Long and Strong hair: Tips and remedies

 

Long beautiful and strong hair is a dream of every girl. Hair of all textures,  all colors,  are beautiful, be it straight, be it curly, be it blonde, brown, or black. What makes hair beautiful is their health. Healthy hairs are always beautiful. For healthy hair, we must take care of hair as they are precious to us. 

Hair growth biology

Hairs grow naturally from the hair follicle. Biologically hair has 3 parts hair papilla, hair bulb, and hair shafts.  The hair papilla is the point where direct blood circulation occurs. It is the part that has a nerve supply.  It is the part from where hair gets its nourishment. The hair papilla enters into the hair bulb which is the main growing part of the hair. The hair bulb has an outer root covering, the inner root covering, and a hair matrix. The hair Matrix has melanin cells that grow and divide to produce melanin and are responsible for the color texture and growth of hair. If melanin is synthesized in a good amount the color of hair remains dark, but if, melanin pigment is not synthesized in these cells the color hair becomes Grey.

STRUCTURE OF HAIR FOLLICLE

 The external part of the hair is the hair shaft. The hair shaft has three parts medulla, cortex, and cuticle. The medulla is an extension of the innermost layer of hair. It is also called a pith. The cortex has maximum keratin the protein which is the main component of hair. The cuticle is a thin layer of the hair shaft. It is a protective layer and it gives here a glossy appearance to hair.

T.S. HAIR SHAFT

 The growth phases of hair have been divided into three phages, the anagen phase, the catagen phase, and the telogen phase. The anagen phase is the actively dividing and growing phase of hair.  It spans from 2 to 7 years. During this phase, hair grows at a rate of 0.5 inches per month or 15 cm per year. The hair growth, however, may depend upon the genetics of a person and if the other conditions remain optimum. This can be stated in other words, that hair grows to its maximum length in the span of 2 to 7 years. Anagen is the phase of active growth. The next stage is known as the catagen phase.  It is a transient phase during which the growth of hair slows down. This phase is extended to 2 to 3 weeks. Telogen phase, in this phase the hair growth stops, and ultimately the hair fall of. This is called the telogen phase. Once the hair fall, after some time new hair follicle appears and it starts dividing actively and forming new hair. So, after telogen, anagen is the next stage of hair growth. This continues the hair growth cycle.

STAGES OF HAIR GROWTH

 From the structure and the growth cycle of hair, it is clear that hair grows from the hair follicle.

 Hairs have a self-renewal procedure.

 The texture, type, and color of hair depend on the health of hair follicles.

 The cuticle gives a glossy appearance to hair. 

The hair shaft is a non-living part of the hair, so it doesn't feel any pain. The hair follicle has arrector pili muscles that help in hair moment.

 Hair gets nourishment through hair papilla, deeply embedded in the dermis. It is the supply of blood in the papilla that gives nutrients to hair follicles. So, if your body lacks nutrients your hair will also lack them.

Foods for long and strong hair 

The hair gets its nourishment from the papilla, which is embedded in the dermis. The hair does not get nourishment from the scalp. It gets nourishment from the blood supply that occurs directly into the hair follicle through the papilla.  If you want to nourish hair you need to take care of your diet. For better growth of hair, hair follicles must also be supplied with the appropriate amount of oxygen. We must have a good level of nutrients such as vitamins A, B, E, D, K, and C in our bodies for good hair growth. We must have a good amount of zinc, iron, Omega 6, and Omega 3 fatty acids if we want our hair to be strong and beautiful. The nutrients listed above are taken through food items. The superfoods for hair are

  

 Whole grains,

 Nuts,

 Spinach,

 Avocados,

 Berries,

 Seafood,

 Dark green vegetables,

 Beef,

 Red meat,

Lentils,

 Almonds,

 Salmon

 Whole grain

 These are rich in iron, carbohydrates, and protein that are required for hair growth.

 Eggs

Eggs are rich in vitamins A, B, and K. Egg helps in collagen formation. Vitamin B helps in the formation of red blood cells, which helps in oxygen circulation in hair follicles

 Spinach

 Spinach is rich in vitamin A, E, and iron. Iron helps in the formation of red blood cells so it increases oxygen supply to hair follicles.

 Lentils are rich in proteins, fibers, iron, and zinc so they help in collagen production, oxygen supply and reduce loss of hair.

 Avocados

 These are rich in vitamin E and Vitamin C. vitamin C helps in iron absorption. It is also an immunity booster, It increases the formation of red blood cells that will increase oxygen supply to hair follicles Pumpkin seeds are rich in proteins and zinc, and other vitamins.

 Nuts

 These are rich in healthy fatty acids, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6. These fatty acids are is required for good hair growth.

 Meat

Meat is rich in vitamin B and iron, these increase oxygen supply in hair follicles.

 Haircare tips and home remedies for hair growth 

 Haircare must include the MMMN approach. Where M stands for massage, mask, maintain, and N for nourish. Further, the damaged hair may need treatment.

 Massage

 Massage with some Essential oil or common oils increases blood supply into the scalp. It also activates oil glands that improve the texture of hair. It also helps in protecting the cuticle layer of hair, maintaining moisture in the hair, and protecting the hair from environmental damage. For the massage coconut oil, mustard oil, or almond oil, can be used. It is done one hour before the hair wash.

