Wednesday 29 October 2008

Reasons Behind Hair Loss



Reasons Behind Hair Loss

There are various reasons for hair thinning and subsequent hair loss, which can differ from person to person. However, there are a few common causes of hair thinning and loss. They are as follows:




1. Illness
2. Genetics
3. Stress
4. Improper Diet
5. Post-Pregnancy
6. Medicines

Illness

When you're sick, your body uses nutrient reserves within your body. When these reserves end, your body takes nutrients from other parts of your body to maintain
essential functions. Therefore, sick people tend to lose hair since their body is utilizing nutrients for hair growth to combat body illness instead.

Genetics

The genetic code which you inherited from your parents is usually what determines your hair growth, thinning, and loss. You cannot alter your genetic code in any way. In males, hair loss can start at any time after puberty. In females, it starts later in life.

Stress

Emotional and environmental stress plays a major role in hair thinning and loss. Such hair loss usually occurs in patches, and does not resemble normal hair loss.

Improper or Poor Diet

Similarly, if you do not have a balanced diet, your body lacks essential vitamins and nutrients. This has a negative effect on hair growth and can lead to thinning and loss as well.

Post-Pregnancy

Hormonal changes during and after pregnancy often lead to various changes in your hair. Mothers tend to lose more hair shortly after their baby is born. Fortunately, this condition usually resolves itself a few months after childbirth.

Medicines

Many medications can disturb the hormonal balance in your body and cause hair loss. In some cases, the hair may grow back after you stop taking the medication.

Remedial Measures

* Taking a multivitamin each day can supplement the loss of nutrients caused by illness.

* Hair transplantation is a very simple and common method of restoring hair. This is done by transferring portions of hair-growing scalp and replanting them in bald areas to promote growth of hair in those regions.

Saturday 20 September 2008

Beautiful Cornrows



Here are some ways you can make those beautiful cornrows last:

1. Keeping cornrowed hair clean is easier
than you might think. Use a water pick
dental cleaner, a shower massager, or a
wide tooth comb to help thoroughly clean
your hair without disturbing your beautiful
braids.

2. Dry hair is more vulnerable to damage
than healthy, moisturized hair. One of the
most natural ways to prevent dry hair is to
drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.

3. Wrapping your head with a silk scarf or
using a satin pillow case may help to
retain your hairstyle. It will also protect
your hair from getting frizzy.

Monday 15 September 2008

All about Hair

Inspiration. Invention. Innovation. With a century’s experience in black & brunette hair coloring, Hoyu can help you obtain a better understanding of hair for more effective coloring in your future.

Hair Structure
Hair shafts consist of 3 parts: Cuticle, Medulla and Cortex.

Cuticle is the outer layer of hair shaft, which is made up of overlapping transparent keratin cells. It works like protective scales. Each cuticle cell is composed of several different layers such as A-layer, exocuticle and endocuticle. It is resistant to chemicals and protects cortex from chemical influences.

Cortex is where moisture and natural pigment (called “melanin”) are held. No other part of the hair shaft has pigments. Melanin contained in cortex determines the natural color of your hair. Some hair color products, especially when lightening hair, work on melanin. Melanin is missing from gray hair.

Medulla is the core of hair shaft. Sometimes the medulla is absent from hair, and it’s not yet scientifically clear why this happens.

Cuticle, the outer layer of the hair shaft, defines smoothness and shininess – because it can be seen and touched. Hair (cuticle) may get damaged by chemical processes, overexposure to sunlight (UV), too much heat from a dryer, abusive brushing and combing, over-chlorinated swimming pool water, etc.

Damaged hair/cuticle should be treated well with conditioners because cuticle cannot repair by itself once it is damaged.

Hair-type and coloring result tendency
Just like fingerprints, hair type is unique to each individual. We have soft, medium, hard, thick, coarse, straight, curled, damaged, colored hair - with numerous combinations of all-of-the-above! Also, natural (original) hair color and level of brightness (which is determined by melanin) varies greatly. There is black, brunette, red, blonde, and variations within each. Even when it comes to black hair color, there many variations.

