7 Ayurveda Tips To Prevent Hair Loss And Graying

From the Ayurvedic point of view, hair growth is linked to your physical and mental health. When you are cheerful, your hair looks lively. But when you are depressed and pessimistic, your hair acquires a lifeless look.

What Causes Hair Loss And Graying?

[pullquote]Any problem with hair will always indicate a dosha imbalance as well as a disequilibrium in the activities of your mind.[/pullquote]

According to Ayurveda, hair is a byproduct of bone formation, and the tissue responsible for building bones is also responsible for the growth of hair. Early hair loss is related to the body type and the balance of the mind-body constitution (doshas).

In Ayurveda, hair loss is referred to as khalitya and premature graying of hair is termed as palitya. Both khalitya and palitya are considered pure paitik disorders  or those arising out your pitta dosha imbalances. So when you continuously disturb pitta – heat in your body – it can gray your hair.

[pullquote]According to Ayurveda, if you consume pitta-enhancing substances, your pitta aggravates and causes gray hair.[/pullquote]

People who have excess pitta in their body are likely to lose hair early in life or have prematurely thin or gray hair. Excess pitta in the sebaceous gland, at the root of the hair, or folliculitis can also lead to hair loss.

Increased intake of fried, sour, spicy, salty, and fermented foods as well as tea and coffee aggravate the pitta dosha in the body. This pitta accumulates on the scalp, leading to hair falling out and graying prematurely.

Factors like excessive anger and stress are also responsible for unstable pitta. Excessive consumption of alcohol and meat also aggravate it.

[expert_opinion expertname=’ToddCaldecott’ opinion=”Hair loss is linked to the excessive accumulation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). To prevent the accumulation of DHT, lose the belly fat, support the liver, and use herbs such as Gokshura seed (Tribulus terrestris), Saw Palmetto fruit (Serenoa repens), and Nettle root (Utica dioica) that specifically block the synthesis of DHT.”]

What Are The Common Symptoms?

Apart from the obvious symptoms of loss of hair (when you comb) and graying hair at an early age, some systemic symptoms of pitta aggravation might also be present:

• Acid stomach
• Nausea
• Excessive sweating
• Intolerance to heat

7 Ayurvedic Tips To Prevent Hair Loss And Graying

Ayurveda recommends specialized home remedies to prevent as well as manage the gray hair all over the body. According to Ayurvedic physiology, the digestive essence (rasa element) is responsible for healthy hair both in terms of color and structure. Any pathology affecting this leads to white hair.

Here are some useful Ayurveda tips to control hair fall and gray hair:

1. Try Panchkarma Therapy

Panchkarma therapies like virechana, nasya, and shirodhara are very useful for gray hair.

• Virechana helps balance the vitiated pitta dosha.
• The best oils for nasya are shadbindu, neem, or yashtimadhu.
• Shirodhara with bhringaraaja oil or neeli oil can help reduce hair fall and gray hair.

A regular hair massage with til oil, prepared with amla or Indian gooseberry, neem, and yashtimadhu or licorice, helps prevent hair loss.

[expert_opinion expertname=’ToddCaldecott’ opinion=”A vigorous daily head massage with oils such as coconut or sesame oil can go a long way in preventing hair loss. To avoid hair loss, protect the head from the excessive influence of heat, such as hot water and sunlight, avoid stress, and make sure to get adequate rest. Take foods and remedies that nourish the blood, liver, and bones such as Bhringaraja (Eclipta alba), He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), Jujube date (Ziziphus jujuba), and Horsetail (Equisetum arvense).”]

2. Eat The Right Foods

• Avoid spicy, heavy, and oily foods as well as tea and coffee.
• Avoid refined foods, refined sugar, junk food, and alcoholic and carbonated drinks.
• Increase the intake of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, and vegetable juice prepared from lettuce, carrot, capsicum, and alfalfa.
• Sometimes gray hair begins to appear due to lack of copper in your diet. Foods that are rich in copper are turnip greens, lima beans, yams, spinach, most meats, blackberries, pineapple, pomegranates, almonds, and pumpkin seeds.

3. Take Care Of Your Hair Daily

Always keep in mind that hair is an essential part of our body and needs special attention and care. Handle your hair gently. Whenever possible, allow your hair to air-dry naturally. Avoid compulsively twisting, rubbing, or pulling your hair.

Cleanliness

• To begin with, everything used for the hair should be clean. Brushes should be of good quality. The whalebone-bristle variety is perhaps the best as it is not so stiff as to damage the hair, while the bristles are long and stiff enough to brush the scalp apart from the hair.
• Remember, combs should always be blunt-toothed. Both combs and brushes should be washed twice a week, and kept in a bag, which should be washed frequently.
• Both the brain and scalp prefer to be kept cool, so whenever washing the hair, it is best to use lukewarm water and a cool water rinse. It helps in toning the scalp and refreshing the nervous system.

