There aren’t very many good solutions for black hair but Wild Growth Hair Oil is a solution.
I like to think about products in two ways: is it scientific enough to work, and did it work. After that, I ask what’s in it and is it natural or does it contain any ingredients that might harm me.
The Wild Growth Hair Oil contains a lot of natural ingredients such as oils and vitamins that are good for the scalp and hair.
After looking at the ingredients of Wild Growth Hair Oil, it’s easy to see it as a nutrient formulation for hair. It has three different types of healthy oils in it: olive oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil.
For centuries, women have used oils on their hair and body as a luxurious way to soften the hair and skin. Even the girls preparing to be queens used rituals that included oils like jojoba and coconut oil. The king had to have a queen who had soft smooth hair!
After all, everyone knows that the softer your hair and skin is, the more approachable you look. So these primary ingredients have a history of use by smart women who lived decades or centuries before us.
Brand: Wild Growth Oil Contains: 4 Oz 100% Natural Ingredients
Price: Between $8 and $10
The vitamins in the Wild Growth Hair Oil include vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A, and choline. Some of the latest research studies on animals are discovering that vitamin D is important for hair to grow. This vitamin is in this formula. Surprisingly, you won’t find vitamin D in a lot of other hair growth formulas on the market.
Vitamin E and A have been used in topical ointments for years for skin (and scalp). They may help with cell differentiation and cell growth, too.
The product also contains some minerals and other plant substances such as magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and chlorophyll. These are as natural as you can get. Magnesium and phosphorus don’t really have any link to hair growth; however, the product formulators must have a reason for why they are included in the product. Of course, magnesium and phosphorus are natural minerals so they wouldn’t harm you in any way.
Iron deficiency is linked to hair loss and there may not be any research supporting the use of topical iron for hair loss, but nevertheless the product works. Chlorophyll is an oxygenator of cells, so the topical application of it may assist in oxygenating the cells of the scalp and bring in more blood flow. This is part of the reason why Minoxidil works – it brings in additional blood flow to the scalp, reports the researchers.
Products always depend on their ingredients so if they use high quality natural ingredients, you can expect good results. Because of the hundreds of good reviews about this product, we can surmise that the ingredients are high quality; otherwise, there would be a lot more negative reviews.
Some of the other ingredients are found in foods, like the squalene, terpenoids (found in herbs), oleuropein, and pinoresinol (in pine). There is natural fragrance and natural color added to it, so it’s possible that someone who is sensitive to a lot of things can be sensitive to it. This might result in itching but most people shouldn’t experience this.
The beauty of using oil like this is that it can relax those natural curls you may have while it heals the scalp. With the high level of nutrients for the hair, Wild Growth Hair Oil can provide the ideal conditions for your hair to grow. That’s step 1 for what to do to grow hair. Step 2 is simply to keep applying the product regularly.
What’s pretty awesome is that you can replace a hot oil treatment with the Wild Growth Hair Oil. At first, I thought other people were fibbing about the growth of their hair and then I figured out how they were getting such good results. It’s obvious. The oil relaxes the hair, straightening it. When you straighten out a curve, you get greater length fast. It makes perfect logical sense.
Wild Growth Hair Oil can make your scalp and hair come alive. People will see your hair shining and looking its best and know your hair is healthy.
You don’t have to use a whole lot of the oil to get results. In fact, if you use too much, your hair will be dripping, so just use enough to get the results. You can use it after shampooing and conditioning. I know some people don’t like the smell of it and I think if the smell is that horrendous to them, there’s a reason for it so they shouldn’t use it. (kind of like dating – you wouldn’t date someone who didn’t smell right, would you?)
Anyway, I give the product a 4.4 out of 5 just because it works and contains all the natural ingredients that create the right conditions so your hair can grow. You don’t ever have to worry about using something that’s bad for your body with Wild Growth Hair Oil.
All shampoo is not created equal. You need one that does it all — promotes a healthy scalp, keeps your scalp moisturized and conditioned, and makes sure all your hair follicles and hair strands are clean and ready to grow. Your shampoo should be helping your natural hair growth cycle work at full power.
Of course, there are tons of shampoos to choose from. Go to any grocery or pharmacy and you’ll see entire walls dedicated to shampoos. They all claim that they’re “#1 doctor recommended” and “best formula for hair growth,” but don’t be fooled.
If you want a shampoo that will help your hair grow to its full potential, you need to look at the label and make sure it includes two things: biotin and hydrolyzed keratin.
Let’s talk about why these two ingredients are so important for a quality shampoo.
The Benefits of Biotin
Biotin is the most important (and most well-known) of the vitamin B complexes. There’s a reason why so many research articles and lists have it so high on their list of nutrients for hair growth. It really is one of the most important parts of a hair growth diet.
In fact, biotin is so important that if your body is at severe biotin deficiency, you can start experiencing hair loss, just like that!
Biotin is water-soluble, meaning that the body doesn’t naturally produce it. Most people get enough from their diets — foods like eggs, nuts, grains, and milk are great sources of biotin. But assuming that you’re getting enough is not enough. it’s importance is why so many experts recommend it as a main ingredient in your shampoo.
Biotin is crucial not only because it encourages hair growth, but because it also helps make sure that your hair cells are working properly. When your hair cells aren’t working as they should, your hair can become brittle and dry.
Brittle and dry hair leads to hair that falls out…something absolutely nobody wants.
Biotin is one of the best nutrients to prevent hair breakage. It’ll give you strong hair that you can pull on without worrying about strands coming out. And stronger hair means longer hair.
Hydrolyzed Keratin
You know how important protein is in your diet, but did you ever think why that is?
Well, protein, keratin protein in particular, makes up 90% of your hair. Keratin is a special structural protein that protects and strengthens. When you get protein treatments, that is replenishing your strands with proteins that will give you volume and make your hair more resilient to the elements.
Hydrolyzed keratin in particular is what you want to look for in your shampoo. When we say it’s hydrolyzed, we just mean that it’s broken up into smaller pieces. The protein is smaller, and so it can more easily penetrate hair strands…better than regular keratin protein.
Keratin has a unique strength and protective quality. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein particles are known to fill in the cracks along damaged areas in the hair shaft subsequently strengthening the hair, increasing elasticity and volume.
Due to its moisture binding capabilities, Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein increases the moisture content in the hair, restoring luster, body, and increasing manageability. Keratin has always been a staple nutrient in hair care, but adding this special form will definitely give your results a boost.
