December 19, 2006

Important Facts You Must Know About Dandruff

Do you know that dandruff affects about 70% of the American population? Do you know that they spend $300,000,000 trying to get rid of it?

Dandruff is the most widespread problem of the scalp! But you must understand that it is not contagious and it is not a disease! Dandruff can not threaten your life, but it often threatens your mental peace.

Shedding of skin is a natural phenomenon. The skin of your scalp replenishes every month. The dead cells that previously formed your scalp now make up the dandruff.

The presence of negligible dandruff is inevitable. The problem arises only when the presence of dead cells in the form of flakes suddenly increases.

Physicians still debate what causes dandruff. Many researchers believe that it results from excessive growth of the yeast Pityrosporum Ovale that normally resides on everyone’s scalp.

Pityrosporum constitutes the major part of skin flora. You suffer from dandruff when the normal limit of 46% of Pityrosporum increases up to the 74% mark.

Factors like emotional and physical stress are no less important in triggering dandruff growth. Stress management also improves the scalp condition. Dandruff growth increases during winter compared to summer for most people.

Because you can find tons of products and medicated lotions, you do not need to worry about the dandruff problem. You just need to find the remedy that works for you.

If you suffer from mild dandruff, wash your scalp regularly to remove the excess flakes. If you suffer from stubborn flakes, treatment through a medicated shampoo is the answer.

You can use many natural remedies to treat dandruff. You need to try some to see what works for you.

You can even treat dandruff by using essential oils and herbs. If you do not mind long-term treatments, you can opt for the various home remedies. A mixture of coconut oil and lemon juice is equally effective as treatment with apple cider vinegar.

Natural remedies take time to show any visible results and need consistent use but they are effective in addressing the cause. If you want a speedy control, use shampoos containing ketaconazole.

Avoid using shampoos with harsh chemicals if you have a bruised scalp. Applying shampoos containing such chemicals on broken skin may cause irritation. If a particular product shows no results, try another with a different ingredient base.

Washing your hair regularly is important. If you find that washing your hair gives you frizzy or dry ends, the little secret to handle that is to take some conditioner and add it to the ends of your hair before washing it normally. Then condition it after shampooing, if you like to use conditioner.

One way to stop over-conditioning your hair and save you money is to put a little of your favorite brand of conditioner in a spritz bottle, with about 4 times more water. After shampooing, rinse. Towel dry, then spritz the conditioner in.

Another mistake that many people make is to put gel in their hair. It’s okay to put gel in your hair if that is your styling preference. But, it builds up and causes flakes, which many think is dandruff.

Get into the habit of washing your hair more often. It’s only the start of getting rid of dandruff. Think about it. If all that was required was just washing your hair more often, there would be no dandruff.

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December 2, 2006

How Your Hair Loss Product Works: Hair Growth 101

Once you know the basics of how your hair grows, you can make better choices about using a hair loss product or herbal hair loss remedy. If you can choose the right herbal hair loss product, you can keep your hair growing longer and stronger for years to come.

Hair Follicles: Your cellular powerhouse.

The first two outer layers of your skin are called the epidermis and the dermis. The dermis contains a rich lode of blood vessels, nerve endings, fat reserves, and your hair follicles.

The follicle is depression that penetrates into your dermis, the second layer of skin. This is where all the hair-growing action takes place. Once you understand this, you can see the basic flaw in many hair loss remedies. A hair loss product that you apply directly to your scalp has little chance of penetrating down to your dermis, where all the new hair growth takes place. Some chemical hair loss remedies can do this, but these hair loss products have other drawbacks that we’ll get to later.

At the bottom of the follicle there’s a bundle of cells called the papilla. The papilla contains all the blood vessels that feed the hair, and also produces new hair cells. The ideal hair loss product feeds and nourishes the cells of the papilla. These cells are highly active in a healthy, hair-producing follicle. The cells constantly divide and create new hair cells. As the new hair cells are formed, older cells are pushed up and out of the follicle, creating the hair shaft.

The follicles go through a regular 3-phase cycle. In the anagen phase, or growth period, the papilla is vigorously active, producing strong, thick hair. The catagen is like the yellow light, when the growth slows down. The telogen phase is the resting period. It’s like a red light, where cell production stops. If the follicle is healthy, this last phase is temporary. Soon the light turns green, and the papilla goes back into the anagen phase again, creating new hair.

