DIY Remedies For Super Clean Hair

For healthy hair that grows strong and thick, the starting point lies in the health and cleanliness of the hair follicles. These follicles, which are attached to the sebaceous gland, are the roots to strong and healthy hair. If they aren’t kept clean, oil and dirt can pile up on your scalp, leading to hair losing its natural luster. This comes from the leftover buildup of styling products as well as skin cells that are dead. If that keeps adding up, the result is flaky, greasy hair which is an unsuitable environment to encourage hair growth. The sebaceous gland on your scalp produces natural oil which can clog or dirty your follicles. That’s why it’s important to clean your hair and fortunately, keeping your follicles nice and clean won’t put a large dent in your wallet.

Herbal Massages

To stimulate hair follicles so that oil which are naturally produced by the sebaceous glands are distributed evenly, massaging your scalp can make a huge difference as it increases your blood flow. As the massage involves a lot of movement on your scalp, it loosens any dirt that has been clinging to your scalp, keeping excess sebum out of your hair follicles. People who believe in herbal medicine endorse the use of herbal infusions to massage your scalp. Using nettle, rosemary or horsetail leaf to help cleanse your hair follicles and normalize the production of natural oils. In order to use herbs to remedy this, you must first make an infusion from the herb of your choice. After that, take a few drops and use it to massage your scalp with your fingertips in circular motion.

Clarifying Shampoo

To remove the excess buildup of debris and oils from you scalp, use a clarifying shampoo. Using one regularly will remove all of the excess buildup and help to keep your scalp clean and oil-free. This helps in preventing your hair follicles from being surrounded by a buildup of oil and dirt. Depending on what kind of hair type you have, you will need to use a clarifying shampoo accordingly. It’s important to know that clarifying shampoos, because they contain agents that may be harsh with frequent usage, should be used alternately with regular shampoos.

People with oily hair will need to shampoo their hair more to avoid oil buildup, therefore it’s recommended they use a clarifying shampoo once a week.

Rinse made of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a very good product to use to clean your hair. It stimulates follicles, helps to unclog pores and is known to prevent dandruff.

Certain studies have indicated a link between the flakes on your scalp and dandruff with a bacteria that blocks hair follicles. Using apple cider vinegar as a cleanser for your hair can help prevent that. It’s recommended that you use apple cider vinegar in its pure form, meaning it’s not diluted, to pour over your hair, focusing on the scalp.

Wrap a towel around your hair so that it penetrates completely in order to let the apple cider vinegar kill the bacteria and cleans your hair. Do this before you shower and shampoo your hair, as needed until your dandruff or flakiness is gone.

How To Grow Out Your Hair Naturally

Some people are blessed with hair that grows faster than average, while others struggle with hair growth. One aspect of hair growth that is not in your control is the genetic makeup you were born with. Various other factors affect your hair growth, such as diet and your mental and physical states. Studies show that certain disorders that cause hair loss may be linked to stress hormones, such as the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata. People who go through the process of losing hair or the thinning of their hair have often sought help through the extensive use of various commercial products. However, there are methods you can follow to stimulate your hair to grow faster, without depending on chemicals and medicine and keeping your hair as natural as possible.

Consulting a physician prior to taking any supplements is highly recommended.

Step 1

The building blocks of hair are made up of protein. That’s why following a protein-rich diet can help nourish your hair and encourage growth. Studies have also shown that people who don’t include a sufficient amount of protein in their diet are prone to lose hair. Lean meats, fish, dairy products and eggs are a good source of the protein that you need.

Step 2

Aloe vera is a well known herb when it comes to beauty. It can be used for your skin or hair, whether it’s taken orally or applied to the surface in the form of liquid or gel. When it comes to hair, it has been recommended as a form of treatment for people diagnosed with alopecia areata. For people who want to make their hair healthier and longer, aloe vera gel may be a good solution.

This is not a commercial product but something you can get from your own aloe vera plant. Aloe vera leaves have gel running through their veins so simply cut off the amount required and squeeze it to get pure aloe vera gel. It is suggested that you rub some into your hair by massaging your scalp with your fingers before sleeping at night. This will nurture your hair and even may get rid of any bald spots you may have.

Step 3

According to research, practicing yoga may benefit your hair. Practice yoga, holding various poses to increase your core strength and flexibility. Eventually, you will be able to do headstands and forward bends, which increase your circulation targeting your head and scalp. It also alleviates stress, which is something linked to hair loss.

Step 4

According to research, ginko biloba is an herb that promotes growth of hair. It’s recommended that you take it in the form of an herbal supplement, available in various drug stores as an over the counter pill or on the online market. However, as mentioned before, consults with a doctor prior to taking this to stimulate your hair growth.