How to get the best results from your shampoo
Ok, so you know the two most ingredients to include in your shampoo. Now how do you make sure that they’re working at full potential?
Even though we’ve been shampooing our hair forever, many people still get it wrong. And when you’re not washing correctly, the nutrients and vitamins in your product will not work as they should.
Here are 3 simple tips to get the best results from your biotin and keratin-infused shampoo:
1- Start with a Hot Rinse: Get your hair completely wet (with hot water) before washing. This will open up your cuticle and help remove any dirt or product that may be trapped. Your hair will be much better at absorbing the nutrients in your shampoo.
2- Wash less often: You’d be surprised at how many people still wash their hair everyday. Unless you have extremely oily hair, you should only wash 2-3 times per week. Over-washing will strip your hair of the biotin and keratin that you just worked in!
3- Finish with a Cold Rinse: Cold water will close up the cuticle, keeping all those vitamins and nutrients locked into your hair strands. Plus it will help make your hair shinier since it will better reflect light.
Conclusion
There are lots of vitamins and nutrients that are great for hair growth, but biotin and hydrolyzed keratin stand out. The next time you’re buying shampoo, look for an all-natural formula that includes these two ingredients. With consistent use, you’ll notice a boost in hair growth.
It’s also important to remember that shampoo is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want to see real results, you need a proper diet, and a proper routine overall to make sure your body is able to do what it’s supposed to.
Don’t get too caught up in the marketing. Just read the label and look for these key ingredients. Good luck!
If you’re like most people, you probably wash your hair pretty frequently, if not on a daily basis. Wouldn’t it be nice if just the act of washing your hair would stimulate hair growth? Well, in a way it can no matter what shampoo you use. If you take the time to thoroughly and gently massage your scalp as you wash your hair, this is an important form of hair therapy. Massaging your scalp helps stimulate and increase blood flow to the scalp, and your hair follicles absolutely need plenty of nutrient-rich blood to grow and keep health hair. What about the shampoo that you use? What is the best shampoo for hair growth?
What’s Really in that Bottle of Shampoo?
What I want to do is first describe what you do not want in your shampoo. It has always mystified me that products like shampoo that should not only help you clean your hair but also keep it healthy, often wind up containing ingredients that might actually be doing more harm than good! That’s the problem with large-scale manufacturing and business – they often do things that add dollars to the bottom line without caring or realizing that what they’re doing is not in the best interests of the consumers that buy their products and keep them in business! Look at the ingredients of any shampoo you use or are considering. If it has any of the following, put it right back on the shelf and keep looking:
Sulfates. These are strong chemical detergents found not only in some shampoos but also in dish detergent. That should be a clue right there that they’re probably not something you want on your scalp or in your hair. They can cause itching, irritation and redness. They help make shampoo foamy, but the price you pay for some extra suds is very much not worth it!
Polysorbates. These chemicals help oil and water stick to each other, so it gets put into hair products to dissolve the fragrance and various oil ingredients into the shampoo. You’ll find it mostly in conditioners, but it’s also in some shampoos, and it’s one you definitely don’t want in any of your hair products. It can totally upset the pH balance of your skin and break down protective barriers.
Isopropyl Alcohol. This is a cleaner that comes from petroleum and is great at dissolving oils, which is why you’ll find it in antifreeze, wood finishes and even shellac, but you shouldn’t let it anywhere near your hair. It’s extremely drying, which is not what you want for your scalp or your hair. Excessive dryness can lead to both hair damage and loss.
Formaldehyde. This one is a preservative. At some point in your life you’ve probably seen something icky in a jar, preserved by formaldehyde. Sure, it kills bacteria, but it also causes cancer and be very irritating to your eyes, respiratory system and inflame the skin. Steer clear of formaldehyde!
Hydrolysed Collagen. You’ve probably heard the importance of collagen to both skin and hair, and it’s true. So this one doesn’t cause any damage, but it’s also completely useless in a shampoo. The collagen molecule is too big to be absorbed by the skin, so any shampoo claiming benefits from its collagen ingredients is just blowing smoke.
Parabens. Look for ingredients such as methylparaben and propylparaben. These are more preservatives that can not only irritate your scalp, they can even upset your body’s hormonal balance.
Propylene Glycol. This is another form of alcohol, which means it can cause excessive drying (and oddly enough is found in many skin-moisturizing lotions). It’s also a detergent that helps the cleaning power of shampoo really penetrate your hair, but it also causes important proteins your hair needs to deteriorate, and can also irritate those with sensitive eyes and skin. And if you see another form of glycol called polyethylene glycol, that one’s a cancer-causer.
So the overall problem with all these chemicals is that many shampoos are just too harsh. Your scalp produces natural sebaceous oils that help keep your hair healthy, and there’s also good bacteria that also help keep hair healthy. The harsh detergents and antibacterial preservatives in many shampoos strip your hair of all that natural good stuff, leaving hair vulnerable to damage and your scalp open to invasion by all kinds of less kind pathogenic organisms that can cause irritations and infections. Any chemicals strong enough to eliminate your natural sebaceous oils are also undoubtedly damaging your hair follicles, which can only serve to accelerate hair loss. You also can’t necessarily trust any label on a shampoo bottle that says “natural.” Take the time to look at the ingredients and you’ll more than likely find that even many “natural” shampoos are full of suspicious chemicals.
What You DO Want in a Shampoo?
So what sorts of things do you actually want to see in a shampoo? Here’s the run-down:
Nut and seed oils. Look for jojoba, avocado and shea, all of which help moisturize your hair and make it shine while at the same time helping to eliminate any oily build-up.
Acidic ingredients. Cirtic acid or sodium citrate a great because the give shampoo the right pH balance to clean your hair while at the same time making your hair cuticles lay down nice and flat, which give hair a smoother, shinier look.
Panthenol. This is a kind of vitamin B, which means it will help make your hair follicles thicker as well as promote shine and moisture retention.
Glycerin. This one forms a protective barrier for follicles that helps seal in moisture.
Hmmm… are you noticing something here? The list of bad ingredients in shampoos is much longer than the list of good ingredients. In a way, that shouldn’t be surprising. Simpler is often better. Your shampoo simply shouldn’t have a mile-long list of ingredients with names so complex you can’t even read them. For those of you who might have thought I was going to recommend specific brands of shampoo, that wasn’t the point of what I wanted to do, which was to educate you about what to look for in shampoos so that you can make your own informed choice. After all, you need to find one that works for you. So to answer the question of what is the best shampoo for hair growth, the answer is simple – the one that has the fewest and most natural ingredients that works for you. Happy hunting!
