Hair fall is a universal problem that is a common thread between people. Though 100-150 strands of hair falling everyday is considered normal, when this number starts increasing it should be a cause for worry as it is an indication from your body that something is wrong. It is advisable to take note of it and follow a corrective action.
The markets are flooded today with products claiming to help in reducing hair fall. Thought these products can be helpful, they are really expensive and can make a big hole in your pocket, if you plan to take corrective measures for a long period of time. All one needs to do is understand the causes and remedial actions can be taken by making few natural changes at home in your hair care routine.
Following are a few causes that can trigger hair fall and a few natural remedies and steps that can be followed at home to prevent hair fall and strengthen the hair.
Causes of Hair Fall
Stress:
This is one of the leading causes of most of our ailments. Hair fall is directly correlated with stress. Whether it is work related, being a new mom, emotional or psychological stress, they all result in hair fall, in some cases permanent and in some cases temporary.
Hereditary:
Some people tend to loose hair at a very early age. This can be attributed to genetic issues if thin hair runs in the family. This is more visible in men than women. Here the probability of natural treatments and remedies helping becomes less and one needs to rely on artificial hair implants if they want a good crown of hair on their heads.
Hormonal imbalance:
Hormonal imbalances in the body are another reason of excessive hair fall. From thyroid imbalance to diabetes to pregnancy to post partum symptoms, all of these lead to hormonal imbalances in the body, resulting in excessive hair fall.
Unhealthy food habits:
With the advent of the fast food culture and lack of time due to hectic lifestyles, more of us run towards fast foods like burgers, packaged and precooked food available in the supermarkets. These foods are loaded with calories, unhealthy fats and preservatives which do not help our body in any ways. Try including fruits, vegetables and whole grains instead of refined flour in your diet and your hair will slowly but surely reflect the difference.
Over styling:
Heat is a major enemy of the hair. It dries the hair follicles leaving them brittle, dry and prone to breakage. Though everyone loves to have stylized hair, leave the curling irons, flat irons and blow dryers only for special times and try to avoid using them on a daily basis.
Iron deficiency:
Red blood cells are very important for the growth of the hair and help in maintaining good blood circulation, which is necessary for healthy and strong hair. Count of red blood cells is directly related to the iron content in your body. If you are anemic or prone to anemia, make sure you get your hemoglobin count to the required levels through natural foods or supplements so as to stop unnatural hair fall.
Everyone has their own way of maintaining their hair. Unknowingly we might be doing something wrong, that might be a cause of hair fall.
Following things can be done to prevent hairfall naturally
Use cold water for hair wash:
The most common mistake we make while washing our hair is to use hot water. Though nobody likes cold showers, the hair follicles become dry and brittle when exposed to hot water in the shower. Ideally cold water should be used for hair washes but if you are not comfortable with that then use lukewarm water for your hair.
Wash hair frequently but not too frequently:
Washing your hair everyday or washing your hair once a week, in the both the cases we end up damaging the hair. Daily washes mean stripping your hair of the natural oils, thus making them dry, frizzy and brittle. Washing weekly means all the pores on the head have been blocked by oil, pollution, dirt and grime. Ideal is to wash your hair twice or thrice a week to maintain healthy hair which in turn helps in controlling and reducing hair fall.
Get regular hair cuts:
How many times have we avoided a hair cut because we wanted to grow our hair longer? When hair are not cut every 3 months, the length of the hair instead of growing longer, splits the hair into two, cutting down growth and dividing an already thin strand of hair into two parts making it weak and thin. Split ends are one of the major causes of hair damage, resulting in bad hair quality and hair breakage. Regular haircuts not only help in ensuring healthy hair but also make the hair grow longer faster.
Don’t comb wet hair and avoid heat:
One of the first things we do after a head bath is to comb the hair to untangle it. This is one of the major causes of hair fall as after a hair wash the pores of the scalp open up, leaving the hair weak and prone to breakage till the hair don’t dry out and the pores don’t close.
