September 2nd, 2010
An herb is any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers that is valued for flavor, scent, medicinal, or other qualities other than its food value. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes. Botanical simply means a substance is obtained from a plant and used as an additive.
Botanical herbs, or herbaceous plants, by definition cannot be woody plants such as trees or shrubs. A herbaceous plant, or simply called a herb, is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground, and a herbaceous plant may be annual, biennial or perennial. Annuals will geminate, grow and/or flower, and die in one season or year. A biennial plant takes two years to complete its lifecycle with the first year seeing the plant grow leaves, stems, and roots at which time it goes dormant over the cold months. Then in spring or summer, the stem elongates greatly, and the plant flowers, producing fruits and seeds before it finally dies. A perennial lives for more than two years, and are sturdy enough to live through winter.
Plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. Throughout history, from the Bible, Koran, Siddhar poems of Tamils, Vedas and other old texts, the medicinal benefits of herbs are quoted. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants, such as beta-carotene. The term is generally used to refer to those chemicals that may affect health. They have been used as drugs for thousands of year. For example, Hippocrates (ancient Greek physician from several hundred years before Christ) may have prescribed a particular willow tree leaf to help reduce fever. Salicin was originally extracted from the bark of the white willow tree which was later synthetically produced to become the over-the-counter drug Aspirin. An important cancer drug called Taxol is a phytochemical initially extracted and purified from the Pacific yew tree. Phytochemicals as natural herbal remedies have been helping humans for thousands of years, and our modern technology is finding new uses and health benefits – from fighting cancer and disease, to their known preventative and regenerative qualities.
Phytochemicals often are destroyed, or rendered less potent, in processed foods. Botanical supplements from reliable sources guarantee the full potency and benefits of natural herbal ingredients. Carefully blending all-natural herbs into a nutritional supplement can remedy specific problems or areas of health. For instance Burdock, Cayenne, and Nettle work together to remove toxins from the body and stimulate hair growth. Other herbs have nutritional value, such as Rosemary, Sage, Oat Straw, Sarsaparilla, Spirulina, and Kelp. Others help with digestion and assist our bodies to absorb vitamins and minerals. Though nutritional supplements can be very beneficial, supplements should not replace proper nutrition. Nutritional supplements are still supplements, they work by complementing a proper and well balanced diet. Herbal remedies and supplements help to overcome nutritional deficiencies, and help to make sure we have all the nutrients in the proper amounts for optimum health.
Tags: Botanical herbs, botanical supplements, herbal remedies, home remedies, Natural Hair Growth, natural herbal ingredients, natural remedies, nutrients, stimulate hair growth
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July 11th, 2010
What exactly is a hair follicle? This is what produces our hair, and when something goes wrong, it doesn’t. A healthy hair follicle will produce, on average, a hair growth rate of half an inch of hair per month. There are many factors that keep hair follicles healthy, as well as damage – or kill – them.
The hair follicle is actually a part of the skin which grows hair by packing old cells together. Attached to each follicle under the skin are sebaceous glands, and the more sebaceous glands there are, the thicker the density of hair. The sebaceous glands secrete an oily/waxy matter, called sebum, to lubricate the skin and hair – our natural conditioner. The glands deposit sebum on the hairs, and bring it to the skin surface along the hair shaft. At the base of the follicle is a large structure that is called the dermal papilla, and around the papilla is the hair matrix. Cell division in the hair matrix is responsible for the cells that will form the major structures of the hair fiber and the inner root sheath. This is one of the fastest growing cell populations in the human body, which is why some forms of chemotherapy that kill dividing cells may lead to temporary hair loss. The dermal papilla nourishes all hair follicles, and plays a pivotal role in hair formation, growth, and cycling.
Keeping the hair follicles healthy and supplied with the proper nutrients helps to prevent hair thinning and hair loss. For instance, androgens can adversely affect the dermal papilla and hair matrix’s ability to help grow hair — but it has been found that certain enzymes can lessen the adverse effect of androgens and promote hair growth. Hair needs a balanced diet to stay healthy with proper levels of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Hormonal imbalance can cause hair loss as well.