Your coloring result is influenced by hair-type and beginning color. If your hair is fine and soft, and your natural color is light, then it is more likely to be influenced by chemical actions and will color stronger than expected. If your hair is hard and thick, and your natural color is dark, then it is less likely to be influenced by chemical actions and will color weaker than expected.

In addition, color tends to deposit more strongly initially, then fades away more quickly onto damaged or color-treated hair. Virgin hair is more resistant to coloring.

Basic Tips to Color Successfully
These tips are all included on the instruction sheet, please check for more details.
  • Do a strand test before application to see coloring result and check appropriate processing time in advance – because all hair is different!
  • Apply mixture on hair that is dry, free from styling build-up, not colored with metallic dyes, henna or color restorers. These interfere with the hair color process.
  • Distribute mixture thoroughly and evenly in application. Thorough and even mixture-application is very important to cover approximately 100,000 hair strands (which human beings usually have, depending on the individual).
  • Start applying mixture from recommended area:
    • Covering Gray: where hair is most gray
    • Fashion Color (Lightening): 1/2 inch away from the scalp, start at back, then side, front, and finally, top. Then roots.
Care - after coloring
Good hair care is recommended on a daily basis, because your hair cannot repair itself without your help. Additionally, coloring results last longer with good hair care habits.
  • Rinse just after coloring
    It is recommended to rinse hair thoroughly until water runs clear before shampooing. If hair is not well rinsed after coloring process, it may cause hair damage and color fading.

  • Conditioner for color-treated hair
    Conditioners designed for color-treated hair or with a pH value of 3 to 4 are recommended. For a while after coloring, some of your cuticles won’t close as easily as they did before coloring. The designed conditioner will expedite cuticle closure and prevent hair-damage and color-fading.

Saturday 13 September 2008

Losing hair? Here's what you should do.



If you're facing the heartbreak of hair loss, you're not alone.
Millions of men and women experience some form of hair loss, whether
it's caused by heredity, stress, hair damage, insufficient diet or
certain skin diseases.

The good news is that there are things you can do to fight back
against thinning hair.

1. Eat a balanced diet. Make sure you eat enough vegetables,
fiber, fruits, milk, and other proteins. In addition, take a
supplement which includes vitamins such as A, B, B6, B12, zinc,
biotin, and iodine to combat hair loss. Wash and condition your hair
at least once per week.

2. Try Minoxidil (Rogaine). It's not just for men anymore! The
application of minoxidil on the scalp stimulates hair growth in both
men and women. Although it may not grow back hair in all cases,
Rogaine can successfully stop hair loss. Ask your doctor if you're a
candidate for Rogaine.

3. Use Volumizing Hair Products. These don't stop or prevent
baldness, but they can enhance the fullness of your existing hair.
Volumizing shampoos, conditioners and styling products keep hair
shafts from sliding past one another, resulting in a voluminous,
thicker appearance.

4. Camouflage It. Hairpieces such as weaves or toupees have
come a long way in recent years, and can effectively disguise your
thinning hair. They look incredibly natural and can be matched to
your unique hair color. Hair weaving is performed by gluing, sewing,
or knitting new hair to your current hair for a fuller look.

Remember, having thinning hair does not mean that you are any less
attractive or adequate, even if you feel that way. But it may help
you to feel as if you're doing something positive about your hair
loss. The tips above can go a long way in keeping you looking and
feeling your best.

Friday 12 September 2008

Here's tips for growing hair



Let's face it: there's nothing quite as appealing as a headful of
long, luscious, shininy hair. Since I get e-mails every day from
people wondering how to grow their hair, I thought you might enjoy
learning some secrets I've been sharing with my clients for years:

1) Be gentle to your hair! Avoid tight braids and tight
ponytails, as they can damage hair.

2) Use quality shampoos and conditioners - they're so worth
the cost! Many "cheap" shampoos contain harsh chemicals. Those
brands are using cheaper quality ingredients to keep their product
cheaper.

