How to Increase Hair Volume - 11 Simple Tips

Healthy hair volume is the most beautiful gift of God. We all love luxurious and voluminous hair. Like poetry hair beautification is not just a science but one of the must astonishing art. It is like a river. The more we take care of it, the more beautiful it will be. Our hair deserve special treatments. 

In the book Beautiful Hair: Natural Care,  I discussed the natural ways for beautiful hair.  In this article, I discussed the practical tips for voluminous hair. 

Normally, the diameters of our hair varies from 40 microns to 120 microns. We can not increase the diameter of the hair. But products like mousse or gel can temporarily give the feeling of increased diameter.  Similarly, increasing the density of the hair in the scalp is not an easy task. However, to give the look and feel of increased hair volume, we can do a lot. First thing is increasing the stiffness of hair. The second one is changing the hair curvature. The third one is adding space for storing more air and moisture in between the hairs and in between hairs and the roots. It builds more air pockets, between the hair and the scalp.

Moreover, optimal friction is very important for hair volume. Friction helps you to hold your hair into shape while you finish drying the hair. Friction gives the feel and look of volume. But be careful - excessive friction makes the hair rough and damages the hair.

Here, I am giving below eleven simple tips for increasing hair volume.

Eleven Hair Volume Tips

1. Use good volumising shampoo and conditioner.  Apply the conditioners at the middle and ends of the hair.
2. Use towel to let your hair air dry for about five minutes before blow drying. 
3. Divide your hair into manageable layers. These layers gives the look of increases the hair volume. 
4. Apply voluminousness mousse just above the root of the hairs. Avoid the very scalp; any product left on the scalp will dry on the scalp and leave your scalp feeling itchy. Mousse  gives styling in the hair.
5. Use reverse blow drying that is simple upside down blow. To add volume, the roots must be dried first.  Blow from the inside out.  Blow it dry  up to 75% to 85% with your head upside down to set in the volume with heat.  Dry evenly over the whole hair. You may use a diffuser piece on your hairdryer. This will soften the blast of the hairdryer. Experiment and see what fits best for you and your hair.
6. Apply blow dry parallel to the hair not perpendicular to the hair.
7. Allow more air circulation in the root area. Air circulation gives volume. Never aim the blow dryer directly at your scalp. Always aim  the blow dryer down.
8. Keep the blow dryer about 6 to 10 inches away from your hair. Adjust your head sometimes tilt the tip the head upside down. 
9. Softly massage the hairs with your fingertips. This will assist the hair to return to a the natural state. Be careful not to overdo the little massage. 
10. Use good brush. The brush needs to have a large head and have the ability to grab the hair. This helps to pull the hair straight while blow drying. You may use ceramic brush.
11. Weather plays a big role for voluminous hair styles. Adjust your  dryer according to the weather.

Don'ts For Hair Volume

1. Don't apply too many hair products. These may weight your hair down.
2. Dry evenly over the whole hair. Don't try to dry one area and then move on to the next.
3. Do not blow the dryer directly at your scalp.
4. Do not move your head back and front too quickly, that may destroy the curls in the hair.
5. Do not apply volumizing sprays, which contains too much alcohol. 
6. Avoid waxy products that can cause thin hair to clump at the roots and give the appearance of even less hair.

References:

1. Beautiful Hair: Natural Care, by Kristin Russel,  2012

2. Yoga for Hair Growth, by Kristin Russel, 2012

3. Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair. by Clarence R. Robbins, 4th Edition, 2002

Stay Well Stay Young: 11 Hair Care Tips

All of us, regardless of our age, young or old, regardless of gender, male or female, love to have beautiful hair and why not. It is something that affects our personality a lot. So do not hold yourself back and do whatever needed to do best for your hair. 

After all, beautiful hair speaks of who you are. Healthy hair indicates health and youth. The secret of promoting new hair growth is a clean, scalp, kept free of dead flaky skin and supplied with the nutrients to encourage new growth.  

So far for keeping your hair clean, you always have shampoos and conditioners at your rescue. They make sure that your hair is free from dust particles and other small substances and make sure that it is not entangled among itself. All most 55% of human population is experience hair loss symptoms. The reasons for hair loss varies from person to person. 

