Hair Care Archives • Page 30 of 30 • Living Gorgeous

A luxurious, beautiful head of hair is the almost-impossible dream of most modern women, with the stresses of daily life, pollution and fast-paced lifestyles taking their toll. If you’re among those who despair about your hair, the pain of brushing out your tresses only to be depressed with hair loss is no doubt known to you. The world of cosmetics has tapped into your woes in an attempt to exploit you with tons of empty promises that do little to curb your hair loss, or even worse, increase it. Best Ways to Prevent Hair Loss Naturally Well, the good news is that Mother Nature has a solution for your problem and natural remedies have proven to work over the years. Here are some of the best ways in which you can prevent hair loss and enjoy the tresses you’ve always dreamed of. 1. Oils If you’ve grown up around your grandmother, she would have no doubt been behind you through your younger years to oil your hair regularly. As a result, you enjoyed the luxury of beautiful hair as you were growing up. Now, though, as you’ve grown up, you tend to “forget” the benefits of good old oil treatment. In fact, the idea of greasing your hair with oil is something that may seem to be more out of the Old Stone Age! But oils can do much more than just make your hair greasy. They can rejuvenate your scalp, moisturize your hair, lend new life to dull hair, strengthen your tresses and even deal with infections. Interested in knowing more? Here’s how to take advantage of oils to curb hair loss. How to do it: Opt for coconut, olive or almond oil as base oils. If you’re a fan of herbal oils, a mixture of these with one of the three base oils will be a boon to your hair, or you could use the base oils alone. The fat from the base oils will add tons of moisture to your hair and reverse any damage caused because of pollution or heat treatments. Warm the oil slightly before massaging it into your hair. This will boost blood circulation and let your scalp get the absolute benefit out of the oil treatment. Massage it into your scalp in circular movements with your fingertips for at least five minutes. Dip a bath towel in hot water, squeeze it out and wrap it around your hair. Leave it on for 30 minutes and wash your hair. An oil treatment once a week doesn’t take much time and can do wonders for your hair. Also check: Shampoos for Gray Hair | Hypoallergenic Shampoo For Sensitive Skin | Best Hair Rollers 2. Massages Scalp massages do much more than make you feel good and relaxed – they help prevent hair loss and boost hair growth. A 5-minute scalp massage each night can do wonders for your hair – the great part is that you don’t necessarily need to use any oils for this and just some good work with your fingertips will do the job. For added benefits, though, apply a very small quantity of coconut or olive oil to your fingertips while you massage your scalp. This gives your scalp a bit of nourishment while boosting blood circulation, without making your hair greasy. To take your hair massage to the next level, opt for an inverse massage. This would involve bending forward either while standing or while seated on a chair and massaging your scalp. Bending forward creates a rush of blood to your scalp and a quick 3-minute massage each day will greatly strengthen your hair, preventing hair loss and boosting hair growth. The inverse massage method, though, should be done for just one week each month for it to be fully effective. Too much of a good thing can make it bad, and you risk damaging your hair if you overdo the inverse method. 3. Diet Have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, that is certainly the case when it comes to your hair. Poor dietary habits, lack of proper nutrition, vitamin deficiencies and too much fast food and sugar can all take their toll on your hair. So if you want to prevent hair loss, it is time to take a step back and reevaluate your diet. If you’ve been loading yourself with too many sugary foods and fast foods, it’s time to cut back and opt for a healthier diet. In addition, pay attention to the non-fast foods you eat – if all you’re concerned with is loading your body with carbs because you like them, you’re going to get nowhere. If you’re dependent on caffeine or alcohol you will need to cut back a bit in these areas too, since they can be detrimental to overall hair health (although a rinse with beer or a beer mask, or even a few coffee grounds added to your hair mask can do wonders for your hair!). Modify your diet to include lots of green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits. Include proteins to your diet, make sure you add in C vitamins and biotin, and add in healthy fats. Yes, you heard that right – your body needs fats to stay healthy, so avoid going on a crazy diet that can take its toll on your overall appearance. A balanced diet never hurt anyone – on the other hand, it can help you stay healthy, look younger, and keep your hair healthy and strong. Include iron-rich foods in your diet to keep your hair strong and healthy. If you suffer from vitamin deficiencies, check with your physician as to which supplements will work out well for you to complement your hair care routine. Some vitamin and mineral supplements you may want to consider include zinc, iron, Vitamin A, C and D, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids. These are especially important if you’re a vegan since you do need to complement your diet with physician-approved supplements for an overall healthy lifestyle. 