healthy hair central

*Photo courtesy of SeanMcgrath

Gettin’ Jiggy With It: Does Sex Cause Hair Loss?

Oh, you lothario, you’re at it again. But lately, you have noticed that your shower drain starts clogging more than usual, and ew! What is that spot at the crown of your head? Is…is that your…scalp where your hair used to be?

Fact or Fiction?

You think back, and remember that old myth you heard about hair loss coming from the mother’s side of the family (not true by the way, we debunked this myth in another article). You Google your hair-loss woes, and infer that your swingin’ lifestyle may be the reason that you are balding.

Gettin Down With The Science of It

You see, one of the main theories regarding sexual activity and hair loss is that ‘excessive’ ejection of seminal fluid may lead to a protein deficiency in the body, and therefore hair loss. As you know, proteins are “the building blocks of life” and they are responsible for the growth and repair of many of the body’s tissues, including – you guessed it – hair. You know what else has proteins? Seminal fluid, therefore creating that myth that sex causes hair loss. But don’t start chugging protein shakes just yet – seminal fluid is comprised of about only 10% proteins, while the “dry” weight of your body consists of about 50% proteins.

Don’t Be Worried

If you’re like me and your eyes glazed over when you saw the percentages, just know this – no matter how many emissions you may have a day, it is highly unlikely that your newfound baldness is caused by your lifestyle. What may have caused it, however, are a plethora of other factors, like hormones, genetics, the hair products you use (check the label and make sure that alcohol is not one of the main ingredients), and your styling tools.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Photo courtesy of …love Maegan

Protect your hair from heat and hair loss

You often hear applying a heat protectant spray when using heated styling tools is very important. People wonder if it really matters or if it’s a gimmick to get people to invest in new products they do not need. So does it matter?

In a single word – yes – these heat protectants are important when you work with heated styling tools. Heat protectants reduce the physical and chemical damage to hair when you apply heat to it. They cannot eliminate the damage, but it’s a lot less.

Protection from physical damage

When you apply heat to the hair, the surface of the hair may have chips or breaks. When you comb the hair after heat styling, there may be physical breakage because the hair is damaged. The heat protectants place a layer of coating on the hair, meaning the hair fiber and the heated styling tools do not come into contact. This reduces the chance of breakage.

What is going on?

No heat protectant is going to protect your hair completely. Heat breaks down the amino acids in hair. Considering that hair is made up out of amino acids, there is no way to avoid chemical damage. The specific amino acid that often suffers damage is tryptophan. When you use a heat protectant, it means less degradation of tryptophan. Because the layer prevents all of the heat to transfer to the hair, it means that the protein is less likely to be damaged.

Choosing the right one

First, using any heat protectant is always going to be better than directly applying heated styling tools to your hair. But seeing as we are always about learning more, a study at the University of Manchester showed that dry ingredients (solvents and oils including ethanol) were better than water based heat protectants. Those without water simply worked better than those with. If you want some of the best ingredients, look for polymers and silicones, some of the best-researched protectants.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

Did you know that you can experience hair loss from dieting?

Many people have noticed that highly restrictive diets may work for their waistline, but it can be detrimental to their hairline. That is why when it comes to healthy hair; it is important to avoid highly restrictive diets unless advised by a physician.

What is the big deal?

Regardless of what shampoo you find, whether you use a high-class Hollywood salon conditioner, a healthy diet with the right mix of iron, protein, and other nutrients will help your hair. Your body needs nutrients to grow. The only way that your body is going to receive nutrients is if you eat said nutrients. The moment someone starts restricting one food group (avoiding carbohydrates completely or only eating soup for a whole week for example), there will be a deficiency in your body – and your hair will pay the price.

Protein is necessary

Some people avoid meat altogether because of their beliefs, that is perfectly acceptable but you still need to make sure that you eat enough protein. After all, your hair is composed of mostly protein, which means it makes sense that your hair needs protein to be healthy. You can receive protein from fish, meat, soy, whole grains, or legumes.