Each follicle normally goes through a five-year cycle of growth and rest, with about 90% of the follicles growing hair at any one time. These healthy hair follicles should last a life time, but there are several major causes of hair loss: genetics, aging, poor diet, and unhealthy lifestyle. We cannot control the aging process and genetics, but we can help keep our hair follicles, and bodies, healthy — and we can even stimulate hair growth where healthy hair follicles are present. Taking good care of your hair follicles and hair, with proper nutrition, supplements, and hair care products, can help maintain or increase hair growth.
Tags: hair follicles, hair growth, hair loss, hair thinning, promote hair growth, stimulate hair growth
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June 1st, 2010
As we get older, both men and women experience some hair loss. It is a normal part of the aging process. The rate at which our hair follicles replenish themselves starts to dwindle. This follows the natural course of your body – which with age also begins to reduce its ability to regenerate itself.
Hair is made of a protein called keratin (KER-uh-tin), which also makes up the finger and toe nails, as well as the outer layer of skin. The part of the protein strand of hair that we see is the hair shaft, and it is actually dead tissue. This hair strand grows through an opening, or follicle, in the skin.
A single hair has a normal life span of about 4 or 5 years. That hair then falls out and is replaced with a new hair. Hair usually grows about half an inch per month, and this process slows with age. The average head has about 100,000 hairs, and it is normal to shed hair every day. Everyone loses between 40-125 hairs per day, depending on how much hair there is to begin with – and age. At the end of a growth cycle the hair shaft falls out. At any given time 10% of our hair is in what is called a “resting phase” where it is no longer growing, and after 2-3 months resting, hair falls out and new hair grows in its place. The follicle replaces the hair in about six months.
With age, the follicles shrink, atrophy, and start to die off with the hair strands themselves becoming smaller and thinner. About a quarter of men begin to show signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds of men have significant baldness by age 60. A frequent cause of hair loss is low thyroid function, which is common among menopausal women.
There are several factors that contribute to the demise of the hair follicles as we age, but it is possible to help strengthen and revitalize the follicles in our scalps. Certain dietary supplements can help improve the follicle’s ability to produce hair, and promote healthy hair growth. Even though the aging process begins to diminish the body’s ability to regenerate, it is still possible to actively slow down the aging process and help our bodies, and hair follicles, stay healthy and younger. Conversely, it is possible to hasten the aging process and harm our body’s ability to regenerate. Poor diet, alcohol, stress, and tobacco are factors that exaggerate the aging process, and which are directly under our control. It’s up to us to prevent unwanted hair loss, and we have the ability to do so. It is possible to stimulate hair growth where hair follicles are present.
Tags: aging hair loss, female hormones hair, hair thinning, male pattern baldness, women hair loss
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May 13th, 2010
Hair loss is not restricted to men only. Women, and to some degree children, are susceptible as well. These days more and more women are experiencing hair loss, and the reasons are not the same as for men. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, female hair loss is a growing problem, affecting roughly 30 million women in the United States — with some forms of loss occurring at earlier ages. It is suggested that up to forty percent of American hair loss sufferers are women, and fifty percent of women experience hair loss of some sort by middle age.
For many decades, doctors believed there was a single cause of balding in both men and women. Today it is known that this is not true — at least where women are concerned. Hair loss in women is mostly caused by hormones, aging, and hereditary genes – although there are other causes as well. While it may be temporary or long-term, psychologically the damage can be severe.
There are several causes of hair loss in women
Androgenic alopecia, where the androgen hormones (such as testosterone, and estrogens) interfere with natural hair growth (this condition is more common in men). Androgens are also the original anabolic steroids.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a somewhat common hormonal problem in women. It is an endocrine (glands that secrete hormones directly into the blood) disorder affecting approximately 5%-10% of women of reproductive age (12-45 years old) and is thought to be one of the leading causes of female infertility.
Certain types of autoimmune disorders result in alopecia aerata, which causes hair to come out in clumps or patches. This condition can spread to include the whole scalp, or to all the skin of the body.
Telogen effluvium, a usually temporary condition that follows childbirth, crash dieting, surgery, or a traumatic emotional event.
Tight hair styles can cause traction alopecia, which damages hair follicles. This form of gradual hair loss is caused by a continued pulling force applied to the hair. Other causes of female baldness could be thyroid disorders, anemia, even chronic illness, or the use of certain medications.
Consult your medical professional for the hair loss treatment right for you.
The causes range from mild to severe, and from temporary to long term. Discovering the underlying problems and causes can help to remedy hair loss. Hair restoration, as well as hair growth/re-growth solutions, also help to keep the stigma of hair loss in women at a minimum.