4. Exercise You may enjoy a wonderful diet fully packed with all the nourishment you need. However, there’s no point of the diet if you don’t complement it with the right amount of exercise. Exercise boosts blood circulation and keeps your body healthy. Of course, the right exercises are essential – for your exercises to fully benefit your hair and prevent hair loss, switch over from heavy exercises such as weight lifting (if this was earlier part of your routine) and opt instead for running, rowing or other similar vigorous aerobic exercises. Getting out in the fresh air for at least a brisk 30-minute walk, too, will have positive effects on your skin and hair if you can’t make time for a few aerobics routines. Try adding a half hour of exercise to your daily routine and you will see a drastic change in your hair’s health and extent of hair fall in as little as two weeks! That’s way better than living an unhealthy lifestyle and loading your hair with tons of costly cosmetics that do nothing more than give your hair a mere semblance of good health. Be careful, though, not to overdo your exercise routines as this can worsen hair loss rather than help with it. 5. Masks Masks can complement oil treatments or be used on their own to deal with hair loss. To get the best results out of a hair mask, though, getting to the root of your hair loss is important. For example, if your hair loss is accompanied by dandruff, a mask of neem powder and curd, left on for 30 minutes, can do wonders. On the other hand, if your scalp needs a boost of nourishment, an egg mask will do the trick. If you’d like to give your hair a makeover while nourishing it, consider opting for a henna mask. Henna forms a sheath around each strand of hair, protecting it from environmental damage and nourishing it. You can’t use it soon after using chemical colors on your hair, though, since henna also doubles up as a coloring agent. To make a nourishing henna hair mask, whisk a raw egg with powdered henna leaves until it becomes a thick paste. Part your hair and apply this paste right down to your scalp, giving your scalp gentle massages along the way. Once your hair and scalp are covered by the mask, use a bath cap to cover your hair and prevent drips. Leave the mask on for 40 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water. (When using egg in any mask avoid hot water as you’ll end up with cooked egg on your head instead!) Use this mask at least once in a fortnight for amazing results. 6. Sleep It is a proven fact that your body rejuvenates and heals itself while you sleep. So if you’re a night owl or if you like to stay up till all odd hours into the night, you may be doing your hair more harm than good. Avoid the urge to be a party animal and ensure that you get between 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night and give your body time to heal the damage done to it over time. An ideal time to fall asleep is at least two hours before midnight. Follow this routine and you will start seeing positive changes within as little as a week. Your skin will become visibly clearer and your hair loss will diminish, leaving you with the glossy, healthy tresses you’ve wanted all along and envied on others. 7. Hair Care A crucial reason why many women face hair loss is because of not taking care of their hair the right way. For instance, the pace of life has left us with little or no time to ourselves and we’re always in a hurry to get things done. This fast pace extends even to our basic routine, leading us to look for shortcuts wherever possible. How often have you decided you needed to rush in the morning and turned to a hot hair dryer instead of letting your hair dry naturally? Or, what about those rough towel-rubs as soon as you step out of the shower? Do your hair a favor and ditch the hair dryer. In fact, ditch all electronic appliances for your hair unless absolutely needed. Frying your hair in the pursuit of styling will have long term consequences, including but not limited to hair loss. Proper care for your hair also includes staying away from chemicals. If you absolutely need to color your hair, choose natural products as far as possible, and stay far away from hair colors that contain ammonia. These can do more harm than good, and may lead to premature graying and hair loss. Stick to all-natural products for cleansing and conditioning and your hair will thank you as it gets stronger and stops falling. Extend your hair care to prevent hair loss by caring for your tresses even when you sleep. If your hair is long or of medium length, braid it before you go to bed to prevent needless damage and more hair loss as you toss and turn at night. During the day, avoid using tight hairdos and painful hair bands and clips that tend to pull at your hair. Conclusion In summary, although hair loss is inevitable as a result of the stress we face and our modern lifestyle, there are steps you can take to prevent it. Choosing natural remedies over chemicals will do your hair good in the long run. In addition, stay away from tall claims by product manufacturers who tend to exploit an already-tough situation with shortcuts. Follow a good routine of healthy oils for your hair, and back this up with regular massages and masks and your hair will thank you for it. Lovely, luxurious, healthy hair does not have to be a dream or be something out of your reach if you take good care of yourself. Enjoy a healthy lifestyle, good exercise and get enough sleep and years of bad hair maintenance can be reversed to keep your hair healthy, and prevent it falling.