The papilla is your key to treating and preventing hair loss. Although there are many different causes of hair loss, the effect is always the same: the papilla produces fewer and weaker hair cells, or stops producing altogether. If you can find an herbal hair loss product that nourishes the papilla and stimulates the production of healthy new hair cells, you’ll grow stronger, healthier hair.

Conventional Hair Loss Treatment

Conventional hair loss treatment tends to do one of two things. In the first case, chemicals are introduced to stimulate the papilla to more activity. The only FDA-approved chemicals that do this are Minoxidil and Finasteride.

Minoxidil works by making the anagen phase of hair growth last longer. Researchers don’t completely understand how it works. Once you take this hair loss product, you have to keep on taking it, because if you stop this hair loss remedy your hair will rapidly return to its old hair loss pattern.

Finasteride slows down the speed of hair loss, but the method isn’t completely understood. This hair loss remedy has been known to cause ambiguous genitalia in male fetuses, so it’s unhealthy for women to use this hair loss treatment.

Nobody really knows the long-term effects of continuously using these drugs.

Another conventional hair loss remedy is “transplants.” In this case, individual follicles are taken from a “donor patch” of healthy hair, and “planted” in the thin or bald areas. If you’ve listened to salesmen pitching traditional hair loss remedies, you’ve probably heard the analogy between your hair and a plant. But your scalp is not a patch of topsoil!

Many people have been pleased with the results of this method of hair loss treatment, but it still has some drawbacks. It is expensive, costing upwards of several thousand dollars to complete. It requires that you still have healthy hair on some part of your head, and that you’re willing to sacrifice some of it to create thicker hair elsewhere.

Finally, transplanting active follicles doesn’t treat the conditions that caused the follicles to become inactive in the first place. Only a hair loss product that nourishes the hair- producing cells can do that.

“Hair Food” vs. Hair Nutrition

A new approach that’s showing a lot of promise is that of “feeding” your hair follicles with an herbal hair loss product. Our fast-paced modern lifestyle makes it hard to have an ideal diet, and the food you eat doesn’t always pack the nutritional punch that it should.

When your body doesn’t get enough nutrients, it may “ration” them. The richest supply will go to your brain and other vital organs, while less important parts of the body, such as the hair follicles, get depleted.

Some herbal hair loss remedies try to “feed” your hair with a special shampoo or lotion for your scalp. The idea is that your hair is like a field of corn, and you can just dump some fertilizer and expect your crop to grow better.

But remember, your scalp is skin, and the main purpose of your skin is to keep things out. While outer skin cells may be able to absorb oil, and become more soft and pliable in the process (think of sunscreen or moisturizer, for example), most topical hair loss products aren’t likely to penetrate into the living cells of the papilla, deep in the second layer of the dermis.

If you want to nourish your hair, you need to do it through the blood. Many traditional herbs can do this, but you need the right combination of herbs to perform three crucial tasks:

  1. Direct. You need herbs that will boost circulation to the follicles, to make sure the other herbs and nutrients will reach them.
  2. Cleanse. Once the formulas reach the follicles, you need some agent that will help remove toxins and the buildup of dead cells and other obstructing substances, so that the papilla are free to absorb fresh nutrients to produce healthier hair cells.
  3. Nourish. Finally, the abundant compounds can get in, providing the papilla with the basic building blocks that are critical for growing new hair cells.

Samson’s Secret has the right herbal hair loss remedy for improving your hair and rejuvenating old follicles. Our secret is in addressing the root causes of hair loss, so that you can improve and rejuvenate your hair.

When choosing the herbal hair loss product that’s right for you, you need to get to the root of the problem. Only the hair loss remedy that feeds your papilla can promote the natural, long-term health of longer, stronger hair. Samsons’ Secret is the ideal hair loss product.

