Thursday 31 May 2012

traditional locs shampooed and placed in a simple bun

Traditonal locs washed and twisted

How often should I trim my natural hair?

How often should naturals get their hair trimmed when trying to grow ones hair?If you are trying to grow your hair then logically you would try and trim as little as possible. I do however think that in order to attain length, you do need to cut off any knots and split ends as the cuticle in these areas is damaged.

Trim a set amount - Decide on the length, maybe half an inch or quarter of an inch every 4 months or so. Taking a little off every so often will mean you keep most of the length throughout the hair.

HOW DO I TELL SPLIT ENDS
They do not look any different on curly hair. When you have one you can see it. The hair has a forked end. Many of us confuse thinning ends for split ends and this is why with relaxed hair we often chopped off the see through parts of the hair. These are not necessarily split ends, in some cases they could be ends that split already and hence the hair is thinner but not always, it could just be the hair tip becoming thinner due to normal wear.

Yes hair has its terminal length. Supposing we take the low average, hair grows about half an inch a month and will do so in general for upto 3 years. This means 6 inches a year and a terminal length of 18 inches.

In reality this is not the case for everyone. African hair is thought to  grow much slower

There are many factors that stop curly hair from attaining its terminal length. This is especially true for African hair. It can break much easier, it has a tendency to be dry and combing can be the equivalent of a hair cut.

Thursday 17 May 2012

what can Vitamins do to promote healthy hair?

Biotin
Biotin often called vitamin H, is yet another B complex component. Biotin is a proven hair growth vitamin and a preventative to excessive hair loss. It appears to metabolise fatty acids. Fatty acids are a valuable growth factor in numerous processes in the body including the hair. Biotin is also seen as an aid in preventing hair turning grey.

Biotin is found in egg yolks. Raw egg whites actually hinder effectiveness, but when the albumen (egg white) is cooked, the culprit - a substance called avidin is destroyed by heat. Biotin is also present in liver, milk, yeast and kidney.

Balding men might find that a Biotin supplement may keep their hair longer.

Zinc
In laboratory tests animals fed with a zinc supplement showed signs of more hair growth, as opposed to loss of hair in animals that were deprived of zinc in their feed. It was discovered that there was a change in the hair protein structure when zinc was deficient in the diet.
Severe zinc deficiency in humans has been shown to produce baldness and scalp problems that were reversed when zinc was returned to the diet.
Zinc has also been shown to stop hair turning grey. One doctor taking zinc for a year reversed the grey hairs which returned to their original colour.

Zinc can be depleted by high stress levels. For a good source of zinc, wheat germ is the best, other sources are brewer's yeast, pumpkin seeds, oysters and mussels, shrimps and egg yolks.

One delightful effect of zinc is that it has long been regarded as an aphrodisiac, and as such it can be very beneficial for your sex life, which is not a bad side effect to have.

Protein

Protein is a basic ingredient in many hair shampoos and conditioners and is also the major ingredient of hair itself, which is at least ninety per cent protein. Whilst this should not necessarily be the main ingredient in your diet, its importance should not be ignored.
In controlled tests volunteers, supplementing their diets with protein in the form of 14g of gelatine daily, found it increased the thickness of individual hair strands by as much as 45 per cent in only two months.

Diet can influence both hair growth and quality and gelatine has exhibited one of the highest specific dynamic effects of any food or supplement.

Given that a strong hair is a healthy hair, the study noted that the gelatine induced increases in the diet constituted an improvement in the mechanical properties of the hair, including strength. When the volunteers stopped eating the gelatine, their hair returned to its original diameter within six months.

Vitamin E
A Canadian physician who started going grey was able to reverse the process by taking 800iu of vitamin E in capsule form daily. At the age of 68 after some 15 years of taking vitamin E he still has a healthy head of thick black hair, and is the envy of men half his age.

Vitamin E has also been shown to retard the ageing process. It has been suggested that grey hair is a symptom of body degeneration so a supplement of vitamin E can only be beneficial whether you have grey hair or not.

The best natural sources of vitamin E are wheat germ, Soya beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach and eggs.

Choline

Choline is a B vitamin like nutrient that's useful in counter acting the effects of stress. Recently scientists in America were able to induce toxic levels of stress in baby animals by limiting the amount of choline in their diets.

Choline supplements prescribed to balding patients produced significant results to prove choline's worth in hair loss. Lecithin is a very good source of choline, at it also supplies inositol, a B complex vitamin with a particular affinity with choline, these two vitamins work together well.

Foods rich in choline are egg yolks, yeast, liver and wheat germ.

Vitamin A


A deficiency of Vitamin A will cause dry hair and rough skin. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and if large doses (50,000 - 100,000 iu daily) are taken for a prolonged period the liver cannot store the A vitamin, and it can build up in the body to give unpleasant side effects which include nausea, headaches, hair loss, drowsiness and weight loss.