Tags: female androgenic alopecia, female baldness, female hormones hair, girl hair restoration, women hair loss
Posted in Female Hair Loss | 1 Comment »
May 3rd, 2010
Popular belief has long held that male baldness is inherited, and if “Dad is bald, then that’s what I get to look forward to”. Well, for more than 70 years that has been the belief, and scientific evidence had nothing to prove anything different for the cause of Alopecia. Recently though, we have scientific proof that male baldness is indeed hereditary — it is inherited through the mother. And any young guy curious about what’s in store for him hair-wise, should check out his mother’s father and her paternal uncles to determine his chances of hair loss.
Large studies in 2005 and 2007 stress the importance of the maternal line in the inheritance of male pattern baldness and have concluded that male pattern baldness is hereditary, passed down on the mothers side. The explanation is genetic and linked to your mother’s X-Chromosome. Premature male pattern baldness has something to do with the sex chromosomes — to be precise, the X chromosome — which a man inherits from his mother.
Everyone gets one-half of their genetic make-up from their mother and the other half from their father. There are two chromosomes, X and Y. Every person has a set of two chromosomes: males are XY and females are XX. When a child is conceived, the mother contributes a X chromosome, and the father contributes either the X chromosome or the Y chromosome. It is the X chromosome that contains the gene for male pattern baldness.
A certain variant of the androgen receptor (AR) gene, on the X chromosome, is needed for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) — or premature male pattern baldness — to develop. This particular gene is recessive, and the female would need to have both X chromosomes with the variant, or else she would pass on the dominant gene which would preclude male baldness.
Without a hair loss remedy, or some action on your part to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth/re-growth and restoration, take a look at your mom’s dad and his brothers if you’d like to monitor your hair loss future.
Tags: genetic hair loss, male pattern baldness, maternal balding, premature hair loss
Posted in alopecia | 3 Comments »
January 26th, 2010
Almost anyone of any age could be dealing with hair loss; the mysteriousness of alopecia causes young children and adults alike to lose a majority (if not all) of their hair; some teens experience significant hair loss due to everything from illness to overuse of certain chemical treatments; and adults of both genders will all suffer some hair loss after the age of fifty. Clearly, this means that hair loss or hair thinning can be a natural part of the life cycle, but there are some occasions when it is related more to poor health than processes of nature.
If we understand that body hair consists of several key components that include the hair shaft (the part we see and style), a root that resides just below the surface of the skin and the follicle which is the sort of “seed” from which a hair grows, we can see that there are many places where hair might run into a challenge of some kind.
For example, someone with thyroid disease will usually experience a noticeable amount of hair thinning or even loss before the required medications can rebalance their bodily systems and stop the interference with hair production. Alternately, someone who colors their hair on a regular basis might also destroy it too.
Are there any basic “tips” that can help someone to avoid the most common reasons that hair loss will occur for unnatural reasons? Actually, the following recommendations can serve as a good guide for avoiding common problems that occur with hair, but underlying health conditions, disease, and some medical treatments can also cause hair to thin or fall out as well.
The basic tips for preventing unnatural problems with hair include:
- Eating a well-balanced diet – hair and hair growth are only sustainable if the body is well-nourished. This is the reason that many people suffering from eating disorders will have major problems with hair loss or thinning. A regular daily intake of adequate protein, minerals, water and vitamins are an absolute necessity for healthy hair.
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Avoiding treatment and chemical overuse – although there have been headlines about the problems associated with some chemical straighteners (which cause their users to lose their hair on a temporary or permanent basis), there are other treatments and chemicals that can dry out or damage the hair to such a degree that it sustains permanent damage. Instead of bleaching, coloring, perming and straightening the hair on an ongoing basis, it is best to incorporate a “healing cycle” and allow the hair to restore its natural balance.
- Pulling hair too tightly – the condition known as traction alopecia is the result of someone pulling their hair up or back far too tightly on too frequent a basis. This destroys the follicles and can cause permanent hair loss.
Tags: alopecia disease, chemical hair loss, hair loss tips, hair thinning
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January 23rd, 2010
Baldness stalks us from the beginning of life to the end. Sure, your mom told you that you should never make fun of anyone’s new bald baby. It’s bad manners and worse, you have no way of knowing (when the time comes) if your baby will be the butt of snide remarks and snickers. Of course, there’s the bad karma thing to worry about, as well.
