What Causes Hair Problems?

Few people seem content with the appearance of their hair. They complain it’s too frizzy, too flat, too dry, too oily, too thin, too thick, or the wrong colour. People with naturally curly hair go to great lengths to straighten it. People with straight hair work equally hard to make it straight.

The overuse of blow dryers, curling irons and hair straghteners can cause split ends. Weather, permanents and hair lightening products also damage hair.

Natural Remedy For Hair Problems

Many of these common concerns about hair can be addressed by using the appropriate, good quality hair products. One line of hair and skin care products that I recommend is Andalou Naturals. Andalou prides itself on using only the finest herbals and plant extracts in their most natural form. But always read the label as companies change and are bought and sold all the time.

In this picture, all I’ve used is Aubrey GPB Shampoo and Conditioner – no hair color, no serums, no gel, no shine product – just healthy hair!

Supplements For Healthy, Shiny, Thick Hair

Now, while a great shampoo and conditioner can make a big difference to how your hair looks, you can make an even bigger difference by feeding your body the necessary nutrients to produce thick, shiny hair.

In my experience (and this includes working with chronically ill people and with post-natal women whose hair almost always thins out), ingesting these nutrients DAILY will make a noticeable difference to both your hair and your skin in three to four weeks:

• Cod Liver Oil – 4 capsules or 1 teaspoon per day
• Udo’s Oil – 1 to 2 tablespoons per day (take this straight, or use to make salad dressing, drizzle over cooled veggies – do not denature with heat – or add to your shakes and smoothies)
• Lots of organic (preferably raw) butter – you can consume up to 1/4 cup per day
• Cook only in organic extra virgin olive oil or unrefined coconut oil

If this freaks you out, you need to know that 40% of the cell membrane is fat! But it’s composed of good fats (like the ones listed above). So you will also see a big improvement in your skin and your gut mucosal lining from consuming adequate amounts of these good fats.

You will not gain weight by ingesting these healthy fats, but you may need to reduce the amount of food on your plate to keep your daily caloric intake the same, since good fats contain more calories than the same amount of carbs or veggies.

Having said that, many people who are overweight find these good fats help them to lose weight, because their body is finally satiated, thus their cravings decrease and they feel satisfied with less food.

Even if you just implement two items from the list above, you will likely see an improvement after a month or two.

*NOTE: Also crucial for great hair is a good gut flora – so take your Natren probiotics daily!

Do’s and Dont’s for Shiny, Healthy-looking Hair:

DO:

1. Consult with a haircare professional about the best products and styles for your hair type.
2. Use a special dandruff shampoo if you have dandruff. Consider which of the common causes of dandruff (poor diet, stress, a hormone imbalance, a sluggish metabolism, infection) might be impacting your scalp, and address them.
3. Use a moisturizing shampoo and a leave in conditioner if you are have dry, frizzy hair. Add a deep conditioning treatment from time to time. Brush your hair gently to avoid split ends and breakage.
4. Use a volumizing shampoo if you have thin hair. Don’t weigh thin hair down with too heavy a conditioner or too much styling product.
5. Choose a moisturizing shampoo and a herbal conditioner to help sooth and moisturize itchy flaky scalps.
6. Treat wet hair gently – it’s more sensitive to damage than dry hair.
7. Rinse all shampoo and non-leave-in conditioners out thoroughly.
8. Use a stripping or clarifying shampoo on occasion to avoid product build up, which can dull your hair. Product build up can also lead to less even results when colouring or perming your hair.
9. Have your split ends trimmed regularly.

DON’T:

1. Over style with hot appliances like blow dryers, curling irons or straighteners.
2. Use inferior hair products with harsh detergents, chemicals or too much alcohol.
3. Use too much product if you have thin hair – it can weigh it down.
4. Overbrush or over backcomb your hair. It can cause hair loss.
5. Wear too tight ponytails, pigtails or cornrows, especially if held with elastic bands.
6. Mistake a flaky, itchy scalp for dandruff – they are not the same thing. A flaky scalp can be caused by stress, a harsh shampoo, not rinsing hair thoroughly after washing, too little sebum, poor nutrition, rooms that are over air-conditioned or overheated, and heredity.