Hair should be left untouched after a wash and should be left to dry naturally. Not only do they untangle themselves, but also you hair fall is significantly less when combed dry.
Heat is bad for the hair. Whether the hair are exposed to heat from the sun or various styling products like curling or straightening irons, they damage the hair follicles by stripping them of natural oils leaving them dry, brittle and prone to breakage.
If out in the sun, make sure to cover your hair with a scarf and try avoiding use of styling products on a daily basis, maximizing their use to once a week, if you cannot do without them.
Use essential oils for massaging:
This is one trick that has been followed since the times of our great grandmothers! Applying warm oil on the scalp before washing not only nourishes the hair but it also helps in retaining the natural oils of the head while washing hair.
Coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, almond oil, and rosemary oil, any of these or a combination of these oils can be mixed and applied on the scalp.
Process:
Warm oil in a bowl and apply concentrating on the roots of the hair.
Cover the oiled hair with a hot towel and leave till the head absorbs all the heat.
Remove the towel and wait till the head cools down
Rinse off with a shampoo with lukewarm water if you cannot bear cold water.
Don’t tie your hair too tight:
Keeping your hair tied in a tight pony or bun for long periods of time leads to hair fall as the hair get stretched more than they are intended to and thus it leads to their breakage.
If you are not a fan of keeping your hair loose, pull it back with a clutcher or a loosely tied pony.
Keep scalp free from dandruff:
Dandruff is a result of dry scalp, due to which the dry and dead skin starts peeling off the scalp. Dandruff blocks the pores of the scalp and causes itching and irritation on the scalp. The itching can sometimes lead to cuts and bruises, which can get infected as well. Blocking of pores leads to damaged hair follicles resulting in hair loss.
Oiling and washing your hair regularly with a shampoo meant for dandruff control can help in getting rid of dandruff and thus hair fall.
Use supplements:
Sometimes the body becomes deficient of certain vitamins and minerals that lead to hair fall. On most occasions eating the foods, which have an abundance of the mineral or vitamin required, can cover the deficiencies. But this is a long drawn process. With our hectic lifestyles these foods can be complemented with oral supplements of vitamins and minerals. One tablet of multivitamins can be taken everyday after the meals to ensure good health of your hair.
Improve your diet:
What you eat is what you will reap. A healthy diet consisting of fruits, dry fruits, vegetables, whole grain flours and fish will help in balancing and providing the essential minerals and vitamins required for healthy hair. You will directly see the difference in your reduced hair fall and silky mane.
Make optimal use of your pantry:
Your kitchen is packed with foods that can be used to make natural homemade masks that will help in reducing hair fall. A few of them are below:
- Eggs:
For instant reduction in hair fall you can apply this mask on the roots of the hair. The hair fall reduces by 50% at least and over regular application of the mask it helps in negating the fall.
Ingredients:
- Egg white
- Few drops of lemon
- Olive oil
Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and using a color brush, apply the mix on the roots of the hair.
Leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash your hair with lukewarm water bordering on cold, as you do not want the egg to fry in your head.
Here the egg white helps in closing the pores of the scalp, the lemon helps in negating the smell of egg as well as it helps in fighting dandruff and the olive oil helps in acting as a conditioner for the hair.
- Amla (Indian Gooseberry):
Amla is a powerhouse of vitamin C and antioxidants. Vitamin C helps in building collagen and better absorption of iron. These, result into strong and healthy hair and delay in premature greying of hair. If you are not a fan of eating amla, then it can be applied topically as well for healthy hair.
Ingredients:
- Amla powder/ juice
- Coconut oil
- Lemon juice
The above ingredients can be used in three ways in different combinations.
Combination 1:
Boil dried amla in coconut oil till it turns black and cool and store this oil.
Apply this oil on the scalp and hair and leave in for a few hours if possible.
Rinse the hair with shampoo in warm water.
