Wholistic Hair Growth Tips
- 7 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Most people think that losing your hair is inevitable and when you start losing it, there's no turning back. This is NOT always true!
You can prevent, reverse and regrow your hair without expensive chemicals, drugs or treatments.
Did you know? The health of your gut can impact how much hair you're growing.
Did you know? There is little evidence to suggest that taking supplements increases hair growth unless you're actually deficient in that specific nutrient.
Did you know? Some hair growth medications can cause long term or permanent effects like erectile dysfunction even after stopping the pills.
What can you do to prevent and reverse hair loss, and regrow your hair? What are the best non-toxic, natural ingredient ways to take care of your hair and retain length?
Let's talk about it!
Main causes of Hair Loss (aka Alopecia)
Let's cut right to the chase because there is so much noise, with little fact intact to back it up, about this topic on the internet and in everyday conversations.
What are the main, most common causes of hair loss? Why does our hair start thinning? The number one answer is probably what you would assume...
Genetics-- about 70 - 80% of hair loss is caused by your family genetics. But thankfully that still means 20 - 30% of factors are still at play!
Mercury (methylmercury) in your bloodstream-- from eating fish & other sea animals (seafood). A single 5oz can of Tuna on average has 60mg of Mercury.
To put this number is perspective, silver dental Amalgam fillings for tooth cavities have an FDA warning recommending that children & women wanting to have children not it get due to mercury exposure. This warning comes from the same amount of mercury exposure as you would get from eating just 1 can of Tuna every 2 months!
Increased Stress-- Mental, Physical, Environmental, Chronic, etc.
Increased Smoking-- Tobacco, Cigarettes, Vapes
Lack of Sleep-- Less than 7-10 hours per night. Yes, 10 hours, at times, especially for women, is absolutely necessary!
Having more kids-- Hormonal changes, life changes, time constraints, + several other factors
Unbalanced gut microbiome-- Lack of plants/ plant diversity in your daily diet
Thyroid issues-- Common conditions like hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
History of Hypertension, High Blood Pressure, or Cancer
Unregulated Supplement Ingredients-- for example: excessive b7 (biotin) or vitamin A in a vitamin or supplement
Best Things To Do to Prevent Hair Loss & Regrow Hair
Thankfully there are a bunch of things we can do to prevent hair loss and regrow our hair!! Let's start with cheapest and work our way to the most expensive. (Most are totally free!)
Wholistic Habits & Lifestyle Changes that you can incorporate in your life:
Stress Management-- Being proactive about stress management is the most effective way to keep your stress in check. Carving time into your daily or regular schedule to do things like eating a wide variety of plants, meditating, breath work, stretching, walking, moving your body in ways that feel good & fun to you, spending quality time with people that you love, expressing yourself, journaling, safe, deep & meaningful conversations, listening to and reading positive &/or inspirational content can be so impactful to how you handle stress when it comes up.
It's also helpful to have some quick & easy to use tools to physically deal with stress when you're feeling it. Some things I like to do is pause and feel it, focus my attention on my breath, inhale & count to 4; hold it & count to 4; exhale & count to 8 (repeat at least 2 more times). There are a ton of techniques out there that work for people. You just need to find which methods work best for you :)
Prioritize 7-10 hours of sleep per night-- Sleep is SO important for our bodies & we need to treat it as such. As I said before, Yes, 10 hours, at times, especially for women is absolutely necessary!
Stop Smoking-- Tobacco, Cigarettes & Vapes. You'll save yourself so much money when you quit not only from the daily habit but also from the plethora of medical bills that come with the side effects of smoking.
Get Some Sun-- Vitamin D is something that we absorb through our skin from sun exposure. A great goal to have is to get at least 30 minutes - 1 hour of sun exposure every day. Don't forget to wear sunscreen (on your scalp too if exposed)!
If you live in the northern hemisphere, you will most likely need to supplement with vitamin d3 during the colder, not sunny months and weeks.
Drink More Water-- Water should be the main thing that you drink all day, everyday! A great way to make sure you're drinking enough is the color of your pee. Aim for pale yellow. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.
Some great habits to get into are to never leave your home without a bottle of water, if at home, always have a glass of water to drink near you, & whenever someone else offers you a water, always say yes!
Eat a wide variety/ diversity of plants-- Eating foods that are not fruits, vegetables, beans or grains puts tremendous stress on our body's systems. & when we neglect to eat these foods regularly, we are putting our bodies into chronic stress.
SO the best way to avoid doing this to ourselves is to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, beans & grains on a regular basis. Even if you are still eating foods that put this unwanted stress on your body, the plants that you eat regularly will lessen the blow. A great goal to have is to eat 30 different plants every week! 30 may sound like a lot but you can easily get 10 different plants in a smoothie or 8 different plants in tofu scramble.
