Every strand of hair on the human head has a life span that lasts somewhere between two to five years. Your hair follicles have a cycle of active growth, transition, and then rest. However certain lifestyle factors and circumstances can cause more of your hair to enter the rest cycle—this is the period where the hair falls out.
Everyone sheds their hair daily and that’s perfectly normal but if your hair loss leads to patchiness, bald spots, or large clumps of hair falling off then it’s high time you see a dermatologist or primary care physician for diagnosis. But if the hair loss you are experiencing is a result of a short-term or chronic health condition then there are certain things you can do to slow down or stop the hair loss. That’s why, in today’s guide, I’ll be giving you hair loss prevention tips you can follow to slow down and in the best case scenario, stop hair loss.
- Protein
The hair follicles on the human body are mostly made of a protein called keratin. A study carried out in 2017 showed that several people (participants) who were experiencing hair loss had low amino acid (which serves as the building blocks of protein) intake.
Although researchers have noted that more studies have to be done in order to determine if protein deficiencies can cause hair loss, eating diets rich in protein could help you in preventing hair loss. Healthy choices you should consider include beans, peas, eggs, fish, nuts, turkey, chicken, and low-fat dairy products.
- Vitamin A
Vitamin A is partly made up of retinoids—which has been shown to improve hair growth. Apart from increasing hair growth, vitamin A can also help with sebum production, retaining more hairs, and keeping a healthier scalp.
Hence, to prevent hair loss, eat more foods that are rich in vitamin A. Some good examples include potatoes, spinach, and sweet peppers.
- Mediterranean diet
A study that was carried out in 2018 showed that diets that contain fresh herbs and raw vegetables like the Mediterranean diet could either reduce the risk of androgenic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness) or slow its onset.
In the study, the best results were observed when the participants ate high amounts of foods like salad greens, parsley, basil, etc., more than three times a week.
- Multivitamin
Scientists have proved that vitamins A, B, C, D, zinc, iron, and selenium are all important to the hair retention and growth processes, particularly with cell turnover. You can purchase or find these multivitamins at drug stores and grocery stores near you. You can also ask your doctor to prescribe one for you.
- Biotin
Biotin (Vitamin H or B7) takes part in the fatty acid synthesis that takes part in the body. The acid fatty synthesis process is essential to your hair life cycle and it becomes possible for you to experience hair loss if you are deficient. You can take three to five milligrams daily but before doing that, speak to your doctor.
- Regular washing
Do you know that washing your hair daily protects against hair loss? Now you do. When you wash your hair, it protects your hair from falling off and it does this by keeping your scalp clean and healthy. When washing your hair, the key is to use a mild shampoo and that’s because harsher formulas may dry your hair and cause it to break thereby resulting in hair loss.
- Coconut oil
Due to a review carried out in 2018, researchers now believe that coconut oil helps in preventing hair damage from ultraviolet (UV) light exposure and grooming.
The lauric acid found in coconut oil does the work of binding protein in the hair, protecting it from breakage at the strand and root. Hence, massaging coconut oil into the scalp could help with regrowth and also promote better blood flow.
