20 TIPS FOR HEALTHIER HAIR

By Dennis Paulson

New Wisdom for Old Problems Caused by Diet,
Stress, Toxins and Free-Floating Anxiety!

THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY, nuns and monks have discovered that human beings can get along quite well without hair on their heads. However, for the vast majority of the rest of us, our hair--even though it serves primarily a cosmetic function, as opposed to the protective coat it gives animals--often causes great anguish, because it's (take your pick): too thick, too thin, too light, too dark, too curly, too straight, too long or too short.

Whether we're born in New York, Los Angeles, Beijing or London, there are, initially, approximately 100,000 hairs on our head. Each grows independently of the others, in three stages: 90 percent in the 'growth' stage, lasting as long as four-to-five years; 10 percent in the 'resting' stage, lasting several months--until the hair falls out because of new growth underneath--and the 'new' stage, when increased cellular activity in the hair follicles produces new hairs.

Normally, we lose about 50 hairs each day, shampooing, brushing or meditating silently. Abnormal hair loss can result from common problems involving both hormone levels and mineral uptake; from metabolic disorders or problems in the scalp and hair shafts, as well as from psychological imbalances. Fortunately, women rarely suffer the equivalent of male-pattern baldness, and even then, it's usually mild and later in life.

In men, male-pattern baldness can begin as early as the mid-teens. Heredity, androgen hormones and aging are the known culprits, although it's not yet known precisely how androgenic hormones affect hair follicles in producing hair loss. Nevertheless, the majority of males will be partly or fully bald by age 60.

Although male baldness, as yet, has no cure we know of, there are both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, including hair weaving and artificial pieces, as well as hair transplants, employing the person's own hair, from other scalp areas.

Temporary hair loss (telogen effluvium) or area baldness (alopecia areata) can result from stopping the use of birth-control pills, the hormonal changes of pregnancy and its aftermath, severe emotional stress, surgery or acute illness. However, by the time you notice it's happening--one-to-three months after the cause--it's already being corrected, precluding the necessity for treatment.

Diffuse thinning can also result from metabolic imbalances or disorders, such as large doses of vitamin A, certain medications (including chemotherapy for cancer), diabetes, anemia or iron deficiency through blood loss, rapid weight loss through unskillful diets, and from malnutrition or starvation. Likewise, pulling hair too tightly in braids or pony tails; constantly wearing very tight wigs or hats, or hair-straightening regimens and permanents, applied too often or improperly, can result in hair breaking easily, as well as diffuse thinning. Again, hair ususally grows back once the underlying problem is corrected.

In their bestselling Fit For Life, Marilyn and Harvey Diamond note that: "A toxic, acid system can be recognized by bloating, excess weight, cellulite, graying hair, balding, nervous outbursts, dark circles under the eyes, and premature lines in the face. Ulcers are a direct result of corrosive acid in the system."

Also, they point out that: "When you are cutting back on dairy consumption, you may notice peeling or brittle nails or minor hair loss. . . .Your body is making the adjustment from the absorption of the coarser calcium found in dairy products to the absorption of the finer calcium found in raw nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. . . .The body will replace fingernails and hair in the same way that sloughed-off skin is replaced. It's difficult to notice, but your skin is regularly sloughing off and being replaced by new, healthier tissue. In the same way, the body will replace lost hair with more lustrous hair, and lost fingernails with stronger, sturdier nails."

Demonstrating the universality of these problems, Ven. Rechung Rinpoche, in his book, Tibetan Medicine, concludes: "Symptoms of a deficiency of the bones: one's teeth and hair fall out." Likewise, the former personal physician to the Dalai Lama, Dr. Yeshi Dondon, in The Secret Oral Teachings On the Eight Branches of the Science of Healing, states that: "Frequent bathing gives greater virility, bodily heat, strength, long life and lively complexion, and dispels itching due to perspiration, lassitude, thirst and overheating of the body." Nevertheless, he adds: "Washing the head with warm water causes a loss of hair and visual strength."

 

SO, NO MATTER which of the three basic hair (and skin) types you are--normal, oily or dry--what follows are 20 postmodern survival secrets for navigating our fast-paced, progressively-more-toxic, anxiety-ridden world with the finest head of healthy hair you're genetically capable of growing:

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1. Avoid overconsumption of salt (most vegetables have their own natural sodium) and sugar; skip them entirely, if possible.
   
    
2. Same with alcohol and tobacco, also contributing causes of hair loss and dandruff.
   
    
3. Avoid excessive shampooing--once daily is usually sufficient, using a mild, unmedicated, nonalkaline shampoo (organic ingredients, whenever possible). All bathing or showering strips from your skin the oil which traps water and keeps your skin moist, so avoid harsh soaps, especially those containing deodorant. Also avoid astringents, unless you have oily skin, in which case you can wash/shampoo more often. Those with 'dry' hair may follow shampoos with acid rinses or with oil-based conditioners (again, using organic ingredients whenever possible).
   
    
4. Try headstands--or any position lowering your head below your body--several times daily (15 minutes each time).
   
    
5. Massage your scalp by hand, or with an electric vibrator.
   
    
6. Avoid excessive mental labor, as well as mental stress, both of which reduce scalp circulation by constricting blood vessels. Meditation and mental visualization and relaxation techniques are helpful.
   
    
7. Because minerals are even more important to healthy hair than proteins, include both in your diet. Nutritional deficiencies can cause hair loss, as well as premature graying. In some cases, a copper deficiency may cause premature graying. Try one 2-mg. capsule daily of copper from chelated copper gluconate. Overall, eat a balanced, high-quality diet (organic, whenever possible), and/or supplement with good multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, trace-element and amino acid formulas (such as Nutritech's ALL-ONE; 800-235-5727 for the retailer nearest you).
   