The R.D.A. for vitamin A is 2,500 iu.

Pantothenic Acid

Pantothenic Acid also known as Calcium Pantothenate is considered to be important to the health of the skin and scalp. Pantothenic acid is necessary for the well being of every body cell and neither carbohydrate nor fat can be changed into energy without it.

This nutrient is also important for the functioning of the adrenal glands that produce much of the male sex hormones.

Volunteers who were feed on a diet deficient of pantothenic acid showed increased vulnerability to infection and adrenal levels dropped, blood pressure also dropped and constipation developed.

Animals lacking this nutrient in their diet became grey haired and the follicles started to waste away.

This supplement is most often found in B complex formulas.

This nutrient is obtained from liver, kidney, egg yolks, whole grains, milk and potatoes.

Cider Vinegar

Hair loss can sometimes be a result of poor metabolism. Many case histories show that as a result of a few teaspoonfuls of cider vinegar each day for several months, hair loss has stopped and the remaining hair has grown healthier and thicker. One reason for thinning hair is a deficiency of minerals salts, so it is easy to understand why mineral-rich cider vinegar can help.

Cider vinegar will not work the same way for everyone. A few people may be allergic to it and others may not be affected at all. But for many people, cider vinegar opens up a wonderful new chapter in life.

Cider vinegar may be taken in a glass of water first thing in the morning or just before meals. One of the side effects can be weight loss which is an added bonus.

Seven Wonders "Hair Food" Cocktail
The following drink contains Protein, Choline, Inositol, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin E and Zinc: The seven ingredients' nutritionists most often recommend for growing healthy hair.

8 Fl oz Plain Yoghurt

8 Fl oz Orange Juice

3 Tablespoons Wheat Germ

3 Tablespoons Brewers Yeast

1 Tablespoon Lecithin Crystals

1 Teaspoon Vitamin C Crystals

1 Raw Egg Yolk

1 Tablespoon Unflavored Gelatine Powder

Honey to Taste (optional)

Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. If a blender is not available put all the ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake vigorously.

This tonic makes a quick and nutritious breakfast and will work wonders for your hair.

This cocktail should help just about everyone, and you will certainly notice a difference to your hair once you try it.

Another recommended regime for hair loss which has proved to be very effective is a supplement of the Amino Acids, Zinc and Vitamin C. This supplement is particularly good for people who go on crash diets and find a problem with hair loss, or problems which are less obvious such as women who are losing hair as a result of birth control pills and subsequent vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Hair loss supplement
A daily vitamin and mineral supplement

B Complex

Pantothenic Acid

Folic Acid

P.A.B.A.

Vitamin A

Zinc

A daily supplement of the above will help produce healthy hair and helps restore grey hair to its original colour.

0ne multi- vitamin formula 1000mg and 500mg magnesium taken daily can have a great effect on hair growth - There is no guarantee but many people have reported a definite reduction of hair loss with this regime.

Another combination that has produced excellent results with some people is a daily supplement of choline and inositol, 1000mg of each daily.

The Amino Acid L Tyrosine is also recommended for helping hair regain its natural colour.

While there are a number of supplements which can be beneficial, it is important for the diet to improve and take precedence over supplements alone. That said there are enormous benefits to be derived from using vitamins, many food products today have been treated with chemicals during the growing process.

When anyone is embarking on a course of vitamins or minerals they should be aware that results will not happen overnight. Vitamins are not
some magic potion that is suddenly going to cure hair loss overnight. They may not do anything for some people but for others they will achieve excellent results with noticeable differences in hair growth and in the slowing down of hair loss.

Results will usually take from about three to four months before the body actually reacts to the effects brought about by the vitamins.
Vitamins should always be taken as directed on the bottle and not more than the stated dosage. An extra helping of a vitamin does not make it work twice as much, besides which it can be dangerous overdosing on certain vitamins.

When taking vitamins you may find that you have to take them after a meal otherwise they may cause a stomach upset.

i hope this is usefull for you have a great day


Why am looseing my hair

People lose their hair suffering from the condition alopecia, not to be confused with the condition alopecia areata. Alopecia means any form of hair loss. There are a large number of causes for hair loss, some of which are dietary. Health can be a reason for it, scalp disorders can be another, and hormonal conditions also can trigger hair loss. Natural things like childbirth will also trigger hair loss. Hair loss, alopecia, can happen for so many different reasons. Diagnosis is sometimes quite difficult.




What causes female pattern baldness?

Female pattern baldness is a sensitivity to the male hormone or the androgens within the females body. It is hereditary. It sometimes, not too often, affects women in their 20s and 30s, but more commonly affects women after menopause.