Posts tagged ‘hair loss prevention’

March 26th, 2012

Blow-drying Your Hair Away and More Hair Myths

There are so many hair myths out there that there seems to be more hair myths than balding heads! Many of these myths put fear into our hearts when we should be taking the right actions instead. Here we debunk a few more myths along the way to a better head of hair.

 

Myth One: If you want to keep your hair, quit using your blow dryer.

 

The good news is that this myth is completely false. The bad news is that certain ways of styling your hair could be the root cause behind your hair loss. Why? Because if you wear your hair in a style that puts stress on the roots, then you can end up killing the follicle and the hair with it.

 

However, if you do use a blow dryer, you are not going to end up with hair loss. You could end up with hair breakage though, from the extremes in temperature. If you are either using a too-hot dryer or using it too much, you can end up with brittle hair that breaks easily. So, to keep your hair in the best shape possible, don’t overdo the blow dryer.

 

Myth Two: If you take steroids, you get big muscles and not much hair.

 

Well, you now have another reason not to use steroids for muscle development. When you take steroids, you can actually promote hair loss! The issues is that anabolic steroids (in particular) can raise your level of DHT. DHT stands for Dihydrotestosterone and this hormone is the culprit behind the vast majority of male pattern hair loss. Because of the interaction between DHT and anabolic steroids, you can significantly speed up hair loss.

 

What you really need is a way to control DHT at the location that counts most – the roots of your hair. This is where quality shampoos and treatment serums are important. They can deliver key herbal ingredients directly to the follicle that work against DHT. Consider products like SureThik Shampoo and Serum combination. You are using a shampoo with active ingredients and then you apply the leave-on treatment for a one-two punch.

 

Myth Three: More sex means more hair.

 

If this were true, some of us would be pretty hairy.

 

Unfortunately, while this would be a prescription that many people would enjoy, it’s not true. It’s also untrue that hormones or bodily chemicals released during sex help to grow hair. Research just doesn’t support this. So, while the primary culprit behind hair loss – our friend DHT – is a male androgenic hormone, more sex isn’t going to get your levels of it down.

 

You have options to get your DHT under control, including natural treatments that have real effectiveness. Start there to get your hair loss under control, rather than depending on myths that won’t really work.

 

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February 15th, 2012

The Primary Causes Of Female Hair Loss

Female hair loss is not the same as male hair loss – even if some of the causes are similar. Women differ in hormonal levels and other metabolic processes, which tend to result in differing types of hair loss.

 

Women – like men – can have hair loss due to hormonal imbalance. The key hormone that directly affects hair follicles is DHT. DHT stands for Dihydrotestosterone. DHT is a male sex hormone that is present in both men and women. In fact, DHT is a normally occurring metabolite of testosterone. However, it is a more potent male, and it has much greater affinity for male hormone receptors than testosterone has.

 

The problem arises when DHT interferes with normal functions, including hair growth.

 

DHT compromises the nourishment of follicles, by blocking the receptor sites on the follicle and starving it. In the end, the hair follicles shrink and the hair gets finer and finer until there is no hair at all. This is called miniaturization, and is the process behind 95% of hair loss. The women who lose the most hair will be the ones who are predisposed to producing the most DHT.

 

You can fight DHT directly at the hair follicle. Topical products such as SureThik Shampoo and Serum will deliver natural ingredients to control DHT and nourish hair.

 

Other hormones that affect hair loss and growth are thyroid hormones. Women are typically more prone to thyroid issues than men. Whether the thyroid is overactive or underactive, hair loss can result. Thyroid disease can be easily diagnosed with blood tests.

 

Most women know that their head of hair is particularly luxurious during pregnancy. Unfortunately, nature catches up later, as hair that has stayed in the growing phase then drops out by entering the resting phase. This usually happens a number of months after the baby’s birth. Similarly, changes in hormonal status associated with menopause also tend to affect hair and increase hair loss.

