Hair Growth Aids

The fantasy world of hair growth aids and what they will do for you has fooled many of us.  Growth aids do have their place.  Some hair products do stimulate the scalp and hair follicles to produce growth.  Products that contain minoxidil like Rogaine have been proven by the FDA to grow hair where hair follicles have been dormant.  Recent university studies of Emu Oil has shown to produce hair growth.  Also, studies for apple polyphenols have been shown to grow hair.  Now for your more underground growth aids that hair forum people claim to have received astounding resuts such as: miconazole nitrate, Mega Tek, castor oil and a few others.  Even though miconazole nitrate, Megat Tek and castor oil have not been fully researched; I believe the women are getting the results they are claiming.  But a simple regular scalp massage with your finger tips can achieve growth for some women.  Hair growth aids do stimulate the scalp and follicles by getting the blood to circulate more in the scalp to receive optimal hair growth.  That's Great!

Here where we have been fooled.  Dependency on hair growth aids without any knowledge on how to maintain length as it grows.  You can put all the oils and chemical on your scalp to stimulate your follicles  to produce growth but it won't mean anything if you have the same unhealthy hair maintenace habits that keep your hair constantly damaged and breaking.  I'm just speaking from experience.  I use to constantly get hair breakage during shampooing.  I would bunch my hair when washing, then I would have a tangled mess on top of my head, then breakage and hair on the floor while I attempted to detangle.  You can't prevent all hair breakage and shedding, but you can prevent most. 

I know what your thinking, I must buy this and that.  I can give you sites of women who have booty length hair and they do not use anything special.  They use mostly regular sometimes cheap products that do contain mineral oil and they showed progress with growth on a continuous basis. 

What are we doing to maintain hair:

1. Shampoo properly so that your scalp is clean but your hair isn't tangled.  Try putting your hair in 4-6 loose braids and wash in sections.  Don't bunch your hair.  Use a moisturizing shampoo.
2. Condition your hair after washing.  I condition my hair at least once a week with a plastic cap and under a hooded dryer for at least 15-30 minutes.  Alternating between a protein conditioner and moisturizing conditioner.
3. Moisturizing hair everyday (if you have dry hair). Focus on ends.
4. Low maintainance hair styles.  Anything that will protect the ends of your hair and to keep you from combing and styling everyday.  Style like buns, french rolls, roller sets, braids, cornrows, even wigs. 
5. Less heat.  Try to air dry.  Use flat iron on low setting.

In conclusion, by all means use hair growth aids if that's what you want to do.  But you are going to have to change some of your habits that have been losing the growth you have gained.  Hair growth aids wont do all of the work for you.

Postpartum Hair Shedding

Ugghh! I have been enduring thin hair problems in the front of my hair since I had my daughter.  After I had my daughter I had a huge hair shed that I am still recovering from.  Some call it postpartum hair shedding.  You can tell from the pic above.

Babycenter. com explains Postpartum hair shedding very well:
Here's what's going on. Normally, about 85 to 95 percent of the hair on your head is growing and the other 5 to 15 percent is in a resting stage. After the resting period, this hair falls out — often while you're brushing or shampooing it — and is replaced by new growth. An average woman sheds about 100 hairs a day.


During pregnancy, increased levels of estrogen prolong the growing stage. There are fewer hairs in the resting stage and fewer falling out each day, so you have thicker, more luxuriant tresses.

After you give birth, your estrogen levels take a tumble and a lot more hair follicles enter the resting stage. Soon you'll have more hair coming out in the shower or on the brush. This unusual shedding will taper off and your hair will be back to its pre-pregnancy thickness about six to 12 months after you give birth.

So I am still trying to recover from that but it has been 2 1/2 years now.  This is what I am going to do:

• Use emu oil and castor oil on the frontal part of my hair to encourage growth and thickness. 
• Continue with vitamins such as biotin.  I will give my vitamin regimen in a few days along with why I am taking certain vitamins and supplements.