Many people suffer from hair loss each year. They need hair growth to regain their sense of social confidence. Since many cases of hair loss are not considered that important by medical doctors, you may have to resort to natural remedies for the problem.
Home remedies for hair growth have been around for years. Some work while others don’t. The primary thing to remember about them is that if the remedy provides the missing link to why you have hair loss, it will work. If not, it won’t and you’ll have to try again.
Here are 10 home remedies for hair growth that you can start testing out yourself:
1. Rosemary oil
For this home remedy, you’ll need about 12 drops rosemary oil and 12 drops jojoba oil. Mix together in small bowl and apply with fingertips to scalp. Then cover your hair with a cap and leave it on for a few hours. Then shampoo it out.
2. Nettles
Nettles is one of the herbs that is high in silica. Although silica isn’t recognized as a nutrient essential for humans or animals, it really is. We suffer from all sorts of connective tissue diseases when we don’t have enough silica in our body. Nettles are anti-inflammatory which can interfere with inflammatory compounds causing a hair loss problem. Take the capsules daily – two capsules twice daily or make a tea with one teaspoon dried nettles and then apply onto scalp after shampooing.
3. Silica
By feeding the connective tissue, this one of the home remedies for hair growth works for about 90% of those with hair loss; that’s what I’ve found. It encourages growth of the hair. You’ll be able to see much faster growth in about 2-4 weeks, as you notice your haircut is long overdue. If you purchase silica capsules at a health food store, take 6-10 capsules daily. If you take diatomaceous earth powder, get the loose powder from feed stores marked USDA Food Grade and take one heaping tablespoon twice daily.
4. The herb ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo sends blood circulation to the head and scalp while making you feel much more intellectually alive. One to two cups of tea daily is all you need; drink it.
5. The herb saw palmetto
Interestingly, this herb works by decreasing the amount of testosterone in the scalp, which has been linked to hair loss. Some health experts report it’s better than Rogaine. Take two capsules twice daily.
6. The herb Pygeum
This herb is similar in its action to that of saw palmetto. Take the same dose as in saw palmetto.
7. Biotin and folic acid
Taking 3-5 mg of each of these may stop hair loss if your hair loss is due to a biotin or folic acid deficiency. But don’t forget to add a regular B complex to your dietary supplements so you don’t create any imbalances in nutrients.
8. Tea tree oil
It’s possible you may have picked up a mite or parasite or fungus which is causing your hair loss. Stop it with a tea tree oil scalp massage applied once daily for three or more days. Shampoo after letting it soak into the scalp for a few hours.
9. Fo-Ti herb
This herb has been known to turn back gray hair coloring while it stops high levels of testosterone from damaging your crop of head hair. Amazing herb! Take two capsules twice daily.
10. Diatomaceous Earth
This one is my favorite. Diatomaceous earth is the tiny bodies of diatoms from sea creatures that are high in the element silica. What’s really important about this is that silica is one of the most essential elements yet it’s rarely included in multivitamins and minerals. Smart hair, skin and nails supplement companies have included small amounts in their supplements for years and have created silica supplements for hair in capsule form that is outrageously expensive and meant to gouge the pockets of those who want to look beautiful.
But now you can be smarter than these supplement companies by going right to the source and getting diatomaceous earth from the feed stores. This is fed to animals, used on the garden and in the pool and will truly make your hair grow wild. I’ve seen this one work wonders for hair growth – it even helps increase the numbers of hairs on the head and the length will grow exceptionally long for you despite your genetics. Here’s why: everyone is deficient in this element as its levels in the soil have dwindled drastically. Deficiencies affect all the connective tissues in the body: the hair, skin, nails, lungs, colon, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. Not only will your hair grow with this one but your nails will, too.
The recommended amount per day is two heaping tablespoons daily. Simply mix it into juice, milk, protein shake or yogurt. The flavor isn’t bad at all.
Discover which of these home remedies for hair growth works best for you! Then let me know!
Is there anything more stunning than long, luscious locks? Throughout history, the world’s most beautiful women have been portrayed in art and fashion with flowing manes of long straight hair.
But, as most of us know, that can be a hard look to achieve. While some are blessed with naturally healthy hair, most people need to put a bit of effort into getting the best results.
Helpful Tips For Long Straight Hair
Keeping long straight hair healthy and shiny does take a certain commitment. It takes longer to wash and dry, and can be prone to problems if left unkempt.
The good news is that there are some easy tips you can follow to bring back health and shine. This helpful information will also be helpful if you are only just starting to grow your hair out.
1. Avoid Over-Washing Your Hair
One of the most important things to learn about long hair is that you shouldn’t over wash it. If you’ve been used to short hair, the temptation is to shampoo it every time you get in the shower.
If you do that with long hair, you risk drying it out, which will lead to breakage and split ends. If your hair feels brittle, and breaks easily when you brush it, that’s probably the cause.
2. Choose The Right Hair Brush
Talking about brushing your hair, the type of brush you choose will also make a big difference to the look and feel of your hair. Your best choice is a brush specifically designed for long hair, made from wood and bristles.
Your brush should be quite soft and you should always brush your hair slowly and gently. Long hair can be prone to knots and tangles but being rough isn’t the answer. The best way to detangle your hair when wet, is with a wide toothed comb.
3. Keeping Your Cool
Long straight hair can also be damaged by excessive hairdryer use. Understandably you will need to blow-dry your hair sometimes, to keep it straight and shiny, but here’s some helpful advice.
Before you start blow-drying your hair, it’s best to apply a heat-protectant product. And try and avoid using the highest heat setting. The ‘cool’ setting will dry your hair just as well, without causing as much damage.
The same rules apply to any hair styling appliance that uses heat. Always protect your hair first and choose products recommended for long hair.
4. Avoiding Breakage
You might not know it, but drying your hair with a normal towel can also cause damage. A rough dry towel can damage the hair shaft, causing breakage.
The experts recommend using a microfiber towel and just blot and squeeze the hair dry, rather than rubbing it.
For much the same reason, many people swear by using only satin or silk pillowcases, as they believe cotton is too dry for both your hair and your skin.
Whenever possible, allow your hair to dry naturally. And if you’re not going out, set aside a few hours to apply a hair treatment. The longer you can leave it on, the better.