The same thing is true about the misfortune of hair loss victims. Go with the golden rule – don’t laugh, at least not out loud. Taking a tour of hair loss through history will prepare you for the day when hair loss hits home.
Flickr doesn’t have any photos online of the 2008 Vice Presidential candidate that show his before and after hair loss and hair replacement treatment. Although Vice President Biden’s hair has been thinning for the last 10 to 20 years, a few people just missed the whole story about his attempt to do something about his thinning hair.
Many people who have seen Biden’s hair replacement treatment are shaking their heads in disbelief. Quite a few are even laughing out loud, in spite of what their mom taught them. One online magazine that follows Washington politicos even went so far as to call it Biden’s Helmet.
Hair transplants don’t regrow hair. Furthermore, like comb-overs, they attract even more attention to your head. If you’re Joe Biden, on a mission to create world peace or restore economic growth, that could be quite a distraction.
One problem with his hair transplant is that while his hair was thinning over several decades, it also changed colors. Finally, his full head of hair is an attractive silver gray. However, the transplanted hair doesn’t quite match the hair that’s still growing. Professional hair stylists have suggested that he dye all his transplanted hair a darker color.
Too bad that he’ll have to join the ranks of millions of women who dye their hair, to hide their gray. He looks great with gray hair, plugs and all.
Tags: baldness, combovers, hair loss, hair plugs, hair replacement treatment, hair transplants, regrow hair, Vice President Biden
Posted in Hair Loss Products, Natural Hair Growth | 2 Comments »
January 16th, 2010
Travel to the tropics – the Caribbean, Latin American, along with most of Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands means taking anti-malaria medications. Chances are, you’ll suffer some hair loss when you do. Frequent travelers who must rely on these medications often complain about their side effects. If you or your loved ones are traveling or working in the tropics, and take anti-malarial drugs, be forewarned about malaria drugs and unexplained hair loss.
Quinine was the most widely used anti-malaria medication for most of the 20th century. It has been replaced by chloroquine (Aralen), mefloquinine (Lariam, Mephaquine, Melfiam), and Daraprim (pyrimethamine). In 1963, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research initiated a search for more effective anti-malarial drugs, due to Vietnam War fighting conditions. The FDA approved mefloquinine in 1989. Now it is widely prescribed for thousands of Peace Corps volunteers, Foreign Service employees, and military personnel. Many take Lariam, because of its convenient weekly dosing.
These anti-malarial medications cause telogen effluvium, sudden hair loss. It’s easy to detect. It is usually occurs near the front of the head or hairline. Hairs in the resting (telogen) phase develop small white nodules on the end of the shaft, while the scalp prepares to shed them. However, it can take up to three months for your scalp to eject the dead hair. You may not experience this side effect until your trip is long over.
The medications can cause up to 30 percent of your hair to switch from the normal growth phase into a resting phase. Since 10 percent of your hair is usually in a resting phase at all times, your total hair loss suddenly jumps to 40 percent.
Malaria kills up to one million unprotected people every year. If you don’t die, you’re sick enough to want to die. So, it’s a good idea to take the pills. Research has been underway since 2004 for malaria medications to replace mefloquinine, because of some other disturbing side effects. Some promising alternatives may be available soon. However, ask your physician if sudden hair loss is a known side effect of any new malaria medications.
Tags: anti-malarial, Aralen, chloroquine, Daraprim, dead hair, Lariam, malaria medications, Melfiam, Mephaquine, pyrimethamine, quinine, sudden hair loss, Telogen effluvium
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January 12th, 2010
Hair loss is a major cause of concern for millions of men around the world. While times are changing and a bald head is no longer frowned upon as much as it was a decade back, having a hair full of lustrous, wavy hair is still considered by many to be a sign of health and good looks.
Changing lifestyles, stressed out lives, and less time to take care of our bodies have resulted in a situation where every man today faces hair loss to a certain extent. If this hair loss is within the normal growth cycle of hair, there is little to worry about. However, for most men, this is not the case.
For such men, hair loss treatments are the only way out to avoid embarrassment. Yes, hair loss can be a cause of embarrassment for many men, especially if the hair loss is heavy enough to result in bald patches on the head. However, lot of men are not sure whether they should go in for hair loss treatments or not, and for good reason.
