Natural Remedies for Hair Loss, Dandruff and Hair Problems

• By Admin
• Mon Mar, 2022
• By Ayurveda

Hairs are very peculiar characteristics of mammalian groups in the animal kingdom. It has a very important part to play in living beings. Humans also have hairs that serve an important role in their lives. From very ancient times hairs have been a beauty symbol for both men and women. People nowadays spend a great part of their earrings for hair care.

People around the globe have a passion for hair. And the hair care industry is growing day by day to fulfill the requirements of the people.

But first we should know what hairs are and how they grow.

Hairs are the outgrowths from the follicles present on the skin. These follicles are situated on the dermis, the second layer of the skin and extend up to the epidermis that is the outermost layer of the skin. Through this follicle their hair grows out. Hair is composed of keratin with chemical constituents like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen.

Hair growth varies from person to person but on an average hair grows of about 5 to 10 mm per month. Maximum growth of hairs takes place at the age of about 15 to 30 years. It is seen that hair growth is more in summers as compared to winters.

Scalp (skin on head) consists of seven components. These are papillae of hairs, hair shaft, mouth of follicle, stratum granulosum, sebaceous gland and oil duct. Hair also possesses a life cycle. Firstly hair grows from the follicle, then the hair enters a rapidly growing phase, then the hair enters a stagnant phase i.e. inactive phase and then hair dies off and ultimately falls off. An average life of hairs varies from 2 to 5 years.

Majorly seen hair related problems in general life are:

1. Hair loss
2. Premature graying of hairs
3. Alopecia
4. Dandruff

Hair loss

A disease common globally, which has really created chaos around the world nowadays. A very common problem which has been faced globally. Recent data shows the tendency of hair fall has increased in the past two decades. Causes of hair fall are

• Deficiency of useful minerals and vitamins in body
• Mental and emotional stress
• Prolonged illness
• Hormonal imbalance commonly seen in hyperthyroidism, imbalance in androgen and estrogen.
• Usually after child birth due hormonal imbalance
• Certain medications like blood thinners, vitamin A if taken in excess amounts, non-contraceptive pills, antidepressant drugs and medicines used in chemotherapy for treating cancer patients.
• Certain infections that can promote hair loss for example fungal infection on scalp
• Diseases like diabetes may also be a precipitating factor in hair loss.
• Poor blood circulation or excess blood loss
• Poor nutrition
• Lack of sleep and life style disorder
• Hereditary factors.

Premature graying of hairs

Very common problem especially amongst teens now days. Due certain factors there is early graying of hairs in young people. Color to hairs is provided by the amount of melanin content present in the body. More the melanin content darker is the hair color and vice versa.

Following are the causes due to which premature graying of hairs occurs.

• Faulty dietary habits
• Lack of sound sleep
• Stress
• Deficiency of minerals iron, copper and iodine
• Lack of vitamin B in diet
• Maintain unhygienic condition of hairs
• Bad circulation of blood in the scalp.
• Washing of hairs with hot water
• Drying hairs with electric dryer
• Use of chemicals like hair dyes, shampoos
• Hereditary factors.

Alopecia

Alopecia is a synonym of baldness. It is of many types.

1. Androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness - it is progressive thinning of hairs
2. Alopecia areata- it involves loss of some hairs from head
3. Alopecia totalis- it involves loss of all the hairs from head
4. Alopecia universalis - it involves loss of all hairs from head and body

Causes of alopecia

• Emotional stress
• Severe illness
• Hormonal changes
• Improper hair care
• Exposure to certain medication like antidepressant, blood thinning medicines
• Ringworm can also lead to alopecia
• Fungal infection is also another reason by which alopecia can occur
• Due to protein deficiency
• Iron deficiency can also lead to alopecia

Dandruff

Dandruff is a condition of flaking of the scalp. It is known as seborrheic dermatitis in common terms, is the inflammation of upper layers of skin causing scales on the scalp and other body parts. Dandruff appears at the rate at which dead cells of the scalp shed and their replacement speeds up. Regular dandruff appears as white or gray flakes in severe conditions; it may include oily flakes, which are yellow in color. Dandruff begins at the age between 12 to 15years i.e. the age of puberty and is seen in old people. Most prominent age grouped people who are affected are people who are in the age between 25 to 35 years. Dandruff can affect any part of the body possessing hairs like eyebrows, cheeks, ears and chest.

Following are the causes of dandruff

• Hormonal imbalance
• Poor health condition
• Poor hygiene of hairs
• Allergic reactions
• Emotional stress
• Consumption of high fat and carbohydrate diet
• Consumption of nutritious food
• Hereditary factors
• Excessive use of chemicals on hairs like hair styling gels, colors, sprays etc.
• Cold and dry weather conditions
• Inadequate washing of hairs.

Some hair maintenance tips:

• Take proper nutritious diet
• Shampoo your hairs regularly with non chemical based shampoo or mild herbal shampoo
• Always dissolve shampoo in water before using it.
• Use a conditioner after you use shampoo
• Always rinse off all the shampoo with clean and soft water
• Get your hairs trimmed regularly to avoid split ends
• Avoid using hairstyling gels, hair sprays, chemical based hair colors
• Comb and brush your hairs regularly
• Avoid usage of electric dryers and let them air dry
• Gentle hair massage should be done regularly to improve blood circulation
• Avoid undue stress
• At least have a sound sleep for 6-8 hours
• Oil should be left on hairs and scalp for not more than 2 hours.
• Take a proper amount of rest and about 6-8 hours of sound sleep.

Hair growth and maintenance remedies by herbal methods

Amla: A powerful hair growth promoter, which helps us in redefining our lost hairline. As this herb is sheet virya i.e. of cold potency it helps in suppressing pitta dosha, which is the main culprit in causing hair fall and premature graying of hairs. Indian women, for maintaining long and silky hairs have used Amla since ages and to deal with any kind of hair related problems. As it acts on enhancing liver functioning, which is very important in proper digestion, helps in creating a healthy environment in our body, which will lead to good growth of hairs, and body. It is a well-established fact that by using Amla regularly, graying of hairs can easily be delayed, as it is a well-known rasayan mentioned in ayurvedic texts.

Brahmi: a well-known herb in India used since time immemorial for enhancing hair growth and memory power. Due to its actions it helps in promoting hair growth faster. It possesses certain properties which helps in repairing the damages occurred in hair follicles due to lack of maintenance and helps in normalizing the damage done to rediscover the lost persona of hairs. This is the only reason you can still trace out Indian women having very long, black and beautiful hairs in spite of old age. It is also categorized as rasayan in ayurveda and hence possesses the properties of delaying aging signs in the body like graying of hairs. Brahmi also helps in relieving mental fatigue and hence helps in maintaining proper bodily environment that leads to healthy hairs. Know more about Brahmi