Losing your hair is a frustrating and seemingly irreparable problem. While the genetic factor is probably the most determining, there are others you can control. Dietary supplements, home remedies, a healthier diet and lifestyle can help you promote faster hair regrowth. However, if with each new hair that falls out you feel more and more dejected and none of the methods tried so far seem to work, it may be useful to see your doctor. With its help you could find out what are the causes and the most suitable treatments for your alopecia.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Take a Food Supplement
Step 1. Take a multivitamin daily
Coping with your daily need for vitamins and minerals can help you promote faster hair growth. Multivitamin supplements contain all the minerals and vitamins your body needs to stay healthy, especially if your diet isn't balanced and healthy enough.
- When choosing a multivitamin, make sure the vitamins and minerals included in the recommended daily dosage do not exceed the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Read the directions on the label carefully to verify that the percentages are correct.
- Make sure the multivitamin supplement also contains vitamin H, better known as biotin. Research has shown that in some cases it can promote hair regrowth.
Step 2. Fill up on Vitamin C
Taken as a dietary supplement, it too can help regrow hair faster. Try taking between 500 and 1,000 mg twice a day. Alternatively, you can meet your daily vitamin C needs by eating foods that are rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, peppers, and melons.
Step 3. Take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement
When taken daily, omega-3s can also promote faster hair regrowth. The recommended dosage is one or two capsules per day. If you use any medicine, talk to your doctor before deciding to buy an omega-3 supplement. In some cases it could negatively interact with the activity of drugs (for example anticoagulants), seriously endangering your health.
Step 4. Try a B vitamins supplement
Stress is one of the possible factors causing alopecia. B vitamins can help relieve it, sometimes helping to promote faster hair regrowth. Generally the recommended dosage is one tablet per day. However, it is always good to read and carefully follow the instructions on the package.
Step 5. Take a lysine (L-lysine) supplement
It is an essential amino acid known because it is able to promote hair regrowth: it has been shown in several studies. Also in this case it will be necessary to take it daily, in a dosage between 500 and 1,000 mg per day.
Lysine should never be taken at the same time as a calcium supplement or any food that is rich in it. The reason is that lysine can promote excessive accumulation of calcium in the blood
Method 2 of 5: Experiment with Alternative Therapy
Step 1. Massage the scalp with essential oils
Unlike many other "natural" remedies, it has been shown that stimulating the skin with specific essential oils can actually promote faster hair regrowth. You can also buy a shampoo that contains essential oils that are useful for this purpose, such as tea tree oil (tea tree oil).
- First, pour two drops of an essential oil of your choice into a tablespoon of jojoba or grapeseed oil. The best options are thyme, rose, lavender and cedar wood. Stir to blend the two oils.
- Now apply the mixture to the scalp, gently massaging it into the skin.
- Wait about 10-15 minutes for the oils to take effect, then rinse with warm water.
- Repeat the treatment daily.
Step 2. Try massaging your scalp with coffee
One study found that using a caffeinated shampoo can stimulate hair growth. The required shutter speed is about two minutes. The same results can be obtained by pouring lukewarm coffee on the scalp and then letting it act for the necessary two minutes.
- Make some coffee, then let it cool down to room temperature. Once warm, pour it on your scalp. Squeeze your hair to get rid of excess liquid, then wrap it in a towel or shower cap.
- Wait two minutes before rinsing thoroughly with warm water.
- Repeat the treatment once a day.
Step 3. See an acupuncturist
Acupuncture is another possible method of stimulating rapid hair regrowth. In this practice whose origins lie in ancient traditional Chinese medicine, the doctor places needles at specific points on the body to release the blocked vital energy.
Look for a qualified acupuncturist who has experience in treating people with alopecia
Method 3 of 5: Change Your Eating Habits
Step 1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
It is important that your diet contains a good number of plants rich in antioxidants to allow you to keep yourself healthy and, possibly, promote rapid hair regrowth at the same time. Excellent vegetables and fruits include for example:
- Cherries;
- Blueberries;
- Tomatoes;
- Pumpkin;
- Peppers.
Step 2. Drink lots of water every day
Keeping the body properly hydrated is essential to be healthy, and only a healthy body is able to promote hair regrowth. Make sure you drink about 6-8 glasses of water a day to ensure the body's fluid balance.
On hot days or when exercising, you need to drink even more to help replenish the fluids lost through sweat
Step 3. Choose high quality protein
Red meat has a high content of cholesterol and saturated fat, for this reason it is best to consume it in moderation. Leaner protein sources, such as poultry (skinless) fish, tofu and legumes, are perfectly capable of coping with your body and scalp's daily protein needs.