Eat your vitamins

Some people eat a very restrictive diet with very few calories in order to lose weight. Again, it may be good for your figure, but your body is not getting what it needs. Your hair also needs vitamin E, iron, and trace minerals such as magnesium, copper, and selenium to help keep your hair healthy. All of these are involved in the production of proteins. Fish, beef, pork are good sources, but so are vegetarian sources such as spinach, lentils, white beans, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, and fortified cereals.

Being on a very strict calorie-deprived diet

If you use a very strict calorie-deprived diet you will lose weight, and you will likely lose it quickly. However, unless you supplement your body, it is almost impossible to receive the nutrients you need. If someone loses 15 or more pounds, it is quite normal for them to shed some hair. However, the hair loss is reversible. Once the weight stabilizes, the hair will come back in otherwise healthy individuals.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

Eating protein and hair loss prevention

We love a juicy steak as much as the next person, but what you might not know is that eating protein every day can help hair growth. Considering hair is made up out of protein, it would make sense that eating more protein helps with hair growth.

How protein and hair loss are correlated

Protein does not just help with hair growth, it is also an important part of repairing body structures, and guess what – hair falls under that category too. If you do not eat enough protein, you will have brittle hair that feels like it could snap at any minute or you may even experience hair loss.

Amino acids and hair

There are 22 different amino acids. All of these amino acids have their own characteristics. There are eight essential amino acids. When we say protein, we aren’t just talking about “one protein” but thousands of different substances. Because our body cannot make amino acids, we need to get them through our daily diet.

The circle of life

So protein ‘replaces’ (yes we simplified that whole biological process) dead or worn-out cells. This is a big deal because we have a lot of repairing to do every day.

Every 10 day or so most of our white blood cells are replaced
Every four days our blood platelets and lining of the gastrointestinal tract is replaced
Every 24 days our skin cells are replaced

What if I don’t eat meat?

If you want the eight essential amino acids, you want the most complete proteins. You can find these in soy, cheese, milk, eggs, fish, poultry, and meat. So anything that comes from an animal really. Even though you can find protein in beans, peas, and nuts, these do not have all of the essential amino acids.

Because our body never stops working, it is important you never stop feeding it what it needs. That is why protein is an important component of your diet and something you eat every day.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Image courtesy of RelaxingMusic

Can a scalp massage for hair growth help?

At almost every salon in the world, you will have someone massage your scalp before he or she shampoos your hair before a trim. Sure it feels good, are there actual benefits for your hair when someone massages the scalp or is it just a little extra service cause it feels good?

Getting the blood flowing

There are benefits to someone massaging your scalp, and you can even rub your own head and get some of those effects. As with all parts of the body, circulation to the scalp is important. When you help the circulation of the scalp area by massaging it, the hair follicles that make up your hair become receptive to oxygen and nutrients. That’s kind of a big deal because hair needs these for maximum health.

It helps remove sebum

It does not just help with circulation either, when those pores open up excess sebum is either dissolved or removed, which means that the scalp is cleaner. This is a big deal because the buildup of sebum can clog hair follicles. This clog prevents hair growth, which is the exact opposite of what you want in healthy hair.

Help remove scales and bacteria

Plaques, dandruff, and skin scales over the scalp will prevent hair growth as well, with a scalp massage you can loosen those and get the blood flow back where it needs to be. Another problem that comes around often is folliculitis, which sounds like something we made up, but it is an infection of the follicle due to a virus, fungus, or bacteria. This will stop hair growth because it affects the entire follicle.

There are many other benefits to a scalp massage such as relaxation, but it does more than just feel good, it helps stimulate the growth of hair. Massaging the scalp is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable ways to stimulate hair growth.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Image courtesy of passamanarie

Are split ends and hair growth related?

The dreaded split ends that make your hair look like you haven’t paid attention to it in weeks, frizzy and uncontrollable. Oftentimes friends and family (and even strangers on the street) will tell you to cut off split ends the moment you identify them. So oftentimes we do, but why exactly are we cutting those split ends, does it provide any benefit or do we do it because it’s what we have always done’? Are split ends and hair growth correlated?