Step 5

The use of essential oils from specific herbs can play a crucial role in stimulating your hair naturally. You can make your own essential oils yourself, or buy them in the market. Mix together drops of peppermint, rosemary and sage essential oils to use in massaging your scalp with your fingertips. The movement stimulates blood circulation in your head and the herbs are good for making your hair long and healthy.

How L-Cysteine Promotes Hair Growth

L-cysteine is an amino acid that is present in your body. Its function to make disulfide bonds, which aid in enhancing hair growth while maintaining its luster and strength. For these reasons, it’s considered one of the many natural ways you can make use of to boost your hair’s health. It adds strength, moisture and shine to your hair. It can be found in shampoos as well as in dietary supplements, but there are certain things to keep in mind when you want to make use of l-cysteine for your hair.

What is L-cysteine?

It’s common knowledge that amino acids are an integral part of proteins. Amino acids are classified into 3 different types, essential, semi-essential and non-essential. The essential amino acids cannot be manufactured inside our bodies, so we consume them through food or supplements. Non-essential amino acids are aptly titled as, since they are present inside our bodies, so there is no need to consume them otherwise. Though it is made inside our bodies and exists as an amino acid, l-cysteine can also be found in certain foods, making it a condition or semi-essential amino acid. It is made in small dosages by our body, which is why we also seek it through supplements.

When there is no problem or disorder in metabolism, l-cysteine is made inside your body. All humans have the capability of producing it. For people that have metabolic disorders, especially infants and seniors, the need for supplements is necessary.

Hair Growth with L-Cysteine

The building block of your hair strands, keratin, a long fibrous protein that is made inside your skin, nails and hair. L-cysteine is required for your body to be able to produce keratin and therefore is essential for your hair.

There are three components to your hair – the outermost layer called the cuticle, which surround the cortex, which surround the most central part of the shaft, the medulla. The medulla is what gives your hair the thickness it has.

The cortex the most important layer of your hair, taking up anywhere from 80 to 90 percent of a single strand of hair. It’s made up of keratin, which is what provides strength to your hair. The protein that is bundled up together, giving hair its fibrous structure, consists mostly of l-cysteine.

How to Improve the Growth and Texture of Hair

External factors such as your hair’s exposure to the sun, chlorine and heat can have a negative effect on the health of your hair, regardless of how good your genetics are. Depending on your lifestyle and hair care routine, some of these may be avoided whereas others are a necessary evil. To optimize the health of your hair, making sure you consume the right amount of amino acids and l-cysteine can help. Just like any other animals, the look and feel of hair in human is determined by their diet. Certain foods can alleviate hair conditions such as dry hair.

How to Take L-Cysteine for Hair

While it’s suggested that l-cysteine is important for taking care of your hair, it’s not the only set and sure way to optimize your hair’s health. As mentioned above, your hair is part of your body, so taking care of your hair is contingent on how well you take care of your body. This includes following a healthy diet and lifestyle.

1,400 mg is the minimum dietary requirement of l-cysteine daily. Protein rich food including meats such as pork, chicken and salmon, and eggs, are a good source of amino acids. If you’re a vegetarian, a suitable replacement could be found in sunflower seeds, soybeans and walnuts. When it comes to using l-cysteine supplements, it’s recommended to purchase the ones which offer better bioavailability. The dosages range from 200 to 500 mg, but you should talk to your physician to know what dosage you should take. It’s always better to take supplements in the instance that you aren’t getting the required nutrition from your food – not the other way around.

The use of l-cysteine is an effective way to make sure that you are getting the necessary amino acids that you need to make your hair strong and healthy. Protecting your hair from damage is somewhat unrealistic, it’s inevitable that your hair will be exposed to all sorts of things, but you can make it more durable by building its strength through the right nutrition. Simply shampooing your hair doesn’t take care of it, you need to keep in mind how you are taking care of your body by thinking what to eat and what supplements to take to keep your hair looking its best.

How To Make Homemade Shampoos For Hair Growth

Losing hair is a natural process that takes place as people age. However, herbs have healing properties that can be used to help nurture hair to keep it healthy and strong. The use of homemade shampoos, made of natural ingredients, offers certain advantages for hair care that factory produced shampoos don’t. Using a naturally made product has the advantage of being chemical free, making it less hazardous to healthy hair in the long run compared to commercial products.

Naturally Made Shampoos

Shampoos that have been made at home don’t put a burden on your wallet and are fairly easy to make. In the beginning, soaps are used as a base, after which the other parts are added. To make sure the shampoo cleans your scalp, a mild cleansing soap is recommended to help remove oils. A clean scalp paves the way for nice and healthy growth of hair. Try to avoid using soaps that have petroleum products listed as its base or ones that have listed ingredient that contain chemicals such as cetearyl alcohol, distearate, methylparaben, paraben, propylene glycol, propylparaben, glycol or polyoxyethylene. Exposing your hair to such chemicals leads to more damage.