Most Common Reasons for Hair Loss

However the most common reasons are as follows:

1.    Hormonal imbalance
2.    Growing Age
3.    Genetic factor
4.    Stress and Strain
5.    Poor circulation of blood to the scalp
6.    Excess dandruff

Herbal Remedies and 11 Hair Care Tips

1. Jojoba Oil is an herbal remedy for hair loss that has been used successfully in people who suffer from skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and has been used successfully in the treatment of dandruff.
2. Onions have also been found beneficial patchy baldness along with hair falling condition. The affected part must be rubbed with onions in the morning and evening. The juice of onion is stimulant to the hair follicles and hence will prevent falling too. 
3. Henna can be used to condition and maintain healthy hair - thus, decreasing the chances of hair loss. Henna is a traditional herb that has been used for a number of years to maintain healthy hair.
4. The use lavender and bay essential oils to massage the scalp and stimulate hair growth.
5. Horsetail can be used to stimulate hair follicles. This herb can be used to help conquer pattern baldness by strengthening weak hair and promoting hair growth.
6. Use scalp rollers to stimulate the scalp to reactivate hair follicles and used in conjunction with growth, prepare the scalp to absorb and make better use of natural hair care treatments.
7. Repair damaged hair by treating it with oil and egg yolk. Massage olive oil into hair. Then beat the yolk of 1 egg and massage it into hair, working from the ends up. Leave on for 10 minutes, then shampoo as usual. Do this once a week for a month, and hair should begin to feel healthier.
8. Avoid acidic fruits and vegetable colors. Do not use lemons or beet juice, for example. These are very unpredictable over time and are greatly affected by sun exposure. Lemon juice and the sun might make you blonder the first time you try it, but after several treatments, your hair color will look like the rings of a tree trunk -- in several shades. 
9. To minimize breakage, make sure that your hair is thoroughly wet before applying shampoo. Use less than a quarter-size dollop, and rub the shampoo between your palms first. Lather for no more than 30 seconds. After shampooing, rinse your hair with cool water to seal moisture in the hair shafts. Shampoo residue may dry your scalp and or attract dirt. Use a conditioner after shampooing. Put the conditioner in at about an inch away from the scalp.
10. Use softer and flexible brush for Combing or Brushing. With soft bristles less damage will be done to your hair.
11. Apply few strokes of brushing to style the hair and spread the natural oils from roots to ends.

Certain styles and treatments can cause breakage or root damage. Do not roll your hair too tightly in curlers. Teasing and back combing should be done gently. Too much exposure to sun, wind, or swimming-pool chemicals will dry out your hair and cause it to knot.  Similarly, bleaches chemically alter the melanin granule in the middle layer of each hair strand. Despite careful treatment, persistent bleaching eventually damages even healthy, strong hair, but it does not injure the roots from which future growth takes place. Dull, lifeless hair can be a sign of a poor diet. Try cutting down on cholesterol and fats.

In the book Beautiful Hair: Natural care , I discussed the details of Natural hair care. 

Kapalbhati Breathing Exercise For Stopping Hair Loss

Yoga exercises are good for hair growth and for stopping hair loss. Some of the main causes for hair are hormonal imbalance and stress, strains and anxiety in daily life. Of course there several other reasons. Hair loss due to hormonal imbalance and stress, strain can be prevented by proper yoga practices. Kapalbhati breathing exercise is one of the most important technique for reducing stress and strain. In this article I discussed pros and corns of kapalbhati pranayam.  In the book Yoga for Hair Growth, I discussed pranayama techniques ( yoga breathing exercises) for stopping hair loss.

Kapalbhati Prnayama Yoga Practice

The word kapalbhati is made up of two words, “kapal” means forehead and the word “bhati” means shining or illuminating. This exercise adds beauty and shinning on the face. Among all the pranayama techniques, this exercise is most easy and beneficial. If you can not do any other exercises, you can do this exercise for at least 5 minutes (10 to 15 counts) slow kapalbhati per day for getting the benefits of yoga. 

Excessive kapalbhati practice should be avoided. In this breathing exercise exhalation is active while inhalation is passive, The Technique of this breathing exercise involves mild active exhalations and automatic inhalation. The exhalations and inhalations should be done through the nose. Forceful exhalations should be avoided. Kapalbhati practice is a gradual process, because the muscles in the chest and abdominal area needs time for adjustments. 

Kapalbhati involves conscious movements of the diaphragm (the membrane separating abdomen from chest) by active exhalations. Kapalbhati heats up the body and cleanses the toxins from the body. To avoid the over heating of the body and the system , excessive practice must be averted. Optimal balance between the Sun (warm) and moon (cool) is vital for all yoga practices. This pranayam should be practiced in a perfectly straight sitting posture.  

Benefits for Kapalbhati Pranayama:

• Kapalnhati is a voluntary Hyperventilation practice. Systematic and regular mild practice of kapalbhati develops tolerance in nervous system and removes the toxin from the cells.
• During kapalbhati exercise, the brain cells receives blood rich in high oxygen content, it improves blood flow and the functioning of brain cells improving learning, concentration, concentration and efficiency.

