Help, My Hair is Falling Out!

By Amra B. 

Problem: My hair is thinning out and it lacks strength, volume, and shine. 

Couple of years ago, I noticed that my hair changed significantly. It started thinning out, and I felt that it no longer possessed the volume and shine it used to have. I didn't think it was serious in the beginning, and thought it was just my rough brush strokes that made my hair fall out at an unusual rate. Soon, however, it become apparent that my hair loss was unrelated to the "rough" brush stoke as my hair continued falling out even when I skipped brushing. 

My Hair Now

My Hair Now

I instantly started to blame my new job and the stress I had been experiencing with my thinning hair. Although, stress in one of the factors that can contribute to the health of our hair (and our body overall), my diet played a bigger part than I thought. I become a vegetarian while still completing my MBA and maintained a "meat free diet" for two years. In the beginning, I seldom noticed changes in my energy level and hair health, but poor diet coupled with high stress had visibly left a mark on my hair. 

For the vegetarians out there, please note that this is not an invitation for everyone to become a "carnivore." It is essential, however, that we strictly monitor our intake of protein as it can have serious consequences on our health, including our hair. 

Solution: 

There are numerous ways we can improve our the health of our hair. Below I will discuss some of the things that have personally worked for me and restored my hair back to its original state. Please note that I am not a medical expert and if you suspect that your hair loss may be sever, I would suggest consulting a professional MD who will determine the cause of your hair loss. 

• Increase the intake of the protein in your diet: many of us don't consume nearly as much protein as we should. Protein is an essential part of our diet as it effects every organ in our body. According to a study published in the "Journal of Investigative Dermatology": "Keratinocytes are responsible for making keratin, a type of protein essential to hair growth. If you do not consume enough protein, hair loss can occur. Loss of protein due to various hair care products or even medical conditions will lead to damaged hair." Increased consumption of the protein rich food significantly changed the quality of my hair. Now, I personally make sure that I eat some chicken or fish daily. I also drink milk every morning and incorporate eggs into my breakfast

• Beetroot juice is my SECRET WEAPON for amazing hair. While getting a haircut, I complained to my hairdresser how she was pulling my hair too much. She replied that she felt my scalp was sensitive and that there was no "out of the ordinary" pulling involved. She continued by explaining how some of her "anemic clients" had a similar problem, and that they felt their scalp to be hurting while blowdrying or brushing their hair. The hairdresser suggested I get some beetroot juice and drink a glass every morning on an empty stomach. She said it would work wonders, and IT DID! Ever since I discovered this amazing vegetable juice, I drink it at least 3-4 times a week. I have even made my other "sceptic friends" addicts: they used to make fun of my beetroot obsession, but once they tried it and noticed the difference in their hair, they too have become huge beetroot juice fans

• Decreasing stress in your life can help improve the health of your hair. Reducing the stress in your life is often a challenging task. However, as many of you have noticed, I am a huge fan of exercise, and one of the benefits of exercising is that it helps fight stress through reduction in anxiety. If you are not a fan of exercising, I would suggest taking a walk at a medium pace for at least 30 minutes each day. 

• Adequate sleep is essential to our health (and helps reduce hair loss). Many of us are aware of the fact that we may not be getting adequate amount of sleep. Furthermore, this effect is even amplified if we take into consideration that the quality of sleep may be quite poor. We may spend hours in bed tossing and turning, just to wake up exhausted in the morning. I have found that a hot shower, lavender, and warm tea help me unwind and improve the quality of my sleep. I shower with warm water and it helps ease my tight muscles (especially beneficial after exercise). I also use lavender powder that I sprinkle on my sheets before I get into bed. My favorite tea before sleep is chamomile, but there are many great herbal tea options out there

Hope my tips help you get that lioness looking mane. 

XOXO