to what we wear, to what we eat etc.  Every time you put something in your mouth is a choice.  So choose love.  The loving choice for food would be something nutritious that would give the body the fuel it needed to get through to the next meal.  Respecting the body is love.  Love is not indulging in your second cup of coffee knowing that it will give you heart burn.  

When people know what the healthy choice is and they aren’t making it it’s because there is a lack of self-love.  It takes love to make the ‘right’ choice.  But what is right for you may be wrong for someone else.  You know your choice is right for you when it comes from love.  When you are at peace with your choice and you can stand in your own power about it without any self-judgement.  Right is only a perspective and don’t let anyone change your perspective if you truly know what is right for you.  

We help patients make the right choice for them.  The first step is to identify what the healthy choice is for them by muscle testing their body.  With this biofeedback from the body we know what their body sees as toxins and help the patient avoid them as much as possible while they heal.  A healthy body would not hold onto toxins.  A healthy body can detox and eliminate toxins easily.  The goal is to support your body with the right nutrition so that it can do that.  

We are aware that to even make an appointment and commit to a nutrition program in our office takes a good amount of self-love.  To follow the program in any capacity one has to confront old habits and want to change them and that takes a lot of will power and we applaud our patients for it and support them in many ways to help them on their journey.  But it is their journey.  Our goal is to meet them where they are and help them be able to confront their choices to make better ones as their body heals.  Helping patients create more self-love is our recipe for success in the office.  This allows them to take their health into their own hands and create a healthy lifestyle for life.  This is what we want for each and every one of you.