Contrary to popular belief, hair loss is not something that only men dread. It can happen to anyone – including women.
Hair fall is part of life though. We shed about 100 to 120 hair strands every day and that’s no cause for concern – it’s just part of the life cycle of hair. But if you start losing more than 150 strands per day, that’s when you should start to think about doing something to prevent hair loss.
While there are medical and surgical procedures available, they are exorbitantly expensive. They might also pose risks due to the side effects of medications and treatment procedures. There is a safer way to treat hair loss. You can start by using natural compounds like the following:
- Capsaicin
The average jalapeno have a hotness rating of 2500 to 5000 Scoville units. Some chili peppers and sauces are so hot that they exceed a million Scoville units. Imagine that! It’s the substance called capsaicin that makes some chilies so hot.
What It Is Traditionally Used For:
Capsaicin, or rather, chili pepper, is typically used in preparing food. Making you cry while eating wings is not the not the only thing that capsaicin can do. It offers plenty of other health benefits, one of which is treating hair loss.
How It Helps With Hair Loss Prevention:
Capsaicin triggers the release of more IGF-1. This is insulin-like growth factor-1. When IGF-1 becomes more abundant in the skin, hair growth becomes more robust. That effect is experienced when IGF-1 goes to the dermal layer, where the hair follicles are located.
Capsaicin also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. These contribute to improving health that supports hair growth.
This chili pepper compound improves blood flow. It increases blood supply towards the skin. This effect will bring more nutrients to the hair follicles for healthier hair growth.
You may add chili pepper to your meals to improve the health of your hair. Different types of chili pepper contain varying amounts of capsaicin. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. A study on capsaicin and hair health used 6 mg. that would be about 1 tablespoon (about 8 grams) of moderately hot chili pepper. In general, chili peppers contain 0.1 mg to 60 mg of capsaicin, depending on how hot the variety is.
You may use chili scalp oil. However, use this form with greater caution because topical use is known to cause skin irritation. Monitor the response. If hair loss does not improve in a few days, stop using and try other natural hair loss treatments.
Studies have found that capsaicin’s positive impact on hair growth is even greater when it is taken with soy isoflavones.
- Soy Isoflavones
This compound has greater effects when taken with capsaicin. Soy isoflavones work like phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are just a fancy word for plant estrogens — they work similarly to the body’s own estrogen hormone.
What They Are Traditionally Used For:
Because of isoflavones properties that regulate female hormones, they are used as a supplement for women going through menopause. There was also an extensive study, the results of which have been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that had determined a link between soy intake and the reduction of breast cancer recurrence.
How They Help With Hair Loss Prevention:
Isoflavones influence the body’s testosterone production. This compound helps in controlling testosterone conversion into DHT, which is one of the major reasons that hair follicles weaken, resulting in male pattern baldness.
It works by competing at the androgen receptors of the hair follicles. Smaller amounts of DHT will be able to bind and accumulate. This will free up more space for nutrients to enter the hair follicles.
Another action is from the resulting proteins of isoflavone digestion. Daidzin are broken down in the intestines to become the protein equol. This has an anti-androgenic effect in the body. It binds and deactivates DHT. This may help in reducing DHT’s negative impact on hair growth.
Another well-studied isoflavone is genistein. It promotes the formation of hyaluronic acid (HA). You may see this compound often in a lot of skin care products- and for good reason. HA is naturally produced by the body. It mixes with water and forms a gel-like product that acts as a natural, excellent moisturizer.
When HA accumulates in the dermal layer of the scalp, you have a gel layer that nourishes the hair follicles. Hair health will greatly improve.
Most studies used 75 mg of soy isoflavones per day to produce the positive effects. The best natural source is soybeans. About 200 mg of soy isoflavones is contained in a 100-gram serving of soybeans. A 400-g serving of dry soybeans will yield the 75 mg used in the studies. Other natural sources include soymilk and tofu. Tofu has 35 mg isoflavones per 100-gram serving. Soymilk has only 9 grams.
- Essential oils
Essential oils are not really oils. They are liquids obtained the process of distillation. They usually have the concentrated properties of the plant from which they have been extracted.
What they are traditionally used for:
Essential oils are generally used for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes. Not only are they used to add fragrance when creating cosmetics and skin care products, they can be used in aromatherapy. They can provide stress relief and muscle pain relief.
Our hair also becomes healthier when it is coated with just the right kind of oils. Our scalp produces oils that keep our hair shiny and healthy.
How It Helps With Hair Loss Prevention:
Essential oils can be applied on the hair to help make it healthier and stronger against hair fall. These essential oils contain compounds that help protect the scalp and the hair from factors that promote hair loss.
Some control excessive buildup of scalp oils that can harbor fungal and bacterial growth. Note that infections can destroy the hair follicles and cause hair fall. Some essential oils contain anti-inflammatory compounds that soothe the scalp to prevent hair loss.
Some have nourishing and blood-flow enhancing capabilities for better hair follicle nutrition.
Some of the best essential oils for hair loss treatment are:
- Cedarwood essential oil, which acts as a general tonic for better scalp and hair health
- Chamomile essential oil, which detoxifies and soothes the scalp for increased hair growth
- Clary sage essential oil, which has relaxing and balancing properties that increase hair growth and controls sebum production
- Cypress oil, which promotes better blood circulation to the scalp for better nourishment to the hair follicles
- Carnitine
Carnitine is derived from protein. In fact, it acts like an amino acid. It is found in almost every cell. It’s abundant in meat and dairy, although you can also find it in nuts and legumes and even in green vegetables.
What It Is Traditionally Used For:
This one made a debut as a weight loss supplement. New studies found it is a natural treatment for hair loss as well.
How It Helps With Hair Loss Prevention:
Carnitine strengthens the cells against the effects of aging. As we get older, our hair follicles also get older and we start losing hair. Carnitine slows down the effects of aging on the hair follicles for younger-looking, healthy hair.
Hair follicles are also protected from oxidative stress. This keeps the hair from falling out because of exposure to free radicals and toxins.
Carnitine also helps reinvigorate the hair follicles. It energizes the potassium channels of the cells to allow more nutrients to enter.
Carnitine also helps in boosting energy for the cells so they can function better. It brings long chain fatty acids inside the cells. These fatty acids are broken down and converted into energy.
- Raspberry ketones
Raspberry ketones are largely responsible for the fruit’s unique smell. They are also found in kiwis, strawberries and cranberries.
What They Are Traditionally Used For:
Many candies and soaps advertised as berry-flavored or berry-scented typically contain Raspberry ketones.
More recently, researchers have been trying to establish its link with weight loss. Preliminary studies show that Raspberry ketones have the potential to increase the body’s metabolic rate and to regulate the breakdown of fatty tissue.
How They Work For Hair Loss prevention:
Raspberry ketones (RK) work in a similar fashion as capsaicin. They stimulate the action of this growth factor by stimulating the sensory nerve endings around the hair follicles. Raspberry ketones also help improve skin elasticity.
This compound also affects CGRP. Calcitonin gene-related peptide is released when the sensory neurons are activated. This CGRP further helps to improve the rate of hair growth.
Conclusion
You don’t have to live with hair loss. There are so many potent compounds found in nature that most of them are now used in good commercially available hair products such as thickening shampoos.
All it takes is a good understanding of the best natural treatment options to treat your hair loss effectively, and you won’t have to resort to medications full of potential side effects.