Foods to Eat More of:
Vegetables & Fruit -- dark leafy greens, berries, jalapeños, cucumber, tomato, onion, garlic, beets, sweet potatoes, broccoli, avocado, carrots, bell peppers
Legumes-- Beans & Lentils
Seeds-- Raw, shelled & whole pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, ground flaxseeds
Soy beans-- edamame, soy milk, tempeh, tofu
Fresh Herbs-- rosemary, peppermint, ashwaganda
Foods to Avoid/Minimize:
All Seafood and Fish-- It's frustrating to see how many articles there are out there telling you to eat fish and other sea creatures to grow your hair. This narrative is not only incorrect but can give you the exact opposite results of what you're looking for.
Dairy Products-- Food products made from the milk of mammals like cows goats and sheep such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream and whey. Nowadays, its so easy to find non-dairy alternatives of each of these products! Its also simple to make these at home once you find the recipe you like!
Candy & Refined Sugar-- Need I say more?
Fried Foods-- Despite what diet culture trends say, no matter what oil or fat it is fried in, fried foods are fried foods.
Red Meat-- This is any meat coming from cows, sheep, pigs, goats, deer, bison or buffalo.
Carbonated Drinks-- Any drink with a fizz.
Alcohol-- No matter how you want to spin it, at it's core, alcohol is a drug & a poison. Those who stop drinking often report that their hair gets fuller and grows more.
Hair Care Practices for Hair Growth & Length Retention:
Be Mindful of Shampoo & Conditioner Ingredients-- look for ingredients like: tea tree, aloe, citrus, hemp, apple cider vinegar, caffeine, & rosemary.
Avoid ingredients like: sulfates (SLS), parabens, sodium chloride, Diethanolamine (DEA or TEA), alcohols, formaldehyde, propylene glycol (PEG), silicones, synthetic fragrance/ parfum, synthetic colors, & ginger.
Use quick look up apps like "Think Dirty", "Yuka" or websites like "EWG Skin Deep Database" to see ingredient details for tons of products and ratings based on health and safety.
Routine Scalp Massage-- Gently yet firmly massaging your scalp, is a great way to stimulate blood flow and hair growth. Start at the base of your neck and work your way up + front.
Hair Growth Oils to use topically:
Pumpkin Seed Oil-- Remarkably, there have been several credible experiments done to test pumpkin seed oil and hair growth. Each one points to substantially more hair growth when just a few drops of pumpkin seed oil are applied to the scalp daily. Some experiments mixed a few drops of oil with a dollop of lotion!
Rosemary Oil-- This well known essential oil is known for its assistance in hair growth. You can find several products with rosemary oil mixed in or you can make your own by mixing it with a carrier oil like castor, jojoba or olive oil. Massage into scalp weekly or bi weekly.
Haitian or Jamaican Castor Oil-- This other well known oil is known to help an array of skin & body ailments including hair loss. A little goes a long way. To make it thinner, consider mixing in a few drops of rosemary oil or pumpkin seed oil. Massage into scalp weekly or bi weekly.
Best Things To Do to Retain Hair Growth/ Length
Improve Your Wash Routine & Schedule-- I've been on a trial and error healthy hair journey for the past 10 years! Here are a few staple habits I've learned work for me:
Avoid washing/wetting your hair daily, maybe 1-2 times per week. Use a gentle clarifying shampoo & scalp scrub 1-2 times per month. Use a conditioning shampoo the rest of the time. Use conditioner every time you shampoo & more. Deep Condition for at least 1 hour at least once per month. Detangle with fingers before a comb or brush.
HANDLE WITH CARE-- As I just mentioned, finger detangle before using a comb or brush. When detangling, gently start at the bottom and work your way up to your roots. Remove hair ties, pins & clips carefully and strategically. Avoid using rubber bands.
Everyday Protective Styling-- Go for low manipulation hairstyles, not tight hairstyles, use heat protectant in excessive sun exposure, use satin scrunchies as much as possible. Avoid heat tools as much as possible, use low heat when you do.
Protect Your Hair While You Sleep- Gently secure hair with a satin scrunchie in a low ponytail, high pony tail or loose braid(s) or twists. Wrap or cover hair with satin or vegan silk head scarf or bonnet. Sleep on vegan silk or satin pillow case
Be Mindful of Styling Product Ingredients-- Please see list of ingredients to look for and avoid in the Shampoo & Conditioner ingredients section of this blog post. In addition to that, check out the running list of "Non-Toxic Hair Products With Nourishing Ingredients That Actually Work" that I put together right here!
I hope this helps!
Bookmark this page to come back to it whenever you need some hair growth & length retention ideas
& please send this to a friend who may want to know about all of this :)
Sources:
Comments