Why we cut off split ends

First things first, look at this incredible close-up of what split ends look like – pretty damaged as is. What you are seeing there is the cortex, which is composed of long-coiled proteins called keratin that provide texture and strength to your hair. Usually the cuticle protects this layer, but with split ends, the cuticle is damaged. This causes the protein fibers to unravel.

Now, what happens if you do not cut off the problem area is the shaft of each and every individual hair is going to continue to split. In other words, the problem is going to spread, like a crack in your windshield. What starts as a small problem, eventually grows and becomes a much larger problem. Therefore, unless you cut it off now, you will have to cut off a larger amount of hair later to resolve the problem.

When to cut them off

The moment that split ends occur, you only need a light trim, maybe about a half-inch or so to take care of the problem area. Wait longer, maybe an inch past the tips, and you are left with no other alternative but to take off considerably more.

There are lots of steps you can take to prevent split ends, but the second they occur the best step to take is just cutting them off to prevent future damage to the rest of your hair. Although split ends and hair growth are not directly correlated, managing split ends can increase how much healthy hair you have in the long run.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Image courtesy of faungg

Scalp infection and hair loss

We know many reasons why our hair may not be growing as we would want it to, but one very particular problem is often overlooked. Worse yet, it can affect adults and children of any gender or age and the effects on your hair may be devastating. The problem may actually be a scalp infection. Not only can these infections wreak havoc on your hair, they are difficult to diagnose and to treat. Three major scalp infections can mess with our hair.

Ringworm can cause scalp infection and hair loss

When you have ringworm, it means that your scalp has a fungal infection. It is common among young children and contagious as well. But do not make the mistake of assuming that only children may have problems, the fungus does not discriminate. Even worse, the problem is not limited to the scalp either; any part of the body may be affected because ringworm affects hair follicles and hair shafts. After a topical or oral antifungal medication, ringworm can be cured. While your hair is likely to come back after the fungal infection is taken care of, it might take quite a while.

Alopecia Areata can cause scalp infection and hair loss

Like ringworm, Alopecia Areata can affect all parts of the body that have hair follicles. It is an autoimmune disease. This means that hair loss results from the body attacking itself, thinking it is somehow fending off an intruder. It often leads to sudden hair loss and there may not be signs of scaling, broken hair, or inflammation usually associated with an infection. With Alopecia Areata, it is not uncommon to lose hair overnight in oval or round patches. Worse yet, there is no current treatment for Alopecia Areata and it is a very aggressive disease. The only positive is that because it is an autoimmune disease, it often goes back into remission (meaning the symptoms subside) during which time you can have your hair grow back.

Folliculitis can cause scalp infection and hair loss

With folliculitis, the hair follicles become inflamed. If the inflammation is bad enough, you will notice that you start losing your hair, and it could even destroy the hair follicles permanently. That means that the hair will never grow back. Folliculitis comes in different forms, both infectious and non-infectious. Depending on the severity, it can be treated with topical ointments (for minor infections) or an oral antibiotic (for more serious or severe infections).

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Image courtesy of Larry Rosenstein

How do rubber bands cause hair loss?

If you are reading this, rubber bands cause hair loss, do not use rubber bands to hold your hair back or to style your hair – do we have your attention? If you look at undamaged, healthy hair, you will find it has a cuticle layer that is tightly sealed. This protects your hair. Using rubber bands may damage your hair, which means that you will see changes in hair moisture, strength, shine, and elasticity. And the worst part about it? Once hair is truly damaged, it is impossible to repair it completely.

Studies show rubber bands cause hair loss

Studies show that people who regularly use rubber bands to put their hair in ponytails have hair that simply stops growing. The growing has ceased because of the trauma caused by the use of the rubber bands. The hair is literally broken at the scalp. How many times have you fidgeted with your rubber band? Because they are so difficult to remove and fit tight, they can cause trauma to the hair.

What happens with damaged hair?

It does not matter if you damage your hair by pulling it back too tightly, over-processing, or use rubber bands, it may lead to the deletion of the whole cuticle layer, uplifted cuticle scales, brittle cuticles, and decreased shine. Because damaged hair is dry, porous, and weak, it becomes very difficult to manage. Due to the stress on the hair because of the tight elastic, it may result in hair breakage.

