If you knew then that taking your vitamins could essentially help you hold on to your hair for a longer period of time, you just may have listened to your mom while growing up. But don’t panic, there’s still time to take action. When treating hair loss, if all other therapies have failed, try herbal and homeopathic remedies.
“There are vitamins, herbs, and supplements, like vitamin E, gingko biloba, and certain antioxidants that may or may not help with male pattern baldness, but there are no satisfactory clinical studies to substantiate any claim,” says Shelly Friedman. “But although there’s no proof that vitamin E, gingko biloba, and grapeseed extract actually cause hair growth, there is no downside in taking these supplements as long as you take them in the suggested daily quantities that are recommended by the manufacturer. They can be used in addition to any of the above therapies.” Bergfeld shares a similar philosophy. “There are many herbals with anti-androgen activity, which may be theoretically helpful, but there is no science applied to them,” she explains. “Most were produced to compete with minoxidil. For example, vitamins such as vitamin B-complex and zinc appear to be nutrients and act as blockades for the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone.”
Top Ten Healthy Hair Foods
Women who are first embarking on supplemental programs should start slowly, recommends Oz Garcia, a nutritional consultant. “The dosages can be increased after a couple of weeks when you see how your body is reacting,” he says. Some antioxidants he recommends include a high quality vitamin E (about 200 i.u. per day) to reduce inflammation, alpha lipoic acid (about 25 mg per day) to protect cell membranes and make other antioxidants work harder, vitamin C, ascorbic acid (about 500 mg of ester C to start). He also recommends that postmenopausal women take a high-quality antioxidant formula, like the Life Extension mix, once a day to start off their supplemental program. “Women are concerned when their hair starts thinning or loses luster,” explains chiropractor and nutritionist Mitch Peritz. “It’s important to consider what you’re doing with your diet, add substances that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and glycating effects as well as alter your diet and add supplements that strengthen the hair.”
Peritz discusses a range of supplements that are helpful in fighting hair loss, including biotin (1,000 micrograms per day), pantothenic acid (500 mg per day), vitamin B5, MSM sulfur (2,000 mg per day), and silica (500 mg per day), which comes in tablet or liquid form and strengthens hair in other ways. Biotin, which can be taken orally or injected, and dexpanthenol strengthen hair; sulfur-based amino acids, such as MSM cysteine, which comes in tablet or liquid form, are great for strengthening skin, nails, and hair. In fact, it was originally found by veterinarians who added it to the feed of horses and dogs and watched their hair and pelts get thicker. While you may be used to popping a pill or two to start your day, keep in mind that some of these supplements and nutrients come in an injectable form and can be taken via the recently popularized practice of mesotherapy. According to Lionel Bissoon, a mesotherapist based in New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida, biotin is known to be used to treat hair loss in shampoos and now can be acquired through mesotherapy. He says, “Michael Pistor, M.D., the founder of mesotherapy, recommends multiple injections of biotin and dexapanthenol into the scalp to give the hair and scalp the essential nutrients required for the metabolism of molecules. Some people add zinc to help build the immune system simultaneously.”
Top 12 Snacks for Super Hair
Herbs, botanicals, and nutrients have been proven very effective for use alone or in conjunction with pharmaceutical drugs and hair transplantation surgeries. Check with your doctor, then try these options:
Saw Palmetto (Serenosa repens): Extract of the berries of the saw palmetto shrub slows hair loss and encourages hair regrowth. Instead of inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase, it prevents DHT from binding to the receptor sites at the prostate and hair follicles. There are no side effects, except for decreased sexual function in men, as seen with Propecia. Use saw palmetto capsules made from the berry extract that are labeled concentrated and purified with 85-95 percent fatty acids and sterols. Take one 160 mg pill in the morning and one at night.
Green Tea (Camellia sinensis): Green tea contains catechins, which inhibit 5-alpha-reductase and prevent the production of DHT. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants, which make it effective in treating male pattern baldness. Made from the unfermented leaves of the tea plant, it can be taken as a drink or in capsule form and has no side effects.
Pygeum (Pygeum africanum): From the African evergreen, pygeum inhibits 5-alpha-reductase to improve male pattern baldness. Make sure the label lists a beta sterol count of 13 percent; take 60-500 mg per day in pill or capsule form.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioico): Long used to improve the health of skin and hair, stinging nettle enhances the effects of pygeum. Take 50-100 mg per day in pill or capsule form.