3) Eat a balanced diet. Don't skimp on protein (like meat,
poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products) or healthy fats (such as
nuts and olive oil) which promote thick, strong hair and nails.
Remember, you are what you eat!

4) Take a daily multivitamin to boost hair health. Your
vitamin supplement should contain zinc and biotin, which are
essential for growth.

I hope these tips were helpful!

Wednesday 10 September 2008

Symptoms of hair loss in women



Symptoms of hair loss in women

The symptoms of hair loss may differ depending on the diet. Some of the most commonly observed permanent hair loss symptoms are:

Excessive intake of Vitamin A can cause hair loss.
Generalized thinning of hair, often starting 3-4 months after the birth of a baby. Likely cause: Hormonal changes.
Generalized thinning and dry hair. Likely cause: Under active thyroid gland.
Women, who suffer from very heavy periods, may experience losing hair.
Excessive shedding of hair, but not complete baldness, associated with various illnesses and drug treatments, rapid weight loss, anemia, stress; a condition known as telogen effluvium.
Patches of complete hair loss, in men or women, often with very short hairs visible. Likely cause: Alopecia areata
Flaking scalp. Likely cause: Dandruff
Hair loss can be caused by burns, x-rays, scalp injuries, and exposure to certain chemicals. In such cases, normal hair growth usually returns once the underlying causes are eliminated.
Hair loss may also originate from major shock such as a serious accident, or stress such as prolonged illness, divorce, death of someone close, or liver disease caused by years of heavy drinking.

Conjunction with a high fever, a severe illness, thyroid disorders, iron deficiency, general anesthesia, drug treatments, hormonal imbalance, or extreme stress, following childbirth cause temporary hair loss. In these conditions, a large number of hair follicles suddenly go into a resting phase, causing hair to thin noticeably. Drugs that can cause temporary hair loss include:

Chemotherapeutic agents used in cancer treatment
Two or more aspirin a day
Anticoagulants
Amphetamines
Retinoids used to treat acne and skin problems
Beta-adrenergic blockers used to control blood pressure
Diet pills
Cortisone - Cortisone can make hair grow on the face and fall out of the head.
Oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
Some anti-depressants

Hair Loss In Women



Hair Loss In Women

Hair loss is neither a weird condition to be anxious nor an unusual condition for women to worry about. Statistics show that women have hair loss with almost the same regularity or sometimes even a heavy loss as men do. Unfortunately, the discomfort and social factors surrounding a woman who is losing her hair can make the experience much more difficult than for a man, and the lack of information on hair loss compounds the problem.

What causes hair loss in women?

Women can face hair loss at any age and the hair loss may not necessarily be any heredity association. In the women equivalent of men pattern baldness - androgenetic alopecia or hereditary baldness the hair loss in women is less specific to the crown of the head and is generally seen as more of a thinning of the hair. This is just one of the causes but there are other causes as well.

There are many other ailments and conditions which cause or contribute to early hair loss and imperfect appearance of hair in women. These conditions can be genetic, environmental, or biological in origin.

Aging
Heredity
Hormones
Poor circulation
Acute illness
Surgery
Radiation exposure
Skin disease
Sudden weight loss
High fever
Iron deficiency
Diabetes
Thyroid disease
Drugs such as those used in chemotherapy, antidepressants, etc.
Exposure to chemicals such as those used to purify swimming pools, bleach, dye, and perm hair.
Burns
X-rays
Scalp injuries
Poor diet
Vitamin deficiencies
In women following child birth
Stress

Some scientists believe that the body's immune system mistakes hair follicles for foreign tissue and attacks them. Many suspect a genetic component. One of the foremost reasons for women to appear as more subject to hair loss is due to dietary reasons. A low iron level is the most common dietary reason for women experiencing hair loss, although other vitamins and minerals may be involved. Extreme intake of Vitamin A can lead to hair loss. Some have also reported that zinc can interfere with iron absorption, thus resulting in hair loss. Hair loss in women can become evident after menopause and also occasionally appears after pregnancy due to various other reasons. Contact any qualified hair restoration specialist on regular basis to learn more about the many treatment options for hair loss in women.