What is the alternative?

It is important to remember that anything applied to the hair too tightly can cause the hair to break. This includes clips, pins, and numerous other hair accessories. If you want to control your hair, try fabric scrunchies. These are often less harsh for your hair. Alternatively, you can use rubber-padded clips and combs. If you use pins or clips, use them in different places on your hair. That way, breakage is not localized in one single area.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

*Image courtesy of Fried Dough

The science behind smoking and hair loss

Many of us already know that smoking is not good for you. Sorry if we just provided you with some shocking information, but smoking is not good for anyone. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco. Tobacco has a number of toxic ingredients such as toluene, nicotine, methanol, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, DDT, vinyl chloride, butane, cadmium, nitrobenzene, and mercury. You may find some of these same chemicals in batteries, mothballs, rat poison, embalming fluid, and rocket fuel. That does not sound like something you want in your body.

However, if you are not afraid of cancer or breathing problems, maybe you are afraid of going through the rest of your life bald because of smoking and hair loss. Because this is not a farfetched statement. Studies on smoking and hair loss have shown that smoking can damage the hair follicles which leads to hair loss.

Smoking and hair loss

Smoking cigarettes can speed up the rate at which we lose our hair, and slows down the rate at which our hair grows. It is difficult for our cells to reproduce into healthy cells when we have toxic products in our system. The flow of oxygen in the blood stream is also reduced by the carbon monoxide in cigarettes. We have written before that oxygen is necessary for your hair to retain its moisture and be healthy.

Smoking can cause hair loss in the following three ways:

When combined with sebum, the scalps pores may undergo a minor clogging effect.
Smoking pollutes our blood. This directly affects our liver.
Smoking reduces circulation to the extremities, which includes your scalp. This means that the blood flow is drastically reduced.

The reality of smoking

The truth is that when it comes to the long-term effects that smoking can have on hair health, baldness should be one of the least of our worries. However, it may be the motivation someone needs to make a healthy change in his or her life. The good news is that if you do quit smoking, chances are that the hair will eventually grow back and become healthy. If you want healthy hair, do not smoke.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

essential fatty acids help fight hair loss omega 3

*Image courtesy of stemcellbiotherapy

Do Essential Fatty Acids in your diet reduce hair loss?

You are losing weight, you are looking better than ever, but you do start to notice that your hair is losing some of its shine and it just does not feel as strong as it used to. Believe it or not, but eating a ‘healthy’ diet for your body may actually have a negative effect on your hair, if you go overboard.

Keep Essential Fatty Acids in your diet

The first thing that most people try to do when they want to lose weight or live healthier is reduce the amount of calories they eat and drastically lower their fat intake. While your hair can work with very little fat, it does need some healthy fats to grow both shiny and strong. When the sebaceous glands in the scalp secrete less oil (as a result of a fat-free diet), you end up with dull, dry hair.

Essential Fatty Acids are different

You need essential fatty acids for hair growth. Now especially if you consider yourself overweight you might say “I have enough fat to go around,” but this is different fat we are talking about here. Omega-3 fatty acids help with cell growth and blood circulation. However, our body cannot produce these fatty acids on its own. You will find these fatty acids in olive oil and fish oil. However, you can also find them in wine, garlic, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. When your body does not have enough essential fatty acids, you may notice eczema, brittle hair, dry hair, dandruff, or dry, scaly, or flaky skin. All of these problems can lead to hair loss.

Is cutting Essential Fatty Acids a good idea?

While it is a good idea to start eating a healthier diet and avoid certain fats (especially transaturated fats, which may even hinder your hair’s ability to grow), it is important to not cut out all fats from your diet. Otherwise, you may find yourself a much leaner person, but without the same head of hair that you were used to.

Our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. Because everyone is different, we recommend you work with your medical professional to determine what’s best for you. Toji: Pure Density is designed to support healthy hair growth, and comes with a 3-bottle guarantee. Yes – this means you can try it for 3 months, and if you don’t grow faster, thicker, longer hair we will gladly provide you a complete, 100% money back, refund . For more info, check out our site: www.tojilife.com.

Tag Archives: Hair Loss