But I will have to wait until I am done with my Miconazole Nitrate (MN) personal challenge is over.  By the way, I think the MN stuff is working.  I have measured my new growth and I have 1/4 more inch of new growth that I dont usually get.

So, this is another thing I have to work on.  Getting the front of my hair to be as healthy and thick as the back.

Ashy Elbows?

Well at least one ashy elbow.  My left one to be exact.  I was lotioning myself after showering.  Which some call "greasing yourself down" and low and behold my left elbow was ashy and crusty.  It appeared somewhat scabby I was embarassed and no one saw it but me.  That is sooo not cute.  It looked like I used my left elbow to ground corn.  I looked at my right elbow and it was normal.  It puzzled me.  How could one elbow be so ashy and crusty and the other perfectly normal.  If you know me personally, don't try to get a sneak peak at my ashy left elbow.  I'll elbow you.  Just kidding, maybe. LOL!

New Identified Syndrome:
I found the problem.  Blogging!  Yes blogging gave my left elbow a crusty syndrome.  Well not blogging, but the amount of hours in front of the computer throughout the day.  My job, bills, conversations and blog take place at a desk.  And when I sit at any desk, I put my left elbow on the desk and prop my face up on my hand.  I can keep it there for hours.  So I am naming it unofficially Blogging Syndrome.  Why not.  Look at television.  There is a syndrome for everything.  Even if you sit too long and your legs fall asleep they have a syndrome for that.  So here's a new one.  Blogging Syndrome is too many hours in front of the computer for whatever reason that leads to ashy elbows.

Cure:
I will have to pay more care to not place my elbows on the desk in the future.  I am using an exfoliating wash clothe to slough off dead skin cells, emu oil to heal the damage and last Ambi to lighten the skin.  Hopefully this will work and my elbow returned back to normal. 

Look at your elbows.  Are they ashy?  If so, you may have Blogging Syndrome.  I wish I had a pill to cure it.  But then I would have to list a bunch of side effects in small print that are worse than the actual syndrome.

Emu Oil Cures Hair Loss Problems?

Yes, Emu Oil has been proven to grow hair.   I was researching various types of oils and came accross Emu Oil.  Emu Oil, a food by-product, is obtained from the fat of the Emu. When the emu is processed for its healthy red meat, the fat is then refined into oil. It is an all natural substance. When processed, the fat is taken through a series of steps to refine, sterilize and deodorize it.

I came across a site at http://www.emu-oil.com/.  The site claims a list of doctors and medical schools that tested this product on skin and hair and various ailments.  The question is can Emu Oil cure hair loss problems?  It seems that the experiment below states that Emu Oil awakend follicules that have been dormant.  But you do need a hair follicule there.  Also, I have the impression that you have to continue to use Emu Oil or your hair may go back to dormancy.

Benefits of Emu Oil:

• Non-comedogenic (Will not clog pores)
• Reduce inflammation of the joint
• Emu Oil Pentrates Deep Into The Dermis
• Heals Eczema
• Significantly reduces recent keloid scarring
• Appears to promote faster healing with less pain and scarring from Burns
• Reduced scar tissue formation, soothing of wounds after surgery by anti-inflammatory action.
• Proliferative Activity of the Skin and Excelerated Hair Growth
• Emu Oil helps stimulate Hair Growth for persons with Alopecia Areata

Here is and exerpt regarding the study proving the Emu Oil Grows Hair:
Michael Hollick, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Physiology, and Dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine conducted a study involving emu oil and hair growth. His study found that there was a 20% increase in growth activity of skin that received emu oil, compared to skin that received corn oil. Looking at the hair follicles, Dr. Hollick realized they were much more robust, the skin thickness was remarkably increased, suggesting that emu oil stimulated skin growth and hair growth. Additionally, the study showed that over 80% of hair follicles that had been "asleep" were woken up, and began growing. This is what emu oil may do for you!

I just bought some and I will be adding it to my Pre Poo Oil when I finish my personal MN Challenge.

Go to L.A.D.Y STORE for Emu Oil