Your Hair Is A Beauty Statement, But Also A Reflection Of Your Internal Health
Your hair is a reflection of what your overall health status is. People use shampoos, and conditioners in an attempt to give their hair strength and flexibility. They use other hair products to give their hair volume and shine. They also hope that their hair will grow faster if they can only find the right product. The cost of pursuing beautiful, healthy, shiny hair amounts to billions of dollars.
Whether we like it on or not, beauty is judged by our outside appearance, and the quality and quantity of the hair that we possess are two of the main areas which people try to improve on. Hair is one of our most important defining features, and people judge their attractiveness by how beautiful their hair is.
People also believe that aging will automatically include the loss of healthy, vibrant hair, as well as the slowing down of its growth. What if the solution to hair problems was much simpler, and less expensive?
The hair on your head is dead
Apart from the soles of your feet, and your eyelids, palms and lips, your entire body is covered in minute hair follicles. The part of the hair that is responsible for the growth of your hair, lies beneath the skin. This is called the hair follicle. Right next to this hair follicle, is a tiny oil gland, which helps to keep the hair shaft lubricated and soft, as it grows up and out of the hair follicle. This is actually the part of the hair that is alive, because when it pops out of your skin, it is dead, and only being pushed up, to keep it growing, by a process of cell division that is occurring beneath the skin.
The part of the hair that you see is called the hair cuticle, which is the outside of the hair shaft. The hair cuticle is covered with a tiny layer of oil, which is provided by the tiny oil gland that lies next to the hair follicle. This layer of oil protects your hair from the elements, and helps to keep it flexible. If your diet doesn't contain the right fat, then this will result in dry, brittle, easily breakable hair. This means that you will have to supply conditioner regularly, as the hair will have been dry from when it emerged from the hair follicle. Because most people consume the wrong fats in their diets, dry, brittle hair is such a problem for many people.
Protein in your hair needs fat to work optimally
The specific protein that makes up your hair is called keratin. This protein provides strength to your hair, but without the right fats, it can't provide enough strength to protect your hair from dehydration and becoming brittle and breaking easily. The right kinds of fats are natural conditioners, because they are providing moisture from the inside, rather than from the outside. That tiny oil gland that lies next to the hair follicle needs the right fats to keep the hair shaft moist and flexible, as it moves out of your skin, to become a new hair.
A special growth signal that occurs within your skin, will determine the way your hair grows. Your general health, as well as the functioning of the cells and their membranes influences this signal. The cells and membranes are influenced by the nutrients in your diet, of which protein and fat make up a considerable portion. Using the right fats, you may even notice new hair growth, as these fats work on so many different levels within your body.
Protein - the second building block of strong, beautiful hair
Protein is the second building block of your hair. Protein is found in the animal flesh, as well as dairy products, but nuts, seeds, legumes and grains also provide excellent sources of protein. The body makes use of protein for the growth and maintenance of muscles, as well as helping to form hair, skin and nails. Many people are unaware that they may have a problem with the digestion and absorption of protein, which would negatively impact many aspects of their health, including the health of their hair.
The absorption of protein is strongly influenced by the health of your digestive system. The right fats can help to improve your digestion.
The stages of hair growth
The active growth stage of a hair follows a specific cycle, which occurs in three specific stages. The first stage is where the hair is in an active growth stage. A hair can grow for five years in this stage, increasing its length continuously. It would seem that the average person's hair grows about 1 cm a month. At the end of the active stage, the next phase occurs, where a signal marks the end of active growth.
The final stage is the resting stage, where the hair is ready to fall out, and be replaced by a new hair. When there is no cell division occurring in the hair follicle, the old hair will not be replaced, and you will end up losing more hairs than are being replaced.
These growth stages will be influenced by the nutrients that are available to the cells that are responsible for hair growth, and replacement. A special epidermal growth signal dictates how this cycle unfolds, and is dependant on the components of the cells that instruct hair growth and replacement to occur.
Provide conditioner for your hair from the inside
When you provide conditioner from the inside, through the nutrients that you eat, you are ensuring the right fats are present from the time the hair is formed. The protein, keratin, that your hair is made up of, work with the right fats to provide the raw materials to produce hair that is naturally healthy and strong.
Essential Fats are natural moisturizers, providing moisture from the inside, ensuring that the tiny sebaceous gland has the right fats to keep the hair cuticle moist as it moves up, through your skin, onto your scalp. This tiny gland will continue to moisturize the hair with the right fats, as new cells are pushed through the hair follicle, onto your scalp. This is how each hair stays flexible and moist, avoiding breakage.
The hair shaft also retains moisture more efficiently, providing a protection against dehydration. Although it may take up to 60 days to see a difference in the quality of your hair, the solution is a permanent one. When the right foundation foods are supplied, you can avoid the trap of searching for external solutions. You may also experience new hair growth, with the right nutrients providing the opportunity for hair replacement.
Other things that can cause hair damage, loss and thinning
There are some things that people do to their hair that can cause hair damage, and unfortunately there are some serious physical illnesses that cause hair loss and thinning. This is a basic list of factors that can influence the quality of your hair:
• Excessive hair treatments, like chemical processing, bleaching/dyeing
• Cushing's syndrome, which is an adrenal gland disorder resulting in excessive cortisol production which leads to hair loss
• Stress, which also results on cortisol production, leading to hair loss
• Iron deficiency
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Certain medications
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune disease, like Lupus
• Hormonal imbalance
• Psoriasis
If you are experiencing other symptoms of ill health, besides hair loss or thinning, please see a health care practitioner.
Delia McCabe is a Nutritional Neuroscience Researcher. She has a Masters degree in Psychology and has been doing research for over ten years. Her specific area of interest is Essential Fatty Acids and how they effect brain and general health. She has discovered that many chronic illnesses and mental health problems can be traced back to a lack of Essential Fats. Find out if you are deficient by doing the quick assessment at http://www.deliahealth.com/.
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