What Happened To My Hair?!

Hair loss is among the main reasons why people, more particularly men, feel insecure. The even more pressing thing about hair loss is that there are no signs and no specific age it will begin to hit. One day you are all confident and full of hair, the next day, you wake up with fallen strands on your pillows and thinning hair.

Perhaps the most painful bout a person could feel about hair loss is that you never really thought it would happen to you. It never really crossed your mind until you started experiencing it. All those preventive stuff you have always seen lined up in the groceries or drug stores, but never bothered to stop and pick up would make you say the ever-depressing phrases, “what if” and “it could have been”.

Before you go out and about on your search for treatments for hair loss, it would be smart to learn first its causes. As our Science experiments in high school taught us, the first step to problem solving is to identify the problem.

Hair loss is said to have varying causes. Below are some of the reported reasons why people suffer from hair loss:

1- Food – Just as there are natural treatments for hair loss, there are also natural causes. Check your daily diet and ask yourself if you are eating the right kinds of food. Lack of certain minerals in your diet can cause hair loss. Some of those minerals are magnesium, biotin, zinc and iron. Eating foods that are rich with these minerals can definitely prevent your hair to thin and, some say, these minerals can even trigger hair growth.


2- DHT – DHT is the abbreviation of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. Scientists discovered that this DHT hormone is the primary contributing factor in male-pattern baldness. What this hormone basically does is it binds your hair cells, preventing them to grow out.

3- Toxic Substances and Severe Radiation – The chemicals in the shampoos and other hair products that we use can also cause hair loss. They slowly damage your hair, causing some strands to fall out and stop growing. Exposure to severe radiation has similar effects.

4- Illness and Therapy – There are certain illnesses, even as simple as a fever, that can cause hair loss. Those who are subject to radiation therapy or other intense medication procedures are also expected to lose hair. In these cases, however, no treatment is necessary as the hair will grow back when the illness has ended and/or the therapy is finished.

5- Genes – It is one of the most common conclusions everyone usually offers when trying to explain or find a reason for hair loss. There are a lot of studies that say hair loss is hereditary. Although you might find one or two people in your lineage who have suffered or are currently suffering from hair loss, you should not stop finding the specific cause or reason why you are losing hair. And, more importantly, it should not give you the reason to just let it be.

Hair loss can be treated. If you are suffering from hair loss, find out the cause and the treatment that is right for you. It is never to late to grow your mane back!

How to Choose the Best Hair Loss Treatment

Choosing the best form of treatment for hair loss can be quite tricky. For one to be truly able to choose the best treatment, one must be able to correctly determine the kind of problem and severity of the problem.

To date there are a number of Hair loss (Alopecia) definitions each on its own is unique in treatment and effects:

• Alopecia areata monolocularis describes baldness in only one spot. It may occur anywhere on the head.
• Alopecia areata multilocularis refers to multiple areas of hair loss.
• If the patient loses all the hair on his/her scalp, the disease is then called Alopecia areata totalis.
• If all body hair, including pubic hair, is lost, the diagnosis then becomes Alopecia areata universalis.
• The disease may also be limited only to the beard (Alopecia areata barbae)

Being able to correctly identify the causes and severity of the problem will lead to better chances of recovery from Hair loss.

Nowadays there are lots of known chemical treatments and solutions being used by majority of people who experience hair loss. Such products like Minoxidil & Finasteride are being widely used despite their side effects.

A list of side-effects from Minoxidil are as follows:

• Acne on the area where it is being used as a topical solution
• Headaches and/or lightheadedness
• Very low blood pressure
• Irregular or fast heart beat
• Blurred vision
• Chest pain
  

A list of side-effects from Finasteride are as follows:

• Finasteride is known to cause birth defects in a developing male baby
• Depression
  

'Until recently the need for an alternative form of treatment has been well sought after. And a more amiable method of treatment is found among herbal medicines. The aim is to lessen any undesirable side effects for the patient.

Possible Treatments
Caffeine is considered a stimulator in human hair growth. It has also been added to shampoo formulas and has been effective in stimulating hair follicles in the scalp.

Hair Transplant means transplanting resistant hair follicles from the sides and the back of the head to a person’s bald areas. The transplanted hair follicles will specially grow hair for a lifetime because they are genetically resistant to going bald.

Hair multiplication or hair cloning is another revolutionary approach in treating baldness Stem cells have been discovered in hair follicles and researchers predict that these follicular cells may lead to success in treating baldness.

Scalp massage on the other hand helps stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles. It helps activate hair cells and prevents hair loss. Studies have shown that this approach is very effective in treating hair loss.