 

It isn’t just hormones that affect hair. Anemia can result in excessive hair loss. Women often have greater issues with maintaining enough iron in their bodies, due to the strains of menstruation, pregnancy and lactation. When iron stores are too low, hair loss will result. This kind of hair loss is best diagnosed by a simple blood test to ensure that iron levels are optimal.

 

Women often become anemic when dieting. Dieting itself – especially severe dieting, which also results in potential deficiencies of essential nutrition – can lead to hair loss. Hair requires essential fatty acids, adequate protein, and minerals like zinc. Without key nutrients, dieting women may find that they are sacrificing their hair for a slimmer body. This is another place where nourishing topical products can help to restore the health of hair follicles.

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February 7th, 2012

Skin Conditions That Cause Hair Loss

 

It’s not always your hair that’s the problem. Sometimes, it’s actually your skin that is causing you to lose your hair! Hair loss caused by a skin condition is often reversible, so understanding what is causing your hair thinning is an important first step to treating it.

 

Seborrheic dermatitis (also known as seborrheic eczema) is an inflammatory skin condition, which results in white to yellowish scales that flake away. Typically, you’ll see these scales in oily skin areas, such as the scalp, eyebrows, creases of the nose, behind the ears and inside the outer ear.

 

If you’ve had a child with cradle cap, you’ve seen seborrheic dermatitis. However, adults can get it too.

 

Seborrheic dermatitis tends to run in families – just like cradle cap does. The condition can be worsened by such things as stress and fatigue. However, it can be reversed by proper cleaning and care for the scalp. A good cleansing routine, including items such as SureThik Shampoo and Serum to clean and nourish the scalp properly, will improve your scalp’s condition. While seborrheic dermatitis is not caused by poor hygiene, cleansing to keep follicles clear and healthy definitely helps. Daily shampooing may clear it up more quickly, by working to loosen the scales and wash them away.

 

Psoriasis is another skin condition that can cause hair loss. Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition where skin cells are building up quicker than they are being shed. As a result, it causes the creation of red or pink colored lesions on the surface of the skin.

 

The lesions cause not only hair loss, but also scarring and follicle damage. The good news is that your hair may come back if the condition is quickly and properly controlled. However, only an examination by a knowledgeable physician will confirm if the follicles are healthy enough for hair to regrow.

 

Scarring is a primary feature of scleroderma, another autoimmune disease, which is caused by a build up of collagen in the skin and other connective tissue. So much collagen can build up due to the scleroderma, that the skin actually feels hard!

 

Any kind of trauma to your skin – whether burns, infections or disease – can cause scars. Once scar tissue replaces normal tissue, hair cannot grow through it! This is called scar alopecia and it’s permanent. So, if you have been diagnosed with scleroderma (or any other serious skin disease or trauma) it’s important to have it treated early by a qualified professional. If you can avoid the scarring to your scalp, you can avoid the hair loss.

 

Once there is scarring, the only option to improve your hair loss will be hair restoration.  While hair transplant technology has come a long way since the dreaded “hair plugs”, the ideal situation is that you don’t lose your hair in the first place. So take the steps now to make sure the skin of your scalp is as healthy as it can be.

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January 24th, 2012

Can my diet prevent hair loss?

Your diet does make a difference. Obviously, your body can’t provide the right nutrients for hair growth if you don’t provide your body with the right food or supplements. It’s pretty much that simple.

 

However, you also want to balance your diet properly. Too much of the wrong things can be just as bad as too little of the right things.

 

Start out with salmon as a great food for overall nutrition. Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for a healthy scalp.  Too little omega-3’s will cause the scalp to be dry. Salmon is also an important source of protein, which is needed to grow the actual hair. The hair shaft is made up of keratin, a form of protein, which the body can synthesize from dietary protein.

