Proper Hair Care and Lifestyle
Beautiful hair needs to be nourished from within. The truism that we are what
we eat is certainly relevant for our hair. Healthy hair depends on our general
well-being and on a well-balanced diet containing sufficient protein, iron and
other minerals and vitamins. Regular exercise is also important as it promotes
good circulation of blood to the scalp, ensuring that vital oxygen and nutrients
get to the follicles and the roots of the hair.
An adequate amount of protein in the diet is essential for healthy hair. Good
sources of protein include lean meat, poultry, fish, cheese, eggs and milk, as
well as nuts, seeds and pulses. Red meat is the best source of iron as well as
protein, although vegetarians can get iron form pulses; green vegetables such as
spinach, beans and broccoli; and nuts, seed and dried fruit like apricots.
Vegetarians need to eat plenty of dairy products and soya to keep their protein
levels up. There is some evidence that people who originally ate neat but have
since become vegetarian are less able to extract all the iron they need from
vegetable sources alone.
Iron is one of the most necessary minerals for healthy hair, and yet many
women are low on iron stores. Monthly menstruation means that women should
constantly replenish their iron, otherwise levels of this vital mineral will
fall. One recent study showed that as many as 80-90 percent of women of
childbearing age who suffer from hair loss are at least mildly anaemic. Women in
this age group should make sure that they eat a wide range of iron-rich food. It
is also a good idea for women to have their blood iron levels checked from time
to time, especially during pregnancy, after childbirth, and if they have
frequent or heavy periods.
Tea and coffee hamper the absorption of iron from the gut. If you are taking
iron supplements, it's particularly important that you do not drink tea or
coffee at the same time, or within half an hour of taking your iron tablet.
Vitamin C, on the other hand, helps the absorption of iron, so it is a good idea
to make sure that you get enough vitamin C or take supplements, alongside your
iron.
Alcohol may also hamper the absorption of vitamins and minerals that are
crucial for healthy hair. IT is known that alcohol raises the level of male
hormones in the body, but there is no clinical evidence that this is connected
with the development of hair loss in some women. Some contraceptive pills also
deplete the B-complex vitamins and zinc, which are both important for the health
of the hair.
Other essential nutrients
Fruit is packed with minerals and vitamins, so try to eat at least three
pieces of fruit each day, together with a couple of portions of vegetables. If
you need a snack, try nuts and grains or seeds - sometimes found in muesli-type
bars - instead of biscuits.
While dairy foods are high in protein, they also contain a lot of fat,
especially the saturated fats that are less good for health. You may like to cut
down on saturated fats, but it is a myth that a diet high in fat will cause an
overproduction of sebum, leading to lank, greasy or oily hair. Choose low-fat
yoghurts or semi-skimmed milk, rather than the full-fat varieties, but don't
overdo it - it's important to remember that you do need some fat in the diet to
absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E.
Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are essential in our diet and
necessary for healthy hair growth. Some are known as 'essential amino acids',
because they cannot be made in the body but must be included in the diet.
First-class protein, such as that found in meat, dairy products, eggs and fish, contains
significant quantities of all the amino acids. Second-class protein, such as
that found in vegetables, pulses and seeds, contains only some of the essential
amino acids, which is why a vegetarian diet must include a wide range of foods.
Deficiencies and remedies
Nutritional deficiencies sufficient to cause hair problems in the Western
world are few; but there are some worth mentioning:
Iron - The most common deficiency is of iron, and when it does become
serious, hair loss may occur. Women of childbearing age are prone to develop
iron deficiency anaemia because of the need to replace the iron lost every month
through menstruation.
Zinc - Zinc deficiency may also cause hair loss and a scaling scalp, but this
is more likely to be due to malabsorption than to a deficiency of intake. In
clinical observations, extreme zinc deficiency causes hair loss; it can also
cause problems with the skin in the nasolabial areas (the folds on either side
of the mose) and around the mouth, with inflammation and soreness. And in very extreme
circumstances (rarely seen in the West) scaly scalps may a problem. Although
these effects are extremely unlikely to occur, you should make sure that you get
enough zinc in your diet, or take supplements.
Copper - Copper deficiency is extremely rare in the Western world, although
it can cause a rare hair problem known as Menkes' kinky hair syndrome.
Vitamin B12 - Lack of vitamin B12 inhibits iron absorption and is therefore
implicated in hair loss. Pernicious anaemia is a condition where the stomach
lining is defective and cannot absorb vitamin B12 properly, thereby causing hair
loss. The condition can be successfully treated with supplements of a special
form of vitamin B12 called hydroxocobalamin.
Overconsumption of some vitamins may equally cause problems, since they
accumulate in the body and you can actually overdose on them. Vitamin A is the
most common culprit, and an overdose can result when people have taken too many
supplements, sometimes resulting in hair loss.
