Thick, voluminous hair is a common aspiration. However, you can convert this distant dream into reality with a disciplined approach and regular hair care regimen. But picking the right kind of routine which will work according to your hair needs can be tricky. You might see a lot of hacks online which claim to give you those thick strands of shine and gloss, but do these techniques always work? Let us find out.
What Causes Hair Fall?
Controlling hair fall is always the first step towards healthy hair. Be it volume or shine, a prerequisite for these things you aim for will always be healthy hair. Excessive hair fall, on the other hand, doesn’t seem like a sign of it. However, the first thing to understand is the difference between hair fall and hair loss. A little hair fall is a normal occurrence and shedding or losing up to 100 strands a day on average is nothing to be worried about. If this hair fall exceeds the mark of 100 strands frequently, it might be something to take a look at. At this point, your hair fall can start turning into hair loss. This can happen due to a variety of factors like diet, genetics, or lifestyle choices. Thinning is among the first signs of minor to moderate hair loss. It may not necessarily result in baldness, but it can impact the hair quality and growth overtime. Some types of hair loss also lead to patches of sparse growth on the scalp. In the course of time, some follicles stop growing hair and the hair begins to lose its colour. In cases of ageing, hair also loses its density and becomes weaker. Following are some causes of thinning hair.
- Genetics: Genes are primarily responsible for androgenic alopecia, that is, pattern baldness. This sort of hair thinning affects males in the form of a receding hairline to the back of the head. In females it affects the crown of the head and is observed as a widening partition. Men aged 50 and older are at a greater risk of being affected by it, as are women after reaching menopause. The main trigger for genetic hair loss or androgenetic alopecia is an androgen hormone called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. In people predisposed to genetic hair loss, DHT makes the hair follicles shrink by restricting the blood circulation around them. It also affects the growth phase of the hair cycle by making it shorter. This makes the hair thinner and eventually leads to hair loss.
- Diet: A poor diet could also impact your hair health as the deficiency of certain nutrients affects the body’s ability of generating new hair from the follicles. Beyond this, a bad diet can also manifest itself through dull, dry, brittle hair and dandruff issues. Apart from the deficiency, a higher consumption of processed foods with refined sugars and hydrogenated fats have also shown to be linked with increased risk of hair loss.
- Stress: Prolonged periods of mental, physical or psychological stress may lead to a hair loss condition called telogen effluvium, wherein a large percentage of hair follicles enter the shedding phase of the hair cycle. This increases the hair fall and makes the hair appear thinner. However, telogen effluvium is reversible as once the phase passes, hair follicles can return back to the normal state of the hair cycle.
- Indigestion: There is an indirect link between our gut and other tissues of the body, including the hair follicle cells. The digestion of food that takes place in the stomach leads to the absorption of nutrients that is necessary for the healthy growth of hair, and when any disturbance occurs in the digestive tract then the process of absorption can be compromised, thereby reducing your chances of having a healthy mane.
- Improper Hair Care: Use of products that contain harsh chemical ingredients can affect the health of your hair as they create dryness and make hair brittle. Some agents and artificial fragrances used in these products can also cause irritation, inflammation and allergic reactions. Use of heat has also shown to cause severe damage to the locks, making them dull, brittle and dry.
- Hormonal Imbalance: Imbalance in your hormones like issues with thyroid, PCOS, postpartum (post childbirth) or even menopause can lead to hair fall. In cases of PCOS, levels of androgens like DHT increase in the body, which directly affects the hair follicles. In situations like postpartum and menopause, estrogen levels start dropping, which increases the androgen relatively. This can also lead to hair loss.
Home Remedies To Grow Thick Hair Naturally
The quality of the hair follicles has everything to do with the right genes and one can do very little to change this. However, it is possible to inculcate some good habits and make the hair look thicker and also prevent hair loss. Let’s look at some very effective ways of improving the quality of your hair.
- Healthy Diet: Nutrition is one of the key factors for preventing, managing and treating hair fall. Since nutrition helps provide all the nourishment the hair needs, not obtaining it sufficiently can impact hair. Vitamins and minerals like biotin, niacin, folic acid, iron, zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, selenium and so on help in maintaining hair health. Similarly, proteins help build keratin, the basic structural unit of the hair shaft.
- Active Herbs: Inclining more towards natural ingredients than using harsh, chemical loaded products can save a lot of damage. Some of them are listed below.
- Amla: From premature greying to using it as a conditioner, amla is very beneficial for hair. Rich in Vitamin E, it can counter dryness while conditioning your hair at the same time. But all that conditioning will be in vain if you don’t counteract hair fall, to begin with.
- Bhringraj: Known as the Ayurvedic wonder ingredient for hair, Bhringraj provides more than just nourishment. Bhringraj oil when massaged onto the scalp increases blood circulation, which helps activate our hair follicles to stimulate hair growth.
- Aloe Vera: There are a number of hair products like creams that use aloe vera as an ingredient to promote the overall health of your hair. You can also mix the gel with olive or coconut oil and apply it to your hair once or twice a week for good results.
A large variety of other herbs can also be used, either as topical oils or through internal consumption via supplements, infusions, juices, etc.
Allopathic Medicines To Treating Hair Fall
One can also use products containing growth actives like Minoxidil, Redensyl, Procapil or Capixyl. Minoxidil is responsible for prolonging the growth phase of the hair follicles by improving blood circulation to your scalp. A combination of Redensyl, Capixyl and Procapil also helps reduce the effect of DHT, which tackles hair fall and supports hair growth. Other growth actives like Finasteride act as DHT blockers and limit the production of DHT. Shampoos or lotions containing Ketoconazole, Selenium Sulphide or Zinc Pyrithione help eliminate dandruff, which helps maintain scalp health and indirectly supports hair growth. Products containing Niacinamide help in retaining moisture in your hair, which might not promote hair growth as it is but can help provide a better environment. Supplements with Biotin, Zinc and Folate help address deficiencies and help with growth and maintenance of healthy hair.
What Will Work The Best?
To answer the most important question - Do these remedies alone combat hair fall? The truth of the matter is that these ingredients may be a good source to improve hair thickness but it does little to nothing to control hair fall if the underlying cause goes unaddressed. To find a treatment that works, you need to find the root cause of your hair fall. This is where Traya comes into the picture. Traya hits the bull’s eye by not only helping in your hair regeneration but by actually finding out the most suitable treatment through a thorough assessment.
Through Traya’s FREE hair test, you can identify the root cause of the hair loss and get a treatment that is customised for you, according to your needs, so that you see real results. Traya’s hair coaches and doctors provide you with the expert guidance and encourage a holistic approach, which combines 3 sciences of Ayurveda, Dermatology and Nutrition. This comprehensive method and personalized guidance is the perfect approach to get results for your hair loss problem.
Over 2 Lakh people have used the treatment provided at Traya for their hair loss problems. In fact, 93% of our users have seen results according to an internal study conducted by Traya Health. So, the next time you think about managing hair fall, remember that understanding the cause remains the most substantial part of management and it is possible to see results with a personalized approach.