 

Just because you need protein, doesn’t mean that you have a license to go out and eat a steak every day. Your diet should include protein sources from eggs and legumes too. Eggs are a source of both vitamin B-12 and biotin. Biotin in particular supports healthy hair growth. Legumes are not only a source of protein, but also low in fat as well. Low fat sources of protein will do you the most good, even if you aren’t trying to lose weight. Too much fat can contribute to too much testosterone, and too much testosterone can make male pattern baldness worse.

 

Don’t forget your veggies while you are filling up your plate with protein! Dark green vegetables are a source of vitamins A and C. Without vitamins A and C, your body can’t produce sebum. Sebum is the only substance that your scalp secretes, which conditions the hair. Of course, you also get lots of other benefits from green veggies, not the least of which is iron. Iron deficiency is a common cause of hair loss.

 

Avoiding iron deficiency is a snap, as long as you include a few iron-rich foods in your diet! How about raisins if you are craving something sweet? Cherry juice is another good source of iron, that isn’t hard on the taste buds.

 

Why not make your own trail mix with raisins and nuts? Nuts are full of great nutrition. Brazil nuts will give you a good dose of selenium, which works like an antioxidant in your body (even though it’s a mineral). Walnuts are a particularly good addition to your trail mix, because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc. Zinc is another mineral that can lead to hair loss, if you have a deficiency.

 

Whole grains can provide you with a regular dose of zinc. However, if you are feeling more adventurous, consider oysters! Oysters are not only known as an aphrodisiac, but are a great source of zinc.

 

The most important thing in your diet is to eat a wide variety of foods, making sure that you are providing the right nutrition for your hair, as well as your life.

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January 18th, 2012

Can medications cause hair loss?

 

Drugs can often have unwanted side effects, and hair loss may just be one of them. While it’s true that some medications can help you to grow hair, it’s also true that there are medications that can cause excess hair loss!

 

The issue is that the drug may be affecting either the growth phase of the hair, or the resting phase of the hair. Your hair follicle grows during the anagen phase, which usually lasts three to four years. Your hair follicle rests during the telogen phase, which usually lasts three to four months. At the end of the telogen phase, the existing hair falls out, and a new hair begins to grow.

 

Medications can cause two kinds of hair loss called telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium. Of the two, telogen effluvium is most common. If hair loss is related to a specific drug, it will generally start within two to four months of starting the new prescription. With telogen effluvium, the drug is influencing hair follicles to go into dormancy early – therefore, falling out early. With this type of hair loss, people will lose 100 to 150 hairs daily. This amounts to about 30 percent more hair loss than normally.

 

A large number of drugs can cause hair loss. Common drugs that will affect hair include acne medications, antibiotics and antifungals, birth control pills, cholesterol drugs, high blood pressure drugs, steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain medications.

 

If a prescription drug is causing anagen effluvium, then the drug is preventing the matrix cells in the follicle from dividing normally. This stops the hairs from growing properly and they fall out. If your medication is causing this kind of hair loss, it will become obvious within a few days or weeks. Chemotherapy is the most common cause of this kind of hair loss, and can be quite severe.

 

In most cases, if you stop the offending medication, then the hair loss stops. However, it can take as much as three months for the hair loss to end. If you are on multiple medications, you may need to stop one at a time to determine which drug is the problem. Your doctor will know alternative medications that you can take to manage the same health condition – but without the negative side effect of hair loss.

 

When you stop taking a drug, but the hair does not come back, you may need additional help. In this case, it’s time to consider hair products that nourish the scalp, and even other prescriptions that help to grow hair. If you are looking for natural products to promote hair growth, good options include products like SureThik Shampoo and Serum. When the scalp is nourished well, you have the best chance to grow healthy hair.

 

In some cases, you will need to be evaluated for medical treatment of drug-induced hair loss. A doctor who specializes in hair loss will be best able to evaluate you for the best possible treatment, whether that is hair growth medications, hair transplantation, or other options.