Still it is best to go to the nearest specialist before undergoing any treatment from the list above before any further complications arise or else loose anything that's left of your hair.

Going Natural (for treatment of hair loss that is...)

So let’s recap...

Both Daniel and I now had more energy, more time, and more space for ourselves. Daniel was losing less hair than he was (not to mention that having more energy got him to exercise more, which of course, made him happier and fitter in general, and just all-around great to hang out with, no longer depressed and blue!)


By reducing stress and changing our eating habits, half the problem was sorted out. The hair loss speed was reduced considerably.


Now I began to search for ways to reverse the process. If my man wants a full head of hair to feel good about himself, then by hook or by crook I'll deliver!

I started reading up about natural hair loss remedies on the internet. There's a lot of information out there, and we tried a lot of stuff. I even found this great article about the weirdest natural hair loss remedies ever in the same site as the article on nutrition and hair loss! Those weird natural preventatives even included pounding a green garden snake in a silk bag and smearing it on your head!


I decided against creating weird concoctions to help Daniel (I wasn't sure he'd appreciate pureed frog...), and looked for more "grandma's secrets" stuff.


The first thing I came across was the all around most common remedy for everything: Onions!


A Study in Journal of Dermatology found that applying onion juice twice a day for two months caused hair growth in about 85% of the subjects studied!

Of course, I immediately sat Daniel down and began making onion juice on a daily basis. And it worked, a little! There was a noticeable reduction of his receding hairline, and his hair grew fuller. He was even considering not cutting his hair as short, and letting his curls grow out some more.


I looked for more natural remedies of the older generation variety.


I added A daily massage of Daniel's scalp with essential oils, that contain herbs that several of the sites online consider helpful. I mixed rosemary, thyme, and lavender essential oils, and massaged Daniel's scalp every evening before he took his shower. The growth continued, but still very slowly. The side benefit of the daily massages was that Daniel and I were becoming closer. The daily physical contact and intimacy, and sharing his struggle with the hair loss brought us closer together. Several times, the evening massage graduated into more playful activities. Although Daniel did complain constantly that the lavender made him smell like his grandma!


Saw Palmetto Extract was the next natural hair loss remedy I found online. Saw Palmetto has been found to battle prostate diseases by lowering DHT levels. DHT, a by-product of testosterone, is the leading cause of Male Pattern Baldness. Both Daniel and I had high hopes for Saw Palmetto.


The extract itself is made of the small palm-like plant's berries. Native Americans have been using it for centuries as a cure for bladder infections, urinary tract infections, and reproductive problems. Only recently did people begin to discover it as a possible natural solution to hair loss.

So added to the onion juice and the essential oil massage, Daniel started taking about 200-250 mg of Saw Palmetto extract a day. I can't say much about the hair loss effects (although he was losing significantly less hair by now, and was even re-growing some more), but OH MY GOD...


Those Native Americans knew what they were doing! I found it unbelievable that a herb that inhibits the DHT in the body could actually increase my husbands sex drive that much! At that point, I didn't particularly care if Daniel never re-grew his hair, as long as he kept taking that Saw Palmetto Extract!

About two months ago, after about two years of Saw Palmetto, onion juice, daily scalp massages, eating healthy and living stress free (not to mention the great sex), Daniels hair was noticeably thicker than it was. He was also fitter. Healthier. Happier.

And then I found the most miraculous remedy of all. One night, while searching for anything further that we haven't read, tried, or bought, I returned to the site that had all the great information about hair loss, the one that I started out with. And there, I found the Amazing Herbal hair loss Remedies.

I was surprised I didn't notice it before. I immediately placed an order for the hair cream.

Within about two months, more hair was growing. But even more exciting? Daniel wasn't losing any more hair. Definately not in any serious way.

But the most exciting thing of all was the transformation not on Daniel's head, but IN his head. Somehow, along our quest to stop his hair loss, he stopped caring about it as much. The nutrition, the massages, the Saw Palmetto, and less stress, not to mention our miracle Hair Cream all had their benefits. But the most important thing was...

We did it together! I stood by him every step of the way. And even when I thought he was being silly (he's still sexy even without curls!!), I knew that his self confidence and self esteem were suffering. Maybe it was the hair growth.

And maybe, it was just the fact that I held his hand, and helped him in any way I could.


More tips will follow!

Is Hair Loss Herbal Treatment Really Effective?

Dear Orly,

I had so much fun reading your first post.
Being a balding man myself I sure hope your quest will bring salvation to all balding men on the planet, myself included ;-)

I have been trying tons of hair loss treatments over the years but to my disappointment I have yet to find something that really works and doesn't just empty my wallet.