5. Natural Oils For Shine And Growth
Some of the best hair treatments are made from natural oils – and different oils suit different purposes. For example, olive hair is excellent for hair growth. You’ve probably seen pictures of those ancient Egyptians, with their shiny, long straight hair? Well, their secret was olive oil.
Another natural oil that comes highly recommended for hair growth is coconut oil. This will also protect and moisturize your hair and scalp. It is also antibacterial, making it great for dandruff.
As with any natural oil treatment, the best way to use it for long straight hair is to apply it before shampooing. Take time to massage it into your scalp and hair, and then leave it for at least 30 minutes. Two to four hours is better.
6. Choose Your Shampoo Carefully
Then simply shampoo and condition your hair as normal. Remember, the type of shampoo and conditioner you choose will also make a big difference to the health of your hair.
There are certain ingredients you really don’t want to see on your shampoo bottle, such as sulfates, formaldehyde, parabens and propylene glycol. These chemical-based products can cause dryness and damage to your hair and certainly won’t do any good.
Instead, choose shampoos that contain natural ingredients, like nut and seed oil. Acidic ingredients are good, too, to give you the right pH balance. That’s why rinsing your hair in apple cider vinegar will leave it super shiny!
7. Essential Herbs And Vitamins
In fact, there are quite a few home remedies you can use to improve the condition of your long straight hair. Silica is a very important ingredient for hair growth and that can be found nettles. If you can’t find the real thing, try taking silica capsules.
The herb ginkgo biloba is also excellent for hair growth, as it boosts blood circulation to the head and scalp.
Now, we’ve talked a lot regarding what to use ON your hair, but there is another really important aspect to achieving those luscious locks. And that’s what we put inside our bodies.
Just as it affects our general health, what we eat also has a big impact on the health of our hair. We’ve already talked about silica, which is excellent for hair and nails, but there are some other vitamins you need, too.
8. Avoiding And Treating Hair Loss
The best four vitamins for hair growth are biotin, folic acid, vitamin D and the B Complex vitamins. Vitamin D is one of the most under-rated vitamins. For example, if you’ve been experiencing hair loss, that could be due to a vitamin D deficiency.
Hair loss can also be caused by stress, grief, illness or by eating the wrong diet. Pregnancy, too, can cause your hair to fall out. But before you panic, hair loss can often be short-term and can be treated with the right vitamins and products.
Grow Your Best Hair Ever
If you do have long straight hair and you want to keep it looking good all year round, it will require a little work. But nobody ever said beauty came easily, right?
The good news is that whatever you do to improve your hair, will most likely be beneficial to your general health and wellbeing, too. So for your best hair ever, take those first steps today.
In all the research I’ve done on various ways to stimulate hair growth and keep hair healthy, perhaps the single most interesting and unexpected finding I’ve come across is using castor oil for hair growth. This is without doubt one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to having a full head of gorgeous hair. Castor oil is considered a vegetable oil, and it’s obtained by pressing the seeds (called castor beans, even though they aren’t true beans) of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).
The plant originates in the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, eastern Africa and India, but it is commonly grown as an ornamental plant throughout many tropical regions, especially variations with reddish leaves and flowers. It’s important to be aware that the plant and its beans constitute one of the most poisonous plants in the world. If you ate a handful of the seeds and didn’t get immediate medical attention, it could very well be fatal. The toxin it contains is called ricin, which is obviously removed from castor oil products. I only mention all of this in case you get the idea to grow your own plants and try to make your own castor oil. Don’t do it!
With that quick disclaimer, let’s get into the huge benefits you can reap by using castor oil for hair growth and health. If you’re like me, you’ll wonder how you haven’t heard of this wonder hair treatment before! Here are seven major benefits of using castor oil on your hair:
Castor Oil Hair Care
Reduces Hair Loss. With all the styling, drying, coloring and other things we do to our hair, not to mention the genetics we inherit, hair loss is an all too common and psychologically depressing occurrence for many people. Using castor oil on your scalp and hair helps protect it because of the ricinoleic acid it contains, which both protects your hair and stimulates nutrient-rich bloodflow to your scalp that keeps hair strong, healthy and intact. Ricinoleic acid makes up about 90% of castor oil, so it’s definitely one of the richest sources of this hair tonic you’ll find anywhere.
Stimulates Hair Growth. The act of applying castor oil by gently massaging it into your scalp and hair boosts circulation of blood to the scalp and hair follicles, which is essential to stimulating hair growth. But the oil itself also helps because of its high omega-6 fatty acid content, which is another important component in growing healthy hair. Well-nourished hair will be stronger, more resilient, and less prone to falling out prematurely.
Fights Scalp Infections. Various pathogenic microbes can take root in the scalp and cause all kinds of trouble, from bald patches to itchiness, all of which can stall out hair growth. Castor oil has natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and even anti-viral properties that will help wipe out any pathogenic organisms that can cause a variety of scalp and hair issues, including follliculitus, ringworm and peidra.
Controls Split Ends and Hair Breakage. Castor oils rich levels of vitamin E, amino acids, and omega-6 fatty acids help put a stop to both split ends and breakage by penetrating deep into your scalp and smoothening out rough hair cuticles (the hard, outermost part of the hair shaft).
Moisturizes and Conditions. There are omega-9 acids in castor oil that help lock moisture into both your hair and scalp, making it a surprisingly effective conditioner. Because dry scalp can lead to dandruff, making regular use of castor oil can help keep that problem under control as it moisturizes your scalp. Castor oil has the ability to penetrate dry and damaged hair to heal and restore it.
Gives Hair a Beautiful Shine and Silky Feel. By coating each shaft of hair and locking in moisture, castor oil leads to a natural luster as well as a smoother, silkier feel. Note also that castor oil tends to give hair a richer, darker hue due to its humectant effect and nutrients.
Increases Thickness of Hair. Both the omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids will help make your hair feel thicker, giving a real boost to its volume.
Heal and Regrow Eyebrows and Eyelashes. If you find yourself needing to regrow or thicken thin eyebrows, castor oil is probably your best bet. You can also use it to repair and strengthen your eyelashes as well. Use a mascara brush to apply it to your eyelashes.
How to Use Castor Oil for Hair Growth?
The first thing to be aware of is that you want to use an unrefined castor oil product because that will have many more of the nutrients that make your hair healthier. Also know that castor oil is quite viscous, meaning you’ll find it a lot thicker and stickier than other oils, so you might consider mixing it with a lighter oil to make it easier to work with. Coconut, olive or almond oils are good choices to mix with castor oil. Choosing an oil with a pleasing odor will also make your hair smell great (who doesn’t like the smell of coconut?).