 Mask

 A hair mask of natural products such as flaxseed gel,  which is prepared by boiling flaxseed with water, filtering the gel product, adding some aloe vera gel and almond oil, spinning the mixture, and the gel is prepared. Mask your hair with this preparation for 2 hours before hair wash. It has cleansing properties. It maintains moisture in hairs and improves the quality of the cuticle layer.

 Aloe-vera gel can also be used for both of these purposes that is for mask and massage. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial activities so it also cleans the scalp from microbes. Maintain this routine to keep your hair healthy. 

A curd mask can be used for the same purposes.

An egg mask is used for dry hairs.

Wash your hair with homemade or natural shampoo. homemade shampoo is made using dried amla, ritha, and shikakai. If you use chemical-made shampoo, avoid using preparations that have sulfur.

Nourishment: how nutrients affect hair growth?

 Hair needs proteins also so, your diet must include proteins. Approximately, 50 grams of protein are required for good hair growth per day. Hair growth is the secondary activity of our body. If our body lacks any of the nutrients that are required for hair growth the first reaction of our body is to stop nourishing the hairs. So, it can be also seen that hair loss be a symptom of deficiency of nutrients. The nutrients that are required for good hair growth are Vitamin A, D, E, K, B, C, zinc, iron, Omega 6, Omega 3, and protein. Along with these nutrients, a good supply of oxygen. Increase activity of growth in hair follicles. So, take care of your diet if you want good growth of hair.

 Essential oils

 Essential oils are required for good hair growth. They are a scalp treatment for hair growth. These oils may have some itchy effects also or may cause allergies. So these oils are diluted with some other oil such as coconut oil, almond oil, or castor oil. Essential oil required for the good health of the hair is

 Lavender essential oil

 This oil has antimicrobial and antibacterial activity thus it keeps the scalp free from bacteria and microbes which is one of the important factors for hair growth.

 Peppermint oil increases the anagen phase of hair growth. It gives a cold and tingling feeling to the scalp.

 Rosemary essential oil

 This oil has the property of cell regeneration so, this oil is used for the fast growth of hair.

Cedarwood essential oil

  This oil increases oil gland production in the scalp, so naturally, improves the texture of hair. 

Lemongrass essential oil

Dandruff is a major problem to hair health, it increases itching on the scalp that invites other microbes to the scalp, and ultimately affects the growth of hair. Keeping the scalp free of dandruff is one of the challenges for good hair growth. Lemongrass has cleansing and antibacterial activities. So, it also keeps the scalp flake-free.

 Essential oils have cleansing and antibacterial activity so it also keeps our scalp healthy. Two or more of these Essential oils are mixed with diluting oil(The two-three drops of essential oils are added in two or three spoonfuls of diluting oil such as coconut oil, almond oil) and massaged on the scalp for 2-3 minutes and washed with shampoo. 

 The treatment of damaged hairs: Home remedies

 Onion juice treatment

 Red onions are grated and their juice is extracted. This juice is applied on the scalp this application increase inflammatory reaction on the scalp, which activates the cell of the scalp and treats the scalp of microbes. This inflammatory treatment activates hair follicles to grow.

 Ylang- ylang  essential oil treatment

This treatment improves hair texture. For this, the oil is applied and the hairs are covered with a warm towel for 30 min and washed with shampoo.

 Platelet-rich plasma treatment

 This is a medical treatment. It is an advanced technology, in this technology platelet of the person are stored and these platelets are then injected into the scalp of that person. This treatment is given to induce hair follicle formation after the telogen stage.

 Healing

 The aloe vera gel is a natural product for healing hair. Aloe vera gel is naturally extracted and applied on scalp and hair, kept overnight, and washed with lukewarm water. It heals the environmentally damaged hair, improves the texture.

 Fenugreek seed treatment

The moisture content of hair can be improved by treating them with Fenugreek seeds. The Fenugreek seed has natural oils. Two spoonfuls of Fenugreek seed are soaked in water overnight these are then ground in which with the addition of some water. This paste is applied to the hair scalp and hair strands. This paste has cleansing properties. It gives Essential oil to the hair and improves its texture. This paste can also be added into natural Henna for the same properties and this mixture will now act as a good mask as well as improve the hair texture

 Caffeine

 Caffeine also increases hair growth. It acts as a stimulant of hair follicles.

 From the above discussion, it can be concluded that we want to have healthy hair, we need a multidimensional approach, the treatment starts with increasing the essential nutrient in our diet. our diet must have a good amount of protein and all essential vitamins as well as zinc, iron, and good fatty acids. If we want good hair growth the scalp must be kept healthy and dandruff-free, for this Essential oil massage is used. Masking your hair at least twice a month reverses the adverse effect on the environment. Further, it must be kept in mind that we must use proper brushes for our hair. Avoid heat treatment and chemical treatment. For the good health of your hair avoid heat drying. Heat treatments damage the hair permanently. Dry your hair gently using a cotton towel. Chemicals increase itching and dryness of the scalp so it would be better if you use Natural Shampoo. Know your hair first, before you treat them.