Massage

Massaging the scalp is perhaps the best method for keeping your hair healthy and preventing hair loss. Though a good massage can be given with blunt-toothed comb, the best way is to massage with hands.

1. The thumbs should be placed at the back of the ears and the fingertips rotated around the scalp. Ensure that the scalp is also moved, apart from the fingers.
2. Then, apply deep pressure with your palms pressed firmly against the scalp. This ensures good circulation and an increased blood supply to the hair roots.

A head massage helps relieve tension, improves circulation, and strengthens the hair roots.

Shampooing/Cleaning

• The purpose of shampooing is to remove any dirt or impurities from the hair, making it clean and tidy. Harsh shampoos will just cause the sebaceous gland to overcompensate by producing more oil than necessary.
• It is advisable to wash your hair daily or on alternate days using herbal shampoos or any baby shampoos diluted with water. Traditionally, powdered herbs were used to cleanse the hair, which remove dirt without disturbing the natural functioning of the scalp.

DIY Shampoo: You can also prepare your own wet shampoo.

1. Take one tablespoonful of grated or powdered ritha (soapnut) and shikakai (Acacia concinna).
2. Add a handful of herbs (as needed) and boil in half pint of water.
3. Alternatively, you can pour the boiling water over the mixture also.
4. Allow it to cool. Strain and use as you would use your regular shampoo.

The foam of the chemical shampoos has little to do with the cleaning effect. They are simple and harsh chemicals, which strip the outer protein layer of the hair and dry the scalp, making the use of conditioners necessary.

Conditioning

Artificial conditioners do little more than provide an oily film that traps dirt and makes the hair look dull. It is always preferable to prepare an effective conditioner at home:

1. Mix sugar or honey, lemon juice, and water in the ratio of 2:1:5. Prepare the needed quantity depending upon the length of your hair.
2. After washing the hair, rub this mixture over the entire scalp and the hair thoroughly.
3. Rinse it after about a minute.
4. If you have dry scalp or if the skin keeps peeling off, use a mixture of yasthimadhu roots.
5. After washing the hair, apply this mixture all over the scalp, rubbing and massaging with the fingers.
6. Leave it on for 2–3 minutes and then rinse once again with water.

Proper Combing

You should comb your hair every day with 15–20 careful and gentle strokes. Combing the scalp helps keep your hair healthy and can also promote hair growth. It is also an effective way to relax. It also prevents and fights avoidable hair loss and re-establishes the natural development of healthy hair.

Brush your hair for 5 minutes at night and in the morning, preferably in front of an open window, as air is necessary for healthy hair. Brushing should not be so vigorous as to stretch the hair, as it will weaken the hair. Brushing the hair from back to front ventilates the scalp.

4. Treat Cold And Sinusitis

Don’t let kapha accumulate in your head. People who suffer perpetually from cold are more susceptible to get gray hair at an early age. Do not take a persisting common cold lightly. Seek treatment. Do not neglect sinusitis either. It has an adverse effect on hair.

5. Improve Digestion

Make sure that your digestive system functions well, your liver is healthy, and you do not suffer from other gastric troubles. A sluggish liver and other digestive problems promote hair loss and turn the hair gray.

 6. Apply Essential Oils

Bhringaraaja referred to as keshraja or “king of the hair” is an excellent rejuvenator. It also promotes hair growth and makes it black and lustrous. It is known to effectively stop and reverse balding and premature graying. It cools the brain and helps calm the mind from excessive activity, thus promoting sound sleep.

Bhringaraaja is taken internally and also used externally as an oil.

7. Practice Yoga

According to yoga, the nerve endings below the fingernails are directly connected to the roots of a person’s hair. Rubbing the nails against one another improves the blood circulation in the scalp, which in turn reduces gray hair. Yoga asanas and kapalabhati are also said to help in arresting the graying process.

Prasanna Mudra

Keep your hands near the chest. Keeping the thumbs straight, curl the fingers inward. Rub the nails of the eight fingers against each other for 5 to 10 minutes for 30 days. This slows down hair loss, with reduction in gray hair and split ends. It also makes your hair lustrous and strong.

Mandukasana

Mandukasana helps halt premature graying hair. It is also useful for some other illnesses like constipation, diabetes, and digestive disorders. It can effectively reduce weight of the thighs, hips, and the abdomen. This asana strengthens the lower parts of the loins.

[expert_opinion expertname=’ToddCaldecott’ opinion=”Hair loss in women is often related to nutritional issues such as mineral deficiency, or a hormonal imbalance. Nourishing foods such as bone soup, seaweed, and dried fruits such as fig and goji berry are all useful in deficiency conditions. To restore hormonal balance, consider the use of progesterone-enhancing herbs such as Peony root (Paeonia lactiflora) and Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus).”]