Home remedy for hair loss

You may begin to notice that there are more hairs caught in your brush than usual after you brush your hair. You maybe also notice that there is more hair trapped in the bathtub drain after shower. And even more alarming, you are also beginning to find hair here, there and everywhere.

Most hairs have a life expectancy of three to six years, even if you get a haircut--or several--in the meantime. These hairs go into a resting stage for three months and fall out, and then new hairs are produced from the same roots.

Rapid weight loss, severe dandruff, iron deficiency and a low protein intake can also speed up the normal rate of hair loss by forcing hairs into a rooting stage. A serious illness or a physical stress, such as childbirth, can trigger dramatic (but temporary) hair loss of up to 50 percent, but this only occurs in extreme circumstances.

Although a certain amount of hair loss is normal, it can sometimes suggest that something is wrong somewhere in your body--especially if hair loss is accompanied by an increase in facial hair, abnormal periods or a deepening of the voice.

If hair loss seems to be on the increase, or is accompanied by these symptoms, talk to your doctor.

If your problem isn't overall sparseness, but noticeable thinning at the crown (female pattern baldness), you may benefit from use of either a prescription or over-the-counter version of minoxidil (Rogaine), check with your doctor to see if you're a candidate for medication.

Hereditary baldness is not just a male problem, she points out. Women can inherit a predisposition toward baldness from either parent.

Slowing or reversing hair loss

If your doctor has ruled out medical causes for accelerated hair loss, women doctors say that there's plenty you can do to hang on to what hair you have and encourage healthy regrowth. Their advice will be of special help to women who experience hair loss after childbirth.

Be gentle. Treat your hair like a baby's. Use baby shampoo and shampoo no more than once a day. Lather up only once when you do and rub your scalp gently. Then spritz your hair with a detangling conditioner.

Air-dry your hair. Avoid drying vigorously with a towel. Also, if you must use a blow-dryer, keep it on a low setting.

Style when dry. Grooming wet hair can cause it to stretch and break. So don't comb or brush your hair until it's dry.

Switch shampoos with the season. Change your brand of shampoo at the beginning of every new season--summer, winter, spring and fall. In her experience, it seems to prevent some shedding.

Don't tease. Even women who aren't losing their hair should avoid teasing or back-combing. It is one of the worst things that you can do to your hair and contributes to the appearance of hair loss.

Perm and color carefully. When perming and coloring your hair, follow product instructions carefully. Neither perms nor color causes hair to fall out. But both, when done incorrectly, do cause hair to break. And when the break is very close to the scalp, it can make you look as though hair has fallen out.

Nutritional Notice

So much for treating hair loss externally. To address possible internal causes, try these strategies.

Get adequate protein. Eat a couple of three- to four-ounce servings of fish, chicken or other lean sources of protein every day, even if you're dieting. Protein is needed by every cell in your body, including the cells that make the hair. Without adequate protein, the cells in your body don't work efficiently and can't make new hair to replace old hair that's been shed.

Maintain iron levels. Since iron-deficiency anemia can also cause hair loss, make sure that you eat a well-balanced diet that includes a daily serving or two of iron-rich foods. Good sources of iron include lean red meat, steamed clams, cream of wheat, dried fruit, soybeans, tofu and broccoli.

Take vitamin B6. Just don't take any more than that without consulting a doctor. Larger amounts can be toxic, especially over a prolonged time.