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Dry hair can be brittle and cause hair breakage as well as hair shedding.
Treating hair loss at home involves understanding the potential reason for the hair fall or hair thinning.
Ask yourself a few things first:
- Is my hair dry?
- Do I have dandruff?
- Do I tie my hair too tightly?
- Am I taking a nutrient-rich diet for my hair?
- Am I too stressed out?
Getting answers to such questions can help you reach the cause and planning treatment according to the cause of hair loss can help you stop further hair fall.
Dry hair can be brittle and cause hair breakage as well as hair shedding. Try the following treatments:
- Apply hair oils or hair serums rich in coconut oil, argan oil, or almond oil for 20 minutes before the hair wash. Repeat thrice a week.
- Choose the right shampoo. Do not use too much shampoo on the hair, make sure all the shampoo is washed off the scalp. The deposits of shampoo over the scalp can cause itching and hair fall.
- Always condition the hair. You may use the conditioner after shampoo and wash it off or use a leave-in conditioner on the wet hair. Apply the conditioner just over the tips, never the scalp.
- Apply beaten egg-whites to your hair. Wash them off after 10 minutes.
- Use silk pillows, wide-tooth combs, and never pull at wet hair.
- Treat dandruff immediately
Tying your hair too tightly can cause a hair condition known as traction alopecia in which the hair gets pulled out of its roots. Hence, avoid any tight hairstyles that cause extreme pulling of your hair, such as tight ponytails.
Limit the use of hair styling tools, such as hot blow-drying, hot hairbrushes, curling irons, hair rollers, and hair straighteners. Use them only on certain occasions, such as your birthday or a wedding.
Sandalwood, lavender, rosemary, and thyme oils are used in aromatherapy and can help in resolving hair loss. You can try gently massaging one of these oils into your scalp for at least 2 minutes every night. Then, wrap your head in a warm towel to help it absorb.
Men who smoke are more likely to have hair loss than those who don’t. Quitting smoking can help reduce hair loss.
Stress can also wreak havoc on your health and cause hair fall. Try techniques like meditation, deep breathing, relaxation exercises, or talking to a counselor. Exercise is also a great stressbuster.
Ayurvedic experts recommend a paste or decoction containing a combination of herbs, such as Shikakai (Acacia concinna), Amla (Indian Gooseberry, Emblica officinales), and Reetha (soap nut, Sapindus trifoliatus) for cleansing and washing hair. Most of the shampoos available in the market contain synthetic ingredients, which may not suit everyone. You can try washing your hair with these herbs when conventional shampoos do not work. Alternatively, you can try herbal shampoos that contain these ingredients. An ayurvedic practitioner can also help you decide the right oil as per your hair type.
Which vitamins and supplements can help treat hair loss?
Your hair derives its nutrition from the food you eat. The current health of your hair depends a lot on what you eat over the last few months. Several nutrient deficiencies can cause hair loss which includes:
- Proteins: Eat 2 eggs, 100 g of chicken, or a handful of pulses, cottage cheese, fish like sardines, salmons, amaranth, seeds and nuts, whole grains, and meat.
- Calcium: Include dairy products, such as milk, cheese or yogurt, or calcium-fortified soy milk, in your daily diet
- Iron: Have any of these iron-rich foods, meat, fish, poultry, tofu, broccoli, dates, jaggery, and all kinds of greens.
- Vitamin D: The natural sunlight in the early morning hours stimulates the production of Vitamin D. Hence, try to get your early dose of sunshine on sunny days. The foods that are important sources of Vitamin D include fatty fish like salmons, sardines, mushrooms, Vitamin D-fortified cow milk, and soy milk.
- Selenium: Although a less important nutrient, but its intake in minute quantities can help you reduce your hair loss. It is found abundantly in nuts and eggs.
You may also consider improving your biotin intake, which is a B-complex vitamin, for stronger hair growth. Biotin is present naturally in foods, such as
- Egg yolks
- Dairy products (milk, curd, cheese)
- Nuts (walnuts, almonds)
- Mushroom
- Spinach
- Salmon fish
Supplements containing biotin may improve hair growth even if you are not biotin deficient.
A simple blood test can reveal if you are deficient in vitamins, such as Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin D, or minerals, such as iron, calcium.
Consulting your doctor or a certified nutritionist can help you select the right foods for your hair loss. The doctor may also prescribe vitamin pills to reduce hair loss and accelerate hair growth.