Bosley Hair Loss Blog

Eat Right For Your Hair

We’ve all read about ways to eat heart healthy or brain healthy. But did you know you could eat hair healthy too? Certified nutritionist Deborah Enos knows about vitamins and minerals, and she believes the proper diet can do wonders for your scalp and hair.

If your hair is thinning, try adding these hair-healthy foods to your diet:

•  Beans – Great source of iron, zinc and biotin
•  Almonds, pecans and cashews – Rich in zinc
•  Dark leafy greens (such as spinach, broccoli and Swiss chard) – Contain vitamins A and C, which your body needs to produce sebum (to condition hair)
•  Carrots – Another good source of vitamin A
•  Walnuts & Salmon – Both rich in omega-3 fatty acids
•  Brazil nuts – High in selenium

Cure Your Hair Loss Blues

Stopping your hair loss could be just an iTunes download away. At least that’s what a writer for a Cincinnati tabloid believes. He says recent research indicates that Blues music can trigger hair growth in men. Sound far-fetched? Maybe. But there are worse ways to spend an evening than listening to the blues, so why not give it a try?

Attack of the Clones

Scientists in Australia have successfully cloned hair follicles, and that could mean there will be a new hair loss treatment on the horizon soon. To date, no human trials have been held, but the results from cloned follicles that were implanted on mice have been promising.

One of the challenges will be increasing the yield of cloned follicles. Currently, one hair only produces one or two clones. Still, scientists are optimistic about this new treatment, and you should be too!

Herbal Remedies For Treating Hair Loss

If you’re looking for an alternative to chemical, surgical, or prescription treatments for hair loss, you may want to look into Chinese medicine. Chinese herbal remedies can promote hair growth and restore your body’s balance.

To name a few examples:

• Fo-Ti has been used as an anti-aging tonic for hundreds of years, and it’s said to rejuvenate nerves and treat thinning hair.
• Dong Quai stops hair loss and stimulates new growth.
• Nu Zhen Zi improves circulation to the scalp, which can prevent hair loss.

Check out this article to learn about more ancient herbal remedies and hair loss tonics.

Love Thy Shiny Dome!

Going bald can be a difficult thing for men. It can affect their self-image, which can affect their confidence, which can affect their ability to date women or excel at their jobs. Let’s call that the Trickle Down Theory of hair loss. A study conducted recently in Germany showed that some men who focused too strongly on hair replacement strategies showed signs of stress.

The take-away? Don’t let your balding head get you down! We believe people should always strive to improve their lives in whatever ways they think will make them happy. But it’s also important to maintain a level of self-acceptance, and not let physical attributes get in the way of living your life.

Could Hair Loss Be Connected to A Thyroid Problem?

There are many factors that can contribute to hair loss, but one possibility that is often over-looked is a thyroid condition.

The thyroid controls your metabolism and produces hormones that deliver energy to your body’s cells. The thyroid can be either overactive, which can cause weight loss or anxiety, or underactive, which can cause weight gain, depression and fatigue. And guess what? Hair loss is associated with BOTH conditions.

If you’re experiencing hair loss and other symptoms associated with a thyroid condition, you should talk to your doctor. Also, be aware of these hair-related signs that are common in thyroid patients:

• Hair loss not just from the head but the body (i.e., underarms, arms, legs)
• Hair that breaks easily
• Hair that has a change in texture, including becoming thinner, finer, coarser, rougher, brittler, or more strawlike
• Hair that easily tangles
• Hair that changes its qualities, and no longer will hold a perm or a curl

We Want to Pump You Up

You want big muscles, and lots of hair. Is that too much to ask? Many men take testosterone supplements to increase their muscle mass and get more bang for their workout buck. However, one of the side effects can be hair loss.

If your mind is set on boosting your testosterone levels, consider taking herbal compounds instead of pharmaceutical alternatives. Natural options include tribulus terrestris, longjack, and fenugreek extracts. While side effects like hair loss may still occur, the severity is much less dramatic.

 

Lose Your Husband AND Your Hair?

According to new research, marital status is the second strongest predictor of central hair loss among women (the first indicator is genetics— we just can’t get away from that DNA thing no matter how hard we try). The results of a recent study show that women who are divorced or widowed are more likely than married or single women to have thinning hair. This may sound like an example of the hair gods kicking women when they’re down, but more likely it’s due to the amount of stress that women experience when they lose their husbands.

The study also explores how various factors affect hair loss in men and women differently. Check out this article to learn more about the environmental influences and lifestyle choices that can raise (or lower!!) your risk of losing hair.

Do You Need a Protein Boost?

 90% of your hair is made up of protein, so it makes sense that a protein deficiency could be contributing to hair loss. If you’ve noticed your hair leaving your head at an increasingly fast rate, you may want to take a look at the protein levels in your diet.

Talk to your doctor or a certified nutritionist to determine how much protein you should be consuming on a daily basis. Be sure to take into account any other health concerns you may have when selecting your source of protein— lean meats, nuts and beans are high in protein, but lower in cholesterol and may be a better choice for your overall health. You may even consider including a protein supplement in your diet.

If you are consuming an appropriate amount of protein but still experiencing hair loss or dry, brittle hair, consult your doctor— it’s possible that your body is having trouble absorbing protein.

Herbal Remedy Treats Hair Loss

If you’re looking for a natural approach to treating hair loss, spend some time getting to know a member of the palm tree family, the Saw Palmetto.

Saw Palmetto lowers the levels of DHT in our bodies. DHT is a damaging chemical known to cause hair loss, so reducing its development can help keep hair follicles healthy and productive.

Saw Palmetto is available as both topical treatment that is massaged into the scalp, or as an oral supplement. You can learn more about its benefits in this article.