Hair Again - John Kelby

“HAIR AGAIN!” Reverse Hair Loss and Restore Your Hair! By John Kelby FOREWORD I talked to many hair loss victims when I started writing this guide. Most of them went through all the same things you’re probably going through: being selfconscious, trying different ways to hide it, feeling self esteem eroding, wondering if people were commenting about it behind their back. They thought about trying different treatments like hair transplants, minoxidil, procepia, rubbing their heads with garlic…anything that might give them even a slight edge in slowing down the ever-growing tangles of hair left behind in their hair brush. There are lots of old wives tales, most of which sound silly. There is also lots of well-meaning advice being given, none of which gave me, or the others, much hope. Most of us read and researched on the internet and spent way too much money on ebook’s. Some of them have helpful advice; others were just full of useless junk or are so dry and clinical that they are impossibly boring to read. I wrote “Hair Again!” to put together everything I learned in one easy to read and really useful book. If I can save you the endless hours of reading, researching, going down blind alleys, getting discouraged, wading through the nonsense and the hype that I went through, wouldn’t it be worth it? One thing’s for sure: I would have given almost anything to have all this information put together in one place for me like it is in “Hair Again!” And let’s get realistic for a moment. We’re all different, so something that worked for me might not work for you. That’s why you’ll find a variety of methods and approaches in “Hair Again!”. And another thing: this isn’t a quick fix (unless you want to buy a hair piece – there’s info on that too!). This book is about lifestyle and nutritional changes that actually work to slow down and even stop hair loss while stimulating the growth of new hair. So once you find something that resonates with you in “Hair Again!”, be patient and give it a dedicated try for 60 to 90 days. You didn’t begin to go bald overnight, so give your system a chance to recover and get back on track by being consistent. I’m always interested in your comments and in particular, your SUCCESS with the techniques in “Hair Again!” We’re always updating our information and we’d love for your story to be part of it, especially if you have “before” and “after” pictures to share. 2 Anyway, dive in and GOOD LUCK with your new head of hair! Sincerely, John Disclaimer: Use some common sense. The author is not a medical professional. He is an experienced researcher providing information for educational and informational purposes only. The author assumes no liability for your use of this information should you elect to apply it. If your hair loss or your health is outside the norm, see your health care provider immediately. “Hair Again!” is not intended to be a substitute for competent medical care, nor does it make any claims medical or otherwise regarding hair loss or hair restoration Any reference to brand names does not constitute an endorsement of that product. While most of the information contained in “Hair Again!” is useful for men or women, women who are nursing, pregnant or hoping to conceive should consult their health care providers prior to taking any of the supplements mentioned. Because everyone is different, the results you attain will be according to your unique body chemistry and the level of consistency and commitment you apply to healthy hair practices. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 3 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Great Expectations: What You Will Learn in “Hair Again!” ..................................Page 5 Chapter 2: Introducing – Your Hair! ...............................................Page 7 How Does Your Garden Grow? ...............................................Page 7 The Life Cycle of a Hair ...........................................................Page 7 It’s a Balancing Act! .................................................................Page 7 First Things First ......................................................................Page 9 The Old Standby: OLIVE OIL! ................................................Page 9 How to Do It .............................................................................Page 9 Puttin’ the Pig to Work .............................................................Page 10 Chapter 3: The Many Faces of Hair Loss ......................................Page 12 Establishing a Baseline ...........................................................Page 12 The Hamilton-Norwood Scale ..................................................Page 12 Beyond Male Pattern Baldness ...............................................Page 13 Managing Stress .....................................................................Page 15 Quieting the Mind ....................................................................Page 16 Meditation ................................................................................Page 17 Chapter 4: Exploring Your Options ...............................................Page 18 Keratin Fibers ..........................................................................Page 18 Covering Lotions .....................................................................Page 18 Laser Therapy ...............................................................................Page 18 P.U.V.A Therapy ............................................................................Page 19 Synthetic Wigs ..............................................................................Page 19 Human Hair Wigs ..........................................................................Page 20 Vacuum Wigs ................................................................................Page 21 Transplants ..............................................................................Page 21 “What’s it like?” ................................................................Page 22 The Good, the Bad…and the Hairy? Minoxidil and Propecia ....................................................Page 22 More Options to Consider ........................................................Page 24 Chapter 5: Quick and Easy: Over-the-Counter Hair Products ....Page 25 Philosophical Considerations ..................................................Page 25 About the Products ..................................................................Page 25 Chapter 6: Quit Starving Your Hair! Nutrition That Makes a Difference .......................................Page 27 FEED ME! ................................................................................Page 27 Eating Your Way to Better Hair ................................................Page 27 The Dawn of Wisdom ..............................................................Page 29 Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 4 Drinking Your Way to Healthier Hair ........................................Page 29 Supplements: The Ground Rules ...........................................Page 30 Healthy Hair Supplements .......................................................Page 30 Homeopathic Remedies ..........................................................Page 33 Chapter 7: The Natural Approach: Home-Made Remedies That Really Work! ...........................Page 34 Big Juju! The Ancients Speak .................................................Page 34 Native American Herbal Hair Tonic ..........................................Page 35 Procedure ......................................................................Page 35 Using Your Native American Hair Tonic ..........................Page 35 More Great Home Made Treatments ......................................Page 36 Chapter 8: Getting That Tingly Feeling: More Healthy Hair Tips ..........................................................Page 38 The Magic Key .........................................................................Page 38 Using Gravity ...........................................................................Page 38 Oil Treatment ...........................................................................Page 38 The Yank..................................................................................Page 38 Knock on Wood .......................................................................Page 38 The Dermal Hammer ..............................................................Page 38 And a Few More Home Remedies ..........................................Page 39 Chapter 9: Putting It All Together: Your Daily “Hair Again!” Plan ...............................................Page 40 The 5 Minute a Day Healthy Hair Habit ...................................Page 40 Chapter 10: Some Final Thoughts: The Common Sense Approach ............................................Page 42 The Reality of it All ...................................................................Page 42 Conclusion ........................................................................................Page 43 Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 5 Chapter One Great Expectations: What You Will Learn in “Hair Again!” This isn’t a biology text book, so we’ll only spend a little time going into what your hair is all about and look at some reasons why it might be falling out. I’m assuming you want to get started today, so in the first chapter you’ll find a simple, powerful and effective technique for cleaning your scalp, stimulating your hair follicles and making your hair look great. This one tip alone worked great for many and I’m hoping you’ll take the time to try it for yourself. I’ll cover the basic types of hair loss that come from your DNA or are caused by disease. That way you’ll get an immediate handle on what your particular form of hair loss is as well as the best way to address it. Because many types of hair loss come from stress, you’ll learn some simple but effective ways to handle the stress that may be affecting you. What are your options? You’ll learn the basics about wigs, transplants, various therapies and some of the most popular hair loss remedies and why they might not be a good idea for you. You’ll also learn about a powerful and effective Native American hair tonic, with complete instructions for making it and using it. I’m a big proponent of natural products and therapies. They are almost always less expensive, are easy to make and to use, and best of all, THEY WORK with minimal or no side effects. Now I realize you may not have the same mindset I do, so I’ve included some quick and easy over-the-counter remedies you can try today. Brands come and go so I can’t guarantee you’ll find everything I’ve listed in this section, but these are the most popular and readily available brands. You’ll learn some tips on how to use them and even how to get your favorite brand for less. Do you realize you may be starving your hair? You’ll learn all about the Healthy Hair Diet: delicious foods that support healthy hair growth and slow down hair loss, and what foods you should consider losing instead of your hair! Supplements are really important for ensuring that proper nutrition is getting to your hair. You’ll find a detailed list of supplements that have helped me and others that you can print out for handy reference. There’s even information on homeopathic remedies that have proven to be effective. In The Natural Approach section (my favorite), we’ll dive into a sea of natural lotions, tonics and other remedies you can easily make at home. These are Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 6 recipes that work for me and for others – there’s bound to be something here that’ll work for you. Why poison your body with chemicals or throw your endocrine system out of whack with artificial hormones? Do you really want the side effects that come along with those treatments? In my opinion the point is that putting your body back in balance with natural substances allows it to heal itself. And when your body heals itself, that’s the kind of healing that lasts. What kind of hair do you have? Your hair type will determine what type of care you need to give it. You’ll also learn about a simple scalp exercise that revitalizes your hair follicles and moves you toward getting your hair loss under control. Putting it All Together details a regular daily plan for getting back to a full head of hair. You’ll learn about the Fifteen Minute Healthy Hair Habit, the “Hair Again!” Maintenance Program and Getting That Tingly Feeling – more hair and scalp exercises that you’ll want to try. C’mon – let’s get started! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 7 Chapter Two Introducing – Your Hair! Understanding what your hair IS will help you understand how to reverse hair loss and how to work you way towards a healthy head of hair. I’m not going to get into a scientific discourse here, but there are some things you’ll find helpful to know. How Does Your Garden Grow? Each of your hairs grows out of a follicle, a bulb-shaped structure at the base of the hair which anchors it into the scalp. The dermal papilla (I promise I won’t get too technical on you) feeds the follicle through a network of fine blood vessels drawing blood from deeper inside the scalp. If the blood supply is obstructed, your hair can’t grow properly. And if there aren’t the right kinds or right quantities of nutrients in the blood, your hair will be weak, perhaps even refuse to grow. Start adding blood-borne toxins into the mix and the hair you still have begins to fall out. We’ll address all these problems with simple and practical methods that will turn your hair problems around in short order. Meanwhile, let’s get back to the normal hair you have. The Life Cycle of a Hair Every hair on your head starts growing at the rate of about half an inch a month. If you’re generally healthy, an individual hair will keep growing for about five to seven months before it goes into a resting phase that lasting about three months. About 15% of the hair on your head is in its resting phase and sheds at the rate of around a hundred hairs per day, while about 85% of your hair is in its growing phase at any given time. At the end of its three month resting phase, the hair gives up the ghost and falls out. A new hair begins growing in its place – if the hair follicle is healthy and unclogged - and the entire cycle repeats itself. It’s a Balancing Act! Remember the seesaw you played on as a kid? Imagine one shaped like an “X” that balances in four directions. That’s the way your hair is. Healthy hair is Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 8 balanced in its four essential components: protein, acid balance (pH), sebum and moisture. Too much or too little of one or more of these components and the seesaw tips, giving you a bad hair day. You already know what your hair looks like when it’s healthy. It’s shiny and manageable, right? That means the hair’s surface is smooth and nonporous, which comes from healthy protein levels, your scalp is properly protected by its acid mantle, the hair is properly lubricated with sebum and it has the right moisture content. Let me explain. Protein Healthy hair is about 97% keratin, the same protein that makes up your fingernails. There are any number of factors that can damage the structure of your hair, causing it to lose keratin. When that happens, your hair becomes weak and brittle. Moisture Content The moisture content of your hair can be as low as three percent if you live in the desert or as high as fourteen percent if you live in the tropics. It all depends upon the humidity of the air, but when its moisture content is correct, your hair will be elastic and easy to manage. Too little moisture and the hair’s fibrous structure is compromised, becoming brittle, tangled and easily broken. Sebum Your skin has sebaceous glands that secrete sweat, ear wax and a very important substance in the scalp called sebum. This natural oil travels by capillary action up the hair, just like the mercury in a thermometer. Sebum protects your hair against sun, rain and wind, seals in the hair’s moisture and lubricates the hair externally, keeping friction and wear at a minimum. When your sebum is messed up, so is your hair. The Acid Mantle The fourth component is the acid mantle, the environment on your scalp and on the surface of each hair. When you mix sweat and sebum, the resulting acid/alkaline balance (pH) leans slightly towards the acid, producing the ideal pH for healthy hair. When everything else is in balance, a healthy acid mantle means strong and flexible hair. Believe me when I say there’s plenty more technical information about hair, in fact way more information than you need or even care about. This basic information however, will help you understand just why the exercises, lotions, tonics, nutrients and other approaches in "Hair Again!" can work for you. This old remedy worked for me and my friends, and I bet it will work for you too. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 9 First Things First Something’s out of balance with your scalp and your hair, otherwise you wouldn’t be having the problems you’re having. What needs to happen first is for you to clean your hair and scalp of excess sebum, stimulate the blood supply to the hair and clean out your pores and follicles. If you take the time to incorporate the routine I’m about to share with you and stay with it for two to three weeks, you’ll lay the groundwork for the other methods in “Hair Again!” to really take hold and go to work for you. The Old Standby: OLIVE OIL! One of the most common hair problems is an excess of sebum clogging your hair follicles, your hair and your scalp. Now, you can spend all kinds of money on expensive oils and shampoos if you want, but it’s been proved down through the years that pure olive oil does an excellent job of cleaning out your follicles and restoring your scalp’s integrity. Olive oil is a monoglyceride, which is why it’s a great choice for anyone wanting to eliminate cholesterol- producing oils from their diets. It is easily used and assimilated by your body and by your hair. And if you’re plagued with dandruff, as most hair loss sufferers are, olive oil’s antioxidant properties will quickly neutralize the bacteria that may be aggravating your condition. Olive oil is also a terrific natural lubricant. When you use it to massage your scalp, the excess sebum will begin to break up and migrate away from your clogged follicles. At the same time, any buildup of dead skin or other matter clogging your pores will break up and be washed away. How to Do It It really doesn’t matter what type of olive oil you use. Just get whatever brand is available. Each night before you go to bed: 1) Warm up a capful or two of olive oil on your fingers by briskly rubbing the fingers of both hands together for about ten seconds. 2) Gradually work over your entire scalp using your fingers, not your palms, vigorously massaging your hair at the roots and working the olive oil into your Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 10 scalp. This will clean out your hair follicles. and warm up as needed. Add more olive oil to your fingers 3) Once your entire scalp has been thoroughly massaged, begin working the olive oil from the roots out to the tips of your hairs. Just use the oil already present, no need to add more. If you use the right amount of oil, most of it will be absorbed and you won’t need to worry about staining your pillow. If you’re worried about it, just lay a towel on your pillow for now until you get the feel for the right amount of olive oil to use. That’s it! Just go to sleep and in the morning, shower and shampoo as you normally do. You’ll wash out all the broken-up sebum and other junk loosened by the massage and your scalp will start coming alive again. You’ll want to make this pleasant massage a habit each night for the next two weeks in preparation for the other therapies in "Hair Again!". You’re laying a solid foundation on which to rebuild a healthy head of hair. Puttin’ the Pig to Work One of the most valuable weapons you can have in your hair restoration arsenal is a boar bristle brush. If you’ve never seen one before, a boar bristle brush uses the stiff hairs from a wild boar’s back instead of using synthetic bristles. You’ll spend a bit more money on a genuine boar bristle brush than you would on a synthetic one, but it will last you for years. And there’s no need to break the bank buying a 100% boar bristle brush. You can also get mixed natural/synthetic brushes for a lot less and still enjoy the benefits of the boar bristles. Boar bristle has a unique property that synthetic brushes simply can’t replicate: it will very effectively drag the sebum away from the roots while giving your scalp a great massage. Also, the boar bristles continue the same job they had on the pig’s back: retaining moisture and repelling oils. Your boar bristle brush will also trap dirt and particles as you brush, so you’ll want to clean it regularly with shampoo and let it dry thoroughly before each use. A boar bristle brush is easy to use. Simply brush your hair from roots to tips and watch the sebum getting properly distributed over the surface of each hair where it belongs instead of clogging your follicles. Your hair will begin to shine and become flexible and strong. The old wives’ tale of brushing your hair 100 strokes each night probably has some validity. I never took it to that extreme, but you’ll Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 11 discover that a thorough, firm but gentle brushing will begin to work wonders for your hair and leave your scalp tingling. You’ll want to be certain to untangle your hair before brushing by using a widetooth comb or your fingers, because a boar bristle brush won’t untangle your hair. You’ll just snag and break hair unnecessarily. Brush in small sections, working from the roots to the tips with long, firm strokes. Boar bristle hair brushes are easy to find in any store that has a hair care section. You can also go online and find some great brushes. My hair stylist swears by the hand-made Mason Pearson brushes, and, I have to admit I really like the one I have. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money on a boar bristle brush. Just Google “boar bristle hairbrush” and you’ll get inundated with varieties in all price ranges, from 100% bristle to natural/synthetic mixtures. So, what kind of hair loss is bugging you? We’ll find out in chapter three! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 12 Chapter Three The Many Faces of Hair Loss Determining which type of hair loss you suffer from can be helpful in determining what course of action to take in order to best remedy your situation. Establishing a Baseline You will find it very useful if you take the time to establish a baseline. Grab your digital camera and take a dozen or so photos of your hair from the front, the sides, the back and the top. Try to cover every angle in good light. A good set of photos will be invaluable for gauging your progress as hair starts to regrow. Believe me - you’ll be encouraged when you compare a photo of yourself from three months ago with a photo of the same “problem spot” today. The Hamilton-Norwood Scale We could go into all the fancy Latin names they’ve come up with to describe Male Pattern Baldness, but a picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Enter the Hamilton-Norwood scale. This handy reference scale was developed by Dr. James Hamilton back in the ‘50’s and twenty years later was updated and revised by Dr. O’Tar Norwood. There are seven levels of hair loss depicted in the Hamilton-Norwood scale. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 13 Norwood I shows a normal head of hair with no visible hair loss. Norwood II shows the hair receding in a wedge-shaped pattern. Norwood III shows the same receding pattern as Norwood III, except the hairline has receded deeper into the frontal area and the temporal area. Norwood IV shows the hairline receding more dramatically in the frontal region and temporal area than Norwood III and there is the beginning of a bald spot at the back of the head. Norwood V shows the same pattern as Norwood IV but with much-reduced hair density. Norwood VI The strip of hair connecting the two sides of the head that existed in Norwood IV and V no longer exists in Norwood VI. Norwood VII shows hair receding all the way back to the base of the head and the sides just above the ears. Beyond Male Pattern Baldness While men are subject to the genetic testosterone-based effects of Male Pattern Baldness, women can experience hair loss through too much perming and excessive use of hair coloring or bleach. Severe emotional stress and hormonal changes as well can lead to hair loss in women, as can toovigorous brushing, which eventually causes the hair to weaken and break. Another type of baldness affecting both men and women is called traction alopecia, which is caused by excessive strain on the scalp. You’ll find this comes from tight ponytails, corn-rowing or tight braiding of hair and from curling the hair too tightly with rollers. If that’s your problem, you really need to loosen up! Another increasingly common cause of hair loss is associated with stress and trauma, two factors on the rise in our modern culture. But you can also bring this upon yourself by obsessively worrying about your hair loss, real or imagined. The more you fear it, the more likely it is to happen. We’ll address some practical solutions for stress in just a bit. One other culprit you should be aware of is a condition resulting from autoimmune disease, where the immune system gets so busy and confused it actually starts attacking the body. Alopecia areata is the Latin term for it, and one of its early signs will be problems with your fingernails. Remember that your fingernails are made of the same protein – keratin – as your hair? Your hair Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 14 follicles soon come under attack by your immune system and a small round patch of hair will fall out, sometimes overnight, anywhere hair grows on your body. Women are no exception when it comes to hair loss, though their problems tend to manifest differently. Typically the hair will begin to thin on top of the head, this area gradually spreading as the hair thins out and becomes fine. While the hair doesn’t fall out as in male pattern baldness, it becomes so thin that the scalp may be clearly seen. Alopecia androgenetica, as it’s called, can be brought on by hormonal imbalance or by our old friend, DNA. “Toxic alopecia” is the technical term for hair loss brought on by ingesting certain chemicals and pharmaceuticals. It can also be a response to ravaging diseases such as leprosy, typhoid fever, syphilis, advanced dysentery and malaria. We all know people who, when battling cancer and receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, lose all their hair. The same thing can happen as a result of arsenic poisoning, which is most common in those who work around chemicals used for raising farm animals or who have extensive exposure to the chemicals in paints, dyes, pigments and assorted wood preservatives. Another culprit causing toxic hair loss is thallium, a highly toxic metallic salt. Thallium’s popularity as a murder weapon (both in fiction and in real life) has earned it the nickname of “Inheritance Powder” and “The Poisoner’s Poison”. Thallium is widely used in the electronics industry, in pharmaceuticals and in manufacturing glass, rat poison and insecticides. If you work in these industries or use rat poison and insecticides incautiously, your exposure to thallium may be causing your hair loss. Parasites can also be devastating for your hair. A parasitic condition is normally relatively easy to diagnose and treat by your doctor, though you may wish to examine your activities, habits and even your living environment if parasites are taking over your hair. You need to understand that anyone can pick up parasites. They’re in your lawn, in the dirt, on your dog or cat and even in the air. If you routinely handle your pets, just make sure to wash your hands when playtime is over. Eating undercooked pork or shellfish can let parasites sneak into your system. Bug bites of all kinds can introduce parasites into your bloodstream. Intimacy with an infected person is another surefire way to give parasites a new home. Watch for parasitic symptoms like anal rashes or itching, broken skin around the anus, persistent digestive disorders and chronic and debilitating fatigue. The list of symptoms goes on for pages, but there’s one you already know about: hair loss. Check with your doctor if you suspect you have parasites. There are effective treatments available that will quickly rid you of your unwanted guests. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 15 Instead of suffering from parasites, genetic disease or hormonal imbalance, stress and toxic reactions, you may be one of the relatively fortunate folks who simply aren’t getting enough of the right nutrition. We’ll cover that in detail later, but the good news is that when you get your nutrition right, your hair follicles will come back on line and begin happily growing hair again. There can be strictly physical reasons as well to explain your hair loss. An accident, bad fall or even misaligned teeth can result in considerable and often unconscious tension in your neck, shoulders and back. This tension impairs the blood supply to your head, affecting your brain and your scalp. The result ends up in your hair brush. If you have mercury-based amalgam fillings in your teeth, the mercury is decidedly toxic and can literally kill your hair over time. You may wish to consider having your fillings removed and replaced with a less lethal substance. There are many dentists today who specialize in this procedure. There are many more factors which can lead to hair loss, but it all boils down to this: either the factors are internal (e.g. genetics, psychological condition, hormonal imbalance, faulty nutrition) or they’re external (e.g. mechanical stress on your hair, toxins, parasites). Either way, there is a solution for whatever is assaulting your hair. You just have to identify the “why” of your hair loss to find the “how” of restoring your hair. Before we move on, however, let’s address one of the single largest factors affecting each one of us, whether it brings about hair loss or just poisons every aspect of your life: stress. Managing Stress In our busy culture, stress-inducing situations seem to target us from every direction, in endless variety. Job, family, finances, other’s expectations, you don’t need me to detail your stresses because you know them all too well. The question is, what are you doing about it? That query isn’t meant to evoke guilt. That’s just more stress you definitely don’t need. But I have found that many people get so caught up in the drama and stress filling their lives that they have no idea whatsoever how to step off the merry-go-round and reclaim the perspective they need. If you’re totally and completely free from stress, then you might as well skip to the next chapter. You are one in a million and a truly blessed individual. But if you’re like me, you could really use a break from the problems that are pulling you in ten directions at once. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 16 Sometimes when I talk to people about relieving stress, I’ll hear, “I’m just too busy. I don’t have time for this!” If that’s you talking, then that sentiment is a dead give-away that you need to make the time! Too often, people respond to stress by drinking, abusing drugs, abusing themselves or those close to them. Or maybe they just internalize it all and their bodies respond with illness, or possibly…hair loss. In any case, the destructive cycle makes them feel worse and pollutes everything in their lives. If this is you, it could be that you’ve forgotten how to quiet your mind. Quieting the Mind Why not make an investment in your well-being and carve out some time for yourself? Quieting the mind is a powerful and extremely useful pursuit. It doesn’t necessarily have to be for spiritual purposes, although spirituality seems to spring naturally from such practice. Whatever you enjoy that relaxes you and is not harmful, do it. Often stress is quickly remedied by regular exercise. A sunset walk, morning bike ride or some other noncompetitive exercise releases stress held in your musculature. Follow your exercise with a hot shower or an extended soak in the tub. Turn off the rap music and the pounding heavy metal and let silence or soft, gentle music bathe your mind just like you are bathing your body. Or make the time to get a professional (non-sexual) massage. You may be surprised at how much unconscious tension has been wracking your body, especially when it disappears. The point is, finding ways to slow down your mind can be a lot of fun. Let your imagination inform you. You have to decide consciously to set aside your stress each day, even if it’s just for five minutes. Don’t worry. It’ll still be there when you’re ready to pick it up again. But it might be useful to ask yourself the simple question “Why?” We all have our reasons, and some of them may even be pretty good ones. Just make the time to become quiet, and you’ll soon find yourself much better able to handle not only stress, but everything else in your life as well. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 17 Meditation This book is not intended to be a course in meditation. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you a quick overview of the subject, as I sincerely believe meditation can be an important ingredient in the process of hair restoration. Of course, the classic mind-quieting pursuit is meditation. Too often, though, meditation comes with all kinds of extra cultural baggage that requires a good deal of adjustment. Follow your instincts on this one, but basic meditation is really quite simple and is very effective at lowering blood pressure, removing stress and awakening oneself to the finer qualities of mind and spirit. To experience meditation, simply sit quietly in a comfortable position, spine erect, eyes closed, all distractions put off for now. Ear plugs may help blot out the sound of the world around you. Breathe through your nose. Let your closed eyes comfortably focus between and above your eyebrows as you begin to “watch” your breath. In…out…in…out… You’ll find your mind wandering, and the inner dialogue seems to ramp up as, from a place of increasing quietness, you begin noticing the chatter. When your mind gets busy, simply bring your awareness back to your breath. “Watch” your breath. You may notice that every time your mind gets busy, your eyes are looking down. Refocus them between and above your eyebrows. After some time and practice your breath may become more and more shallow until it actually seems to stop. Don’t worry about this if it happens – it’s a good thing! You won’t suffocate, nor will your heart stop. Just simply dwell in that “breathless” space for as long as you feel comfortable doing so. Rather than trying to do a lot or getting frustrated that “It’s just dark in here!” or “Nothing’s happening!” (That’s the point), under-do! Meditate just a couple of minutes a day, but try to do it at the same time each day in order to train your body to accept that specific time as a quiet time. You may or may not see images or even hear sounds. That’s not the goal. Those are just things that happen. Just stay with it, a little bit every day, and a year from now you will be a very different person. OK. Snuff out your incense and let’s have a look at some of the many physical options available to hair loss sufferers. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 18 Chapter Four Exploring Your Options It used to be you just had to accept growing bald, or maybe, buy an ill-fitting wig that fooled no one. Things have changed! Today’s options are many and varied, and one of them is going to be right for you. Keratin Fibers One of the quickest, simplest and least expensive remedies is to apply a masking agent to cover your hair loss. When your scalp shines visibly through your thinning hair, you can apply keratin fibers. Keratin is the same protein your hair is made of. The fibers cling by static electricity to your scalp and hair, covering the shine of your scalp and giving your hair a bulkier appearance. They’re also available in virtually any color, so you should have no problem finding a match. There are many different brands, but one of the most popular is Toppik (http:// www.toppik.com/toppik.asp). Most masking agents like Toppik are resistant to wind, rain and sweat and stay tenaciously in place until you wash them out with shampoo. Covering Lotions Along the same lines, covering lotion, a film industry trick of the trade is widely used to cover the shine of balding scalps. It’s also very useful after hair transplant surgery to bolster your scalp’s appearance until the transplants take hold. Most covering lotions are formulated to not clog your pores or follicles while allowing for normal hair growth. Various thickening shampoos are also available that give your hair more fullness. Laser Therapy Hand-held laser devices, which are beginning to appear on the market, are said to stimulate the hair follicles and improve your hair’s appearance with a couple of fifteen minute sessions per week. Technically, this is known as “low level laser light therapy”. Typical claims say you’ll experience thicker, fuller hair in six weeks. Proponents maintain these are safe to use in conjunction with chemical therapies like Rogaine or Propecia, and involve no pain, feelings of heat or other unpleasant side effects. These devices tend to be rather expensive, plus I’ve never tried one so I can’t vouch for their effectiveness. But they may well be worth a try. In the end, it’s all about Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 19 stimulating your scalp, and in my opinion you can do that just as effectively and for a whole lot less money just by trying some of the exercises in this book. P.U.V.A Therapy P.U.V.A. is a form of light therapy for patients who have suffered hair loss because of skin pathologies like psoriasis. Psoralen Ultra-Violet Radiation therapy is demanding of your time, requiring two to three sessions per week for at least twenty weeks. Psoralen is a light sensitizing drug you take before each session: this leaves you vulnerable to the rays of direct sunlight for a while after each treatment. While positive results can be obtained, the success rate is not encouraging. Hair growth, if any, can be spotty. Unfortunately, as soon as your treatment comes to an end, any new hair will usually fall out again. The side effects can be unpleasant as well, with burning, blistering, nausea and stinging being just a few of the commonly reported symptoms. For me personally, I’d buy a wig before I’d undergo P.U.V.A. therapy! Wigs There may be a bit of a psychological hurdle in deciding to purchase a wig, kind of like when I had to get my first pair of bifocals. The bifocals were confirmation that I was getting older, and a wig means admitting you have a serious hair problem. But a wig may be a viable solution, according to your circumstances while you work on restoring your hair. If you live in a metropolitan area, you should have no problem finding a shop that specializes in fitting and selling wigs. These shops will typically have cubicles where you can try on different wigs away from prying eyes, though you should be aware that some shops charge for this “privilege” while others don’t. Maybe they get a lot of tire kickers or folks who are just messing around trying on wigs for fun. If you indicate you’re a serious customer, most shops will waive the fee as a courtesy – especially if you are a serious customer! You’ll be faced with a number of choices at a wig shop. “Do I get a synthetic wig or one made of human hair? And what exactly is a vacuum wig?” Let’s take a look at each. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 20 Synthetic Wigs Synthetic wigs are the most widely available and affordable variety. They tend to hold up quite well to the weather and they’re simple to care for. Just comb out your wig and then give it a quick cold water wash with shampoo – basically, just letting it soak for about five minutes. Rinse it out with cold water and give it a shake over your tub, then pat it dry with a towel. You’ll want to give your wig another shake to fluff it out a bit, then put it on its stand to air dry. One recent development with synthetic wigs is weaving the “hair” into a monofilament base, allowing your scalp to be visible. This makes for a much more natural look. One thing that will destroy that natural look in a hurry though is heat. Synthetic hair will frizz out if you have repeated close exposure to heat sources like ovens, fireplaces, grills and the like. Also, synthetic hair tends to get a matted look after repeated exposure to skin or clothing. If you don’t mind the extra work, you can extend your synthetic wig’s life by combing out the back each night. You’ll want to spray some wig conditioner on it and then untangle the strands by combing them out with your fingers. Synthetic wigs are fitted tightly to your head, and frankly, having the blood supply restricted to your scalp isn’t the greatest idea if you’re trying to regrow hair. A synthetic wig can also depart suddenly in a gust of wind, and it makes a rather poor swimming cap – it’ll float away in the opposite direction unless you keep your head high and dry. With reasonable care, you can expect your synthetic wig to last about three months before needing replacement. Tip: buy two wigs instead of one, then when you switch out it’ll match what people expect you to look like. You’ll probably want to pick up another identical wig as soon as you go to the replacement just to be safe. You wouldn’t want to come to the end of your wig’s life and wait a month for the back order to be filled! Human Hair Wigs Because of their expense and limited availability, human hair wigs don’t offer the same range of styles and colors as the synthetics. A human hair wig certainly has a more natural look, but there are some disadvantages you should be aware of. The first one you’ll run into is cost. There’s no sense in quoting prices here due to the rapidly changing economy, but trust me, they’re expensive. Since these wigs are made of real hair, you have to treat them just like real hair, which means shampooing and restyling each night. They are no more reliable than synthetic wigs when it comes to gusting wind and swimming, and their life span is about the same as (perhaps a tad longer than) synthetics. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 21 Whether you buy a synthetic or a human hair wig, stay away from those that have a fixed part. I’ve never seen one yet that looked real, and I’ll bet you haven’t either. Part it yourself or get your stylist to work on it for you. I know one thing I’ve worried about and that we’ve already touched on: wigs versus wind and water. There’s probably nothing more embarrassing than losing your hair unexpectedly. That’s where vacuum wigs come in. Vacuum Wigs Vacuum wigs are, in my opinion, the way to go if you’re going to invest in a wig. They are literally molded to the shape of your head, allowing them to suck right down onto your scalp. That gives you a nice sense of security, though you may have to mortgage the house to buy one. We’re talking four figures here, but when you’ve tried the others and are just tired of dealing with their disadvantages, maybe the cost will be worth it to you. Vacuum wigs use human hair, of course. It would be an insult to use anything else at that price! Getting fit for a vacuum wig is an involved process. You can expect to invest several hours on your first visit just having an exact plaster cast of your scalp made. Once that’s finished, you’ll return on your next visit to verify that the wig’s base is a perfect fit, and of course, choose your new hair color. Once it’s all put together you’ll return for a final fitting and have your wig customstyled exactly the way you want it. You’ll have to admit – it looks pretty darned good! Of course, since it’s called a vacuum wig, that means it won’t make a vacuum unless your head is as smooth as a billiard ball. You’ll have to keep your head smoothly shaved to achieve the level of suction – and security – necessary. Transplants Being a medical procedure, a hair transplant operation is something better discussed with the surgeon doing the procedure. We’ll cover some basics here, so hopefully you can make an informed decision about whether a transplant is right for you. Hair transplants have come a long way since they were first attempted in pre-war Japan. Transplants today, done at the follicle level, are called “micro-grafting” and mimic the natural groupings of hair on the scalp. Donor hair is taken from an area on your scalp where healthy hair still grows and is then grafted in at about fifty percent coverage (the highest practical density), achieving the appearance of nearly full hair density when the process is complete. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 22 Typically you will meet with your surgeon to discuss your goals and the outcome you expect from the procedure; then your surgeon will develop a plan. Your personal plan will involve surgical procedures scheduled every four to six months, thus giving the transplants a chance to take, eventually reaching the desired density of coverage. “What’s it like?” The donor portion of your scalp where healthy hair still grows will be targeted to have a narrow strip removed under a local anesthetic. The small surgical wound will be sutured and will result in a thin, horizontal scar that is scarcely noticeable. Your surgeon will be careful to leave normal-density hair growing on either side of the scar line. Once you’ve healed, even your stylist will be hard-pressed to find the harvesting scars. Under high magnification, the strip of scalp will be carefully divided into its natural grouping of hairs (or follicular units). The resulting follicular units are then placed in a chilled saline solution. Meanwhile, the surgeon has been preparing the grafting site on your upper scalp. Many small incisions with a special needle are made in your upper scalp. Each of these incisions will mimic the natural angle and direction of your hair growth in preparation for the follicular units to be grafted in. Each incision and each graft is carefully sized for a snug fit, meaning normally you won’t be bandaged. You can expect a small scab at each graft point, and these scabs will take a week to ten days to heal. The surgeon will also trim each hair prior to grafting so you won’t have to worry about snagging your hair each time you shampoo or comb it. The scary part is that your newly grafted hair will fall out within two weeks of the procedure. Don’t worry though. It will begin to grow again in three to four months, which is your sign that the next round of surgery is due. Hair transplants are expensive and are not a quick fix, but the results are impressive, long-lasting and quite satisfying. The Good, the Bad…and the Hairy? Minoxidil and Propecia Due to the massive amounts of advertising revenue generated by the hair-loss pharmaceutical trade, chances are you knew about the existence of Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Propecia long before your hair started to slide down the shower drain. Set aside those TV images of male models with glamorous women running their fingers through Mr. Studly’s thick, wavy (and oh, so sexy) hair. Let’s take a Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 23 balanced look at these two hair-loss remedies away from the spotlights and hype. Minoxidil (perhaps better known by its trade name, Rogaine) started out as a prescription tablet to treat ulcers. But one of its early side effects was expanding the blood vessels, so it soon became preferred as a treatment for high blood pressure. But when Upjohn noticed that excessive hair growth occurred in over 80% of the patients taking Loniten (Minoxidil’s earliest form), that little light bulb snapped on and Rogaine was born. Hair growth caused by Loniten occurred all over the body: back, arms, head, eyebrows and anywhere else hair would grow. By creating a liquid from the hairinducing properties of Loniten, non-prescription Rogaine could be topically applied in problem areas and the hair growth controlled. The best part (for Upjohn) was that Rogaine had to be applied for at least three months before the customer could expect hair to reappear. Ninety days of product sales on spec per customer was, and is, a real windfall! Rogaine works best for those with spotty hair loss, but in clinical trials only one third of users showed any significant benefits. They still haven’t figured out exactly why it works - or in the case of the majority of users, why it doesn’t work. Some of its effects are a bit daunting as well. Users have reported inflamed skin, racing heart beat, chest pains and…wait for it…HAIR LOSS! “Oh well” you may be thinking. “Then I’ll just take Propecia.” Propecia is a drug which blocks the formation of 5 DHT, a male hormone found in excess in those with male pattern hair loss. There’s an enzyme in your testosterone that converts your go-juice into 5 DHT. Propecia nips that enzyme in the bud, stopping the formation of 5 DHT dead in its tracks. One of the problems with Propecia is that if you are lucky enough to experience any hair growth, you’d better keep taking it. If you stop, any regrown hair, more than likely, will fall out. Also, since it’s a male hormone, Propecia has zero effect on women. That is, zero positive effect. In fact, the warning label on Propecia states: "Women who are pregnant or may be pregnant must not take Propecia, handle crushed or broken tablets or handle tablets with wet hands. If the active ingredient in Propecia is absorbed after swallowing the tablet or through the skin by a woman who is pregnant with a male baby, it may cause the male baby to be born with abnormalities of the sex organs. If a pregnant woman swallows Propecia, handles crushed or broken tablets or handles tablets with wet hands, her doctor must be consulted immediately. Do not give Propecia to children or women". Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 24 Propecia’s side effects aren’t great news for guys either. They include decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction and dwindling semen production. More Options to Consider You may also hear about various irritants that can be painted on your scalp to induce an allergic reaction. This is supposed to confuse the immune system into ceasing its attack on the hair follicles. If it works at all (about one third of patients respond to treatment), hair growth is usually patchy, and once again, your new hair stops growing as soon as the treatment stops. But don’t worry: the side effects aren’t nearly as bad as those from some of the other remedies. You can expect the treated areas to itch like crazy as they develop a monumental case of dandruff, while you enjoy continuous burning sensations on your scalp and, with a little luck, swollen glands as well. And then there are steroids, which can be ingested as pills, injected into your scalp or applied as a cream. Regardless of which method you choose, the steroids end up coursing through your body where their primary mission is to suppress your immune system. Steroids can be life saving if you are suffering from Addison’s disease (your adrenal glands shut down cortisone production) or anaphylactic shock (a sudden and deadly drop in blood pressure that, if untreated, can kill you within minutes). Steroids are quite difficult to wean yourself from and require as long as two years of very gradual reduction in dosage so as to encourage your body to begin manufacturing its own cortisone again. They also come with a host of side effects, only a few of which include: diabetes, brittle bones, high blood pressure, manic depressive episodes, impotence and (trumpet fanfare)…HAIR LOSS! It seems like a truly high price to pay for uncertain benefits, but you’ll have to be the judge. You may be an ideal candidate for one of the foregoing remedies, so get with your doctor and talk things over. Perhaps now you know why I tend to be a proponent of natural remedies? Before we go into all the really fun stuff you can make yourself, let’s visit your local drugstore and see what your options are for over-the-counter products. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 25 Chapter Five Quick and Easy: Over-the-Counter Hair Products Philosophical Considerations As we look at the various over-the-counter remedies, there are a couple factors to consider especially when it comes to shampoos. It makes sense to me that if possible, any shampoo you use should have a natural and preferably organic base and natural ingredients. You’re already loaded with chemicals inside and out, and some of those chemicals could very well be contributing to your hair loss. Why add to the mix? You’ll want to check if the product is biodegradable. If it doesn’t break down in the environment, then it’s going to stay forever in one form or another on your scalp and hair. Not so good in my opinion. You may part company with me philosophically on these next two points, but I personally feel that ingredients derived from animals aren’t a good choice. Neither are products that involve testing of laboratory animals. That’s something to work out with your own conscience. About the Products Remember those baseline photos you took of your hair? You’ll want to have those handy to reference any progress you make with these products. Please bear in mind that I am not shilling for these companies, nor in mentioning their products am I necessarily endorsing them. They are simply some of the more popular and commonly available products for guys like you and me. Rather than me giving you a bunch of web sites that carry these products, just Google the product name for your best price, quickest shipping or whatever else is important to you. The hair-loss product market is fiercely competitive; web sites come and go, and what you need is today’s best choices, not something that may be out of date by the time you read this. “Thicker Fuller Hair” has a variety of shampoos, gels, sprays and conditioners, all of which work great. They’ve recently made a few changes to their formula which most agree have improved it, though I’m not sure why they’ve put caffeine in their shampoo’s new formula. Maybe that’ll wake up your hair. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 26 “Fat Hair” is another popular product line, and their mousse really does the job. They have the same variety of products as “Thicker Fuller Hair”, so you won’t lack for diversity. If you suspect that toxins or other chemicals may be contributing to your hair loss, you might consider Aveda’s “Hair Detoxifier Shampoo”. This will also remove buildup of other products from your hair, a useful starting point when you initiate a new program of treatment. American Crew makes a nice styling gel called “Citrus Mint Paste”, though that’s getting a little tough to find. The reason this list is short is because the product lines involved contain everything you may need to experiment with and because this is the stuff that works! Check eBay for some really great prices on your favorite product. Walgreens.com and drugstore.com both have opt-in email lists, and they’ll send you coupons that you can print out and use for some pretty good discounts. Hey – I don’t know about you, but absorbing all this information is making me hungry! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 27 Chapter Six Quit Starving Your Hair! Nutrition That Makes a Difference FEED ME! Hungry hair is an easily remedied problem. The nutrients coursing through your blood and feeding your scalp and follicles have a direct effect on how your hair grows, how it looks, how long it lasts and whether it’s flexible, strong and shiny. As you begin to incorporate into your diet the foods and supplements that support healthy hair, one of the immediate benefits you’ll enjoy will be an overall improvement in your health and your sense of well-being. You’ll also enjoy watching your hair becoming healthier and, in most cases, beginning to regrow. We’ll be covering a lot of foods and supplements here. The idea isn’t to load you down with taking 50 supplements a day, but rather to give you an idea of what your body needs. Listen to your gut, talk with a nutritional therapist, get with a kinesiologist or simply experiment with different foods and supplements to see what resonates with your system. Often, when you take a supplement that your body really needs, you will feel a distinct sense of “Yes!” afterwards as your body goes to work assimilating it and putting it to use. Eating Your Way to Better Hair You can easily structure meals from the list of foods below. Also, when cooking with oil, use olive oil. It’s easy to digest, doesn’t make “bad” cholesterol and has a pleasant taste. Obviously, it would be better to eat organically if possible. Here’s a tip: you know those irritating little stickers they put on fruit? If the four-digit PLU code starts with “4”, it was grown with pesticides, herbicides and other petrochemicals. If it’s organic, it will start with a “9”. Genetically modified “frankenfoods” begin with “8”. Now you know. If you can’t buy organic produce, at least give your produce a good washing before eating. Products such as Veggie Wash or Clean Greens do a good job of removing chemicals, wax and dirt from your produce. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 28 If you want to save some money by making your own effective produce wash, put one tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in a cup of water. Put it in a spray bottle and shake before use. After you spray your produce, give it a thorough rinse and you’re good to go. In terms of the way you eat, consider gradually transitioning over to a low fat, high fiber diet. As you concentrate more on fresh fruits and vegetables, you’ll discover they play a key role in slowing down and stopping hair loss as you get older. The key word here is “fresh”. Canned and otherwise processed fruits and vegetables have been heated, loaded with salt and sugar, and in general have had their nutrition and vitality stripped away. You’ll want to eat foods containing biotins, which play an important role in healthy hair. You’ll find ample biotins in fish, cooked eggs, whole milk, nuts such as cashews, almonds and walnuts, in brown rice and also in oats and bran cereals. Iron-rich foods are important as well. Mollusks like clams, oysters and mussels will load you up, as will beef, pork and chicken liver. Any time you’ve eaten a meal rich in iron, you’ll want to follow it with citrus fruit of some kind - oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemon or lime. The vitamin C they contain, in addition to being good for your hair, is essential to complete your body’s assimilation of iron. If you want to get into some really serious health benefits, consider adding to your diet an ounce of pure wheatgrass juice, taken every morning on an empty stomach. Wheatgrass juice has literally everything your hair needs, plus it slows the graying of hair, detoxes your body and supercharges your blood. You can buy it flash-frozen on the internet or sometimes at your health food store. Flash-frozen is the best and most consistent form of top quality wheatgrass juice. High quality proteins are important too, since these are what your hair is made of. Start rebuilding your hair’s protein with lean poultry, fish, beans and nuts. Oils and unsaturated fatty acids are critically important to healthy hair. Foods rich in omega 3 and other essential fatty acids include salmon, walnuts and flaxseed. A couple tablespoons of flaxseed ground up and scattered in your salad, soup, yogurt or other food will give you concentrated amounts of omega 3 in a very easy to assimilate form. Flaxseed has a mild, nut-like flavor and is a very inexpensive way to supercharge your meals with exactly the kind of oils your hair needs. More sources of unsaturated fatty acids include cereals, soybean oil, poultry and eggs. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 29 If you want to strengthen your hair and encourage its growth, you’ll want to add silica-rich foods to your diet. Sprouts of all kinds, potatoes (skin on), peppers and cucumbers with the rind on are all great sources of silica. Soy is another bean that strengthens your hair and aids in its growth. Soy is readily available in tofu and the many flavors of soy drinks found in most stores. Foods rich in vitamin A also play an important role in restoring your hair. You don’t want to overdose on vitamin A, so exercise that awareness. But when you get your vitamin A from natural sources (not supplements), it’s not likely you’ll overdose. Look for mangos, dried apricots, mozzarella cheese, liver, carrots, sweet potatoes, milk, spinach, egg yolks and cantaloupe. A good avocado is always a treat in a salad, in guacamole sauce or just by itself. Avocados provide exactly the proteins your hair needs and moisturizes the hair shafts. The Dawn of Wisdom Are you starting to get the idea? Whole, natural, unprocessed and, if possible, organic foods will go a long way toward restoring your hair and improving your overall health. As you start adding these types of food to your diet, you’ll naturally feel less inclined to eat foods that will undermine your quest for more hair and better health. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that sugar, coffee, refined or processed ingredients of any kind and of course, processed foods are all working against restoring your hair. So are hydrogenated and saturated fats. Instead of eating deep fried foods and feasting on junk food at the local drive-through, why not just rip out a handful of hair and get it over with? Drinking Your Way to Healthier Hair Sorry, I wasn’t talking about booze! Another essential for hair restoration and general health is hydration: are you getting enough water? Most people’s bodies are literally starving for water. They exhibit symptoms like constipation, eczema, thick dandruff, wrinkled skin, foul breath, thick dark urine…and hair loss. Your body is 98% water; why not give it what it’s made of? Drink pure water, or better yet, distilled water to keep your body properly hydrated. An easy way to quickly establish enough water in your body is to routinely drink at least eight ounces of water immediately after urinating. You’ll urinate more frequently and Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 30 clearly as your water intake rises, and you’ll hit the balance point where you know that your body has enough water. At that point, you will begin to meet your body’s hydration needs automatically. Supplements: The Ground Rules The fact that you’re experiencing hair loss is a sure indication that something isn’t quite right in the nutrition department. It’s OK to take supplements in pill form, but just be aware that your body will only absorb a small percentage of what you ingest, depending upon the state of your digestive system. Your absorption can be as low as 2%! Taking liquid vitamins or vitamins in colloidal form will boost your aborption rate up into the 80% level. Properly formulated sublingual vitamins can really go to work for you; their absorption rate is at or above 98%! Sublinguals are a bit hard to find, but CVC makes an outstanding B complex/folic acid sublingual, as does TriVita. In any case, it is far better to absorb your nutrients from a healthy diet of fresh, vital whole foods than to take fifty pills a day. But any supplementation is better than none at all, and you will see improvement. Taking supplements consistently is the key, and results are usually visible noticeable within sixty to ninety days. To start off with, find a good multivitamin for men and be religious about taking it according to directions. A good multivitamin’s scattergun approach will ensure you get at least some of what you’re missing and will back up whatever you’re lacking in your diet or supplement plan. For best results you may want to talk with someone at your health food store. Their multivitamins will cost more, but you want something that’s powerful, effective and contains all the vitamins you need. Brand-name vitamins tend to have more filler and fewer active ingredients, so it’s worth the extra expense. Find a multivitamin that contains amino acids. These are directly involved with restoring healthy hair. You’ll have to read labels and ask questions, but it’s worth the extra effort. Be certain to check how much vitamin A you’re getting in your multi. You don’t want to overdose on this vitamin by overlapping with other supplements. Here again, it’s better to get your vitamin A from food sources, but it’s OK to take your multi as well in addition to your food sources. Healthy Hair Supplements Ginseng is an ancient herbal remedy particularly useful in restoring hormonal function, something important to consider if your hair loss is genetic or caused by a hormonal imbalance. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 31 Horsetail (equisetum) is extremely rich in silica, which fortifies the hair follicles and strengthens hair structure while stimulating increased growth. Horsetail also boosts the absorption of minerals throughout the body. Nettle is another rich source of silica and is a great conditioner for your hair, having the same basic effect as equisetum. You’ll often find nettle in combination with equisetum at the health food store. Valerian is the herb to consider if you’re experiencing stress in your life, as it has a pronounced soothing effect on the nerves. Stress starves your scalp of blood and reduces nutrients to the hair root. If you take valerian, combine it with a good B complex to maximize its effects. Zinc is usually contained in a good multivitamin, so there’s no need to take it separately. Saw Palmetto and Beta-Sitosterol caused new hair growth in about 60% of men in one study sponsored by The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine. The levels used in the study were 400 mg of saw palmetto extract and 100 mg of beta-sitosterol per day, and results were observed after about five months of usage. Black Currant Oil supports hair growth by virtue of the presence of gammalinolenic acid. You might try about one gram a day for sixty to ninety days. Capsicum can stimulate hair growth by increasing blood flow to the scalp, accelerating growth by as much as 50%! Red Sage (danshen) is another ancient remedy said to maintain and preserve the hair you still have. You’ll see red sage as an ingredient in some of the shampoos you try. You can purchase it as a liquid and add it to your shampoo. Chinese Angelica (dong quai) naturally blocks the creation of 5 DHT, thus allowing hair to regrow. It is one of the few vegetable sources of B-12 and traditionally has been considered an aphrodesiac. There are currently no studies to back its claims, but it’s not likely to have survived thousands of years as a hair restorative remedy if it weren’t working for someone! Evening Primrose Oil is similar to black currant oil in its concentration of gamma-linolenic acid. It supports hair growth from the inside, with visible results typically reported in the sixty to ninety day range. Flaxseed Oil is readily available in liquid and tablet form; the tablet is a bit more palatable. Take about 4000 mg/day. In my opinion, the most potent and tasty way to get your flaxseed oil is as mentioned earlier: grind up a few tablespoons and sprinkle it into your food. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 32 Fo Ti (he shou-wu) is another Chinese herb said to slow and even stop hair-loss altogether. Try taking 500 mg three times a day. Full Spectrum Enzyme Complex is a good bet if you’re not certain what enzymes you may need. Take one with each meal. Ginger is a great source of essential fatty acids. It has been shown to boost blood circulation and stimulate hair follicles. Grape Seed Extract has flavinoids that stimulate the growth of skin cells. About 150 mg/day is the normal dose. Green Tea Extract is another natural source for blocking the production of 5 DHT. Jojoba Oil is a traditional remedy for restoring hair growth and for getting rid of dandruff. It is chemically very similar to the sebum produced by your own scalp. L-Arginine is one of the natural amino acids essential to new hair growth. L-Lysine is like L-Arginine and works with it to re-establish your hair. Lemon Grass restores the natural oil production of your scalp and makes hair “fatter”. Licorice is another natural blocker of 5 DHT. We’re not talking about the candy. You can get it in liquid form and add it to your shampoo. Licorice isn’t recommended if you have problems with low potassium, as it can aggravate that condition. Omega 3 can stop hair loss and restart hair growth. Most people are deficient in omega 3’s. Take as a supplement or eat salmon, herring or mackerel, or get into the flaxseed habit! Rosemary boosts circulation, gets rid of dandruff and breaks up deposits of sebum. You can add some to olive oil for use in your scalp massage regimen. You can also add four or five drops to your shampoo. Safflower supports the stimulation of your scalp’s blood vessels, allowing more nutrients to be absorbed by the follicles. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 33 Sesame supports healthy hair growth in a number of ways. Try adding sesame seeds to your food or cooking with sesame oil. Homeopathic Remedies Homeopathic solutions typically have a tiny (nearly non-existent) amount of the active ingredient suspended in pure water or some other liquid. Science has no idea why homeopathic solutions work, but they do. If they didn’t, commercially available products like Zicam cold medicine would be drummed out of the marketplace by the FDA and consumers alike. Homeopathy has a long and successful history, which we won’t go into here. It’s a good idea to work with a practicing homeopathic healer rather than just trying to treat yourself. Their insights into treatment regimens are worth knowing. Certain homeopathic solutions are available or may be concocted to treat the following conditions: Hair loss due to disease or chronic illness: silica Hair loss due to depression: natrum muriaticum Hair loss due to grief/sorrow: phosphoric acidum, also ignatia Premature hair loss and graying hair: lycopodium Hair loss due to stress: arsenicum album Your homeopathic practitioner will advise which strength of the solution to take, and normally you will take the remedy twice daily for two weeks. When positive results are attained, you will stop taking the remedy until you experience a return of your symptoms. Next we’ll learn how to combine some of these solutions into home-made remedies that will have you back on the road to a full head of hair! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 34 Chapter Seven The Natural Approach: Home-Made Remedies That Really Work! Big Juju! The Ancients Speak Ever since man started losing his hair, people have sought tonics, lotions and Big Juju (magic) to reverse the process. In the process, some ancient cultures have come up with some truly unique approaches! Are you really serious about vanquishing your balding pate? It’s really quite simple. Merely mug your local shepherd and take his staff, preferably one with the leaves still intact but in a withered state. Then catch a swallow (that’s easy, they only fly 75 mph), kill it and burn the poor thing on a fire made from the shepherd’s staff. Next, take the ashes and mix them with the urine of young men “who have not known women”. I have a feeling that may be a tough one in today’s society. Anyway, liberally coat your head with the smelly paste and you can rest assured that not only will your hair sprout vigorously, it will grow thick as a lion’s mane. Right. Can’t find a shepherd? Try this one: Wait patiently at a nearby cave until sunset when the bats emerge. If you’re a good jumper and have quick hands, you’ll soon catch a bat. If your luck holds, your bat won’t have rabies. It’s OK if it does though, because there are vaccines for rabies nowadays. Anyway, lop off its head and boil it in olive oil. Take the resulting mixture and rub “where thou wishest the hair would grow”. We know for sure that olive oil is a great therapy, but I’m not so sure about the boiled bat’s head. The ancient Romans didn’t believe in all that superstition. They were a direct, matter-of-fact people. All you had to do was make a paste of chicken crap and sheep urine, rub it on your head and stand back. Way-y-y back, ‘cuz the other folks won’t be having much to do with you. Had enough? I thought so. Let’s take a look at a genuine Native American tonic that actually works! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 35 Native American Herbal Hair Tonic The first thing you’ll notice as you gather the herbs for this remedy is that they’re all listed as supplements earlier! The Native Americans were onto something. Except for lavender, you should be able to find all these ingredients at the grocery store, an herb shop or online, or if you’re really up for it, slip on your moccasins and go scour the woods. The ingredients are:  Dried lavender flowers. Fresh is OK to, but you’ll have to find these yourself.  Ginger (sound familiar?)  Dried rosemary leaves (remember rosemary in the supplement section?) Procedure You want to end up with one portion of each ingredient, all three of approximately equal size. About a handful of each ingredient is sufficient. Remove the skin from the ginger and chop it into medium-sized pieces. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stems and leave them whole. Remove the lavender flowers from the stems and chop them up. Place the three ingredients in a small saucepan, cover with distilled water, bring to a boil and let simmer uncovered for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The less water you use, the stronger the mixture will be. Remove from heat, cover and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Using Your Native American Hair Tonic Spray on problem areas, rub in gently but firmly and allow to dry. Once dry, you may wash it off if you wish. Repeat twice a day, morning and evening. You’ll notice that the tonic gives off a faint but pleasant aroma which disappears once you wash it out. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 36 You can also use it as a shampoo in the shower; rub it in thoroughly before rinsing. While some users have reported results in as little as two weeks, a sixty to ninety day period is more likely. You will see very fine, very soft hair reappear and gradually become thicker and stronger. As with most tonics, when you stop using it your hair will eventually revert to its original state. Fortunately, Native American Hair Tonic is very inexpensive to make, so it won’t break your budget the way many other hair remedies can. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Here are some more lotions and tonics you can easily make at home. Most of these sound good enough to eat, but resist the temptation and instead, rub them on your scalp! More Great Home-Made Treatments Avocado mix is made with one ripe avocado, a teaspoon of wheat germ oil and a teaspoon of jojoba oil. Mix thoroughly, then apply to your scalp after washing your hair. Massage it into your scalp, then work it from the roots to the tips of your hairs. Cover your scalp with plastic or a shower cap and let it work for about half an hour, then rinse out. Beef marrow treatment is a great protein booster for your hair if you can find it refined. Rub thoroughly into your scalp and hair roots, then shampoo and rinse. Mayonnaise may be rubbed into your hair to clean and moisturize it. Shampoo and rinse. An effective and inexpensive hair shampoo can be made by diluting your favorite shampoo 50% with water. Add about twenty drops of chamomile, lavender or rosemary oil. Shake well before use and massage into your wet hair, then rinse. Here are some great home-made hair conditioners. Remember that conditioners should be started at your hair’s ends and worked towards the roots. Bear in mind that some of these will have strong odors, so choose your therapy time appropriately so you won’t offend other people’s delicate noses. Aloe vera/olive oil conditioner can be made by mixing equal parts of aloe vera gel and olive oil, to which you will add five to seven drops of rosemary oil. Once applied (remember: tips to roots!), leave on for about two hours then wash out. Ginger/sesame oil conditioner uses one tablespoon of ginger juice combined with one tablespoon of sesame oil. Massage into your scalp before bedtime and cover your head with a cloth turban or shower cap. The next morning, mix up Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 37 one quart of warm water and one tablespoon of pure apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is