If you’re like most women, you feel that having thick, shiny, lucious, hair is a reflection of your health and femininity.
But no matter how well you take care of your hair, you may notice thinning, receding, and even revealing bald spots.
If you’re experiencing these unwanted changes, while we can’t make any promises about undoing the damage, there’s still hope!
In the article below you’ll discover:
→ The three silent hair killers that can accelerate these unwanted issues
→ How you can nip thinning, receding hair in the bud
→ Three simple things you can do to support happy, healthy hair
Let’s get started!
Changing the color or texture of your hair for years or decades takes a BIG toll on your hair follicles, leaving them weak and fragile. The result? Your hair strands can fall out at the slightest touch.
That said, if you want to continue dying your hair, look for a hair dye that's free from harmful chemicals such as ammonia, parabens, resorcinol, Paraphenylenediamine (PDD), and phthalates.
As for perming: Traditional perms restructure 80% of the bonds in your hair. Modern options, such as the American Wave Perm, only restructure 25% of them, leaving your hair feeling more natural and healthier.
If you’re dead-set on perming your hair and want to protect yourself, only have your perm done the modern way.
Stress acts like a switch… Turning ‘off’ swathes of hair follicles, putting them into a ‘resting’ phase. When this happens, within a few months, the affected hairs can easily fall out when gently combing or washing your hair.
One of my favorite ways of counterbalancing stress is to take brief moments of self-care during the day. These self-care moments can be as simple as a mug of peppermint tea, or a 5-minute foot massage.
But any activity that brings you relief and peace will do.
Estrogen and progesterone are two key hormones in hair health.
When these hormones drop, hair growth slows, and often thins too. If these changes are happening, you may notice a receding hairline, or that your hair is falling flat and lifeless around your face.
Here’s the good news—you can help rebalance these hormones by:
Eating enough protein: Eating quality protein from sources such as chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, and plant-based proteins like chickpeas and lentils can help keep your hormones functioning optimally.
Eating foods that support healthy gut bacteria (such as legumes, vegetables and fruits): Your gut is the core of good health. It’s heavily involved in hormone production—and so the state of your gut bacteria influences your hormone levels.
But eating protein and gut-friendly foods aren’t the only way to support healthy, happy hair.
Much like your skin, proper hair care comes from within. The following nutrients can have a big impact in your fight against unhealthy hair:
88% of your hair is made of keratin—and keratin production requires these amino acids to make your hair strong, healthy, and happy.
Cysteine, Arginine, Lysine, and Methionine can be found in lean proteins like chicken breast turkey, chickpeas, spirulina, and sardines.
Vitamin A helps your skin produce an oil called “sebum”, which prevents your scalp from drying out or flaking, as well as promotes healthy, robust hair growth.
Vitamin A can be found in natural food sources such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, milk, eggs, and yogurt.
B Vitamins promote consistent, quick hair growth. In addition, they support your hair follicles by encouraging cell rejuvenation.
Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7, stimulates keratin production in your hair. Which improves hair health—including follicle growth, shine, volume, and scalp coverage in people who experience thinning hair.
Natural food sources of these essential B Vitamins include egg yolk, liver, salmon, avocados, nuts and seeds, and dairy products.
Increasing your intake consistently of these nutrients will help slow any thinning or receding hair you may be experiencing.
There’s one more key thing you can do to protect your hair:
Make sure you’re NOT drying your hair with hot, hot heat!
Heat destroys keratin (the most important hair protein), drying out your hair and follicles, leaving your hair susceptible to falling out.
Now, as a final thought, while these dietary measures may help…
If you’re noticing heavy hair loss or hair receding, please see a medical professional. They can best advise on your specific needs.
And remember that most shampoos and conditioners, creams and oils can only add shine to your hair.
For true hair growth and protection, you must treat the root causes of thinning hair and nourish your scalp from within!