Risk Associated with Kapalbhati Pranayama:

Kapalbhati is a very powerful breathing exercise. Wrong and excessive kapalbhati pranayama practice is having detrimental effect on health.  The breathing exercise should be done gradually and gracefully.

Precautions:

Do not practice Kapalbhati Pranayama if you are suffering from acidity, ulcers, high blood pressure or heart disease or you are pregnant. Stop Kapalbhati Pranayama if you feel uneasy. Women should strictly avoid it during menstruation and pregnancy, as it can harm them and the developing fetus.

References:

1. Yoga for Hair Growth by Kristin Russel

2.  Effects of Kapalbhati by Baljinder, Kanwaljeet and 

Parminder Published in 2009,  International Journal of Sports Science and Engineering, Vol. 03, No. 02, 2009

3. Kapalbhati Pranayama: Breath of Fire or Cause of Pneumothorax? - A Case Report, CHEST,May 2004,Vol. 125,no. 5,1951-1952. 

Hair Graying Causes and Remedies

Gray hairs are the causes for concern for many people. But there are many simple techniques that can stop graying your hair. Here, I will discuss the causes and remedies for gray hairs. Gray hair cure is a systematic and disciplined approach. First you need to know the main causes for hair graying and then you need to know the natural remedies.

Causes for Gray Hair:

The pigment in the hair is responsible for imparting color to the hairs. More specifically, melanin is the pigment responsible for hair color. Gray hair is a result of insufficient pigment present in the hair follicles, Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic waste product of metabolism.   It is harmful to our hair and health. Our bodies produces hydrogen peroxide everyday. To prevent the health damages this hydrogen peroxide must be quickly converted into other, less dangerous, chemicals. 

Age and Gray Hair:

Our body uses catalase enzymes to decompose the hydrogen peroxide into harmless oxygen and water. The catalase enzymes works at an optimum temperature of 37°C, which is approximately the temperature of the human body As we grow older, our body produces less catalase enzymes as a result hydrogen peroxide  causes more damages to the hair follicles. 

Scientific Research on Gray Hair:

According to recent scientific studies (1, 2), low levels of catalase enzime is one of the key cause for greying human hair. Hydrogen peroxide is naturally produced by the body and catalase breaks it down. If catalase levels decline, hydrogen peroxide cannot be broken down as well. This allows the hydrogen peroxide to bleach the hair from the inside out. 

Foods for Stopping Gray Hairs:

Carrots, potatoes, sunflower seeds and sprouted wheat are the rich natural source of catalase enzyme. These catalase enzymes are also dependent on minerals like copper and zinc for their operation. The  fungus Aspergillus niger is also one of the important source of catalase enzymes.

Yoga Exercises for Stopping Gray Hairs:

There are many good yoga exercises, yoga pranayams, and yoga foods that can improve your hair vitality.  In the book "Yoga for Hair Growth", I discussed about them in details. Hair graying home remedies includes yoga exercises, use of natural hair products and natural foods with vitamins, minerals and fibers. The yoga foods and yoga exercises are the easiest way for hair graying prevention.

References:

1. Why Hair Turns Gray Is No Longer A Gray Area: Our Hair Bleaches Itself As We Grow Older, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223131123.htm.2. http://www.fasebj.org/content/23/7/2065

3. Kristin Russel, Yoga for Hair Growth. 

Hair Growth Research - A New Hope

Recently a team of scientist from Tokyo University of Science demonstrated the “functional hair regeneration from adult stem cells.” The article is published in Nature Communication . It is one of the most promising research findings for the next generation hair growth. They observe the growth of black hair shafts after 14 days of the transplantation of the bioengineered germ. This is a new hope for the future physicians and scientists to gain a better understanding and control of how the normal hair growth cycle can be re-introduced on various disease conditions, They observed that bioengineered hair follicle can regenerate fully functional hair follicle and hair growth.

Today's medications have only a limited effect on patients. But these new observations is showing light in the permanent solutions for hair growth. Current surgical hair treatment techniques are unable to produce a  life long full head of thicker hair but this method can produce a long term solutions to the hair loss problems. It looks, this method harmonizes the Wnt signaling for hair pigmentation.

Cells are the basic units of all living organisms. Stem cells are the un-specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells through cell division. There are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. The self-generating abilities of stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and now for hair growth. To achieve hair follicle regeneration in the hair cycle, it is essential to regenerate the various stem cells in the lower regions of hair follicle. This bioengineered hair provides the correct structures for the naturally occurring of the hair follicle and the shaft.