A good rule of thumb here is that the longer you’re going to leave it in, the less you should use. It’s powerful stuff, and you don’t want to overdo it. If you only use a small amount, feel freet o use it on a daily basis as an added conditioner. Leave it in a good 15-30 minutes before washing your hair with your favorite shampoo. For longer treatments, use less, massaging it into your scalp and throughout your hair in sections, then wrap your hair in a moist, warm towel for an hour. If you leave it in overnight, be sure to wear a shower cap. To reduce the messiness of the whole process, you can also try using an applicator like a hair dye dispensing bottle or brush instead of your hands. Although you won’t see substantial improvements immediately, after about a month or so of regular use, you’ll notice all of the amazing benefits of using castor oil for hair growth and health.
Essential oils (or simply EOs) are a popular natural hair care product. Sadly, when it comes to hair oils, not many people understand how different types of oil should be used and what affect they have on our hair and scalp. In this article, I’m going to talk about what essential oils are, how to use them and how they differ from other types of hair oils.
Essential Oil Basics
Let’s begin with the name. Oils are called essential because they carry a very strong essence (or scent) of the plants that they have been extracted from. Essential oils penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and should be used with care – only a few drops of EO are usually used.
Now, most hair care regimens recommend mixing EOs with carrier oils such as castor, almond, olive, jojoba, sesame and so on. Carrier oils help to hold essential oils, making them easier to apply and preventing any unwanted side-effects of using strong EOs. Hard oils, such as coconut oil, are rarely mixed with EOs.
Popular Essential Oils
Below are quick descriptions of some of the most popular essential oils out there.
Peppermint oil: A very strong essential oil that has a strong scent and a pleasant cooling effect on the scalp. Peppermint oil should not be used undiluted, because it can easily burn the skin causing serious damage. Normally just 2-3 drops of peppermint EO is enough to give any hair oil mixture pleasant cooling and refreshing properties. The main benefit of using peppermint oil on hair is that it stimulates blood flow to the scalp, thus helping your body deliver more nutrients and minerals to the hair follicles.
Tea Tree oil: Another popular EO that is known for its superb fungus-fighting properties. Tea tree oil is often used to treat issues with itchy and flaky scalp. These annoying conditions are usually caused by fungus that can also cause dandruff and tea tree oil is a good all-natural way to keep this fungus growth under control.
Remember that tea tree oil should not be applied undiluted in its pure form as it may cause damage/burns. Mix it with a carrier oil or put a little tea tree EO into your normal shampoo/conditioner. Another thing to keep in mind is that too much tea tree oil (or simply using it too often) can lead to scalp/skin dryness, which is not a good thing.
Rosemary oil: This oil has a very, very strong scent that is also quite pleasant. For this reason, it is often added to other oils to improve the way your hair/skin smells after an oil treatment. Some people claim that rosemary EO can help with hair regrowth, though it’s really hard to confirm these reports because rosemary oil is practically always used as an ingredient in a mix of different oils. Do not use rosemary oil undiluted!
Lavender oil: This commonly used EO is a little controversial as it is thought to increase estrogen production, especially in young boys. The effects that this strange property has on adults are not very well studied. Lavender oil is often used as an ingredient in complex EO and carrier oil mixes as well as found in many hair care products.
Ylang Ylang oil: Another oil that has a very strong scent and should be used sparingly. Ylang Ylang smells a bit like jasmine and can be overwhelming if overused. Whether this EO helps with hair growth is very difficult to tell, but it does seem to help moisturize and relieve tension from the scalp! Just remember to mix Ylang Ylang with other EOs as well as some carrier oil/oils – do not use it on its own!
Thyme: Used to treat various skin, ear and mouth infections, thyme oil is also found in most potent hair growth products. It is not clear exactly how and why it works so well to treat certain types of hair loss, but it has been proven to work over and over again (only when used in a special mix with other oils though)!
How to Use Essential Oils
One thing that you must remember about essential oils is not to use them undiluted! They are usually very strong and, if overused, can cause serious skin burns as well as other health issues (such as high blood pressure, headaches and so on). People with high blood pressure should avoid using rosemary oil.
Now, for hundreds of years people have been using EOs to treat hair loss, so they are definitely worth trying. Most people either mix 1-3 drops of their favorite EO into shampoo/conditioner or add some to their pre-shampoo oil treatments.
Another thing about EOs that seems to come up time and time again is that they work best when used in conjunction with other oils. This makes it very difficult to pinpoint exactly why EOs help with hair loss and growth.
One of the most popular (and potent) essential oil recipes for hair growth is:
2 drops of Cedarwood EO
2 drops of thyme EO
2-3 drops of rosemary EO
2-3 drops of lavender EO
3-5 teaspoons of grape seed oil
About half a teaspoon of jojoba oil
Mix all of the above oils together and then massage the mixture into your scalp (especially the areas where hair loss is occurring). Wrap your head in a towel or something to keep it warm. Now, depending on how your scalp and hair react to this treatment, you have two choices: either wait 30 minutes and then wash it all out, or keep it in overnight and wash your hair in the morning. Do not overdo this; just two treatments per week should be enough.
When it comes to figuring out how to make hair grow faster, it’s important to cut through the hype and myths, not to mention all those marketers out there trying to make a quick buck selling you products that may or may not get the results you’re looking for. In this article, I draw upon only the best sources of information out there in order to give you the truth about many different aspects of hair growth, whether you’re interested in just learning about what makes your hair grow, how to make hair grow longer, or how to make hair grow faster naturally.
Is There a Worldwide Epidemic of Hair Loss?
A recent study by Relevant Research, Inc. for the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, found the following (source):
Number of hair loss sufferers worldwide seeking professional treatment
811,363
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 35
40 %
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 60
65 %
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 80
70 %
Percent of women who will have noticeable hair loss by age 60
80 %
Percent of male patients that use a minoxidil (such as Rogaine)
85 %
Percent of male patients that use a finasteride (such as Propecia)
15 %
Percent of all patients that had a negative reaction to any hair loss treatement
7 %
Percent of hair loss sufferers who would spend their life savings to regain a full head of hair
47 %
Percent of hair loss sufferers who said they would rather have more hair than money or friends
60 %
Clearly, there are a lot of people all around the world who are concerned about the state of their hair as it thins and disappears. I think it’s worth taking a good look at the science of hair growth to find out what’s really happening.