Samsons’ Secret is a company dedicated to hair loss treatment and creating natural hair loss products. The Samsons Secret hair growth formula is a blend of botanical supplements that has been under development for over 20 years. www.samsonssecret.com

January 30, 2006

How To Achieve Happy, Healthy Hair Growth

When it comes to hair growth, we’ve all been guilty of anxiously peering in the mirror everyday to see if we have made any progress only to become frustrated with the fact that it takes a long time to regrow hair. Added to that is the frustration that comes along with not being able to style your hair during this stage. That is why many refer to hair regrowth as an “awkward stage.”

While hair growth is a slow process (locks normally grow about ½” per month), there are several things that you can do to make your transition to longer tresses smoother. No matter whether you want to add a few more inches or you are trying to grow your hair down your back, hair growth can be frustration free if you go about it in the right way.

The first thing that you need to realize if you are trying to regrow hair is that hair regrowth is a process, and in that process you will likely have to adapt to several different styles before you reach your ultimate hair growth goal. All of this means that you will likely be spending more time at the salon during the hair growth process rather than away from it.

Since hair growth after different circumstances needs to be approached a bit differently, we’re going to take a little time to look at how to regrow hair after a few of the main incidents that people normally want to promote quick hair regrowth.

Hair growth after a bad hair cut

We’ve all had those terrible experiences at the salon where we asked for a particular cut that was just inches shorter than what we started with only to come out of the salon with a much shorter do than what we bargained for. And you can bet that if the stylist didn’t give you the cut you wanted, the cut you have is probably in poor shape itself.

Hair growth after times like these needs to come in steps. While you may not want to, the first thing you need to do after getting a bad hair cut is to go and get it cut again. The reason why is that you need to get a style that you can work with, one that is evenly cut, and a style that is poised to regrow hair. Doing this will eliminate a lot of the frustration that you feel during the hair growth process and will give you a style that you can be proud of in the meantime.

The first visit after a bad hair cut is critical to your hair growth success. Together, you and your stylist can examine the style that you would eventually like to achieve and discuss the hair regrowth process and how to cut your hair throughout the duration. The right cuts will ensure that you remain stylish and stress free during the hair growth process.

Hair growth after an illness

If you have lost all of your hair due to chemotherapy or another illness, you no doubt want to regrow hair quickly. While hair regrowth can begin within days of stopping treatments, the hair growth process after an illness can be drawn out.

The first thing you will notice once your hair starts to grow back in, is that it can be sparse in places and that it may have changed in texture. While it may be tempting to encourage any amount of hair growth after losing all of your hair, you need to give your locks some time to recover, thicken up and fill in before you start to regrow hair.

This part of the hair growth process can take several visits to the salon before your stylist gives you the go ahead on growing your hair out. During this time, your stylist will likely recommend short layered hair cuts, which will be easy to style and make your hair appear thicker until hair growth is evident on all parts of your scalp.

Once you begin the hair growth process, you can proceed just like anyone else trying to promote hair regrowth. Choose cuts that are both stylish and that will grow into a longer style without much headache.

Hair growth to gain length

Some people already have lengthy locks, but would like to see their hair grow even longer. For this type of hair growth, products that stimulate hair growth often work best. Look for topical products that contain nettle or for vitamin supplements that stimulate hair regrowth.

Salon visits during this type of hair growth should also not be ignored. Be sure to get your ends trimmed regularly and avoid unnecessary damage due to chemical processes such as perms and color. You should also protect your hair from the sun by using products that contain UV protectants.

As you can see, hair growth does not have to be a lesson in patience. If done properly, you can avoid all of the frustration and have stylish, adorable locks even while you are trying to regrow hair.

Michael Barrows’ website gives great advice for good hair. Get your free ebook packed with hair style and hair care tips and advice, visit Great-Hairstyles.com.

January 19, 2006

What Too Much Color Can Do To Your Hair

Sure, we all want to change our look every once in a while and sometimes that involves changing our hair color also. But there are a few adventurous souls that have taken changing their hair color to a whole new level with frequent colorings leaving their hair lifeless and damaged beyond repair.

While there are many professional hair coloring systems out there that only cause minimal damage to hair, many people still insist on buying hair color from department stores so that they can apply it at home. In many cases, this type of hair color causes extreme damage and if you use it too often, it could turn into a nightmare.