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January 10th, 2012

Male Pattern Baldness and Women

Male pattern baldness is the most common form of baldness. For men, it takes the form of thinning hair, leading to complete or partial loss. The pattern of baldness on the head is also well known and often results in a receding hairline, which may lead to complete baldness on the top of the head. Typically, most men will retain some degree of hair, starting from the sideburns and continuing behind the ears and around the back of the head.

 

This pattern of baldness is typical of androgenic alopecia. Androgenic alopecia easily recognized in men. It is not so easily recognized in women.

 

However, women can (and do) develop androgenic alopecia. Unlike their male counterparts, women may develop this condition as early as late teens and as late as full menopause, and may not have the same obvious hereditary association as men do. As women begin to lose more hair, they also may not know if the hair loss will be permanent or just temporary. It’s quite possible with women that a variety of other conditions can affect hair loss, including recent pregnancy or breastfeeding cessation, low iron, hormonal issues or other illness.

 

If you do have androgenic alopecia, there are a number of patterns of hair loss that you may see:

 

  • Generalized thinning over the whole head, with more thinning at the back of the head
  • Generalized thinning over the whole head, with more thinning at the front of the head (but not the hairline)
  • Generalized thinning over the whole head, with more thinning at the front which involves hairline (such as “receding” at temples or hairline)

 

What can you do? First of all, alopecia is associated with high levels of DHT. DHT is dihydrotestosterone, which will cling to hair follicles and starve out the hair. A simple blood test can help you determine if you have too much DHT. If your DHT is too high, saw palmetto – a natural supplement – can help.

 

Topical serums and shampoos are an ideal method of getting saw palmetto to your scalp, because your skin will absorb anything that is applied to it. Be sure to get a product that includes the known best ingredients for scalp health. One such products combination is SureThik Shampoo and Serum. This particular product line posts relevant research on its site to support the kinds of ingredients used.

 

Another way that you can get DHT to your follicles is through taking aaw palmetto as an oral supplement. This will reduce the levels of DHT throughout the body and while also benefitting the hair follicles. Saw palmetto can be found at almost any health food store.

 

The good news is that androgenic alopecia doesn’t have to mean that you lose your hair permanently. You can take steps to protect your hair follicles and your hair.

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January 2nd, 2012

Am I losing too much hair?

Maybe hair loss runs in your family. Or perhaps you’ve noticed what looks like too many hairs on your comb or brush recently. For whatever reason, you are concerned that you are losing too much hair, and have noticed what looks like thinning.

 

Let’s begin with a few facts. It is completely normal to lose as many as 50 to 100 hairs per day. Not all will be on your brush, however. You may lose a few hairs while having your shower; you may lose some while pushing your bangs out of your eyes. So, don’t expect to count the hairs on your brush and know for sure how many hairs you typically lose.

 

The reason that everyone loses a certain amount of hair is that each follicle enters the anagen – or resting – phase many times over the course of a lifetime. A follicle may stay in this phase for three or four months. However, this is a relatively short phase in comparison to the catagen – or growing – phase. Depending on your genetics, your hair may be growing for three to ten years at a time!

 

This means that the true measure of whether you are losing too much hair is whether the follicles emerge from the resting phase and re-enter the growing phase. If you notice your hair is thinning, your hair follicles may not be returning to growing hair, for a number of reasons.

 

One of the most common reasons is too much DHT. DHT is Dihydrotestosterone, a hormonal component that can block receptors in the hair follicle and slowly starve the follicle by blocking nutrients from entering.

 

The good news is that there is a safe herbal supplement that can help to lower your levels of DHT naturally. It’s called saw palmetto. New research shows that this supplement is effective against DHT, helping to break it down into other substances that are not damaging to your hair.

 

So, how do you get Saw Palmetto to the follicle? While you can take saw palmetto as an oral supplement, this approach does not guarantee delivery of sufficient concentration of the herbal remedy to the follicle itself. One of the best ways to get saw palmetto directly to the site of your hair loss is to apply it to the scalp. You can get this combination with a number of topical products. One such combination is SureThik Shampoo and Serum. The advantage of SureThik (unlike some competitors) is that the company posts research on its site that documents the efficacy of its ingredients, so that the consumer understands how the formula works against hair loss.