The Science of Hair Growth
What does the medical community have to say about hair growth? You can be sure that doctors all around the world have had to deal with patients concerned about hair growth and hair loss issues. Here is the collective wisdom the scientific medical community has come up with, as found at the WebMD website:
What is Hair Made of? It’s fascinating to think that as of week 22, a human fetus developing in the womb has already formed all of its hair follicles! There are typically around 5 million hair follicles all over the body, with the only exceptions being the palms of the hands, bottoms of the feet, lips and eyelids (except, of course, for the eyelashes). There are a million hair follicles just on the human head, with 100,000 of those found on the scalp. Everyone tends to say that hair is “dead,” but there is a living part to hair, but we can’t see it because it’s below the skin. At the base of the follicle is a bulb of living cells that divide surprisingly fast – every 23 to 72 hours, which is faster than most other cells in the human body. Those bulb cells are fed by the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) of the papilla that the bulb surrounds. It is true that the hair we see growing is in fact dead. It’s made of a protein called keratin.
How Fast Does Hair Grow?
The hair growing from your scalp tends to grow at a rate of about .3 to .4 mm/day, which overall translates into about 6 inches (15.24 cm) per year. You’ve probably noticed that out in nature, it’s pretty common for many animals to grow more hair or shed hair according to the seasons. This is not the case with humans – there is no seasonal variation in hair growth for us! We do, however, shed. In fact, there are three distinct stages in the hair growth cycle. A hair’s active phase is called anagen. Those cells at the base of the follicle are dividing away quite rapidly and pushing a new hair up through the follicle, if there’s an old hair already present that is no longer growing (called a club), it will get pushed up and out of the follicle. This anagen phase can last for 2-6 years, during which time the hair can grow as fast as 1 centimeter every 28 days. The hair on your arms and legs has a much shorter anagen phase, to the tune of 30-45 days, which is why those hairs don’t get very long – and isn’t that a relief to know? Then comes the catagen phase, which applies to about 3% of your hairs at any given moment. In this phase the individual hair has stopped growing and is becoming a club hair. In the final phase of hair growth, the telogen phase, the hair has made the final transition to being a club. It is at rest and will typically stick around for about 100 days before it gets pushed out by a new hair. On average, people lose about 25-100 telogen hairs each day. If you pull a telogen hair out at the root, you’ll find a bit of hard white material around the base of the hair.
At this point, you may be wondering, “What does any of this have to do with how to make my hair grow faster?” What you first have to realize is that there’s no magic solution that will make your hair grow faster or make your hair longer. If you want your hair to be longer, don’t cut it. If you want your hair to grow faster, there are some things you can do that will let it grow at the fastest rate possible, but you’re never going to beat the overall average by anything significant. In other words, your hair may be growing slower than it should, and you can address that. There is also a common myth out there that when you cut or shave your hair it seems to grow faster. This is not true. What is true is that shaving can make hair seem thicker when it grows back in, but it’s definitely not growing any faster.
What you’re really aiming for is to improve the general health and quality of your hair, which will include normal growth. I’m going to take a different approach, and it’s one that you won’t see taken in most of the articles about hair growth you’ll read on the Internet. I want you to understand the following statement very clearly:
You Hair Will Only Be As Healthy As The Rest Of You
That statement is the most basic truth you must accept when it comes to how to make hair grow faster. The healthier you are overall, the healthier will be your hair. But please don’t misunderstand me – you can be as healthy as anything and still have hair problems! There’s no guarantee that achieving optimal health will make for a luscious full head of hair, but it does give you your best shot at it! The reason there’s no guarantee is because there’s more at work here than just overall health – you can inherit hair problems through your genes, which can include both male and female pattern baldness. With that said, I believe that human health in general depends on three simple things:
Hydration
Nutrition
Exercise
And the next thing I’m going to suggest is that you can do all three things for yourself in general and for your hair in particular!
Hydration for You and Your Hair
The easiest rule of thumb for hydrating your whole body is the 8/88 rule – drink eight glasses of water each day that are about eight ounces each. If you’re not used to it, it’s harder than you might think, but so worth it in the long run. Those 8/8oz glasses come out to about 2 litres or a half-gallon each and every day. Now, when it comes to specifically hydrating your hair, keeping your whole body hydrated will help. Then, and only if you really need to, you could do a deep conditioning treatment, perhaps once per week if your hair tends to be dry.
Nutrition for You and Your Hair
This is the big one. You’ve probably heard the phrase “You are what you eat.” It’s true, and your hair will reflect it. If you’re more the computer-geek type, back when computers were first being used and everyone had to be a programmer to use one, a common phrase was “Garbage in, garbage out.” This is another one that applies to what you eat. If you eat junky food, then your health and your hair will both decline accordingly. Most everyone knows these days that the best diet of all is one that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (7-9 servings) along with plenty of protein (not necessarily from red meat) and iron. What you want to minimize is all the highly processed food that’s full of fats, sugars, sodium, and all those chemical artificial sweeteners and flavors. Pretty simple, right? It’s not rocket science. But what can you eat that will specifically help your hair? Many people want to know what vitamins make your hair grow, so the following list are the ones that have been linked in some way to hair growth:
Vitamin A is key to hair growth, shine and flexibility.
Vitamin B2 boosts overall health of hair.
Vitamin B5 and B7 help maintain hydration, decrease hair loss, and enhance body and suppleness of hair.
Vitamin B6 regulates sebum production, a natural scalp oil that protects hair.
Vitamin C is said to give hair energy, although I couldn’t verify what that means.
Vitamin E stimulates the flow of blood to the scalp, an essential part of hair growth.
Find foods rich in those items and recipes to cook using them and you’ll be more than on your way to setting the stage for maximum hair growth and health. You can also take supplements, but it’s always better to get your vitamins from the food you eat.
Exercise for You and Your Hair
Do you know the World Health Organization’s minimum guidelines for Exercise? It says the following: Adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. If the idea of hair exercise sounds really strange to you, then you’re in for a surprise. Your hair will be healthier and grow faster (or not as slowly), if you take the time to brush or comb it regularly. What this does is stimulate the scalp, which means better circulation of blood to those living parts of the hair, keeping them vital and healthier. It will also help distribute the sebum that is your body’s natural oil for hair protection. And of course brushing and combing your hair many strokes at a time makes your hair look better and feel softer. Another way to get your hair exercise in is through a regular scalp massage.