Zinc: Mineral zinc inhibits the activity of 5-alpha-reductase as well as the ability of testosterone and DHT to bind to your cell’s receptors, protecting the follicles from DHT and allowing for increased excretion of these hormones. The bottom line: It helps prevent and treat male pattern baldness. For optimal absorption, take 60 mg per day of zinc picolinate for six months in pill or capsule form.
Don’t Eat the Oatmeal
Oatmeal may be one of your favorite breakfast, but if you want to do right by your hair, besides eating it, wear it. Oatmeal soaps and scrubs are known foe exfoliating dead, scaly skin cells that can accumulate on the scalp and soothing dry, itchy skin, dry hair, and dry scalp. Hydrolized oat protein is also an effective volumizer because it penetrates the hair shaft and reduces flyaway hair.
The way you live your life definitely affects the rate at which you lose your hair, mainly because stress can increase hair thinning and loss, so if you’re less stressed, you might have a few extra years under cover. Environmental factors, such as exposure to pollution or toxic chemicals, can cause hair loss. Women who take birth control pills may be depleting the body of B vitamins. Those who drink alcohol and smoke deplete minerals from their bodies, which are imperative to maintaining an optimal hair lifespan. In addition, according to Mitch Peritz, daily scalp massage is recommended to increase blood flow to the scalp, as will lying down on a slant board with your head down for 15 minutes per day.
Top 10 Foods for Shine
Food plays a role in the effectiveness of drug and herbal therapies when treating hair loss, so it’s important to utilize food for its medicinal healing. In addition, excessive dieting or eating disorders can cause a nutritional deficiency, so it’s necessary to follow certain dietary guidelines in order to protect and strengthen your hair. For example, a balanced nutritional program is essential, and since hair is made up of protein, it needs as much as possible to keep it strong. Sulfur-rich foods like beans, milk, dairy products, fish, and eggs are the basis of a healthy diet since cysteine, one of the building blocks of the hair shaft, is made of sulfur-rich amino acids. Vitamins, especially B-complex—which includes biotin—and vitamins A and C are important, as is flaxseed oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids to improve circulation and feed the root. Wheat germ oil, which is rich in vitamin F, provides essential fatty acids to build hair. Most medical experts have their own idea of what works when it comes to diet. Here are some of their views on healthy diet programs that can make your hair stronger and look its best.
Oz Garcia, nutritional consultant and author of The Healthy High-Tech Body: “The most successful way of eating if you are interested in conserving the tissue of your skin and hair is with a wide variety of longevity nutrients and a high amount of omega-3 fats. The best sources of omega-3 fatty acids come from fish (salmon, tuna, mahi mahi, mackerel, and swordfish) because of the density of omega-3 fats they carry. Omega-3 fatty acids allow your body to produce all of the hormones that affect the quality of your skin and hair and work as potent lubricants for your scalp. Land-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids include olive oil, flax oil, canola oil, walnuts, and pecans.”
MYTH: Natural hair care products are better than “manufactured” products.
FACT: Organic products don’t automatically mean better products. Organic products contain chemicals. Using something labeled organic or natural doesn’t mean allergic reactions or other problems are eliminated.
Garcia recommends a diet that is extremely high in a wide variety of nutrient-packed fresh, raw, and cooked vegetables, which promote longevity. Broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, string beans, mushrooms, watercress, kale, and bok choy are beneficial on a daily basis. “Low-impact, low-glycemic carbs like rices, yams, and squashes are better for you,” he says. “Be careful with high-glycemic and inflammatory carbs: pasta, bread, muffins, bagels, cookies, crackers, and cakes. They are all pro-inflammatory and tend to accelerate hair loss.”
It’s also important to protect against free radicals, which can damage skin and hair through oxidation, says Garcia. “Anything you consume can produce inflammatory damage caused by a retention of fluids, so that tissue may rupture and burst. It’s necessary to try to control the damage of sugar in the body through glycation. Sugar molecules blend with our own tissue and cause hair follicles to age prematurely and fall out. We need to control oxidation, inflammation, and glycation through diet and supplementation.”
