THE SECRET TO HEALTHY HAIR
Photo credit: image by Verne Ho
The Scalp’s Role in Hair Growth
One of the easiest ways to encourage hair growth is by maintaining a healthy scalp. It all starts from within, from our diet and lifestyle habits, and from the condition of our scalp. You could compare the health of the scalp to the health of topsoil on earth. The healthier the topsoil, the better the grass will grow. Healthy scalp skin requires an acidic pH of 4.5 +/- 0.5, and normal thickness of the epidermis and dermis.
There are many things that can damage the scalp however:
- Sun damage for example, can cause thinning of the epidermis and dermis so a hat is recommended when you are outdoors for a prolonged period of time.
- Harsh hair-care chemicals abuse the hair shaft and the skin on the scalp and can be analogous to using a weed-killer on soil so it is recommended to review all ingredients in your products against the EWG SkinDeep database for safety.
- A diet that lacks proteins, and adequate vitamins and minerals also degrades the condition of the skin matrix. Scalp skin and hair are composed of proteins. Keratin proteins are amino acids linked with sulfur bonds from another amino acid called cystine. Essentially 97% of all hair is comprised exclusively of protein. Therefore nutrition plays a huge role in healthy scalp skin and hair shaft growth. Red meat and eggs contain significant cystine, but many people do not consume these foods. In these cases supplementing with a rich multi-vitamin and amino acid supplement is essential.
11 Easy Tips to Promote a Healthy Scalp and Hair:
1. Brush your hair with a gentle brush that also lightly massages the head.
2. Massage your entire scalp daily. However be careful of not scratching the scalp with your fingernails or by using bristles that are too sharp.
3. Do not wash your hair everyday. This will strip it of natural oils.
4. Choose products that leave your hair free from product buildup.
5. Eat a well balanced diet. Avoid sugars that cause inflammation and processed foods that don’t provide nourishment to the body.
6. Work-out to stimulate blood flow to the head. Inverted poses in yoga also bring more blood flow and nutrients to the scalp.
7. Massage your scalp with this hair growth stimulator
8. Do not sleep with wet hair. Wet hair is very fragile and will tend to rip against the pillow.
9. Avoid extreme temperatures and washing the hair with very hot water.
10. However do alternate between hot and cold water in the shower to stimulate blood flow to the scalp.
11. Opt for clean shampoo’s, conditioners, and styling products.
- Tags: hair