As about 90% of the hair loss cases are due to male pattern of balding, two thirds of the total hair loss suffers are men. Even women also experience hair loss but considerably at a low rate.

Losing of hair around 50 to 100 is a normal phenomenon while losing more than 100 strands should be a matter of concern. Hair thinning and balding degrades the appearance of an individual and can attack one’s self esteem to a great extent, especially of a woman.

Apart from the incidence of androgenic alopecia, hair loss can also occur due to several other reasons. The primary cause of hair loss other than the condition of male pattern baldness is following of a poor diet. Leading an unhealthy lifestyle, less sleep, lack of hair care, treating the hair with harmful shampoos and conditioners containing strong chemicals can damage the quality of hair considerably.

The best possible way to stop hair loss is by adopting effective preventive measures. Maintain a diet that has all the constituents essential for you to attain a good healthy hair. Like the nails, the hair is also made up of a complex protein called keratin. So, it is always necessary to include right proportion of protein in your diet. Other essential minerals like iron, vitamins, especially vitamin B and E and sulfur should also be consumed. You may check out the following food items that contain the required nutrients to maintain your healthy hair.

Protein – Red meat, animal liver, brewer’s yeast, fish, eggs, soy beans, yogurt and such. You may also take up protein supplements to overcome your protein deficiency.

Iron – Whole grain cereals, dates, green leaf and raisins. Animal liver and eggs are also rich in iron content.

B Vitamins – Eggs, poultry and meat

Vitamin E – Nuts and olive oils.

Sulfur – Onions, meat, fish and leguminous seeds.

To avoid excess hair loss you are advised to stay away from too much intake of tea and coffee as they contain caffeine. High fat content food, sugar and other processed food items should not also be taken.

Apart from following a healthy diet you should also make sure of keeping your hair clean. Too much exposure to pollution and dust may lead to hair fall. You should daily wash your hair with the right shampoo and conditioner along with a regular scalp massage with oil to stimulate blood circulation and rejuvenate your healthy hair.

• Sodium Lauryl or laureth Sulfates: Cheap and Harsh synthetic detergents that cause dry skin and skin irritations. Also causes hair loss. Found in many shampoos. May also be linked to cancer.

• MethylParaben and/or Propylparabens: Increases rate of breast cancer in woman and decreases fertility rates in males. Some experts feel that parabens, along with many other chemicals can promote endometriosis in women.

• Copolymer(Polyvinyl Pyrrolodene=PVP): Derived from petroleum. May be linked to cancer.

• Propylene Glycol: Found in anti-freeze. May cause brain, liver and kidney problems.

• Imidazolidinyl urea: A form of formaldehyde. Linked to cancers, skin irritations, dermatitis and also nerve damage.

• Lauramide DEA: Chemical used as a foaming agent. Shown to cause cancer. Also dries out your skin and hair.

• Polyquaternium: A serious skin irritant. In extreme cases may cause anaphylactic shock.

* Hydroxypropytrimonium: Chemically modified thickening agent.

• Methylisothiazoline: This chemical causes neurological damage. It stops the neurons in your brain from communicating. Also, pregnant mothers should never use a product with this chemical in it because it can cause abnormal brain development in the fetus you are carrying.

* Cocamidopropyl Betaine: A detergent used as a base that can cause eyelid dermatitis and other allergic reactions.

• Artificial coloring: Another unnecessary chemical you don’t need in your shampoo.

• Artifical or Synthetic Fragrances: Again, may cause skin irritations and also shown to cause respitory problems in some people. Natural haircare products smell great using only herbs, natural oils, fruits and other safer alternatives to these dangerous chemicals.

How to: Make a blowout last
“My hair is parched from years of highlighting, and I’ve learned that shampooing frequently makes it even drier. Now, I wash my hair every three days and use these tricks to keep it looking fresh.” —Colleen Sullivan, Beauty and Fashion Editor

Always wear a shower cap.
“On days that I’m not shampooing, I pull my hair into a ponytail, secure it with a soft scrunchie (hair elastics can leave dents), then pop on a shower cap before I shower. Without it, my hairline gets frizzy from the steam.”

Freshen up with dry shampoo.
“Three days after a blowout, my hair looks limp. (If you have oily hair, this might happen sooner.) So, before my shower, I flip my head upside down and spray the roots with Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray as I tousle them with my fingers. Then I shower with a shower cap, and when I take my hair down afterward it has more volume and the oiliness is gone.”

Keep things smooth.
“If I notice that my hair is looking greasy or frizzy, I neaten it up with a flat iron. Rather than sliding the iron down the length of my hair, I just pick up small sections of the top layer and tap them with the flat iron, opening and closing it a few times near the roots or anywhere else that’s messy.”

How to: Prevent hair damage
“I get my hair relaxed, and that can dry it out. Plus, I’m training for a marathon, so I do a lot of running, which exposes my strands to sun, salt, and wind. Still, my stylist is impressed with how healthy my hair is when I stick to this routine.” —Rozalynn S. Frazier, Assistant Editor

Leave conditioner in.
“If my hair is feeling dry, I wash it on a weekend morning, apply regular makes frizz!) I use Moroccanoil Treatment; it smooths and adds shine but doesn’t build up residue over time like some serums can.”

How to: Hide gray roots growing in
“I’ve had gray hair since I was 15, so I get it dyed. But since it grows so quickly, I can see roots in as little as three weeks. These tricks help me squeeze out two more weeks before I have to go back to the salon.” —Jennifer Goldstein, Beauty and Fashion News Editor

Add some texture.
“When my hair lays flat, the line of demarcation between gray and brown is really obvious. To prevent that, I use Sally Hershberger Wave Spray to add texture so the gray sort of gets hidden in the volume.”