 

Why apply the key ingredient twice to the scalp? It’s all about results. The advantage of using both a shampoo and serum combination is that it delivers saw palmetto in two steps – with a scalp cleansing shampoo and a leave-on treatment. This is a one-two punch against hair loss from DHT.

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November 14th, 2011

Tips on Reducing Hairloss and Encouraging Hair Growth

Do you wash style or brush your hair regularly? We hope so! But did you know that the WAY you do these things can drastically alter how likely you are to experience hair loss? Here are some helpful tips to make sure you are getting the most from your hair care routine, and reducing the chances you could be encouraging hair loss!

  1. Hair Styling Products can Harm your Hair!

If the products you’re using are “sticky” to the touch, and/or cause your hair to hold a shape it wouldn’t normally hold without product, consider washing them out every night before your head hits the pillow. When you lie down on a pillow with hair product still in your hair, your head will press heavily against the products allowing them to work their way into your scalp, and of course into your pores/hair follicles. In addition, most styling products contain harsh chemicals which may not be the best thing for newly “sprouting” hair.  Ensuring that you wash them out completely at the end of each day will greatly benefit your efforts to achieve a full, healthy head of hair.

  1. Use gentle, natural shampoos
    It’s becoming more well known that mainstream shampoo products contain ingredients one would never want to slather on their skin. Why we ignore this fact and continue to put these same products on our hair is beyond me. Look for shampoos that contain botanical ingredients designed to help with hairloss or use a shampoo formulated to help hair grow-such as Surethik’s Hair Building Shampoo.
  2. Ponytails are for ponies

When you pull your hair very tightly back in a ponytail, you are in essence putting a constant strain on your hair follicles. Once in while this is fine, and won’t promote hair loss. However, if this is the way you normally wear your hair; remember that constantly pulling on your hair will train your hair to grow closer and closer to the surface of your scalp. Eventually, it will become too shallowly embedded, lose its grip on the skin and fall out. This is especially true of the vulnerable fine hairs at the front of the scalp, and can be the reason for high hairlines among women.

  1. Wait until your hair is dry to brush it out
    Wet hair is most likely to break during brushing. Give your hair a brush-through before you shower, and then towel and air dry your hair before brushing again. Allowing your hair to air-dry without brushing will also help it dry faster, since the hair strands aren’t pressed down together. This provides more surface area for air to circulate, speeding up the drying process. Also, if you use leave-in hair conditioner-make sure you don’t rub it into your scalp, since this will encourage clogging of the pores.
  2. You can stimulate hair growth by brushing your scalp
    Using a stiff bristles brush with plenty of space between the bristles, brush your scalp with enough force to feel it, but not enough to cause pain. Be sure to do this to your whole scalp when your hair is clean and fully dried, and you will stimulate blood-flow to your scalp. This in turn, will encourage hair growth.

 

If you are finding hair loss or hair thinning is a problem, be sure to contact Surethik and ask about their all natural hair fibers! This is an excellent way to hide hair loss while you work to change the behaviors which led to the loss in the first place.

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October 24th, 2011

Significant hair loss has a natural solution

The normal rate of daily hair loss is about 50 to 100 hairs a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Given that the average person has about 100,000 hairs on their head, that 50 to 100 hairs will never be noticed.

But what if you are losing more than that number of hairs? What if the hair that grows in is finer and thinner and poorly rooted? You could be on track for hair loss and thinning, unless you take some proactive steps.

One of the best steps that you can take is to clean your scalp well, using a natural shampoo designed to help alleviate and prevent hair loss. SureThik Shampoo is an ideal shampoo for those with the most common forms of hair loss. This shampoo does everything you want from a good quality shampoo, in addition to providing the most well-known and effective natural hair regrowth ingredients as part of its formula.