Herbs for Hair Growth: Essential Oils

There are various natural remedies that are known to enhance hair growth, and by far the most effective method is the use of herbal tincture or essential oils, the most concentrated form of herbs. Both of these are highly concentrated liquid forms of herbs and only one teaspoon is needed to be added to the base. Make sure that its alcohol free.

Herbal Tinctures for Hair Growth

Tinctures are basically liquid extracts from herbs. They can be homemade in a process that is as simple as making a cup of tea. In order to extract concentrated liquid from an herb, use 3 teaspoons of herbs mixed in 6 ounces of water and brew it as you would to make tea. However, before you strain the herbs, let the mixture rest for 15 minutes in order for the solution to become concentrated. At the end, simply add some tincture into your soap base, using a one to two ratio.

Nettles Used to Grow Hair

Nettles are an ideal plant that can be made into a tincture to be used in your homemade shampoo. They are available during summer and spring and can be used fresh in order to enhance hair growth. During other seasons, it’s also available in its dried form.

Rosemary Grows Hair

For a very long time, the people have made of us rosemary as an ingredient in hair tonics. Apart from its fragrant smell, it stimulates follicles to grow, thereby making hair growth faster.

Rosemary is available fresh during its peak season in the summer, but is also available in dried form during the rest of the year. Using a rosemary tincture in your shampoo will help to make your hair stronger at the roots, as it targets your follicles.

Shampoo Storage

Glass is an ideal vessel for keeping the shampoo, as it does not interfere with the herbal elements you’ve incorporated. However, glass is rather unpractical to store in the shower area. For this reason, it’s recommended that you refrigerate it in a jar made of glass so that it’s preserved for a long time. Fill a small plastic bottle with it in the bathroom for when you shower, which can be refilled as needed.

Hair Growth Promoting Agents: Amino Acids, Biotin, and B Complex

On average, a person has 300,000 strands of hair on their scalp, each growing out of single hair follicles. Most people’s hair is actively growing at any time, while a small portion of it, perhaps 10 percent, remains in a phase of resting in the growth cycle. Only about half an inch of hair growth takes place every month, leading to a total growth of roughly a foot per year. On average, 150 strands of hair fall daily. There’s a lot of hair loss that takes place naturally, and to lessen it, hair growth is enhanced through nutrition specific to hair, such as biotin, B vitamins, and amino acids can be consumed.

However, it’s always important to consult with a doctor before following any kind of treatment.

Hair Growth

Under the top most part of the scalp, the dermal layers, lie your hair follicles which is where strands of hair grow. The average hair follicle is bulb-shaped and produced a single strand of hair. Unlike its place of origin, hair shafts consist of dead protein.

Hair growth happens in three stages: anagen, which is the active growth stage, followed by categen, also known as the intermediate stage and lastly, the telogen phrase where hair growth stops, also known as the resting stage. The natural cycle of hair growth includes both growth and loss of hair.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are considered to be an integral, building blocks of protein. Hair is made up of keratin through the grouping together of various fibrous proteins. These include the amino acids known as cysteine, which is produced by your own body making it a non-essential amino acid, and methionine which is consumed through your food and diet, making it an essential amino acid. Meat, fish along with dairy is a good source for obtaining methionine. Both of these amino acids play a crucial role in hair development as it lays the foundation in forming the hair shaft. You may take supplements of methionine under your physician’s advice.

Biotin

Part of the B vitamin family, biotin is manufactured inside your body in your intestine. Not having enough in your system will lead to the loss of hair. A study showed that eggs are a good source of biotin, but it’s important to remove the egg whites. The experiment that determined this occurred when an young boy consumed raw eggs resulted in hair loss. Upon having him consume only the yolks, his hair growth returned to normal. Upon further inspection, they discovered that avidin was present in egg whites, restricts biotin from working properly.

B-Complex Vitamins

Folic acid, pantothenic acid, niacin, biotin, riboflavin, thiamine, inositol, B12 and B6 all fall under the B vitamin family. These complex vitamins are essential for maintaining metabolism when it comes to protein, fats, and carbs.

They’re also vital for the body to produce energy. As far as your hair goes, B vitamins make proteins inside your body, so they helps in making new cells and tissues, including hair. Other kinds of B vitamins, such as inositol, riboflavin, niacin, and biotin are integral to the health of your hair and enhance growth.

What You Need To Know About Folic Acid And Hair

Folic acid, which is also referred to as folate, is a product of a B vitamin. Because it plays a vital role in the development of the fetus, it’s considered an important aspect of female nutrition. It’s specifically recommended to help prevent spinal and neurological problems during the development of fetuses. However, another less widely known benefit of folic acid is in its ability to foster an increased growth rate for hair. As with any supplements, it’s recommended that you consult a physician prior to taking any.

