Hair health

[dust]

This thread is, I suppose, for talking about hair habits and maintaining "healthy hair".

 

I'll start with a recent observation: I have not had hair longer than ~ 1 inch / 3cm since I was about 6. Am planning on growing it out, or at least seeing how far it can get before I can't stand it any more (having short hair is so easy). One thing I have noticed since I made this decision is how many people seem to lose hair on a day-to-day basis. Browsing a number of "How to" articles on growing hair long, every single one mentions some combination of oils or conditioners or supplements to "maintain healthy hair", etc. This, for example:

 

http://uk.askmen.com/fashion/sachin_fashion/how-to-grow-your-hair-out.html

First, start taking biotin. It's a B-vitamin (B7) that claims to strengthen hair and nails. Data to support this claim is weak, however, in my experience (and my friends' experiences), it led to hair that breaks and falls out less. (No more waking up to a pillow covered in hairs.)

 

"A pillow covered in hairs" ??!

 

What makes this so shocking to me is that, as far as I can remember, I've never lost/found more than a hair every few months. It strikes me that this could be for a number of reasons:

 

1. I've never had hair so long (and therefore 'old') that it has the opportunity to fall out

2. I've never used shampoo or conditioner, only washing my hair with water, 2-3 times a week

3. I've never combed or brushed, only used fingers, so hair is not pulled much

 

(Certainly, it's not because I've been taking biotin or other supplements.. because I haven't.)

 

So..what are your thoughts on that? & it would be nice to hear any advice people have for growing hair long. My experience is certainly limited...

Edited February 14, 2016 by dustybeijing

[AussieTrees]

Hi dustybeijing,

 

No none,well the top lawns are in drought,so to even things out ,just cut it all off.

Today full buzz,beard everything,then do it again 14 days later.

Recently startedto using the number 4 and use to cut eye brows,which were getting into eyes.

Quick showers,easy comb.

Same as when kids,dad always cut,using hand clippers,took a long time and hand clipper would pull hair,ouch.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Aussie

[Perceiver]

The best way to stop losing hair is to exercise the muscles in the back of the head. The blood flow in the scalp goes up 10x and helps to retain hair. Check out the hairloss reversible.com site for the exercise. All free. Works in the long run. Spread de word.

[vonkrankenhaus]

Hair is constantly withstanding many natural factors- sun, rain, cold, heat, etc.

 

Not Today.

 

People live indoors, ride cars and trains.

 

Hair didn't have much to do, so it became weak.

 

And hair is excess, going both up and down.

 

Upward energy is generally expansive, downward energy is generally contracting.

 

When contracting factors (meat, salt, heat) are higher, upward energy is less - less expression of hair going upward, but still hair growing downwards (legs, armpits, pubic hair, etc).

 

When central channel has blockages, these are usually caused by contracting (hardening) factors, and this effects upward exression of hairs. Thyroid can go bad, especially in meat-eating women, stopping hormonal flow and hair growth.

 

Hairs can also show conditions in organs, depending on what part of head - so less hair meaning less active, more hair means organs still processing excess proteins into head protection (hair).

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

Edited October 25, 2015 by vonkrankenhaus

[Basher]

WARNING: - HAVE A BUCKET HANDY JUST IN CASE, BEFORE READING THIS !!

 

I'm a Chap, a very Hairy Anglo-Italian chap...tons of Hair randomly distributed all over, just not much left on top of my head.

My Father had receding Hair by his mid twenties and mine followed the same pattern.

He wasn't hairy, I am.

 

According to Chinese Literature, excess Body Hair shows there is an internal weakness.

Presume that's only for the relatively hairless Chinese, as otherwise I'm in deep doo-doo.  

 

Both my head and body hair is kinda soft and I shower daily, but wash my hair about every other day.

Prefer a trimmer set on No. 3, to buzz my melon, rather than trying to grow the sides & comb over the Bald Spot !!

[thelerner]

I've been doing cold showers every day (alternating warm & cold) for two weeks, not using soap, shampoo or conditioner and my hair has never looked better.  The dandruff is gone, the hair is shiny and way more obedient then usual.  I am massaging my scalp in the shower and spending a little more time combing it with a strong toothed brush, again for scalp massage. 

