Jan 16

A loss of hair can be a traumatic psychological blow for many people. Hair loss can be caused by everything from certain types of medications to heredity to poor care and diet. The hair loss treatment industry is booming as people purchase millions of dollars of products every year in an attempt to regrow for thinning hair, because they can actually cause more damage than they do good. If you are one of those suffering from hair loss, you can actually save money and still see results by using natural hair loss treatments.

What Natural Products can be used to Treat Hair Loss?

Unfortunately, there’s no magic answer to the problem of hair loss, but there are natural treatments available that will help some of those afflicted. To start with, you can try massaging your scalp which will stimulate your follicles to help keep hair from falling out. This is easy to do while you’re sitting around watching TV, so it won’t take any extra time and is definitely worth a shot. Massaging won’t help major cases of hair loss, however.

Another chemical-free way to stop hair loss is through aromatherapy. Aromatherapy experts have determined that a mixture of 6 drops of lavender oil mixed with almond, sesame, and soybean oils can be massaged into the scalp to stimulate hair follicles and promote the growth of new hair.

If you’d like to try an herbal treatment for hair loss, you can try to bring a concoction of peach leaves, rosemary, nettles, burdock, and sage to a boil in a pan on the stove. After the mixture starts to boil, strain it into a squirt bottle. This herbal mixture should then be applied as a shampoo to your hair on a daily basis. Avoiding commercial shampoos will also help.

Henna is an ancient Indian herb that makes a fine hair conditioner which is known to repair hair cuticles. Cuticles are raised places on hair shafts that make the hair appear dull, lifeless, and damaged. The cuticles on healthy hair lie flat and help keep the moisture inside the hair shafts so they don’t dry out. As you may know, dry Native Americans discovered that aloe vera could be used to keep their hair healthy and promote growth. Try mixing aloe vera gel with coconut milk and wheat germ to make a great hair loss treatment.

Most experts view hair loss as a disease of the scalp. Using natural detox products like foot pads, enemas, or colonics can rid your body of the toxins that can bring on scalp diseases, including hair loss.

Overall, one of the healthiest, least expensive treatments for hair loss is exercise. Exercise is the best natural hair-growth stimulant that is currently known. Exercise keeps your body healthy, your body systems running smoothly, and your hair growing strong.

For more information on natural hair loss treatments, vitamins for hair growth and tips on how to overcome the causes of female hair loss, visit stop female hair loss.

Jan 10
Beautiful Hair And Hair Lice Infestations
icon1 steve | icon2 Healthy Hair | icon4 01 10th, 2009| icon3Comments Off

Now that school is back in session, the tiny head louse of headlice will be on the rise. This wingless parasitic insect lives among human hair and feeds on small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for school-aged kids ages 3 years to 12 years.
Lice Do Not Spread Disease, but They Are Contagious!

Lice aren’t dangerous and don’t pass blood born disease disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites may cause your child’s scalp to become irritated, and persistent scratching may lead to skin problems and even infection.
Recognizing Head Lice

Though very small, lice can be seen by the Human eye.

Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown sacks before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts near the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits appear a lot like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it’s more common to see nits in a child’s hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks after being ‘nitted.’

Adult and Hatched Lice

Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is very tiny and is brown-tan in color. Nymphs become fully grown in about a week after hatching. Most lice feed on blood about every 4 to 6 hours, but they can survive up to 3 days off the scalp.

Hair Lice and Scratching

With lice bites come itching and scratching. However, the itching may not always start right away - that depends on how sensitive your child’s skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to notice the discomfort, meaning the infestation will become more severe. They may complain, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads as they can feel the lice wriggling near the scalp.

Red Bumps and Scalp Sores from Head Lice

For most children, the irritation is mild; but for others, a more bothersome rash with crusting and oozing may develop. It’s also not unusual for kids to develop some swelling of their lymph glands as a reaction to the bites. Excessive scratching can also lead to a bacterial infection (the skin would become red and tender around the bite area). If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with a topical or an oral antibiotic.

Searching For HeadLice

You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child’s hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the back of the neck near the hairline). A magnifying glass and bright light may help. But it can be tough to find a nymph or adult louse - often, there aren’t many of them and they’re able to scramble quickly running from the light. It is much easier to find the newly laid eggs attached to the hair shafts.
Are Hair Lice Contagious?

Yes, hair lice are highly contagious and can spread quickly from person to person, especially in group settings (this pretty much means anywhere kids are together such as school, daycare or sports team that share equipment)

Though they can’t fly or jump, these tiny parasites have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along.
Can Pets Pass Head Lice

Nope, pets like dogs and cats are NOT prone or susceptible to lice or passing it along. They gotta live with the fleas, but not the lice!

Your doctor can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream, or lotion to kill the lice. These may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. It isn’t uncommon for treatments to be unsuccessful because of incorrect use or because the lice may be resistant to the chemical in the shampoo.

It’s important to follow the directions completely because these products are insecticides. Applying them too much or too frequently can increase the risk to you or your child. Following the directions on the product label is also important to ensure that the treatment works properly. Your doctor may also suggest a special rinse to use on your child’s hair that makes it easier to comb out the nits using a fine-tooth comb. There are specially designed fine toothed combs that will remove lice eggs from the hair.
A good hair cut is also a good idea after an infestation.

Medicated lice treatments can usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop. Your doctor may recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to make sure all the nits have been killed and avoid risk of reinfestation.

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