Hair loss treatments are a recent development and not all reviews about such treatments are positive. In such a scenario it is very tough to take a decision about receiving hair loss treatment. Like every other beauty treatment, hair loss treatments also have their own pros and cons that call for proper consideration before taking a final decision.
Let us look at some of these and compare our options.
Pros of Hair Loss Treatments
- Hair is an important part of the personality of a man. There is a difference in the respect given to a man with good hair and that given to a man with little or no hair. More hair often means more respect. Hair loss treatments can help you earn this respect by restoring the thickness of your hair.
- Losing hair quickly and at a young age can severely affect a man’s self-confidence and tarnish his self-image. By getting proper hair loss treatment, this loss of self-confidence can be reversed and avoided.
- Women find men with a full head of hair more attractive then bald ones. Of course there are women who prefer bald men, but these are a minority. Most women love running their fingers through the hair of their partners. With hair loss treatment, men can make sure they always remain attractive to the opposite sex.
Cons of Hair Loss Treatments
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With the exception of surgery and follicular hair transplants, no other hair loss treatments provide a permanent solution to hair falling out. Most treatments can only help you control hair fall and not replace the hair already lost. Moreover, any hair growth benefits gained during treatment are quickly lost once treatment is stopped.
- Almost all hair loss treatments are really heavy on the pocket. Permanent solutions such as surgery and hair transplants can burn a hole in your wallet, while other treatments are just as expensive as they call for long term usage.
- No hair loss treatment currently available in the market is free of side effects. Many drug-based treatments are known to carry severe side effects. Other treatments also have some or the other unwanted effect, which just cannot be avoided.On the whole, hair loss treatments are balanced between pros and cons and the decision to take hair loss treatment differs from individual to individual. It should be taken entirely on the urgency of need for hair loss treatment and the overall positive benefits to be gained from such a treatment.
On the whole, hair loss treatments are balanced between pros and cons and the decision to take hair loss treatment differs from individual to individual. It should be taken entirely on the urgency of need for hair loss treatment and the overall positive benefits to be gained from such a treatment.
Tags: hair growth benefits, hair loss embarassment, hair loss treatments, hair self confidence, hairloss side effects
Posted in Natural Hair Growth | 1 Comment »
August 12th, 2009
Celebrities throughout the world have their own hair stylists. This plum spot can lead to increased demand, additional upscale clientele and higher fees. A few stylists to the stars and glitterati have landed book deals, network interviews and media contracts, including reality shows.
Of course, Michelle Obama, the first lady, has a personal hair stylist, Johnny Wright. She found him quite by accident while she was living in Chicago. During the campaign, she called on him several times to dress her tresses and he became a regular. Her previous stylist, Rahni Flowers, of Chicago had kept Michelle’s hair beautiful for 26 years. He declined the invitation to accompany the first family to DC. However, Wright moved to DC to take up the challenge and open a new salon in the area.
Inquiring minds want to know more about Michelle’s hair care regime, but Wright is mum about the products he uses on her hair. Since the first lady is perimenopausal, does she have thinning hair? Rumors abound that she is actually bald. The persistent rumor that she may be pregnant also leads searchers to speculate that she is experiencing pregnancy related hair loss. Some searchers are trying to find out if her hairstyle is based on a weave!
Although her hairstyle is unremarkable, it is elegant and simple enough to let her manage the long hours on the campaign trail and now to represent the nation with flying colors. Her most recent haircut, in July set the blog universe abuzz. Everyone from the Huffington Post and Anderson Cooper to the Michelle Obama Watch has an opinion about her hairdos.
Almost as an afterthought, some people do want to know who cuts President Obama’s hair. And his haircut is popular with all ages. Since he just gets haircuts (and he’s a man), this doesn’t get as much search volume or website blog action as does the first lady’s hair styling and stylist. There are over 400,000 plus websites at this point where discussions are taking place about Michelle’s hair. There are also over 100,000 blog posts, 10,000 in the last month alone.
It appears that Hairdresser to the Stars is not a bad job when you consider fame and the opportunity to catapult your career into a higher gear, during and after this sojourn. Folks who have shunned this “pedestrian career” might want to take a second look.
Tags: hair care, hair loss, haircut, Johnny Wright, Michelle Obama, pregnancy, President Obama, Rahni Flowers, thinning hair, womens hair loss
Posted in Female Hair Loss, Natural Hair Growth | 4 Comments »
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