Function

Folic acid, which is a synthetic version of folate, works on your tissues and cells, affecting your skin, hair, nails and internal organs. According to research, it fosters growth, thereby preventing birth defects such as anencephaly and spinal bifida. Because folic acid works with vitamins C and B-12 to break down into proteins, it’s also useful in preventing anemia. The production of red blood cells along with DNA is made possible with folate. These qualities have resulted in folic acid being a method of alleviating problems regarding menstrual issues and leg ulcers.

Folic Acid and Hair

When your diet includes a sufficient amount of folic acid, it helps your hair grow faster. This is because, as studies indicate, folic acid can be used to treat alopecia, hair loss, in a Charolais calf. The case study cited a three week old male calf suffering from chronic hair loss, which was similarly compared to the symptoms experienced by a man with a deficiency in folic acid. The calf’s hair was growing in brown patches and had a crusty texture. Therapy consisting of folic acid supplements was given to the calf in a daily dose of 1 mg/kg/day. Within a fortnight, a gradual lessening of patchy crusty hair is observed. After two months, a substantial amount of natural, soft and consistently grown hair was observed.

Folic Acid Deficiency

The development of a folic acid deficiency occurs when you are not including enough food items that contain folic acid in your regular diet. It can also occur if you suffer from medical conditions such as chronic diarrhea or malabsorption, which inhibits your system from absorbing the necessary nutrients in your food.

The appearance of grey hair, mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers, a swollen tongue and poor growth are some of the symptoms experienced as a result of insufficient folic acid. Furthermore, studies indicate that it can lead to certain types of anemia.

Sources

There are a variety of foods that contain folic acid, which you can eat to make sure you are getting enough of it without depending on supplements. Citrus fruits and juices, dried beans and dark leafy vegetables are good sources of folic acid.

Other food that have had folic acid added to them include pastas, rice, cereals, breads, flours and other grains. If none of these appeal to you or are available to you, you may consult a physician about taking supplements in order to meet the dietary requirements to prevent a folic acid deficiency.

Minerals And Nutrition To Make Your Hair Strong

Hair is composed of a protein called Keratin. This fibrous protein is non-living, so hair is essentially dead. However, it grows as a result of nourishment that reaches your hair follicles through your bloodstream. For the average person, the growth of hair is very slow – about half an inch every month – whereas up to 100 strands of hair are shed daily. This may fluctuate amongst different individuals due to a variety of reasons ranging from stress to malnutrition or hormonal problems. In order to maximize the health of your hair – or rather hair follicles – it is important to eat a balanced diet with the right kind minerals and vitamins so that your hair remains strong, healthy and thick.

Zinc

Hair loss and even baldness has been linked to a deficiency in zinc, a mineral that is crucially important for hair growth. Both meat and dairy products are an excellent source of zinc. However, they both also contain saturated fats which can promote hair loss.

Depending on your palette, you can find zinc in various kinds of food. Chocoholics can indulge in anything that has cocoa powder, whereas those who are inclined towards health food may make use of sunflower seeds, cashews, wheat powder and oysters in their diet.

Biotin

In order to have a healthy head of hair, biotin plays an important role. Part of the B complex vitamins, biotin is important to have in your diet to avoid hair loss and dry, dull hair. Biotin can be found in liver, egg yolks, cauliflower and oatmeal. In order to optimize the benefits of these essential vitamins, food items containing thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic and folic acid are recommended.

Iron

Apart from hair loss, lack of sufficient iron in your body can also lead to fatigue and depression. Iron is important for producing red-blood cells, which in turn is important for transporting oxygen to different parts of your body. An iron deficiency means that an insufficient amount of blood and oxygen is flowing towards your scalp, which affects your hair’s health as hair follicles become weak. Apricots, black-eyed peas, soybean, liver, clams, oysters, berries, dried fruits, figs, pine nuts and whole grains are the kinds of food you should eat in order to increase the amount of iron in your system.

Vitamin C

According to research, in order to effectively absorb the iron we’ve eaten, vitamin C is necessary. Having citrus fruits, such as oranges or grapefruits, are recommended after having a meal that was rich in iron. Vitamin C can be found in many vegetables such as those dark green leafy ones such as spinach, asparagus, potatoes, broccoli, green peppers and brussel sprouts, as well as fruits such as oranges and tomatoes. These are important to include in your diet in order to absorb the iron you have consumed effectively.

Vitamin E

Not having enough vitamin E can result in hair loss, along with weakened nails that break often. A good source of vitamin E includes nuts and seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts. These are also likely to have essential fatty acids as found in walnuts, flax seeds and fish, which play a significant role in maintaining healthy hair. Other sources of vitamin E include avocados, as well as olive oil.