Make a zigzag part.
“A straight, center part puts the gray on display, so I use the end of a rattail comb to make a side part that zigzags. This makes it harder to see the roots and kind of tricks the eye into thinking the gray might just be a reflection from the lights or even a highlight.”

Cover it up.
“When the gray section gets to about one-eighth of an inch, I hide it with Avon Advance Techniques Grey Root Touch Up, a temporary color that washes out at the end of the day. It has a mascara-type brush that distributes the color evenly so it’s not just shellacked on the top layer.”

For the longest time, I thought the same thing:

Health food store = Healthy natural hair!

Boy! Was I wrong!! Here’s the problem: A company can include a few natural ingredients or one or two organic ingredients in their product, mix it mostly with DANGEROUS CHEMICALS, and still label their shampoo NATURAL” or “ORGANIC”.

This may surprise you, but I really believe that there is at least a 95% chance that the shampoo you are using right now is bad for your health……and your hair for that matter!

I know this is a pretty bold statement, But, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can find out the truth for yourself the same way I did.

All you have to do is read about just some of the well-documented and dangerous chemicals regularly used in many haircare products that I’ve listed below and then go to any store you want that sells shampoo and start reading the labels. You’ll really surprise yourself. You’ll see, just like I did, that almost every product on the shelf contains 1 or more of these dangerous chemicals.

• DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE WORDS NATURAL, HERBAL OR ORGANIC ON THE LABEL!!!!!!!! READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST!!!!

• There are even some haircare products on the market that say 100% natural and chemical-free that contain some of these dangerous chemicals, so again, READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST!!!!!!!

Because when you think you are doing something healthy for your hair, you are really slowly poisoning your bloodstream, which affects all your organs and even your hair and scalp in an adverse way!

The reason is: those chemicals, that Many popular hair products contain, actually irritate your scalp and clog your follicles, which can contribute to baldness!! The ironic thing is, many of these products claim to even help you grow hair.

Here are some very common chemicals, used in many popular shampoos, that could be making you sick:

• Sodium Lauryl or laureth Sulfates: Cheap and Harsh synthetic detergents that cause dry skin and skin irritations. Also causes hair loss. Found in many shampoos. May also be linked to cancer.

• MethylParaben and/or Propylparabens: Increases rate of breast cancer in woman and decreases fertility rates in males. Some experts feel that parabens, along with many other chemicals can promote endometriosis in women.

• Copolymer(Polyvinyl Pyrrolodene=PVP): Derived from petroleum. May be linked to cancer.

• Propylene Glycol: Found in anti-freeze. May cause brain, liver and kidney problems.

• Imidazolidinyl urea: A form of formaldehyde. Linked to cancers, skin irritations, dermatitis and also nerve damage.

• Lauramide DEA: Chemical used as a foaming agent. Shown to cause cancer. Also dries out your skin and hair.

• Polyquaternium: A serious skin irritant. In extreme cases may cause anaphylactic shock.

• Methylisothiazoline: This chemical causes neurological damage. It stops the neurons in your brain from communicating. Also, pregnant mothers should never use a product with this chemical in it because it can cause abnormal brain development in the fetus you are carrying.

• Artificial coloring: Another unnecessary chemical you don’t need in your shampoo.

• Artifical or Synthetic Fragrances: Again, may cause skin irritations and also shown to cause respitory problems in some people. Natural haircare products smell great using only herbs, natural oils, fruits and other safer alternatives to these dangerous chemicals.

During a test 14 women recorded their daily hair loss and combing habits, with those combing more losing more hair, the research found.

“The women who combed twice a day lost three times more hair than those who combed once a day,” the head of the study, Alexander Kirdman of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was quoted as saying in the the daily Haaretz.

“I was surprised by the results, as in medical circles the comb is believed to improve blood circulation and reduce hair loss,” added Kirdman, whose study was recently published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment.

Shaving

Shaving cuts the unwanted hair super close to the skin. It doesn’t disturb the follicle, so it’s a temporary solution, with hair beginning to grow back in as quickly as 24 hours. Another downside are razor bumps which are caused by hair growing under the skin.

Shaving with new razors each time, and exfoliating the area for three days after shaving is the best way to prevent these issues.

Waxing

Waxing rips hair from the root. Frequent waxing damages the follicle and hair will grow back slower and may even cease. Because the hair must be long enough for the wax to grab, waxing can only occur about every 4 weeks but results will last much longer than shaving. It’s important to use an antibacterial lotion after waxing to prevent infection.

Depilatories

Hair removal creams dissolve hair underneath the skin. Resulting stubble is smoother and less prickly and growth takes longer to appear than with shaving but still needs a weekly touch up. Many people find the smell of the creams offensive and some have reported skin irritation. Others find that hair is not always removed and sometimes needs to be shaved.

Buffers

Many online users say the sandpaper-like pads do a great job of not only removing hair but exfoliating their skin. Others say no matter how hard they buffed, hair was still present and their skin was left raw. The differences in results may be due to the coarseness and location of the hair.

Electrolysis

The only method of permanent hair removal, electrolysis involves a tiny needle that goes through the hair all the way to the follicle, killing it. Sessions can last 5-10 minutes but up to 25 sessions might be necessary to take care of every hair. Local anesthesia is usually administered.

Electrolysis is not recommended for women of color because hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) and scarring can lead to keloids can occur.