Step 4. Pay attention to the most common allergens
Some foods cause unwanted effects in different parts of the body, including slowed hair growth. If you are allergic to a particular food, always check that what you eat does not include it among the ingredients. If yours is just a suspicion, see your doctor so that you can undergo specific tests. Identifying any food allergies means being able to avoid those factors that may have contributed to your hair thinning. The most common food allergens include:
- Dairy product;
- Grain;
- Corn;
- Soy;
- Food additives;
- Preservatives.
Step 5. Reduce your consumption of processed, high-trans-fat foods
Choosing healthier foods, while avoiding those that are bad for your health, can really help you reduce hair loss. Try eliminating the following foods from your diet:
- French fries (even those in the bag) and all other fried foods;
- Packaged baked goods, such as crackers, biscuits, snacks;
- Refined foods, such as sugar, flour, white bread, pasta and rice
- Margarine.
Method 4 of 5: Change Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep can cause hair loss or delay hair regrowth. Try to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night. If you suffer from any sleep disorder, ask your doctor for advice.
Step 2. Relieve Stress
As mentioned earlier, stress is another possible factor causing alopecia. If you often feel stressed, find ways to relieve your tension in a healthy way. Here are some helpful tips:
- Do yoga;
- Meditate;
- Do some breathing exercises;
- Call or meet a friend.
Step 3. Exercise more
Exercising regularly is very important for keeping your body healthy. As a direct consequence, you may be able to prevent your hair from thinning further. Plan on exercising five days a week for at least 30 minutes.
If you don't have the opportunity to train for 30 consecutive minutes, schedule two or three exercise sessions of shorter duration, you can divide them throughout the day. For example, you can exercise twice a day for 15 minutes or three times a day for 10 minutes each
Step 4. Stop smoking
Research has shown that smoking can aggravate alopecia in men. If you are a smoker, this is a great reason to quit. Check with your doctor to find out what are the best psychological support programs or medications that can help you achieve your goal.
Step 5. Moderate your alcohol consumption.
Like smoking, alcohol has also been linked to hair loss in men. Try never to exceed the recommended daily dose (two drinks a day for men, one for women).
If you find it difficult to control yourself, talk to your doctor. Alcohol abuse can cause far more serious health problems than alopecia, such as hypertension, depression and even cancer
Method 5 of 5: Seek Medical Help
Step 1. Contact your doctor
If you have followed the advice on changing your diet, lifestyle and other remedies, but your hair situation is not improving, ask your doctor for help. His intervention will serve to exclude that hair loss is the symptom of a possible more serious pathology.
- The chances of having some serious illness, such as lupus, are low, however hair loss can indicate the presence of various conditions. If you are worried, ask your doctor to order tests to rule out any complications.
- In some cases, even if you know the cause of hair loss, you may feel stressed or worried, even in this situation it may be useful to consult a doctor. Examining your situation in detail will help them identify the best treatment available.
Step 2. Try minoxidil
It is an active ingredient for topical use that can be used indiscriminately by both women and men, and has proven to be particularly effective on areas where the hair is thinned rather than on bald ones. Regaine is a minoxidil-based drug. In order for the benefits to remain constant, it is necessary to continue to adopt this principle.
- Minoxidil has been shown to be effective in stimulating hair growth in about 35% of cases.
- Discovered in 1980, it was initially tested to combat hypertension, however, highlighting an unwanted side effect: hirsutism, from there an experiment was undertaken with the aim of combating alopecia.
Step 3. Consider using finasteride
Substance at the base of the drugs Propecia and Proscar, finasteride is indicated to treat male alopecia as it blocks the conversion of testosterone into DHT: one of the main causes of baldness in men. It is more suitable for treating thinning hair and requires continuous use to keep regrowth constant.
- Finasteride has been shown to be effective in stimulating hair growth in about 66% of cases, but it is only usable by men.
- Finasteride can induce even serious side effects, such as birth defects, so it should never be taken or handled by pregnant women or those wishing to become pregnant.
Step 4. Consider hair transplantation
In addition to new drugs, research has uncovered new surgical treatments to help people with alopecia. Hair transplant or hair grafting are among the possible options. With this procedure, small portions of the skin on the nape (where hair is still present) are implanted in the bald areas. Ask your doctor for advice if you think this is a suitable option for you.
Step 5. Consider stimulating hair regrowth with laser therapy
Although this is still an experimental treatment, the use of low-intensity lasers has given the first positive results that give doctors hope. The thickness of the hair seems to increase and the fall seems to slow down. Talk to your doctor to find out if it is a suitable remedy for you.
Step 6. In the meantime, put on a wig or hairpiece
Losing your hair can make you feel uncomfortable and undermine your self-confidence, which is why a wig or toupee could be very useful during the time it takes to find the most suitable treatment for your needs. Some medical insurances may even cover the costs, allowing you to opt for a high-quality solution.