Things to Avoid
Besides the obvious advice to avoid being unhealthy, I especially want to reinforce how important it is to avoid things that can really wreck your hair:
Too much stress – It’s not good for your health overall, and anytime you feel like “tearing your hair out” spells actual trouble for your hair as well.
Hair products with silicone – Check your shampoos and other hair products. They should not have silicone in them, which is known to dry your hair out and cause it to deteriorate.
Excessive Sunlight – Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you hide completely from the sun, as some skin doctors would have you do. You need to expose yourself to sunlight because it’s the best way to get your vitamin D, and there are many other benefits as well, but when you get too much sun, you not only put yourself at greater risk for skin cancer, but it wrecks your hair as well.
Harsh treatment – Curling irons, blow dryers, crimping irons, and all the other crazy ways we’ve come up with to bend hair to our will can really damage your hair as well, so use them sparingly. This can even include hair ties, clips and extensions – if they’re always worn in the same place, they can weaken and damage your hair. And should go without saying that bleaching, dyeing, perming is very, very hard on your hair over time.
Untreated health conditions – If you’ve got health problems, they’re probably affecting your hair. Be proactive to address and solve your health problems to have healthy hair.
Ancient Chinese Wisdom for Hair Care
Everything I relayed so far is really coming from a traditional Western perspective on health and sicence. In an effort to give fair play to both Eastern and Western approaches to healthy hair, I thought I’d include what some of my research has revealed for hair care practices in Chinese culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I’m particularly indebted to Joanna Burton, a holistic health and beauty practitioner in Australia for providing me with much of the research she put into her own book on the topic of healthy hair and skin via TCM. After all, the Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world, and the women are renowned for their silky black tresses.
In TCM, human health is governed by groups of major organ-energy systems. Before getting into the details of that, however, there are several simple practices you can incorporate if you want the kind of beautiful hair often associated with traditional Chinese women.
Rice water is a common and very important aspect of Chinese hair care. Rice is such a basic staple in Chinese life that it’s not surprising to see that they’ve discovered how it can be used for hair. Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes, strain out the rice and voila! You now have a lovely hair rinse that you can use like a conditioner, leaving it in for a few minutes after a regular shampooing. This will both strengthen each shaft of hair as well as give it great shine. The really traditional Chinese women actually wouldn’t even use regular shampoo. They would only wash their hair every few days with the rice water!
Combing one’s hair in China is like a sacred ritual. 500 strokes is the standard. The ultimate TCM comb would be one made out of rhino horn, but that’s no longer acceptable given the endangered status of the species. Sheep and ox horn combs can be used to achieve the same types of effects, just not as strongly. The horn material is known to aid in the removal of excess heat and toxins, both of which can impede hair growth.
Other items that can be applied directly to the scalp to encourage hair growth include camellia nut oil, which you would use like a conditioner, as well as ginger. You can use either ginger juice or freshly sliced ginger put directly onto your scalp to stimulate growth. Using ginger in this fashion results in a tingling sensation that is the sign of enhanced blood flow to your scalp that will help you hang on to more of your hair as you age.
Now for the various Chinese dietary guidelines you can take advantage of for getting fabulous hair:
Certain dark nuts and legumes can help prevent or even reverse premature graying of the hair, especially for dark-haired people. You would want to focus on adding plenty of black beans, black sesame seeds and walnuts into your diet. Other foods that can help with graying and/or thinning hair include a number of different oils, including flaxseed, sesame, virgin coconut oils as well as avocado. It is both the liver and kidney organ-energy systems that relate to hair quality, thus any treatments that address those organs’ energy will be helpful as well (such as acupressure, acupuncture, moxibustion and detoxification). Signs that you liver system’s energy needs boosting would be having a pale complexion, experiencing dizziness, having dry, dull skin and hair, and suffering from fatigue. If the kidney system is in need of attention, than can manifest as weak bones, poor teeth, deafness, impotence, infertility, exhaustion, and poor quality hair. As the energy of these organ systems decline with age, that’s why hair thins, gets weak and brittle, goes gray or falls out altogether.
Perhaps the most fascinating of all Chinese herbs for anti-aging and hair is one called Polygonum multiflorum, or He Shou Wu. The Chinese name literally translates into “Black-Haired Mr. He.” There are many similar folk tales that relate to this herb that all follow the same basic idea: Mr. He began taking a wild herb he found growing in the forest. After a time, not only did his graying hair turn back to its original black, many of his other health problems vanished and he lived to be 160 years old, so the herb is named after him. Not surprisingly TCM classifies this important herb as a kidney, liver and blood tonic, which explains why it is applied for both hair issues and longevity. However, its potency requires that you only use it with the direction of a qualified TCM practitioner.
Other herbal medicines that can help hair by bolstering kidney and blood energies include Rehmannia root, fo-ti root, dong-quai root, quince fruit, and Gastrodia rhizome. Foods that can be eaten to aid in the same process would be Hijiki seaweed, blackstrap molasses, black sesame seeds, nettles, wheatgrass and chlorophyll.
If you are suffering from hair loss, you can be very proactive by acupuncture geared towards tonifying the kidney organ energy system as well as a specific form scalp acupuncture using a 7-star plum blossom needle. This is an instrument that holds multiple needles in a star pattern that can be used to tap the scalp. In 2004, the Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion reported that among 110 balding people who underwent 7-star needle acupuncture therapy, the treatment was 99.1% effective and resulted in total cure rate of 83.6%. That is very impressive!
Conclusion
This article has given you a solid summary of everything you need to know from both Western and Eastern perspective to achieve the healthy head of hair you’ve been wanting. You’ve even found out how to make hair grow faster, which really means getting your hair to grow as fast as is humanly possible, by focusing on your overall health, which is the key to healthy hair as well.
Iron deficiency is frequently linked to hair loss, although this very simple condition often goes misdiagnosed or ignored until it’s too late. In this article, I’m going to give you some basic information on how iron and other minerals affect hair growth and what you should do about it.
How Does Iron Affect Hair Growth?
Since hair growth is a continuous metabolic (hence “growth”) process, it requires a constant supply of essential vitamins and minerals in order to function well. It’s long been known that iron and vitamin D are both extremely important to our metabolism and any deficiencies can have serious adverse effects.