I have heard about hair loss herbal treatments and I wonder if they really work - never tried one myself yet. Do you happen to have any information about this?

I will keep a close eye on this blog and would love to read about your discoveries!

Cheers,
Tomer.

P.S. - loved the article you recommended about the hair loss & nutrition. BTW on the same website I found some excellent hair loss related articles that you might want to check out - specifically loved the one about the testosterones and male pattern baldness, funny stuff :-)

How to love and support a balding man... and how to help him!

I met my husband Daniel when we were in our early twenties. He was tall, handsome, and had a full hair of golden curls. Neither of us thought about hair loss for a minute. Neither of us thought that hair loss treatment would one day become our personal crusade.

After our second baby, both of us went into high gear. We were juggling two young kids, two careers, a mortgage, and just general wear and tear. You know how it is, the pipes freeze one winter, the roof leaks the next summer, the kids have the flu, or strep throat, or another kid in school hits them. It's the day to day stuff that kills you.

Between the work stress, the home stress, not having time to cook properly nutritious meals, neither of us was living healthy. I was the lucky one between us, because I'm a naturally calmer person (and religiously do yoga), and managed to keep myself in check. Daniel, however, was stressed beyond belief. One of the side effects was that his beautiful hair, his golden curls, were coming out in clumps in the shower.

Daniel's uncle also lost his hair early, but his hair was never nearly as thick as Daniel's, so we didn't think much of it at the time. But genetically, it turned out that Daniel had a tendency for Male Pattern Baldness. The stress gave that genetic tendency a boost, and by the time Daniel was 35, he had those "bays" and was really losing his hair in a noticeable way. He cut off his curls, and started obsessing with his hair loss.

He bought Rogaine. He bought any product advertised, natural or not. He would do absolutely anything to reverse the effects, to have his curls back. But he would have even been happy with just stopping the hair loss. Finding some treatment, some cure, that would at least prevent him from losing any more hair.

He slowly became more and more depressed. I tried comforting him, telling him again and again that it didn't matter, that I love him to pieces, and that he's still the most beautiful man I've ever known, and still sexy, and still fabulous. I actually loved his new look, I thought the short hair suited him, made him look better. More of a man.

It was to no avail. He was, to be honest, inconsolable.

So I decided to take action. Being a natural remedy fan, for everything from homeopathy to acupuncture, nutrition, and healing, I decided that I should research everything I can about hair loss, and find a combination of actions that will reduce the causes of balding, and if at all possible, find some natural remedy to promote new hair growth. By saving Daniel's hair, I was saving him, and by saving him, I was saving our relationship, our love, and our family.

The first cause I found, both online and with doctors, was STRESS.

So the first thing we did was radically change our lifestyle. We made a choice to work one hour less a day, and play one hour more. Daniel began to go to yoga with me three times a week. I made sure that every morning, before he went to work, he stopped and breathed for a few minutes, just charging up. I made sure that both of us had private time. I made sure that we unwound after work. It wasn't easy, but it paid off in a big way - Daniel became less worried about his hair loss. And the less worried he was, the less generally stressed he was, and the less hair was clogging the drain in the shower.

The second cause was A DIET HIGH IN SATURATED FATS AND GREASE.
It all started when I read an excellent article about hair loss and nutrition.

We immediately stopped eating junk food. Because I was working a little less, suddenly I had energy to cook. We substituted that bucket of fried chicken (bought on the way home) with salad, fish, whole grains, homemade pasta, in short - we just ate well. When we did occasionally order in or pick up some takeout, we avoided fast food like McDonald's and KFC. We'd get some Indian or Chinese, or even a pizza from the Italian Pizzeria around the corner, that bakes real pizza in a brick oven with fresh buffalo mozzarella and a thin crust. We made sure that greasy food wasn't a part of our daily diet, and was reserved for a treat, like a full brunch with pancakes and eggs and bacon. We made sure we ate a lot of fruits and vegetables.

This, too, was a success. First of all, we had more energy. We weren't as dog tired as we used to be by the end of the day. Suddenly i felt that juggling a career, two kids, hamsters, cats, dogs, a husband, and housekeeping was so horrible and hard after all. I was more focused at work, and so got more done in less time. Daniel was happier and healthier, and suddenly re-discovered his bicycle, going out for a ride at least twice a week, and sometimes three. He smiled more.

And less hair was falling out.

Wow.

All these changes just from working one hour less a day and cutting out grease?

I began thinking about finding things to reverse the hair loss process. And then our real adventure began.


To be continued....