Combination 2:
Extract amla juice and store it in a glass bottle in the fridge.
Mix it with equal parts of lemon juice and apply on the scalp.
Let it dry and then rinse off with warm water.
Combination 3:
Mix coconut oil and amla juice in equal parts.
Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice.
Apply this mix on the scalp and hair and leave in for at least half an hour.
Wash off with warm water to control hair loss.
- Aloe Vera:
Aloe Vera extract helps in maintaining the pH balance of the scalp and hair strands, which in turn promotes hair growth and re growth.
Ingredients:
- Aloe Vera leaf/ Aloe Vera gel
Just cut the leaf into two from the center to expose the gel inside.
This is one ingredient that should be applied on washed hair.
After washing your hair apply this gel from the roots to the tip of your hair and leave in for 20 minutes.
Wash off with cold water.
This can be applied to the hair thrice a week.
- Onions:
Onion juice has high contents of sulfur, which is very helpful for strengthening of hair follicles and regrowth of hair. Its anti bacterial properties help in fighting infections in the infected hair follicles. The following mix can be applied once a week for beautiful and healthy tresses.
Ingredients:
- Onion
- Rose water
- Honey
- Cotton balls
Grate onion and squeeze out the juice.
Add a few drops of rose water to balance the smell.
Add two teaspoons of honey and apply this mask with the help of a cotton ball from the roots to the tips of the hair.
Leave in the hair for 30-40 minutes and rinse it off with cold water after which shampoo the hair with lukewarm water.
Be careful the onion juice does not seep into your eyes. Though it is not harmful, the juice can cause burning and irritation in the eyes.
- Yogurt:
Yogurt is a rich source of probiotics, calcium, vitamin B5 and protein. This combination in one product does wonders for the hair.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. home made yogurt (preferred)
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Mix the above ingredients in a bowl.
Apply on the hair with a hair dye brush covering the roots until the tips of the hair.
Leave for half an hour.
Shampoo off with warm water.
The honey in the mix has anti bacterial properties and the lemon helps fight dandruff. All of these put together promote hair growth.
- Fenugreek seeds:
Fenugreek seeds or methidana as they are called in Hindi help in rebuilding damaged hair follicles. This helps in curbing hair fall and strengthening of hair.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. fenugreek seeds
- 4 tbsp. yogurt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup coconut oil
These ingredients can be used in the following combinations.
Combination 1:
Soak the seeds overnight in water.
Make a fine paste in the mixer in the morning
Evenly apply the paste from the roots to the tips of the hair
Leave on for 40 minutes and then shampoo off with cold water.
Combination 2:
Make a paste of soaked fenugreek seeds in the morning
Add yogurt and egg white to the paste and make a mask.
Apply on the hair covering from the roots to the tips.
Leave in for half an hour.
Shampoo thoroughly with cold water
Combination 3:
Fry the seeds in coconut oil.
Cool the mixture and strain it in a bottle.
Gently apply on the roots before washing your hair.
These combinations can be applied once or twice a month for strong hair.
- Fruits:
Fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals, water and anti oxidants. Practically all the fruits whether consumed orally or pulped and applied to the hair are super beneficial for your hair.
Ingredients:
- Any fruit- kiwi, melon, strawberry, banana etc
Mash the fruit to make a smooth pulp
Apply on the hair from roots to tips
Wash off with cold water.
The fruits not only leave your hair soft and supple but also help in strengthening the roots leading to reduced hair fall.
- Lemons:
Lemons are full of vitamin C, and their citric property helps in fighting and eradicating dandruff. By themselves they tend to dry out the scalp, so it is best used as an add-on in any hair mask that you make. Not only does it help in fighting bad odor from eggs and onions from the hair, it imparts all the benefits of vitamin C to the hair.
Conclusion
To conclude, one does not need to spend a lot of money to ensure healthy hair. Just making a few conscious lifestyle changes and applying some homemade masks on your hair will ensure good growth and healthy hair.
