Halting Hair Loss
If you've noticed your hair getting thinner — or showing up in greater-than-normal quantities in your brush or shower drain — you're probably not happy about it. Hair loss, or alopecia, can affect anyone, at any age, and can be caused by many things. Some cases will resolve on their own, while others will continue until a large amount of hair (if not every last strand) is gone.
Essential oils — highly concentrated herbal extracts — have been used for centuries to keep hair and skin healthy. Research shows that applying a combination of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Atlantic cedar (Cedrus atlantica), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils can significantly improve symptoms of alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that affects both women and men.
At any given time, about 90 percent of the hair follicles on your head are in the growing stage and the others are resting. When its resting phase is over, the follicle sheds its hair and starts growing a new one.
Most people lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. Losing significantly more than that can mean a few things, including:
Hereditary (androgenic) alopecia: This condition, known as male-pattern and female-diffuse balding, is the most common type of hair loss. Androgenic alopecia is progressive, meaning it won't resolve itself and will only get worse as time goes by.
Alopecia areata: Alopecia areata typically produces round, completely smooth patches on the scalp (and occasionally progresses to complete baldness). Many experts think it's an autoimmune disorder. In most cases, hair returns on its own.
Telogen effluvium: This is a temporary condition in which an abnormally large number of hair follicles enter the resting stage at once, meaning you're losing more than you're replacing. It can be caused by physical or emotional stress, thyroid abnormalities, nutritional shortfalls, and certain medications (including pain meds, anticoagulants, and antidepressants).
Conventional medicine typically treats hair loss with drugs: minoxidil (Rogaine), which started as a prescription but is now available OTC, and finasteride (Propecia, Proscar), a prescription. Side effects of minoxidil can include dizziness or fainting and fast or irregular heartbeat. Propecia can cause sexual side effects. Alopecia areata is often treated with cortisone injections, which can cause suppressed immunity and other problems. But herbal medicine has some alternatives:
• Eclipta (Eclipta alba, E. prostrata) |
Eclipta, also known as false daisy, is an Ayurvedic staple with a long tradition of use as a hair treatment. In modern studies, it's been proven more effective than minoxidil (Rogaine) in promoting hair growth. |
• Garlic (Allium sativum) |
Both garlic and its cousin onion (Allium sepa) contain oleic acid, a natural antialopecia agent. Research shows that topical extracts of either onion or garlic can help stimulate regrowth of hair lost to alopecia areata. |
• Nettle (Urtica dioica) |
This plant is a classic European and Native American hair tonic (the indigenous people of British Columbia recognized its ability to promote the growth of long, silky hair). Nettle's astringent properties also make it useful for combating excess sebum, which has been shown to contribute to hair loss. |
• Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) |
Taken orally, saw palmetto extracts seem to inhibit the hormonal process that has been blamed for androgenic alopecia. |
• Soy (Glycine max) |
Soy can help you keep your hair in a few ways: It's used in many commercial shampoos as a gentle scalp cleanser (it contains natural surfactants and astringents), and it also works internally. Soy contains the chemicals inositol and beta-sitosterol, which have been shown to inhibit hair loss. |
• Tea (Camellia sinensis) |
Regularly consuming green tea (or applying it to your scalp) can produce significant regrowth. Research shows that the polyphenols in tea can help reduce androgenic alopecia. |
Japanese researchers have isolated chemicals called procyanidin oligomers from apples (Malus domestica) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), which they've shown in both laboratory and real-life experiments can increase hair growth by as much as 300 percent.
