My Hair Growth -Should I Stop Caring?
In many ways, our hair is like the kind a very special plant or garden that we love to care for. For the majority of us, all we have to do is ‘fertilize’ regularly and grow. We’re also thankful not to have the issues that others might experience in growing a head of healthy, long hair.*
For others, however, our hair tends to need more care in order to ‘blossom’ and grow to its full potential. Unfortunately, there are a few of us that feel forced to buy a wig or hair extensions – not to keep up with style trends, but because we’ve just given up. When the style gets ‘old’, we simply buy another one. It is these two latter types of hair dilemmas that is the primary focus of this article.
First, our hair needs care to flourish and grow to its full potential. It’s not enough to ‘water’ it on occasion with any ole’ shampoo and conditioner and settle for whatever sprouts. It needs nourishment on a regular basis. What if though, we have made tremendous efforts to care for and grow our hair, yet sadly we still experience problems with hair loss or hair fall? Like an unhealthy plant that ‘sickens’ and fails to grow after receiving tremendous care, the problem could be a medical issue.
Secondly, some literal plants take a little effort to yield great results and others need an even greater effort to flourish. However, there are those that might have highly acidic soil or not received enough sunlight or sadly succumb to disease and require a much longer time to grow -anything– even with a huge effort on our part. Some won’t grow at all.
My Hair Growth -Conditions Beyond My Control
Is your hair thinning due to male pattern baldness? Do you have an ongoing medical treatment known to cause hazardous effects on the hair? Even aging itself can cause your hair to become thinner, since the follicle is in a much longer resting phase, instead of the growing phase.
There are several other conditions that are beyond our control and these sadly affect our (lack of) hair growth. It’s best to visit and work with your physician for optimal care if you suffer hair loss due to a medical or aging issue.
My Hair Growth –Conditions Within My Control
Eliminate Temporary ‘Predators’
Sometimes, we have a ‘predator’ in our plants or garden that robs us temporarily of seeing a bounty. It could be an insect, bad weather or even a ‘cute’ bunny rabbit! Once the predator is gone, we start to see better growth. What ‘predators’ are temporarily affecting your hair condition and growth in a negative way?
- Are you experiencing hormonal changes due to pregnancy, postpartum and nursing?
- Are you under lots of stress?
- Do you suffer from a glandular disorder such as thyroid disease or PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)?
- Are you taking medications that can cause hair loss?
- Do you have a low iron (ferritin) level?
Even though the above conditions can cause a slowing of hair growth or some hair fall, most are temporary and are within our (or our doctor’s) control to correct. We might need a change in medication, if that is possible. Additionally, some of these problems can be corrected by reducing stressful situations as much as possible. Yes indeed, undue stress and anxiety and cause us to literally lose our tresses.
If we’ve done all we can to remove any ‘predators’ that temporarily affect growth, then we can take proper measures to promote healthy growth cycles.
My Hair Growth Starts with Healthy Roots
One important way to promote healthy growth cycles is to start with rich, fertile ‘soil’. Figuratively speaking, it’s the same with our hair. We need to use rich “soil” or nutrients -inside our body, if we want healthy roots and longer hair growth -outside our body. Meaning: eat a healthy diet full of nourishing vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it makes sense to ask: How rich is my soil?
Especially for those times we experience hair breakage, split ends, dandruff, brittle, and lack-luster hair. Think again and ask: Do I really nourish my body with healthy, protein-rich foods to ensure that my ‘soil’ is healthy enough to produce a healthy hair shaft? Or do you ‘survive’ on unhealthy and malnourishing fast foods?
Once the roots are cared for and hair is ‘blooming’, a regular hair care and maintenance routine is essential for lustrous, radiant hair. Please refer to our archived posts for more articles on hair growth and natural hair care to continue enjoy successful results.
*Portions of this article are reposted from an archived L.J. O’Neal post.
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Author: L.J. O'Neal, writer and researcher. (L.J. is also a Lustrous Henna® user.)
Do not copy or reprint this article without the consent of the author or Saba Botanical of USA.
*Even though our herbal ingredients have been used in natural medicine for centuries, we must add the following disclaimer: The herbs, formulas, and recipes contained within this web site are not to be considered substitutes for proper medical and health care. As with any other medicine, if you are sick, you should consult a physician to find out if the herbal preparations listed here are right for you. Saba Botanical does not make any medical claims nor warranties regarding the use of the products listed on this site. No matter how natural a product is, it may have a potential of causing side effects and allergic reaction on certain individuals. You should consult your physician before taking any medication.
