Thinning Hair, Food For Thought

Genetics, alopecia, bad diet; why do some people go from a full head of hair to thinning hair?  Genes and stress might be the reason for some.  Unfortunately there are times that stress will affect our hair and there is nothing we can do about it except to maintain a healthy diet to limit the affects of stress on our hair.  There are many people, men and women included, who quite frankly may not realize that a poor diet is to blame for their thinning hair.  Yes indeed there are studies out there that demonstrate that food and the lack of the right food can have a significant impact on whether a person has a full head of hair or not.  Now, don’t go crazy here folks, I know as well as  you that genes do play a significant role and sometimes your path to a bald head is inevitable.  Let me just add that if that is the case, please keep in mind that bald is beautiful too!

So genetics and stress, they most certainly matter and sometimes there’s just not a dang thing we can do about it.  I thought I should write a blog on one way to impact our hair.  This may surprise you, many of you are simply unaware that food matters even when it comes to your hair.  So let’s ignore stress and genetics for a moment and talk about what kind of a diet will lead to a full head of hair or at least maintaining what you have.  Well I’m sure you’ve all heard how important the B vitamins are for hair, skin and nails.  Biotin, B12, yes; very, very important, so important many people take biotin supplements, but did you know in addition to the B vitamins here is the rest of the story.  A daily dose of Omega-3′s, lean proteins, iron, silica and zinc.  Let’s make it easy, the following is a list of foods that your day should consist of for great hair maintenance.  Obviously your day does not have to consist of the whole list but read the list below and ensure you are getting as much of it as possible.

• Fish
• Chicken
• Brewer’s yeast
• Eggs
• Raw walnuts
• Raw almonds
• Beans
• Yogurt
• Kale
• Poultry
• Mussels
• Scalllops
• Oysters
• Bean sprouts
• Grapes
• Dandelion
• Dark leafy greens
• Cucumber skins
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Red and green peppers

Let me point out what you should be thinking now,  aha foods rich in protein and low in “bad fats”.  Green leafy vegetables and bright vivid colors be aware of all of these foods and ensure that you are getting a daily dose of them.

If you’re trying to maintain good hair, I do hate to break this to you, you may want to limit the following:

• Greasy foods
• Spicy foods
• Sugary foods

These can be taxing to the body which could in turn, tax your scalp.

Speaking of your scalp here’s a tip I like to give often; aloe vera gel or extra virgin olive oil, massage into your scalp once in a while (not before a big date, obviously) your scalp will love you for the attention and the nutrients in these.  Before I end this blog I would like to say I am not sure about all the herbs that are out there touting miracles for thinning hair, but I will tell you in my opinion; you could try saw palmetto or ginseng, these really are considered effective.  One last thought; drink lots and lots of green tea, green tea is simply glorious for the hair and don’t forget to nosh your way to good hair.

Natural Toners For The Face

Well yesterday we talked about how to properly cleanse your face.  It seemed only fitting that I should write about the next step which is toning.  Now a lot of you might be buying really expensive toners, so let’s talk natural for a moment.  Toning is an important step but rest assured it most definitely does not have to be an expensive one.  The purpose of using a toner is to remove any soap residue, moisturizer and oil.  Here’s a secret of top models.  Ready for this one…carry around a lemon, in fact carry around a few lemons.  You will find that lemon is the ingredient in many toners and yet how much better would it be to just use fresh lemon.  Believe you me, most toners don’t have nearly the amount of lemon they should.  I know this may sound funny to you but just think about it for a second.  Doesn’t it make sense?  Yes, as simple as slicing a lemon in half, rub one half over your face or use a cotton ball, whichever you prefer.

Not too keen on lemons?  Never fear, I have more natural remedies up my sleeve.  So you’re not feeling lemons today.  Here are some other great natural toners:

• Witch Hazel
• Rose Water
• Liquid Boric Acid

Here’s a great tea tonic especially since I’m hopeful you already have some in your pantry since it is so great for digestion.  Make some chamomile tea and no, not to drink this time, place cotton swabs in it and tone the face with chamomile.  Remember you do not need to rinse any of the toners off, apply it to the skin and just leave it be.  Well folks we don’t need a makeup counter but we might need to plant a lemon tree.

Buzz Off to Bug Spray

Bug Spray… I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.  Well, maybe not, but I’d rather be munched on as a snack for mosquitoes and other bugs.  Sounds a bit extreme of me, doesn’t it?  Here’s what’s extreme:
-Parkinson’s Disease
-Gulf War syndrome
-Neurological issues
-Fatigue
-Headaches
-Diarrhea
-Dizziness and disorientation
-Kidney and liver damage
-Birth and developmental defects
DEET, permethrin, and BHT are some of the more common chemicals in bug sprays and repellants.  They are in fact even found in insect repellant clothing.  Now the EPA tells us these chemicals are “slightly toxic” or “slightly lethal”, who’s being extreme here?  Well I can remember being sprayed with bug spray as a young child in Greece (thank God not very often), but once I was pregnant with my first child I began on my quest for health and the real facts.  What I found out during my research as a young pregnant woman scared me enough to endure mosquito bites and insect bites.  Now some people out there suggest that disease ridden mosquitoes are more dangerous, so here is my own personal opinion.  If you believe that to be the case, find a natural way out!  With so many terrible side effects that may possibly be linked to these nasty chemicals, wouldn’t you rather explore some natural remedies? These include:
-Lemongrass
-Lemon eucalyptus oil
-Cinnamon oil
-Citronella
-Soy based oils

I know many of you have considered the risks of utilizing bug sprays but for those of you who have not, please especially consider the risks before spraying on your children.  Please, oh please turn to natural alternatives.  It will be a long time before studies show 100% links to cancer or other diseases, but do you really want to take the risk now?  Well if you’re like me and mosquitoes love noshing on you consider eating extra garlic, this does kind of work.  Another nifty little tool is to throw a spring of sage or rosemary on your grill while you are grilling outside.  This should help keep mosquitoes away.  From here on say “buzz off!” to those toxic sprays.

Great Question From a Reader Regarding Cool Whip

“I need to defend myself — I rarely rarely have cool whip or any kind of whipped cream product. Once in a while I have one scoop of cool whip with my ice cream. That’s it. I consider it chemical-ridden, but tasty nonetheless. lol So I have one scoop of the stuff once or twice a month. Is this ok? Thanks for all the updates! I love reading your blog!”

Great question from an honest reader.  Such a great question that I decided to blog about this comment.  This reader is honest and upfront, she is quite clear about eating a product with chemicals in it, but is also well enough aware so as not to partake too often.  Listen up honest reader, the answer to your question is yes, my personal opinion is that it is probably OK.  I am sure that we all ingest chemicals some how, some way; even those of us who are quite aware of what we consume.

I liked your comment because it hit home.  Folks it is just impossible to live a perfect lifestyle.  It is practically impossible to eat 100% natural.  It is important however to remember that we must try.  The reason that I do the kind of work I do is to instill an awareness in people.  What I sincerely hope people do not do is consume fast food, diet soda, energy drinks, frozen food, cookies, cakes and Cool Whip on a daily basis.  White flour, sugar and chemicals are probably not going to harm you unless you eat them quite consistently.  As this reader suggested, she has a spoonful of Cool Whip once or twice a month.  I am sure that probably gets flushed out of her body just as quickly as it goes in.  We all have  our vices don’t we?

My advice:  choose wisely, make sure it’s worth it and don’t do it often.  Oh, and to the reader, thank you kindly for the words of encouragement.