Curiously, hair growth is considered to be a non-essential process (by the body), which means that it’s always one of the last things on your body’s to-do list. For this reason, vitamin and mineral deficiencies have such a strong effect on hair growth: there’s simply not enough “fuel” left over for these not-very-important processes, and so they are ignored.
Now, practically anyone can suffer from an iron deficiency. Some of the most common risk factors are:
Following a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Women of menstruating age (blood loss during periods leads to chronic iron deficiency when combined with an unhealthy diet).
People who suffer from various health conditions such as anemia.
Possible iron deficiency symptoms are: difficulty sleeping, increased anxiety levels, chronic fatigue, depression, skin that’s very sensitive to cold, brittle nails, muscle weakness, and so on. The most important thing is to get proper blood tests done. These tests are not expensive, just ask your doctor to check your blood iron levels. Never self-supplement with iron without a proper diagnosis.
Does Supplementation Help?
If your hair loss was caused by an iron deficiency, taking supplements will surely help. Sadly, making an accurate diagnosis can often be very difficult, because hair loss can be caused by a huge range of factors. Normally however, both men and women with severe iron deficiency experience slow, gradual decline of hair density on the scalp (which, unlike pattern baldness, affects the entire scalp).
Iron deficiencies are almost always accompanied by other vitamin/mineral deficiencies as well as the inability to absorb certain minerals from food (either due to a medical condition or poor diet). For this reason, most people who take iron supplements should also be taking a multivitamin that includes vitamins C and D. Vitamin C is particularly important for absorption of iron.
Foods like lean red meat (sirloin steak), green leafy vegetables (spinach), lentils, beans (especially kidney beans), dried apricots, and so on also contain iron. Studies show that protein-based iron sources are by far the best way to replenish our iron supplies (which means eating lean red meat, skinless and boneless chicken breast, turkey breast, etc).
Remember that iron deficiencies take a long time to develop and an even longer time to go away completely. Sadly, normal hair/nail growth can take many months (normally between 3 to 6 months) to resume, so be patient and do not just assume that your treatment didn’t work.
Have you heard celebrities talk about the benefits of taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth? The big question is whether or not this is true.
Many women find that their hair does grow exceptionally long during pregnancy, but does that mean that the two are related? Pregnant women also do other things like eat odd food combinations; maybe these are related!
Two Physiological Reasons Why Hair Grows During Pregnancy
The fact is that a woman’s hair grows fast during pregnancy, not because she is taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth, but because of her hormones. The higher levels of estrogen during pregnancy allow the hairs to essentially stay on the head longer before they are shed.
Scientifically speaking, the estrogen-influenced hairs stay in the anagen phase (when they grow) before they progress to the telogen phase where shedding occurs. This results in thicker and longer hair.
Another reason is that the circulation is expanded in the pregnant woman’s body so that the baby can get more nutrients it needs, especially oxygen. Extra blood vessels and capillaries begin to grow and every part of the body including the scalp receives more blood flow. With more blood flow, it’s easy for hair follicles to grow.
It’s a coincidence that the woman is taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth. Or is it?
What About Nutritional Reasons?
Actually, we have to identify what’s in prenatal vitamins for hair growth to see if the nutrients may be part of the reason why a pregnant woman’s hair does grow thicker. Comparing a prenatal vitamin to a regular multivitamin, you won’t find much difference. The average prenatal vitamin formula has more iron and more folate and usually more biotin.
The nutrients cited in medical studies that may be responsible for hair growth include biotin, iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D.
The average prenatal vitamin contains the following amounts of these hair growth nutrients:
• Biotin – 300 mcg
This amount is 100% of the estimated value for adults. A biotin deficiency will cause the hair to fall out. If someone is deficient in biotin, the amounts taken to correct it are 3 mg, 5 mg or even 10 mg. Thus, it’s easy to see that a prenatal isn’t providing a nutritional cushion for those with deficiencies or those with hair loss.
• Iron – 30 mg
This is more than the 18 mg a multivitamin for women would contain for a menstruating woman because the needs are greater in pregnancy, and anemia can seriously harm a developing baby as well as the mother. Iron deficiency causes hair loss.
• Zinc – 15 mg
This is the amount everyone needs as an adult. There’s nothing special with this amount, and it won’t cure a deficiency. Zinc deficiency causes hair loss.
• Iodine – 150 mcg
This amount is 100% of the estimated value for adults. This is an interesting amount to have in a prenatal vitamin since the American Thyroid Association recommends 250 mcg for pregnant and lactating women. Iodine influences thyroid health, which controls how fast the hair, grows. (Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol, 2012 Sep; 94(9):677-82.)
• Selenium – 100 mcg
The usual amount in supplements is 70 mcg so the 30 mg extra could provide a small buffer, but not enough to be considered a replacement if a woman is deficient. Deficiency is associated with hair loss, as is toxicity. Toxicity is exceptionally rare.
• Vitamin D – 400 IU
Prenatal vitamin companies haven’t caught on to the idea that up to 75% of the population may be deficient in this nutrient, and if so, could need up to 10,000 IU per day for three months in order to correct the deficiency.
Higher circulating levels of vitamin D in moms during pregnancy are associated with improved mental and psychomotor development in infants. (Pediatrics, 2012, Oct; 130(4):e913-20.)
Animal studies are beginning to show an influence of vitamin D on hair growth and regrowth, too, although it’s not definitely proven. However, since vitamin D controls over 1000 different genes that are related to illness, it’s not far-fetched to think that one of those 1000 could possibly be connected with hair growth.
Prenatal Vitamins Can Supplement But Never Be Enough
From this summary, it’s easy to see that prenatal vitamins really aren’t going to do much for hair growth, let alone for pregnancy! Prenatal vitamins are pretty inadequate in providing all the woman’s needs for pregnancy. Surprisingly, prenatal vitamins are one area of medicine not addressed much, as ob-gyns simply hand out prenatal vitamins as if one size fits all.
The problem is that all of us are living far underneath our nutritional potential and have dietary and nutrient imbalances. Nutritional studies have found deficiencies in every group of people, young or old – and it’s not only one deficiency; it’s multiple ones. It’s conceivable that your nutrition can be boosted to optimal and your hair loss could stop.
By adding prenatal vitamins for hair growth, you can temporarily give yourself a boost of some nutrients and notice that you’re feeling better, but there are better ways to approach hair loss that are more scientifically sound. By using a whole panel of nutritional tests and hormonal tests, you can detect the cause of your hair loss.
4. The herb ginkgo biloba