the best!). Shampoo as normal, then rinse with vinegar water. One tablespoon of pure honey mixed with 1/3 cup of onion juice makes a potent daily scalp massage. This has a strong odor! Vodka, honey and onion juice make an even more penetrating version of the above tonic. Use one tablespoon of honey mixed with an ounce and a half of vodka and a tablespoon of onion juice and rub the mixture into your scalp before bedtime. Cover with a shower cap and in the morning, shampoo as usual. There’s odor with this one too. Cayenne pepper and vodka make a powerful combination! Mix one half teaspoon cayenne pepper into an ounce and a half of vodka and massage into your scalp. Put on your shower cap and hit the sack. The next day, shampoo as usual. Expect a distinct odor from this one. Garlic juice mixed with a bit of olive oil to make it more spreadable may be massaged into your scalp at night. Cover with a shower cap and shampoo in the morning as usual. Yep, odor. Castile soap (vegetable soap) is better for your hair than most shampoos. Dr. Bronner’s is a good brand to try. Follow up with a rinse of one quart water and one tablespoon apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s). Try an electric massager for excellent stimulation of your scalp. They will come with various attachments, use one with knobs or little fingers on it. Blackstrap molasses (unsulfured) will give your body an intense shot of iron. Take a spoonful daily. Your favorite shampoo can be super fortified! Mix together one egg with a tablespoon each of rosemary, chamomile and coconut oils plus one tablespoon of rosewater. Pour into an empty shampoo bottle and top off with your favorite shampoo. You’ll want to keep this in the fridge to keep it fresh. Chive rinse is made from one cup of boiling water into which you throw one tablespoon of chopped chives. Cover and remove from heat. When cool, strain out the chives and pour the liquid into a small bottle. Use as a rinse after shampooing. Once-a-month protein bath will hydrate your scalp and replenish your hair’s surface protein. Warm up a small saucepan of water and blend in an egg yolk. Massage this into your scalp for five to ten minutes, then cover up with your trusty shower cap for another ten minutes. Rinse out with warm water. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 38 Chapter Eight Getting That Tingly Feeling: More Healthy-Hair Tips The Magic Key Exercising your scalp is the key to stimulating new hair growth and restoring circulation. Here are some approaches that have worked for me and for others. Of course, the very best scalp massage is the one you get from someone else! Using some kind of lubricant is always better for keeping irritation from happening, and if the oil used is one of those that promote hair restoration, so much the better. Using Gravity This exercise isn’t for everyone, so use some common sense! If possible, stand on your head and hold that position for about a minute each day. You want to gradually work up to five minutes a day. The increased blood flow and oxygen stimulate your scalp and assist in hair restoration and growth. Oil Treatment Mix six drops of bay oil and six drops of lavender oil into four ounces of sesame oil. Use as a scalp massage. The Yank As you towel your hair dry, grab a section of your hair and give it a firm but nonpainful yank, working your way in this fashion over your entire scalp. This stimulates your scalp and strengthens the hair roots. Knock on Wood Gently knock all over your scalp with the knuckles of both hands to stimulate it. The Dermal Hammer The dermal hammer is a tool used by acupuncturists. The head of the hammer is covered with blunt needles that stimulate but do not injure the skin. When tapped on the scalp’s thinning areas, it restores circulation and the flow of vital energy to affected areas. You can achieve much the same result by tapping your Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 39 scalp with a hair brush. However, this is a much more effective treatment in the hands of a trained acupuncturist. And a Few More Home Remedies Dried Indian gooseberry (also called “amla”) can be boiled in coconut oil and then mixed in equal portions with lime juice. Use it as a shampoo to stimulate hair growth. Thirty drops of red clover tops liquid extract can be added to eight ounces of distilled water for a daily restorative drink. Sage tea and apple cider vinegar can be combined in equal amounts and poured into a bottle for an excellent rinse. Cayenne pepper/apple cider vinegar salve is made with one-and-a-half tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a half teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper. Work into your scalp about an hour before you shampoo. Be careful not to get it in your eyes! This worked well for me. If you have particularly dry hair, use vodka instead of cider vinegar. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 40 Chapter Nine Putting It All Together: Your Daily “Hair Again!” Plan The 5 Minute a Day Healthy Hair Habit This simple regimen has worked for thousands of us, guys like you and me who are serious about stopping hair loss and restoring their hair. The best part of it is that you don’t have to go through painful, expensive hair transplant surgery or load up your system with dangerous pharmaceuticals with their many side effects. What it takes is persistence and patience. I know we all want a magic pill or some miracle that’s quick, easy and cheap, but our hair loss didn’t happen overnight and it will take some time to turn it around. The point is, the time is going to go by anyway. Three to six months from now your hair will either be the same, worse or well on its way to growing again. It’s up to you. 1) Start your program with a thorough hair detox using Aveda’s “Hair Detoxifier Shampoo”, following the directions on the bottle and really working it from the roots to the tips. Let the lather work for several minutes, then rinse. This will strip out all the natural and artificial buildups that are clogging your scalp and hair. After this first time, you’ll do a detox once a month, possibly more frequently if you feel the need. TIP: If you’d like to do a double-barrel detox, consider drinking an ounce of pure wheatgrass juice each morning on an empty stomach. The benefits are too numerous to mention, but your hair will love you for it. I consider this a primary weapon in my fight against hair loss. 2) Shampoo using your favorite concoction, home-made, store-bought or fortified. Once you’ve worked it into your hair, allow it to sit for several minutes and rinse. 3) Use your favorite conditioner (as above, home-made, store-bought or fortified). Thoroughly work into your hair and allow it to work for several minutes, then rinse. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 41 4) When you’re finished, towel your hair by blotting it with the towel, absorbing the water by repeatedly pressing the towel to your head. Be gentle. 5) With your hair still moist, take a good serum product like “Thicker Fuller Hair” serum (or any of the home made tonics you like) and again, work it into your hair from the roots to the tips, covering your entire scalp. Spend a little more time in problem areas. 6) Style your hair with any of the mousse products that are specifically formulated for making your hair “fatter” (a volumizing product is what you’re after.) Be certain you cover all your hair to obtain a consistent look. Comb it into the style you want. 7) As you use your hair dryer, be careful to keep it at a medium temperature and about six inches away from your hair. If you’re using a really hot or powerful dryer, adjust the distance accordingly so you don’t damage your hair. Always blow in the direction you want your hair to go. 8) Using a light touch, “plump” your hair with your fingers and separate any clumping hair you run across. You’re aiming for the best possible coverage from all angles, so check the mirror and use plenty of light. 9) Before you head out the door, double check and plump up your now completely dry hair, then gently rebrush as needed. Your hair will look natural and more full, with better scalp coverage. Get out those baseline pictures you took. As you get into the five minute a day healthy hair habit, you’re going to see steady improvement in the way your hair looks and feels. By combining this with the other suggestions in “Hair Again!” you can confidently expect to have a significantly improved and healthy head of hair by this time next year! Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 42 Chapter Ten Some Final Thoughts: The Common Sense Approach The Reality of it All A total hair restoration program needs to fit the reality of your life if you’re going to be consistent and stick with it. You’ll need to budget the money for the products and/or materials you need on a monthly basis, keeping it affordable and realistic. One of the reasons I love the natural home-made products you’ve read about in “Hair Again!” is that they’re inexpensive and work as well as and in most cases better than anything you can buy. In order to maximize the effect of all your hard work, you need to adopt the right style for your hair. This may be different from what you’re used to or have even considered in the past. Don’t rely on yourself, your parents, your girlfriend or other people close to you to give you worthwhile advice. Spend the money and go to a top hair stylist (preferably a guy who understands the challenges you’re facing) and listen to what he has to say. He’s going to be up to date on the hair trends for men in your age group and will find a style that is right for you. You may not necessarily be crazy about his suggestions, but he’s not going to make you look like a fool either. In line with the above suggestion, shy away from barber shops. These scissor jockeys are great at giving good, inexpensive haircuts, but they’re not going to be sympathetic, knowledgeable or responsive to your particular hair challenges. If you’re under the delusion that a comb-over or a ponytail with very little hair on top is fooling anyone, get over it. You look like what you are: a guy who’s losing his hair and trying to hide it. Get with the right style, stop your hair loss and begin regrowing your hair using the information in “Hair Again!” By the way, chlorine is tough on your hair. Use a cap when swimming in chlorinated pools and consider getting your shower outfitted with a chlorine filter. They’re not expensive and your hair will show the difference. Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved 43 Conclusion We’ve covered a lot of ground in “Hair Again!”. You now have all the information you need to reverse the hair challenges sapping your self-esteem. Right now everything you’ve read is just words. But as you translate those words into action, you will begin to see a difference in your hair and begin to feel different about yourself. Go to it! Good luck, and stay in touch. John Copyright © 2010 John Kelby www.TotalHairRegrowth.com, All Rights Reserved