Mitch Peritz, chiropractor and nutritionist: “Diet and nutrition is very important to maintain hair integrity. Eliminating refined foods and hydrogenated oils from the diet will help to decrease the chance of hair loss. It is important to consume a balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, and fruit to optimize the availability of nutrients, which are imperative to hair homeostasis. Essential fatty acids, including omega-3, -6, -7 and -9 should be supplemented as well. These fatty acids play a role in preventing depression and hair loss. Vegan diets are often deficient in vitamin B12 and zinc. Other things, such as B vitamins, specifically biotin (B6), folk acid (B12), and vitamin C, and minerals, including zinc, chromium, and vanadyl sulfate all play a role in stress and depression, which contribute to hair loss. High quality omega-3 fatty acids like flavored cod liver oil (try a teaspoon a day of the orange or cherry flavor from Twin Labs) will add luster. Try it for ninety days and you’ll really notice a change in the quality of your hair. As far as maintaining the proper protein/carb balance, try the formula promoted by the Zone diet, which consists of 40 percent carbs, taken primarily from veggies, fruits, and low-glycemic starches, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat.”
“There’s a cross-section of nutrients in a multivitamin that you need to maintain healthy tissues and organs throughout the body, including hair,” says Jerry Hickey, nutritional pharmacist, president of Hickey Chemists and chairman of the Society of Natural Pharmacists. “Hair just won’t look healthy, shiny, and lustrous unless you get the proper dose.” Hickey explains that if you lack certain vitamins and nutrients, hair can become brittle or break easily, or you may experience certain scalp problems. A lack of biotin, for example, can cause yellow scales to develop on the scalp or acne to appear near the hairline. Hickey says there are other ingredients in a multivitamin that help maintain levels of antioxidants in the hair follicles—such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and carotenoids. Without them, follicles may become brittle and easily damaged. “What most people don’t realize is that we need our entire system working together to maintain health,” says Hickey, who recommends women take a comprehensive multivitamin every day.
make your own
An Appetite for Shine: Who says you can’t eat your beans and wear them too? To increase shine and add volume, try Philip B.’s Vegetarian Refried Bean Hair Masque. He says beans make a great base for this masque because they bond to the hair. His recipe provides essential moisture to dry, damaged hair because of its high fat content.
Botanical Formula: 1 cup refried vegetarian beans, 1 avocado peeled and pitted, 8 cooked Brussels sprouts fresh or frozen, 1 cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoons chopped cooked sweet potatoes fresh or frozen, 2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons canola oil. In a blender, mix all ingredients on medium-low speed until completely smooth, about 45 seconds. Apply the masque by massaging through the hair and cover with a plastic shower cap. Leave on for 10- 20 minutes then remove cap and rinse hair thoroughly with warm water, scrubbing if necessary, until mixture is completely gone. Follow with a light hair conditioner for a minute or two. Makes 2 cups.
Hair loss is one example of metabolic dysfunction, so it’s important to maintain homeostasis or it is less likely the body will perform reparative or maintenance functions, such as heal a wound or grow hair. If you are experiencing stress, chances are you will disturb your homeostasis, or body chemistry.
Top 10 Hair Nightmares
Circulation is also key, according to McComb. “If we don’t get nutrition to our hair follicles, they will go into a dormant phase,” he says. “It’s important to nourish the follicles and get blood flowing to them, since that’s how they get their nutrients. Hormones affect hair follicle growth and help clean out heavy metals and improve circulation throughout the body.” McComb adds that calcium and phosphorous need to be balanced in the body, and if there is an excess of toxic calcium, it can be deposited in unhealthy places, changing the balance, so this too should be avoided.
“Hypothyroidism, which involves a low level of thyroid hormone, is common with women and hair loss,” explains Ridha Arem, an M.D. in private practice in Houston, Texas. “The thyroid hormone affects every aspect of your metabolism, and an iron deficiency, or anemia, can directly produce hair loss.” Arem explains that a decrease in iron results in a decrease in the number of red blood cells, which means that not enough oxygen is being carried to the tissues, so nutritionally hair isn’t getting adequate oxidization.
The good news is that if your doctor treats the thyroid problem, your hair health will improve. “Hypo- and hyperthyroidism are both very common in women,” says Valerie Peck, clinical associate professor of medicine in the department of endocrinology at New York University Medical Center. “However, the situation will improve after the thyroid has been undergoing treatment for a few months.”
Stress can increase the rate of hair loss, especially when it builds up. But working out, according to Peritz, an ideal form of physical and mental release, can alleviate this stress and prevent hair loss from happening so quickly. “Stress hormones like cortisol can kill hair follicles,” says Garcia. “It’s important for women to work at being fit because it’s a great way to regulate stress hormones. The combination of aerobic conditioning and a serious upper-body workout gives you a really good, comprehensive, well-rounded exercise program. Exercise also improves circulation, which brings blood from the capillaries to the hair follicles.”