However, a complete solution requires more than proper cleansing – it also requires a therapeutic treatment that will stay on the scalp (rather than be rinsed away) to help address the key reasons for hair loss and thinning. In this case, you can turn to SureThik Hair Serum. This combination provides a one-two punch to hair loss, with nutrition for the scalp and herbal ingredients that are based on documented research.

The SureThik Serum uses a proprietary blend of nutrients and oils that not only nourish, but also help to protect the hair follicle from two key culprits in hair loss: Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT; and, loss of circulation to the scalp.

Research shows that one of the most common issues with hair loss is DHT. DHT binds to hair follicles, blocking off blood supply, oxygen and nutrients. DHT basically starved the follicle, which then cannot continue to grow hair. The SureThik Serum helps to reduce the amount of DHT present around the hair follicle with propagain, a combination of natural DHT blockers, which protects your ability to grow hair. Our natural serum replaces such pharmaceutical products as Propecia, delivering results at a fraction of the cost and without resorting to a drug.

Another drug known to help with hair loss is Rogaine. Rogaine grows hair by increasing blood flow to the scalp. SureThik Serum also addresses this area, but with a unique blend of Capsicum and Rosemary extracts. These extracts are able to increase circulation, without the nasty side effects of Rogaine. Good circulation will help to support hair follicles, resulting in more hair.

The SureThik Serum can be applied to the scalp 1-2 times a day. Apply directly to the scalp. Use light massage to enhance absorption.

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September 8th, 2011

Is my favorite hairstyle causing hair loss?

Slicked back ponytails. Tight chignons. Big braids. Cornrows. These are styles where the hair is pulled very tight to the head, putting tremendous and consistent pressure on the scalp. As these hairstyles become more popular, the rate of hair loss related to them also increases! However, you might want to think twice before wearing a ponytail all the time. Certain hairstyles will put more stress on the hair, resulting in more than just breakage.

 

The wrong hairstyle can actually cause hair loss! The problem is pulling your hair too tight. When you lose your hair from styles that pull too tight, it’s called traction alopecia. The worst styles include ponytails, braids and cornrows. Not only can these styles break your hair, they also can damage your hair follicles. When you damage the follicle, you lose the hair. Tight hairdos are not the only problem. You can also have style-induced hair loss caused by hair extensions and hairpieces. These items put stress on your hair because of their weight. The weight results in pulling on your natural hair. The pulling results in follicle damage and hair loss, just like tight hairstyles do. Unfortunately, this means that hair weaves – which are normally used to conceal hair loss – can actually cause more problems than they solve! The weave depends on tightly done braids, plus a hairpiece. The hair is then subject to stress and pulling both from the braids and from the weight of the hairpiece.

The simplest way to avoid traction alopecia is to make sure to change up your hairstyle. Try a looser version of your favorite chignon or ponytail. Take a break from cornrows. Make sure that any cornrows are done without excessive pulling. Skip the hair extensions or hairpieces. Your hair should not have constant pressure on it. All of these changes will help you to preserve the health and vitality of your existing hair. If you already have hair loss, try not to depend on weaves. There are other products that can help to disguise existing hair loss, while not putting stress on or pulling your existing hair.

Consider products that make the hair appear naturally fuller, without adding a lot of weight. Surethik offers all-natural, Organic hair fibers that are easy to use and come in virtually every hair color. Visit our main site at: http://www.surethik.com   for more information and to see photos and videos of customers before and after application.

If you discover that your hairstyle has resulted in hair loss, in most cases the hair will grow back. But not always! If you have been abusing your hair for a long time, your hair may not re-grow without help. One of the most important things you can do to help your hair re-grow is to nourish your follicles. Doing so will help the follicle to repair and can stimulate hair growth.

For information on hair shampoo and serum designed to nourish, stimulate and encourage hair re-growth, visit the site and read the success people have found with our product. 

Products like Surethik Hair Fibers which help to disguise your hair loss can also support you to feel more confident while waiting for your hair to grow back.

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