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Hair growth is more in the first 30-40 years of a person's life and much slower after that. It is very difficult to ensure good hair growth throughout though a balanced and proper diet would go a long way in promoting hair growth. Hair growth may be affected due to several factors like neglect, external weather conditions, stress, prolonged illnesses or stress. Thin, brittle or split hair takes a long time to grow because it is not healthy. Hence, the best way to ensure good hair growth is to provide the body with the essential nutrients through the food we take.
Hair growth depends very much on vitamins. The most important vitamins necessary for hair growth are: vitamin A (produces healthy sebum in the scalp), vitamin C (antioxidant), vitamin E (improves scalp circulation), Biotin (produces Keratin), Inositol (keeps hair follicles healthy), Niacin (promotes scalp circulation) and pantothenic acid, Para-Aminobenzoic Acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 that prevent graying and hair loss. The most common food-based sources of these vitamins are: citrus fruits, green vegetables, fruits like pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, potatoes, green peppers, vegetable oils, soybean, raw seeds, dried beans, wheat germ oil, brewer's yeast, whole grains, eggs, liver, rice, milk, fish, turkey, chicken and red meat. There are hundreds of products in the market that promise to ensure good hair growth. These products contain the necessary vitamins, proteins and minerals that promote hair growth. They can be in the form of external applicants like oils, shampoos, conditioners and sprays or they can even be in the form of tablets or capsules suitable for internal ingestion. Products for external applications do not have a very durable effect while vitamin supplements in the form of capsules have a more lasting effect on the hair growth. Today, almost all hair care products advertise the presence of a necessary vitamin in their products that would make the hair thicker, stronger, longer, lustrous, and on the whole, healthier. Viviscal, Shen Min, Nu Hair, Hair Genesis, Fast Grow, Hair Formula 37, Follicare, Melancor and Advesia are some of the popular hair vitamin products available in the market today. There are several websites that provide information about hair vitamin products. There are also exclusive stores that specialize in hair vitamin products. However, it is better to consult a physician before using these products to understand the exact condition of the hair so that the right products can be used.Well my friend, there are a lot of reasons for your hair loss. There are certain ailments that trigger hair loss as well as a selection of medications that you may have been taking. But with natural hair loss, the culprit is usually genetics. So you may opt to take a look (take a good look) at your parents and uncles, your line of ancestry if possible.
If thinning is in the blood, then be prepared to say ‘sayonara' and ‘goodbye' to your hair as you age. But before you curse the daylights out of genetics, let us first give some unbiased thought to the hair growth and hair loss phases. You should know what you are up against to be able to have chance of possibly preventing such occurrence, right?
Phase One:
Anagen, the growing stage. Each strand of hair is produced in the interior of a hair bulb rooted deeply in the hair follicle. On most individuals, these follicles are active up until they hit the bucket (of course!). Anyway, the hair growth structure in the Anagen is approximately one centimeter for every month. Unfortunately, this is but a phase, a stage in one's life that will inevitably come to a gradual stop. Again, genetics---the overwhelming perpetrator---dictates the span of time the hair gets to stay in the Anagen stage. This could run anywhere from three to seven years.
Phase Two:
Catagen, the transitory stage. This phase indicates the end of active hair growth. Typically, Catagen lasts between two to four weeks. It may have brought the growing stage into a halt but the hair still receives nourishment.
Phase Three:
Telogen, the shedding stage. This is the last phase in the cycle, which lasts until the fully formed hair is shed. In this process, the hair sheds due to the fact that the next Anagen is about to commence. See here, as your hair sheds, a new one is growing in its place.
Hair loss is but a natural process; a continuous course that should be trekked to grow new ones.
Then there is the common baldness. This is where the hair slowly thins over time. And more often than not, it strikes the male populace particularly the members with a genetic predisposition to such. This is instigated by a condition identified as androgenic alopecia; and men who experienced premature baldness have the tendency to produce high dihydrotesterone (DHT). DHT is a sex hormone that brings about follicular miniaturization, which decreases the width of the hair shaft that renders the hair fragile, and in turn easy to shed and to shake off.
Common baldness comes in many types depending on the severity and where the actual shedding takes place. There is the Alopecia Areata characterized by some hair loss, which occurs gradually. Another is Alopecia Totalis, as the name suggests, total or complete hair loss. The abovementioned types deal with the hairs atop one's head.
The next deals with the hair that envelops the whole body - Alopecia Universalis. Have you ever seen a person devoid of hair from head to toe? If you have, he may be suffering from Alopecia Universalis.
If you are shedding at an alarming rate with a considerable amount, go visit your local physician. Hair loss may be linked to genetics but excessive shedding may be a symptom of a disease.