Essential fatty acids - Essential fatty acids, linoleic and alpha-linoleic
acid are vital for health and cannot be made by the body, so they need to be
included in your diet. Linoleic acid is found in a wide range of foodstuffs,
especially vegetables and grains; alpha-linoleic acid is found in wheat, beans
and spinach. Eicosapentanoeic acid and docosahexanoic acid are also essential
fatty acids, which are primarily found in seafood and safflower oil. IF you are
in doubt about whether you're getting enough, you can take supplements, such as
fish oil and evening primrose oil.
Where to find the vitamins and minerals you need
Zinc - oysters, ginger root, red meat, pecans, split peas, brazil nut, egg
yolks, wholewheat and rye. You can also take zinc supplements.
Iron - red meat, liver, spinach, egg yolks, pulses, cocoa, cane molasses,
shellfish and parsley. Iron supplements may also be taken. Many women,
especially those with heavy periods or pregnant women, are anaemic. Drinking tea
and coffee hampers the absorption of iron, but vitamin C boosts its intake.
Vitamin C - Vitamin C assists in the absorption of essential minerals such as
iron and zinc. It is found in most fruit, and especially in citrus and some
exotic fruit, in rosehips, green vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts
and cauliflower, liver, kidney and potatoes. Foods should not be stored for long
and should be lightly cooked, as this vitamin is water-soluble. Vitamin C
supplements are readily available.
Vitamin B12 - Liver, meat, fish, dairy produce and eggs. It is also present
in brewer's yeast, or you can take supplements.
Vitamin A - This vitamin helps to keep the scalp healthy. It is found in
apricots, peaches, spinach, liver, beef and lamb.
Vitamin E - This vitamin serves as an antioxidant for vitamin A - that is, it
prevents vitamin A from oxidizing, or decomposing. Vitamin E is found in butter,
wholemeal cereals, broccoli and margarine.
Biotin - The condition known as seborrhoeic dermatitis has been linked to a
low intake of biotin. It is found in liver, kidney, egg yolks, yeast and yeast
extracts, pulses and nuts.
Many modern women diet almost constantly in an attempt to achieve the kind of
figure that is promoted in beauty, health and fitness magazines.
The Danger of dieting
Young women often try one diet after another, using many of the crash diets
that are in vogue - the low-carbohydrate diet, the high-fiber diet, the
high-protein diet, and so on. Others rely on special slimming foods and meals
with reduced calories. Many women intend to diet, but then become so hungry that
they break the program - often with an unhealthy snack which gives them the
sugar boost they may crave. Then, feeling guilty at having broken their diet,
they begin again with renewed strictness the next day.
Such dieting can be very unhealthy. It is far better, when trying to achieve
a firm body that is not overweight, to take regular exercise and eat
well-balanced meals. Even if you supplement with vitamin pills while dieting,
these vitamins and minerals are often not absorbed as well as thy are in a
healthy diet. If you are cutting right down on fats, for instance, your body
will not absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. A balanced diet with a little fat and
a low sugar intake is without doubt the best diet for the body and hair.
Stress and pollution factors
Today's hectic lifestyles and the focus on staying slim have taken a heavy
toll on women's health. Stress is a factor in many modern illnesses and is known
to be linked to hair growth. Stress hormones can affect the growth of hair and
can even lead to dramatic hair loss. An increasing number of young women in
their 20s and 30s are experiencing premature thinning, or loss of hair. In other
women, stress leads to a poor diet, which means that women do not eat enough
protein, minerals and vitamins, and end up with dry, lack-luster and brittle
hair. Crash dieting can lead to quite dramatic hair loss three months later.
Because of the growth cycle of the hair, it takes that long before the effect of
any major stress is actually seen on the hair. As a result, people often do not
make a direct link between the hair loss and the cause. Anorexia and other
eating disorders often also lead to hair loss.
The modern world is not always friendly to our hair, either. Many of the
chemicals and pollutants in the environment can cling to it and damage it,
especially if not washed out quickly. Cigarette smoke in particular can adhere
to the hair and stain it yellow. Alcohol and other drugs can affect the
absorption of vitamins and minerals and therefore reduce hair growth.
The ageing game
Unfortunately, as we grow older our hair changes -usually ont for the better.
The main effects of ageing are that the hair becomes thinner and (usually from
the age of 35 onwards) white hairs start to appear. Women frequently start to
tint or perm the hair as they become older and this may cause damage if it is
carried out excessively, because the hair becomes dry and brittle.
It is very important that as you age, you take greater care of your hair,
your skin and your health. Young women may be able to get away with eating
poorly, exercising erratically, and smoking and drinking, because their bodies
have greater powers of recuperation. With age, however, your body becomes less
resilient and you need to look after yourself much more carefully.
There is nothing you can do to prevent your hair from graying, as this is
genetically determined. However, most women can retain their youthful looks by
means of highlighting and tinting to conceal the effects of white hairs.
Women's hair usually becomes thinner between the ages of 30 and 50, but
increased hair loss in your 40s, 50s and 60s may be a sign of a mineral or
vitamin deficiency or of poor general health.
Sometimes hormone replacement therapy can affect the hair, and if this is the
case then you should consult your doctor and perhaps change to another type.
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