 

Cold water might be stimulating the scalp, exercising(?) the blood vessels underneath. 

[Miffymog]

Not exactly about healthy hair, but hair none-the-less. For the last ten years I've been using a version of Minoxidil and it does seem to stop my hair line from receding - for information

[dust]

I've been doing cold showers every day (alternating warm & cold) for two weeks, not using soap, shampoo or conditioner and my hair has never looked better.  The dandruff is gone, the hair is shiny and way more obedient then usual.  I am massaging my scalp in the shower and spending a little more time combing it with a strong toothed brush, again for scalp massage. 

 

Cold water might be stimulating the scalp, exercising(?) the blood vessels underneath. 

 

I read about your Wim Hof progress the other day, sounds cool. Didn't think about whether the cold might have hair benefits too.

Have tried the cold shower thing before but it's hard to turn it into a habit....maybe I will try again..

 

 

 

Today full buzz,beard everything,then do it again 14 days later.

Recently startedto using the number 4 and use to cut eye brows,which were getting into eyes.

Prefer a trimmer set on No. 3, to buzz my melon, rather than trying to grow the sides & comb over the Bald Spot !!

 

Indeed. I've been using a clipper (anywhere between 2 and 4) since I was about 16. Has just always seemed simpler.

 

No signs of hair recession yet, but it's possible, so do want to try a longer style before that happens...it was beautiful when I was a kid!

 

 

 

 

Hairs can also show conditions in organs, depending on what part of head - so less hair meaning less active, more hair means organs still processing excess proteins into head protection (hair).

 

Interesting. If I'm commonly told I have liver qi stagnation, what part of the head might I expect that to affect?

[vonkrankenhaus]

Re:

-----

",,, If I'm commonly told I have liver qi stagnation, what part of the head might I expect that to affect?"

-----

 

In terms of hair development, the whole head. Both liver and kidney stagnation/hardness.

 

And you would most likely have vertical lines between the eyebrows.

 

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[dust]

-----

",,, If I'm commonly told I have liver qi stagnation, what part of the head might I expect that to affect?"

-----

 

In terms of hair development, the whole head. Both liver and kidney stagnation/hardness.

 

And you would most likely have vertical lines between the eyebrows.

 

Interesting.

 

I do have 4 vertical furrows between my eyebrows, from drawing brow down & inwards, e.g. when it's really sunny or I'm thinking really hard (which is most of the time..I have to think pretty hard to figure daily life out...)

 

On the other hand, my hair seems healthy..

[wilfred]

in my experience hair thickness and tendency to fall out is very much related to jing levels. it's the testosterone converting to DHT that irritates the follicles, so if you have high T (many of us practitioners will have if of a reasonably young age) then sexual activity will be bad for hair prospects. the answer as far as i'm concerned (my hair is resprouting in areas rapidly since starting qigong & meditation) is to try and be balanced with the sexy stuff and nail the diet-vitality-qi-jing stuff to such a level that it will withstand stress to the system, namely DHT bombardments. helps to have awareness spread around the body so the qi can do its magic in the head without getting congested.

[Songtsan]

I grow my hair long...definitely have noticed better hair quality when taking the various supplements that are recommended. Also, avoid shampoos and chemicals, maybe just use an occasional rinse with conditioner, which still contains solvents. Nioxin containing shampoos, conditioners and products are touted for improving thickness, growth rate, etc. if you want to go there. They say one loses about 100 hairs a day from the head, and has about 100,000 total hairs on the head. I like to use henna to coat and protect my hair. And when tying it back, use a high quality 'schrunchee' or hair tie that wont break the hair.

[dust]

I grow my hair long...definitely have noticed better hair quality when taking the various supplements that are recommended. Also, avoid shampoos and chemicals, maybe just use an occasional rinse with conditioner, which still contains solvents. Nioxin containing shampoos, conditioners and products are touted for improving thickness, growth rate, etc. if you want to go there. They say one loses about 100 hairs a day from the head, and has about 100,000 total hairs on the head. I like to use henna to coat and protect my hair.