“As we grow older, our life span lessens and our hair falls out faster,” says Adrienne Denese, M.D., Ph.D., a specialist in antiaging medicine in private practice in Manhattan. “As the ability of the body to repair itself starts to decline, the hair follicles give up, deteriorate, and die.” Denese explains that hair thickness can be measured by the number of hair follicles per unit area or by the diameter of each individual hair. “When you lose your hair, the number of hairs as well as the diameter of each hair decreases,” she says. There are two types of hair: terminal hair and velous hair. “Terminal hair is the kind of hair we have when we are young,” she says. “It’s thick, coarse, resilient, and holds its shape nicely. Velous hair is that fluffy, strawlike hair that older women have. The individual hairs don’t hold their shape at all and they grow thin in diameter, so they are more fragile. As we age, more and more hair turns velous until, eventually, all of our hair is velous. For this reason, most older women keep their hair short since it looks healthier.”
Denese explains that as we age, our bodies don’t make enough protein for our hair to repair itself properly and it begins to deteriorate. In addition, our growth hormone levels decrease as we age and because of this our hair grows progressively drier. Diet has a minimal effect as well. “When you’re young, make sure you have all the essential fatty acids to make your hair a bit more shiny,” says Denese. “An older person can take all the fatty acids they want but they’ll be of minimal help since years of sunlight dries out and damages hair.”
As you can see, living a healthy life with a balanced diet, physical exercise, and minimal stress can even have a positive effect on your hair! And taking vitamins and herbal remedies appear beneficial as well. But, if none of the methods you’ve tried have succeeded, don’t despair—hair transplants and grafts can create the natural appearance you desire.
Nutrition and exercise are important for keeping fit and healthy, and that includes keeping hair healthy. “The growth of our hair is related to the thyroid, and when people experience trauma, the thyroid shuts down and our hair can turn gray or fall out,” explains Deansin Goodson Parker, Ph.D., owner of the Goodson Parker Wellness Center and coauthor of Yoga Baby. “In yoga, there are movements and poses you can do to stimulate the thyroid gland, which will in turn determine the shape of your hair and skin and the nature of the endocrine system. When the thyroid gland is functioning properly, new hair growth is stimulated.” Not all medical experts agree with this theory, but gentle exercise and stretching is great for the circulation and for your fitness level—and that’s good for your hair. Here are two easy movements that can help:
The Cobra: Lie on the floor on your stomach with your legs outstretched and your hands at your sides. Push your pubic bone into the floor and lift from the chest to bring your torso off the floor, hold for a few seconds and release.
The Shoulder Stand: Lie on your back with your hands supporting your lower back and then stretch your legs toward the ceiling. Maintain this hold for a minute with a coordinated breath. Return from the position slowly and carefully.
Head Cases
Imagine that every time you took a shower, brushed you hair, or pulled on a turtleneck, you found clumps of hair in your hand, in your towel, on your bathroom floor. The women you’re about to meet did. After searching for a cure, they each found a solution that worked for them. Here’s how some women cured their hair loss blues.
I’ve always had thin, fine hair. I had a lot of it so it never seemed like it was as fine as it was. I always thought we had bad hair in my family because thinning, graying hair is hereditary. I didn’t color my hair until my late thirties. I started coloring it with gentle, over-the-counter hair color products and my hair started falling out, really badly, everywhere. My cleaning lady coudn’t believe it; she kept asking me whose hair she was finding all over the house. For the most part, it was all because of the coloring process. I was starting to feel very down about the way my hair looked. I was determined to not have my mother’s problem hair. I wanted to do something before it got too late. I knew I needed a hairstyle that didn’t require curl because I can’t perm my hair.
I heard about Lynn Glaze at Sheer Reflections. She is a master stylist and a specialist in hair color. I also had a friend who went to her for her hair color and really liked her, so I decided to pay her a visit. She started using a Paul Mitchell hair color beeswax, typically for fine hair, on my hair, and in no time, I could see the drastic difference—my hair looked shinier and healthier. My hair was also really dry, so I began using Paul Mitchell shampoos, hair moisture mist, and heat sealer. I was a good student and did exactly what she told me to do religiously.
After about a year, I started using Rogaine and my hair quit falling out. It’s not as long as I’d like it to be, but I still have a hard time getting it to grow. However, I don’t have as many really aggressive split ends as I used to have, so my hair is in much better shape all the way around, and I’m not losing it the way I had been.
Lynn also advised me on different tools and products that really made a difference. I still use the heat sealer product. She also said I didn’t need to use a round brush on my hair if I was using a curling iron.
