Onion happens to be an old remedy for hair loss that actually works. It has been used by people for centuries and is known to not only help strengthen the hair but also has medicinal properties for other conditions. In fact, in the middle ages, onions used to be prescribed as an antidote for earaches, hair loss, headaches and yes, even snake bites.

So what makes onion tick? Onion works against hair loss effectively because of its high levels of sulfur content. Sulfur is usually known as the “beauty mineral” as it can help in reducing skin inflammation, stimulating blood circulation, and keeping our nails and hair in a good state. This simply means that when you have the right level of sulfur in the body, it can be highly effective in bringing down hair fall and aiding in hair growth.

But how do you know you’ve got sulfur deficiency? The common signs are weak nails, dry skin and hair that are brittle. Also, you may get fatigued easily; have allergies, headache, etc. The reason for this is improper diet that lacks in sulfur. In fact, studies have shown that fertilizers and chemical pesticides negatively affect the sulfur content that’s present in the plants that are being grown such soil. Apart from this, processed foods have less amounts of sulfur as it usually gets removed during the process. Since sulfur isn’t a mineral that can be produced by our bodies, it needs to be supplied through other means, such as in taking food that’s rich in this mineral.

For anyone suffering from hair loss, the easiest way is to make use of sulfur to strengthen their hair roots by directly applying onion juice on the scalp. According to a study done in the year of 2002, which was published in the Journal of Dermatology, onion extract can work very efficiently against hair loss or alopecia areata. More than 70% of the people who applied onion juice had some hair growth in as less as 2 months. Here’s how you can create about with the procedure for yourself:

(1) Chop a small onion into small pieces and grind it in your blender.
(2) Remove the extract and strain it using a sieve to collect the liquid solution.
(3) Massage this juice into your scalp for a few minutes, especially in the bald spots.

Alternatively, other types of onion treatments include taking a slice of onion and rubbing it directly on the scalp and applying olive oil after that for the soothing effect. Make sure you do not rub it too hard on your scalp, or else it may cause traction alopecia, which is baldness caused by breaking of hair. Once you’re done applying the juice, wash and condition your hair with a shampoo as usual. That’s about it! Do it on a regularly basis, and you should see results in a few months.

The onion juice formula might sound too simple to work. But it does work like magic and is safer than any medicines out there or a hair transplant. Try this cheap yet effective solution for your hair loss and see the difference for yourself.

Given below are some important facts that will help you see how to have the right diet:

1. Having a diet that’s rich in sodium and fat can cause you to lose hair. Having such a diet damages the kidneys, this in turn increases the acidity in the blood, giving rise to hair loss. When you have a low fat diet, it helps in slowing down the whole process of hair thinning. Recent studies show that MPB or male patter baldness is in some way connected to high levels of testosterone, which may have risen from being on a high-animal protein diet.
2. Lack of protein in your diet can be one of the other factors that cause hair loss since this makes them enter into a resting phase.
3. Nuts and olive oil is a rich source of mono-saturated fats, which helps in hair growth and nourishing the hair follicles.
4. Keep away from foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice and potatoes. During the digestion, carbohydrates increase the blood sugar level in your body. When you cut down on the sugar level, it helps in bringing down hair loss.
5. Cut down on your alcohol intake and limit your drinks to one per day. Alcohol lowers the levels of vitamin B and C along with zinc and folic acid in your body. These vitamins are essential for your hair’s health and you don’t want to have a deficiency in them. Apart from this, alcohol is high on sugar and contains large amount of calories, again, a good enough reason for you to limit it.
6. Lower the amount of caffeine you have. Caffeine happens to decrease zinc and potassium levels in your body, along with vitamin B and C. A lack of these vitamins strains and affects the adrenal glands, which in turn increase DHT or dihydrotestosterone levels, which is a type of testosterone that’s responsible for hair loss.
7. In order to stimulate hair growth and positively affect it, soy protein should be included in your diet. It can increase hair growth to a good extent. Foods that are rich in soy protein are tofu, soy milk, eggs, fish and cheese.
8. One of the causes of hair thinning happens to be Anemia. You need to avoid consuming food that’s rich in iron such as dried fruits, eggs, green leafy vegetables, dates and raisins.

Fighting with hair loss starts with your diet. By improving your diet and taking care of it, you win half the battle, which also improves your overall health.

