My father didn't start to lose his hair until he was in his mid-fifties. I remember the boxes of lotions, creams, and heating massage pads that kept showing up at his house, much to my stepmother's dismay. But his hairline kept receding, and a decade later, only a well-greased tuft of hair remained on the top of his head.
A lot of what happened to him was because of his genes. My older brother, who is almost 60, is also losing hair in the same way. But, unlike my dad, he has a lot more ways to get help than my dad did.
Causes of hair loss include genetics, medical treatments like chemotherapy, skin eczema or allergies, too much stress, bad nutrition, hormonal changes like menopause and "andropause," an underactive thyroid, immune disorders, and trichotillomania, a mental disorder in which people feel compelled to pull out their hair. A study done in England has also shown that smoking is directly linked to hair loss. It also showed that smokers are four times more likely than nonsmokers to have grey hair.
Drugs like minoxidil and corticosteroids can be used to treat some conditions. Some people may need something more drastic, like a follicular hair transplant, which is a type of hair restoration surgery that does work long-term. The cost, on the other hand, can be too high.
But for regular people in their 30s, 40s, or even 50s who are just starting to notice their hair getting thinner, what precautions or supplements can we take to slow hair loss?
Because healthy hair depends on a healthy scalp (hair follicles in the scalp need a lot of nutrient-rich blood to stay healthy), it makes sense that eating well-balanced meals will help hair follicles stay healthy and hair grow well. In a recent interview, Dr. Shari Lieberman Ph.D. CNS, a nutrition scientist and exercise physiologist at the University of Bridgeport, CT, said: "A lot of women I know don't eat enough protein. Some of them eat vegetables, but most of them eat carbs. They've stopped eating a lot of protein, and sometimes that makes women lose their hair."
There's no question that getting enough protein, good carbs, and essential fats every day is important for healthy hair. When there aren't enough vitamins or minerals in the body, this can show up in the hair. Too little vitamin A can lead to a flaky scalp, but too much vitamin A can also cause hair loss. When taken regularly and at the average or standard dose listed below or at a dose recommended by your doctor, supplements can be a strong way to stop hair loss before it starts. Think about these things:
a) Flaxseed Oil and Evening Primrose Oil. Both of these are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for hair that is strong and healthy. Evening primrose oil has a fat called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which the body turns into prostaglandins, which act like hormones. Evening primrose oil's GLA is directly turned into anti-inflammatory prostaglandins that help with skin allergies and eczema. Taking 1000mg of evening primrose oil three times a day will stop hair loss caused by the scalp flaking and shedding too much skin.
b) 14 grammes of flaxseed oil a day contains lignans, which may help fight cancer, bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Flaxseed oil makes hair and nails healthier and speeds up the healing of lesions on the scalp that can cause hair loss. A recent study of 10 men between the ages of 20 and 70 with different stages of male pattern baldness (AGA) found that 8 of them said their hair loss got a little better, 1 said it got a lot better, and 1 said it didn't change at all. During the study, the number of people who lost hair every day went down, and half of the people who took part noticed that their scalps made less oil.
c) Zinc (30 mg) can improve thyroid function and stop hair loss caused by a thyroid that doesn't work well enough. Copper and Zinc must be taken together (2 mg a day) to keep the right mineral balance in the body. Copper also has the pigment melanin, which gives hair and skin their colour and can help stop or slow premature greying. Zinc can also change the levels of androgens, which are hormones that play a role in some types of hair loss that are caused by genes.
d) Biotin (1000 mcg a day) and Vitamin B-50 Complex (one tablet twice a day) can also strengthen the hair and make the scalp less oily and flaky.
Other ways to stop hair loss are to massage your scalp once a week to increase blood flow and reduce stress, which can cause hair loss, to wear a hat to protect your hair and scalp from sun damage, and to avoid harsh hair treatments like permanents and colouring.
