Hair Growth Remedies

Our skin and hair are considered as the indicators of our health. Long, thick, healthy and lustrous hair is seen as a sign of good health and vitality. But what always come in the way of having healthy and thick hair are problems like, breakage or split ends, hair fall and dandruff. Hair loss or alopecia is one of the most troubling and frustrating experiences. However, most often this problem can be resolved with some simple remedies and a healthy lifestyle. But, before going into the details of different home remedies, it is important to find out the root causes of hair fall or thinning, so that these can be properly addressed.

Causes of Hair Fall

Losing a few strands of hair is normal, but excessive hair loss always stems from wrong eating habits and lifestyle. Excessive loss of hair can be caused by the interplay of several factors, out of which the most important ones are an unhealthy diet, that does not contain the required amounts of the essential nutrients and hair vitamins, hormonal imbalance, stress and anxiety, presence of dandruff on the scalp, thyroid problems, using the wrong kind of hair care products, use of harsh chemicals on one's hair, and excessive use of hair styling products.

Natural Remedies for Promoting Hair Growth

These remedies can help not only to prevent hair fall and stimulate hair growth, but also make your hair long and healthy. Stimulating hair growth begins with proper hair care, that incorporates cleaning, conditioning, scalp massaging, and eating healthy and nutritious foods that contain the essential nutrients for the growth of healthy hair. Regular cleaning, massaging the scalp and brushing hair several times a day, can help to stimulate the oil or sebaceous glands of the scalp to secrete more oil, which can make your hair soft and glossy. Regular cleaning helps to open up the skin pores by removing dirt, grime and dead skin cells from the scalp to stimulate hair growth.

• Always massage your scalp with coconut, olive or almond oil prior to shampooing. Ideally, massage the scalp with these oils in the night, and then wash it off the next day with a mild shampoo.
• Use castor oil, if you are experiencing hair thinning. You can use it alone, or mix it with almond oil to massage the scalp to stimulate hair growth.
• Take amla (Indian gooseberry) powder to make a paste to apply on your hair and scalp. Leave for about half an hour and then wash it off. You can also mix amla powder with an egg to make it more effective for hair growth.
• For preventing hair loss, caused by dandruff, use rosemary oil. Regular use of rosemary oil can significantly reduce dandruff to ensure healthy growth of hair.
• Aloe vera is one of the most commonly used and effective remedies. Massage the scalp and hair with aloe vera gel and leave for about half an hour, before rinsing with water. For best results, use twice or thrice a week.
• Henna is one of the amazing conditioner. It can make the hair smoother and shinier, besides stimulating growth of new hair, and strengthening the roots. Henna paste can be used alone or mixed with egg, olive oil or coconut oil, and lemon juice to make it more effective for hair growth. Ideally the paste is kept on the scalp and hair for about an hour, and then rinsed off with clean water.
• Shikakai can clean the hair without removing the natural oil from it. Shikakai can be mixed with amla or bhringraj powder for better results.
• Massage the scalp and hair with flaxseed oil to increase blood circulation and promote hair growth.
• Use apple cider vinegar to rinse your hair after shampooing. This will unclog the skin pores by removing dead skin cells and thereby, promote healthy growth of hair.
• Use essential oils like, lavender oil, basil, lemon, chamomile, tea tree oil and sage oil to massage your scalp. These oils can have remarkable effect on stimulating hair growth and curing some common scalp problems.

Along with using these remedies, use only a mild shampoo for cleaning your hair. Avoid using shampoos with harsh chemicals like, sodium lauryl sulfate, which can dry out the scalp and hair. Use a good conditioner regularly after shampooing your hair. Also trim your hair at regular intervals in order to get rid of hair breakage and split ends. However, all these efforts to stimulate hair growth or prevent hair loss would prove helpful, if one follows a balanced diet, with lots of fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables, avoid excessive consumption of fried and oily foods, drink plenty of water and manage or reduce the level of stress.