You see, hair color is a chemical that changes the structure of your hair. Each time you color, the outside layer of your hair is raised so that color can be pushed into the hair strand. With each subsequent coloring, this outside layer finds it more and more difficult to close to its natural and healthy position.

It is this layer that first takes the brunt of hair color damage. It is also this layer that is responsible for the shine and vibrancy of your hair color. If you color too much, you will first notice a dull or dry appearance coming from the roughened up outer layer of your hair strand.

In addition to making your hair look healthy and shiny, the outside layer or cuticle layer is also responsible for holding your color in. Once it refuses to close properly, your color will start to fade and over time, become completely washed out. Trying to color your hair again, will only be a temporary fix with the color always seeping out of the damaged areas.

If you ignore all of these damage signals and continue to color your hair, you will eventually break down the entire make up of your hair strands. At best, hair will become brittle and break. At worst, it will turn into mush and disintegrate right before your eyes.

To keep all of these dire hair color consequences from becoming reality, be sure to leave enough time in between colors for your hair to recuperate. Try not to do any drastic color changes for at least 6 months unless your hair is short. Also, do not color your hair from root to tip for each and ever color touch up. Color the roots only so that you can avoid further damage to the ends. And get those trims when you need them.

Jenny Andrews is a hair expert, and the author of an incredible free minicourse, that explains how to find your unique style, how long or short you should have your hair, how to find the right hair color for you, how to find the right salon, and a lot more. Go to HairStyleVillage.com now and get this amazing hair minicourse – absolutely free.

The Benefits of a Hair Analysis

Have you ever been to a medical doctor with persistent health symptoms, but the doctor can’t see anything wrong and all the expensive lab tests merely determine nothing’s there?

YOU know something’s wrong though, because you are on the receiving end of the pounding headaches, the uncontrollable twitches in your arms and legs followed by shooting pains. YOU are the one who cannot get a good night’s sleep. YOU know you are experiencing heart palpitations, dizziness, and blurred vision. And YOU are tired of STRESS as the blame while your doctor suggests you see a psychotherapist.

Well, your body can tell you what traditional medicine cannot…but you have to pay attention to what it’s trying to translate using those disturbing health symptoms. Two ways to understand your body’s “cries for help” are to remove ALL foreign, man-made food chemicals from your diet, clean-up your outside environment, and get a hair analysis to determine what’s going on inside of you.

The protein in your hair holds the composition of your body’s tissues for a permanent period of time. This is why hair testing is used in forensic medicine. By analyzing toxin and nutrient levels using a hair analysis, a trained nutritionist can typically tell what toxins have accumulated in your body and what vitamins and minerals are depleted (in turn, causing an imbalance in body function). The hair analysis can clearly spell out what your body is trying to tell you using its symptomatic warning signs such as those nasty migraine headaches.

Humans are exposed to over 14,000 food chemicals daily. And, this doesn’t take into account the abundant environmental toxins we are exposed to. The hair analysis is an excellent tool to identify specifically which toxins are inside your body and what vitamins and minerals they may have depleted.

As I discovered through my own disease recovery from an inaccurate diagnosis of “Graves’ Disease,” I couldn’t fight what I couldn’t see. It wasn’t probable I would cure my disease if no one knew the cause, and unfortunately my internist didn’t have a clue as to what caused my thyroid symptoms. The hair analysis was the “road map” I used to see what was going on inside of my body, and it helped me save my thyroid gland. I cured my “incurable disease” in thirty days.

In most cases, the hair analysis can mark the root cause(s) of illness. But, the key to a good hair analysis is in the interpretation – a lost art amid traditional medicine, yet a critical step in disease recovery.

For more information about the benefits of a hair analysis or to submit a hair sample, contact Dr. Hull at JanetHull.com or HairAnalysisProgram.com.

Dr. Janet Starr Hull publishes a monthly health newsletter covering a wide range of important health topics. To sign up for her free newsletter or to view past articles, visit http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/index.php.

An artificial sweetener expert, Dr. Hull is the author of “Sweet Poison” an expose on the dangers of aspartame, and “Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?”, her newest book on the dangers of sucralose found in Splenda. Dr. Hull also features her detoxification program and Detox Kit, proven highly effective in cleansing the body of food chemicals and environmental toxins.