 

Yeah. I've tried a couple of shampoos recently and did not like the effect. Plain old water does the trick. Might look into henna.

 

 

And when tying it back, use a high quality 'schrunchee' or hair tie that wont break the hair.

 

What about a grip? Seems like that might be effective but not too tight..?

 

I'm not quite at that point yet, but another month or 2.

 

 

 

the answer as far as i'm concerned (my hair is resprouting in areas rapidly since starting qigong & meditation) is to try and be balanced with the sexy stuff and nail the diet-vitality-qi-jing stuff to such a level that it will withstand stress to the system, namely DHT bombardments. helps to have awareness spread around the body so the qi can do its magic in the head without getting congested.

 

No problem with either...   I'm no stud.... And have been working on full-body awareness recently.

 

Interesting to note, thanks.

[Junko]

Hair itself and nails are mostly consist of protein so protein is important. According to the gemstone to have healthier hair condition to use 'clear crystal'.

[Kar3n]

Just keep it clean and invest in a boar hair bristle brush to stimulate the scalp and distribute the hair's natural oils. When you get enough length, have your ends trimmed to prevent split ends and breakage.

 

 

Hair clips/grips contribute to breakage more often than a quality hair tie.

 

Edit: typos

Edited February 15, 2016 by Kar3n

[Junko]

For hair, best oil is 'jojoba oil'.

[cheya]

In neuromuscular therapy training, we learned to do gentle hair traction to loosen the cranial fascia. Some of the guys found that their thinning areas started to fill in when they did this, and their hair improved, although that was not the point of the work.

Releasing tight fascia probably improved the blood supply dramatically, nourishing the hair.

 

Here's how. Where your hair is long enough to get a grip, run your fingers into your hair and gently close your fist to create the traction (pulling). Just hold the grip at a comfortable tension until the fascia relaxes, then tighten the grip some more. When that gets comfortable, tighten again. You can lift the hair away from the head or pull it in different directions. Then you can start to rotate your hand clockwise or CCW, torquing the fascia, a whole different sensation. When you do finally release the grip, pay close attention to feel the blood rush back in to the area. Way cool. Do this all over your scalp (waiting at stoplights is my favorite time…) especially around the hairline and in the areas you find tighter, like the temples and behind the ears.  Done properly, this feels really good. 

 

Where you don't have enough hair to grip, you can loosen the fascia by pressing your thumbs or two fingers into your head  and moving them slowly in opposite directions right past each other. So your thumbs are parallel, moving slowly past each other in opposite directions. That twists the fascia as the thumbs pass. Then switch so each thumb is presses in the opposite direction, twisting the fascia in the other way.

 

Curious how it goes if you try it!

 

 

[futuredaze]

During a thai massage I had my hair pulled, a bit too intensely for my liking, but the end result was good.  I just tried it on myself with less intensity and it is very relaxing.  Thanks for sharing

 

Also, I used to not like using shampoo, but I recently started trying out certain herb-based shampoos and have enjoyed the results.  Rosemary in particular seems to help with dandruff issues I have.

[Brian]

My hair grew back.

 

I wash it with the cheapest shampoo (or just bar soap if I don't happen to have shampoo) frequently --like at least daily, use a cheap nylon brush (or comb or whatever is handy), I get it cut by a barber about once a month, and I wear hats too often.

 

I turn 52 next month and my wife thinks I secretly got implants several years ago.

 

Neigong has been good to me.

[AussieTrees]

My hair grew back.

I wash it with the cheapest shampoo (or just bar soap if I don't happen to have shampoo) frequently --like at least daily, use a cheap nylon brush (or comb or whatever is handy), I get it cut by a barber about once a month, and I wear hats too often.

I turn 52 next month and my wife thinks I secretly got implants several years ago.

Neigong has been good to me.

 

Hi Brian,

 

Happy birthday.

Any chance can get a couple of jars of that Neigong stuff?

[Songtsan]

I use jojoba, but argan oil is all the rage now

[Brian]

Hi Brian,Happy birthday.Any chance can get a couple of jars of that Neigong stuff?

Grows on trees, you know.

 

And in the dirt.

 

And floats in the air.