My advise to other women who are suffering from hair loss is that if you have problem hair, which I do, you have to have a professional treat it. I went to a lot of people before I met Lynn. Now I feel better about my hair, I will never like the fact that I need to wash it every day, but I have minimal hair loss at this point. And I’ll always know what I’m doing as far as taking care of my hair.—Vickie, 43, Alexandria, Louisiana
I first went to Lynn Glaze for a styling problem. I had given myself a bad home perm and everywhere I went, professionals told me I just had to grow it out and that they coudn’t fix it. A friend told me about Lynn, so I made an appointment. Lynn tested my hair and gave it a heat treatment where it was split and fried. This was four years ago, and I have been letting it grow out since. Then, about two years ago, my hair started falling out. I thought it was the usual everyday stress; after all, I work hard and have three children and I was going through a problem with one of my teenagers. I noticed that everywhere I looked—in my towels after a shower, when I washed my clothes and dried them, there were strands of hair. I noticed it most around my temples and I noticed I had a really bad dry scalp with scabs that was so itchy that I scratched it all the time. I told Lynn it had been going on for about six months, and she said the dry scalp was causing my hair to fall out. She felt it probably wasn’t hormonal but rather a genetic thing. I don’t have anyone in my family who has suffered this. I kept thinking I coudn’t imagine wearing wigs and hats all the time.
But Lynn knew just what to do. She put me on a hydrating botanical shampoo and creme rinse and my scalp felt wonderful. It wasn’t itchy or scaly or scabbed over and I found I wasn’ scratching it. The tub didn’t look as bad as it used to. Before using the products, I was able to collect as much hair throughout the day to make a small six-inch square pillow. Not anymore. In addition, soon I began to notice little bitsy hair sprouts growing in and I knew my hair was growing back. I even highlighted and the highlights lift my fine thin hair and give it body.
If I go away for the weekend and use the shampoo in the hotel bathroom, my scalp starts itching again. My advice to others: If you can’t talk openly to your hairdresser about your hair, or if he/she can’t talk to you about it, you need to go somewhere else.—Marcia, 37, Louisiana
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I was completely in denial. I knew I had to have chemotherapy and that my hair would fall out, but I still coudn’t believe it was happening. Everything seemed so surreal. I had heard that most chemo patients experience thinning.
When I first started to noticed it, I signed up for a free consultation with Joelle, a stylist at the Avon Salon in New York City who runs a special program for a cancer patients to help them deal with losing their hair. I have fine hair but a lot of it, and I haven’t worn it short since I was a teenager. Joelle’s assessment was for me to cut my hair in stages, and keep going shorter to get me used to having no hair. For the first cut, she didn’t drastically cut it all off, she just took it to the next level.
When I started, it was about three inches below my shoulders and she cut it to above my shoulders. Then two weeks later, I was in the shower and my hair just started coming out in clumps. I figured I would make an appointment to see her the next week and get the next cut, but all of my hair came out within the next days. I literally had to run to the wig shop to buy a wig.
I found one that was bilevel, and slightly above shoulder length. It was made of a mix of synthetic and natural hair so it’s easier to maintain and is lighter. Wearing a wig was difficult for me at first, especially since I don’t like to wear hats. I’ll wear a baseball cap when I’m working out or a ski cap when I’m skiing, but any other time, I get a headache from them.
I have to tape it down to keep it in place. When I first wore it, I kept thinking I’d be walking down 57th Street on a windy day saying, “Whoops! There goes my hair.” Another fear was that everyone would know I was wearing one. One day my boss said, “I love your hair!” and I said “Do you want to borrow it?” It was funny. No one could tell it was a wig. Another funny thing is that I used to spend $200 a month getting my hair done, half an hour in the morning getting it conditioned and blow-dried, but now I just have to cut a piece of tape and make sure I put it on correctly, then stick the wig on my head.
I’m more comfortable with it, but it still feels like a wig. Sometimes it feels a little warm, but it’s not too bad and some days I can feel it around the crown. Sometimes I just can’t wait to go home at the end of the day and rip it off my head and put on a bandanna. And if I’m out with friends and I stay out too late at night, I still have to have time to wash my wig with ample time for it too dry. I can’t use a blow dryer on it, so I have to do it the night before.
Last week, I was out and two men tried to pick me up and I was relieved that now my hair always looks great. One was bald so I thought, “That’s a appropriate,” and the other guy thought I was hot. At least the wig was doing some good!—Mary, 38, New York City