Sounds kind of fishy doesn’t it, let’s take a look at some of the facts.  The hair that is used is actually more resistant to balding than the hair that has fallen out.  This hair will continue to grow like normal and people that had the procedure done, will appear to have hair where they were once balding.

Technology Options

With technology these days, hair transplants are becoming much easier.  Some procedures actually take hair grafts that are smaller (1 to 4 hairs) and add that to balding areas on your head.  Back in the day the procedure called for larger grafts and mini plugs to accomplish the same thing, but doctors have found that there is a better chance of coverage with the smaller grafts.

Hair regrowth, or multiplication, is also a newer technique for those that have bald spots.  Basically, doctors have noticed stem cells on hair folicles and thus have concluded that hair cloning might be around in the near future.  In recent studies, men have actually started growing hair back where they were once bald.  Doctors have taken hair from the back of the neck, multiplying it and re-implanting it back into the scalp.  It might takes years to complete the testing, but it might be a viable option for those losing their hair.

There are also those that say low level lasers can stimulate hair growth on bald spots.  Even though there is only one product the FDA approved, Hairmax Lasercomb, I am sure there will be many more to follow.  The one issue I have with the Lasercomb is that it sounds like something you can only get on TV at 3am.

Plant Options

Doctors have also credited things like caffine and saw palmetto as things you can ingest to help with hair regrowth.  I am not sure about caffine, as I see all kinds of men drinking coffee all day, that have no hair on their heads.  All kidding aside, you are actually supposed to add the caffine to your shampoo to help stimulate the hair growth at the folicle level.

Leave in hair conditioners actually only add a little bit of coating on the hair layer. Unlike other hair conditioners, leave in conditioner is usually much lighter on the hair and is less viscous and less prone to crystallizing.

Some leave in hair conditioners are much better than others.  The phrase, “you get what you pay for”, always comes in handy when deciding on the right kind of leave in.  Typically, a leave in conditioner is used on heavily damages hair and can help to treat overly dry hair from getting worse.  Another reason you might use a leave-in type condtioner is if you have really curly hair and cannot manage it like those with straight, thinner hair.

Leave-in conditioners are used by those with heavy, curly hair so they can manage it better.  Basically, the detangler agent in the conditioner is what is at work here.  A lot of times people with those hairstyles cannot get a brush or comb through the hair without forcing it through.  With leave-in conditioner, they are able to comb or brush the hair with ease and causing less stress on the hair shaft.

There are many products available and even more recipes on the web that will allow you to make your own leave-in conditioner.  Basically things like Olive Oil are a major ingredient, but we are not going to talk about that right now.  Don’t be mistaken either, leave-in hair conditioner is both for woman & men.  It is actually a better product for men because most men don’t use conditioner at all.  It’s something that can be applied quickly and really help with the health of your hair.

1. True or False – Frequent trimming makes your hair grow faster.
   Well, the answer from InStyle is False.  Basically the trim is keeping a split end from moving further up the hair shaft.  If you keep your hair healthier to begin with you are not going to have to worry about split ends.  I think this is a good tip, as much as a well known myth, and if you keep your hair healthy on a daily basis, you should see excellent results.
2. True or False – Brushing you hair often makes it healthier.
   InStyle says False and I would have to agree.  I think this might have been something that mothers told their daughters just to get them to keep their hair brushed, lol.  If fact, the article says that over brushing can cause more of a problem that it helps.  Creating a dull finish on your hair and if you use a “bad brush”, it can harm your hair even more (see hair gallery).  Just keeping your hair from becoming a rats nest is enough brushing.
3. True or False – Massaging your scalp stimulates hair growth.
   Another False from InStyle.  Your hair will still grow at it’s normal rate, but messaging the scalp does help to relieve stress and increase blood circulation.  I think that there are a lot of places that tell you a scalp message will help and they are not 100% wrong.  Doing so will just not help you grow MORE hair.
4. True or False – Chemical straighteners change your texture permanently
   False.  As your hair grows, your texture returns to normal.  The roots of your hair are not penetrated during this process, so the only hair affected is the hair that you see.  I think that this happens more for African Americans that want to straighten their hair so they don’t have the large afro puff all the time.  Talking about severe damage to your hair, the chemical treatment is one of the worst.
5. True or False – Wearing a ponytail in the same area can give you a bald spot
   This is our first TRUE.  According to Doris Day, a dermatologist from NYC, “the constant tugging of a tight band can scar hair follicles and cause them to stop growing hair”.  Using a soft band for your hair is at least a little better then using a tight one all the time.  Whatever you can do to keep the ponytail loose on your head is going to be better.
6. True or False – A cold rinse adds shine and tames fuzzy hair
   This one is also TRUE.  A cold blast of water at the end of your shower can flatten the cuticle onto the shaft and make the hair appear shinier.  But remember to dry your hair properly and use conditioner to keep that affect.  This sounds like another good tip, but beware that you still have to dry and condition your hair properly.
7. True or False – Hair can become immune to shampoo
   False.  All shampoo is for is to clean the hair.  That it something it will always do.  If your hair looks bad after using your favorite shampoo, it may be because it is leaving a build up on the hair.  All you have to do is get a nice gentle clarifying shampoo to clean off the “gunk” and your hair should be back to normal.  These types of shampoos are generally a bit more expensive, but you should never forget that you get what you pay for.
8. True or False – Coloring can change your hair’s texture
   This is TRUE, but really only temporarily.  Permanent color removes the protection layer on your hair and lifts the cuticles so dyes are able to penetrate.  Coloring can also swell the hair and give it body.  You will notice this more if you have thinner hair or hair with grey roots.  I think that any type of “treatment” that will change the hair texture, is not a good one.  Keeping your hair forever is hard work, but it can be done by just avoiding some mistakes that people make.