    
8. Just as moderate exercise increases bone density and can improve hearing, it also improves blood circulation in your scalp.
   
    
9. Periodic, scientific juice-fasting removes toxic chemicals built up in your body, especially from chemically-grown foods, the air, the water and drugs used, thus producing healthier hair and preventing premature graying (and aging); average adult carries 5-10 lbs., accumulated over a lifetime!
   
    
10. An ounce (each) of sage and rosemary, left for 24 hours in a pint of good water, provides a tonic for treating dandruff.
    
     
11. Apple-cider vinegar, applied as a rinse, is another folk remedy for dandruff: heat only slightly, pour on, and let it 'set' for an hour on a towel-draped head, before shampooing.
    
     
12. Vitamin E, rubbed on the scalp, is also an effective remedy against dandruff.
    
     
13. Rinse immediately after swimming in chlorine- or otherwise-polluted water.
    
     
14. Avoid prolonged exposure to harsh, direct sunlight. Ultraviolet rays do the most damage, so avoid the hours they're most intense--10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Daylight Savings). Even in the shade, ultraviolet intensity can be 50% of that in bright sunlight, while sandy beaches can actually intensify UV exposure by 25% (100% in snow). Same on hazy or cloudy days, when 70-to-80% of UV rays reach the ground. Most skin cancers, for example, are related to the total amount of sunlight absorbed, so do meter yourself.
    
     
15. A correlation has been drawn between excess stress and hair loss, even among modern teenagers, so do try to reduce stressors in your life, as much as possible. Using your wisdom in finding ways to manage stress is fundamental to acheiving better hair and skin vitality, not to mention the other psysiological, psychological and spiritual payoffs.
    
     
16. With 50% of U.S. women now coloring their hair, manufacturers have perfected far-less-damaging products, although do avoid the hottest settings of hair-curlers, curling irons and hair-dryers, both to prevent hair damage, as well as avoid skin burning.
    
     
17. Don't assume that ingesting more protein will stop or prevent hair loss. The U.S. has, by one estimate, 50 times more baldness than low-protein-diet nations such as China, India, Japan and Mexico.
    
     
18. Instead, focus on appropriate exercise and on good (organic, whenever possible), balanced nutrition, including whole grains, nuts and seeds; fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (especially silicon-rich kelp, onions, nettle, comfrey and alfalfa); raw (unfertile, whenever possible) egg yolks once or twice a week, and if you still use milk, goat's rather than cow's, usually in the soured form--kefir, yogurt, etc.
    
     
19. Also, try to be accepting of what Life has dealt you, genetically, understanding that even though all of the above can help with hair problems--especially those caused by nutritional deficiencies--all but 2% of male-pattern baldness, for instance, results from an overproduction of sex hormones which thickens the galea--the top sheet of scalp tissue--thus constricting the ability of blood capillaries to feed hair roots.
    
     
20. Finally, for your entire head, as Dr. Yeshi Donden concludes in The Secret Oran Teachings On the Eight Branches of the Science of Healing : "Always avoid the two conditions leading to illness--unwholesome diet and behavior--by means of mindfulness. Avoid harmful actions of the body, speech and mind, and devote yourself to what is right. Neither torment your senses of taste and so forth, nor overindulge in sensual pleasures."
    
     

Again, as shampoos and soaps strip the body's own natural oils off the skin--leading to unnecessary dryness, especially during cold weather--I use shampoo only on the hairy body parts. Make sure whatever shampoo you're using is organic. Personally, I use an Aubrey Organics product (Tampa, FL 33614, USA; website, www.aubreyorganics.com): J.A.Y. Desert Herb Shampoo (with the initials standing for its primary ingredients--jojoba oil, aloe vera, and yucca root), which contains no animal ingredients or testing, and no alcohol, detergents, artificial color or synthetic perfumes. It does include these: coconut oil, olive oil castile, the desert herb complex (jojoba oil, organic aloe vera, and yucca root), water, and citrus seed extracts with vitamins A, E and E.

Obviously, a portion of everything you put on your skin is absorbed through the pores. Hence, anything you use should be organic. However, unless my skin is particularly dry, I use nothing. Why plug up your pores, so they can't breathe properly? With dry skin, just add a bit of oil or vitamin E to your diet. Or, if from the periodic dryness of shaving, I sometimes use 100% pure, cold-pressed Jojoba Oil from Desert Essence (Chatsworth, CA 91311, USA). Personally, I use jojoba oil for any dryness, but know that one or two drops is all you need in any one section, as one drop really goes a long way. You'll see. It's not actually an 'oil,' but rather a 'resin,' which is nice, because it therefore has no rancidity factor, as oils do.

P.S. In Healthy Healing: A Guide To Self-Healing For Everyone, Linda Rector Page, Ph.D., N.D., writes, p. 361: "Facial Hair Growth/Head Hair Loss. . .Natural Therapies: Crystal Star Fem-Support with Calcium Source extract; a calcium/magnesium/zinc combination with high magnesium; vitamin B-complex, 100 mg., with extra B6, and Nature's Bounty internasal B12 every other day."

Sources: The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons' Complete Home Medical Guide, Crown, 1985; The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, Rodale, 1983; the Natural Healing Annual, Rodale, 1987; Fit For Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Warner, 1985; How To Get Well, Dr. Paavo Airola, Health Plus, 1974; Tibetan Medicine, Ven. Rechung Rinpoche, Univ. of Calif. Press, 1976; The Secret Oral Tradition On the Eight Branches of the Science of Healing, Dr. Yeshi Donden, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1977; Health Through Balance, Dr. Donden, Snow Lion, 1986, and Healthy Healing, Dr. Linda Rector Page, Healty Healing Publications, 1996.