Finding more hair than usual on your pillow, in the shower, or on your hairbrush can be worrying. It is normal to have hair loss; however, excessive hair fall raises questions of how one can prevent it naturally.
There are a few things that can be done for promoting healthy hair growth and decreasing the chances of hair breakage. Proper nutrition, reducing stress, adequate sleep, taking care of your scalp, and avoiding hair treatment that causes hair damage are just some of the steps one can take.
One should keep in mind, though, that hair loss can have various reasons. Genes, hormonal imbalances, lack of nutrients, thyroid disease, some medications, illnesses, stress, or problems with the scalp can all result in hair loss. While the natural remedies may work in some cases, they cannot cure every hair loss problem.
How Much Hair Loss Is Normal?
Hair loss on a daily basis is normal. Naturally, hair goes through cycles of growth, resting, and shedding.
For many individuals, shedding about 50 to 100 strands of hair per day is considered normal. You can expect to shed more hair on some days, especially when you wash or brush your hair.
What you should worry about is shedding much more hair than is normal or experiencing thinning of the hair, part widening, bald spots, or a receding hairline.
Hair loss that occurs suddenly or continues to happen without stopping requires figuring out the reason behind it rather than trying different home treatments.
1. Eat Sufficient Amount of Protein
Hair is made of keratin protein. This means that sufficient amounts of protein will help you maintain strong hair.
Consume the following protein-containing foods:
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Eggs
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Fatty fish
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Poultry
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Milk and yogurt
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Legumes and beans
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Soy-based products
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Nuts and seeds
Restrictive diets or insufficient protein consumption in some cases might lead to hair shedding. It is not one food that helps grow hair but a number of different nutrients obtained from a healthy diet.
2. Check for Nutritional Deficiencies
Some nutritional deficiencies may be responsible for hair loss. For instance, iron deficiency is linked to hair shedding. Other possible deficiencies include vitamins D, zinc, B12 and folate among others.
It should be noted that this does not imply all patients with hair loss require nutritional supplementation.
The consumption of high doses of vitamins and mineral without knowing whether one is deficient in them may be dangerous. If one suffers from chronic hair loss, a medical practitioner will be able to decide what blood tests and other procedures are needed.
3. Manage Stress
Hair loss may be associated with stress. Severe emotional or physical stress causes temporary hair loss called telogen effluvium.
Telogen effluvium occurs some weeks or even months after a stressful situation, an infection, significant surgery, drastic weight loss or any other physical stress.
Stress management will not be helpful against all types of hair loss, but it promotes general well-being. A number of easy methods like regular exercise, good sleep, relaxing techniques and regular routine may be used to cope with stress.
4. Get Enough Sleep
Healthy sleep is essential for good health. Poor sleep can lead to impaired functioning of the body. However, while getting enough sleep is not a natural hair loss solution per se, having an established pattern of sleep is a part of leading a healthy life.
Focus on having quality sleep and resolving any sleep issues rather than taking hair supplements or trying other quick-fix solutions.
5. Be Gentle With Your Hair
At times, hair breakage is mistaken for hair loss. Applying too much heat, wearing tight hairstyles, hair dyeing, bleaching, and rough handling such as brushing can all cause hair breakage.
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To minimize the damage to your hair:
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Do not wear very tight hairstyles such as ponytails and braids.
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Use as little heat styling as possible.
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Choose wide-tooth combs where necessary.
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Do not roughly brush wet hair.
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Follow instructions when applying hair treatments.
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Allow your hair time to recover from treatments.
Such steps may decrease hair breakage and make your hair look thicker.
6. Take Care of Your Scalp
Scalp health can make conditions conducive to normal hair growth. Washing of hair should depend on the individual’s hair and scalp type. Keeping the scalp clean helps to reduce the accumulation of excess oil, dead skin, and build-up of products.
If the individual experience constant irritation, itchiness, redness, scales, painful areas, and sores, they should understand that these are not just symptoms of dry scalp but could be other conditions like dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, and fungal infections.
7. Avoid Crash Diets
Fast weight loss or dieting with extremely low-calorie intake can induce increased hair shedding. The body requires enough energy, proteins, vitamins, and minerals for proper body functions.
If an individual is undergoing weight loss or planning to, they should ensure that they do it gradually and not through crash diets. Following a good balanced diet is much more beneficial for the individual and their hair than exclusion of certain foods from the diet.
8. Be Careful With Hair Oils and Home Remedies
There are some natural hair oils that are used to prevent hair fall. Coconut oil, for instance, helps reduce protein loss and protect hair shaft from particular damage.
Still, this is far from being able to prove that the oil treats the main reason behind hair loss.
Moreover, there are various natural remedies suggested as hair loss treatments such as applying aloe vera or onion juice. However, scientific evidence is lacking when it comes to significant hair loss.
Nevertheless, if you like applying hair oils in your hair care routines and this product is not causing irritation to your scalp, it might be okay as a conditioning treatment. Do not consider it as an effective treatment for unknown and progressive hair loss.
9. Stay Away from Excessive Use of Supplements
The market is filled with numerous supplements that are advertised as hair growth products. There are biotin, collagen, herbal mixes, and multivitamins on the market.
But does not always mean better. Some nutrients in excessive amounts when you are not suffering from any deficiency are not helpful and even dangerous. For instance, biotin is known for thinning hair when there is a deficiency of it.
Can Hair Fall Be Stopped Naturally?
Hair fall can be naturally managed or not depending on the reason behind your hair loss.
If your hair is shed because of temporary causes like stress, infections, nutritional deficiency, and rapid weight loss, the hair fall can be cured once the cause has been treated.
Other types of hair loss, especially genetically acquired hair loss like androgenetic alopecia, usually need special treatment. Making changes to your lifestyle might help improve the condition but will not necessarily prevent the hair loss from continuing.
It is therefore important to know the cause behind your hair fall.
When Should You See a Doctor?
All hair falls do not require any medical attention. But you should see a doctor or dermatologist if:
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You have hair fall suddenly.
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You develop bald patches.
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Your hairline is receding quickly.
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Your scalp is sore, itchy, red, and inflamed.
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You suffer from severe itching and scaling.
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Your hair is continuously thinning over many months.
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Hair loss is accompanied by unexpected weight gain/loss, feeling tired, etc.
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You lose eyebrows and body hair in addition to hair.
A dermatologist can perform your scalp examination and diagnose the hair problem and if necessary further tests.
Bottom Line
When trying to find solutions for natural ways of preventing hair fall, begin with the simple steps such as eating healthy, taking enough proteins, managing stress levels, having good sleeping habits, not indulging in crash diets, and being careful with your hair.
Do not consider hair loss a condition that can be easily dealt with using only home treatments because hair loss is an indication and the cause needs to be determined in order for the proper treatment to be provided.
Persistent hair loss, especially when it is coupled with visible signs of hair thinning and changes in the scalp area, may warrant a professional opinion.
Good hair begins with good health but persistent hair loss requires more than home treatments.