Reading through these myths you can see some that are more well known than others, but really, it still comes down to the fact that if you treat your hair gently and properly, it will be around a long time.

Even though the curling iron’s heat will destroy some chemical bonds in your hair, when the heat comes off the hair, the hope is the hair will come back more curly than it was to begin with.  Styling with heat or chemicals can be 110% destructive to your hair.  Since your hair is already dead, you must be completely careful how much you actually use heat or chemicals while styling.  When you destroy the chemical bonds in the hair protein, all you can do is hope that it comes back to “life” and doesn’t just fall out.

By holding your hair certain ways, while using the flat iron, can create different types of curls or waves.  Soft curls can be created by wrapping 2 inches of hair around the flat iron and slowly pulling it through the iron.  Try  not to squeeze to tightly on the hair to keep the hair in a soft curl.

See videos here & here for more information.

You can also flip the hair in or out.  Simply take 2 inches of hair and gently squeeze the hair with the flat iron all the way to the end.  When you get to the end just flip the hair outward or inward to create the “flip”.

That is just a couple quick ways that you can curl your hair with a flat iron.

All the value in your hair is stripped causing a dried out, tangle  bound mess.  The darker your hair is before you bleach, the worse it will be after you bleach.  The reason for this, is because it will take MORE bleach to remove all the pigment from your natural color, before you can add your highlights or other colors.

Typically your hair can get so damaged that it will just break off when you brush it, or even worse, be extremely fragile coming out of a shower.  We already know that hair is weakest when it’s wet and that is for natural hair.  Picture the strength of your hair now that it’s bleached AND wet.  Not a good picture (see damaged hair samples)

Of course, there are products, like deep conditioners, that you can use to keep the hair healthy while using bleach, but it will not be brought be to the same level of healthiness as it would be natural.  It isn’t always bad to want to add color, but you should be aware that if you ever want to get back to natural, healthy hair, the road can be a long one.

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Always ask your salon about how the process works on your hair, you might be able to save yourself some trouble in the long run.

Frizzy hair

To keep your hair from becoming frizzy in the first place, you want to take care of your hair right out of the shower.  Do not towel off your hair in a frantic motion getting your hair all worked up while “drying” it.  Just take the towel and gently pat down, or squeeze, your hair to remove excess water from the hair.  Let the towel do the work, there is no need to get all crazy with your hair, plus that can damage your hair in more ways than one.

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Another way to help with frizzy hair is you could use a anti-frizz serum, straightening lotion or any natural product geared towards dried, frizzy hair.  Always avoid anything with alcohol in it, if possible, as it actually will dry your hair out more than help it in any way.

If you use a hair dryer, use the cool air setting, if you need to use the heat, use it slowly and on a low setting.  Cool water will help keep your hair shiny and smooth by closing your hair cuticles at the scalp.  That all goes together with proper hair treatment.

These are just a couple of frizzy hair tips and may not work for every type of hair, but at least you have something that you can try.

What treatments or tactics do you use to keep your hair calm and not frizzy?