Chemotherapy Hair Loss and Prevention

Chemotherapy and Hair Loss

 


Chemotherapy and hair loss are closely associated. When an individual is undergoing chemotherapy, all body cells which are rapidly dividing are targeted. This includes the cancer cells as well as healthy cells. The hair follicles are known to grow very fast and hence chemotherapy hair loss occurs. In normal circumstances, the hair follicles undergo division after 23 – 72 hours. However, in individuals undergoing chemotherapy, the hair cells are targeted and destroyed. Hair loss usually occurs just a few weeks after starting the treatment.

Hair Loss Due To Chemotherapy
Hair loss due to chemotherapy may be gradual in some individuals. It can also occur quite dramatically in some people. Many individuals notice clumps of hair in combs, on the pillow, and in the bathroom drain. This can be a disturbing side effect and is it important that individuals undergoing chemotherapy receive adequate support from family and friends. Some drugs used in chemotherapy may only affect the scalp hair. Other drugs can affect the eyebrows, eyelashes, underarms, arms, legs, and pubic areas. The type of drugs used in the therapy will determine how extensive hair loss is. This is because there are many different classes of chemotherapy drugs and all have different effects. The scheduling of the treatment will also affect how hair loss occurs. Some chemotherapy treatments are administered every week in smaller doses. The hair loss is minimized in such cases. Other treatments may have to be administered after 3 to 4 weeks in higher doses. This is likely to increase hair loss.
Unfortunately, chemotherapy hair loss prevention is not possible. There are no medications or treatments that help to stop hair loss. However, the hair does grow back about 6 – 8 weeks after the treatment. The hair that grows back after treatment may be different in texture and color. There are some ways that one can cope with hair loss caused by chemotherapy. It is advisable to keep the hair short as it is easier to maintain. Shorter hair makes wearing of wigs also easier. Some people prefer to shave their heads when hair loss starts occurring. Those who feel conscious about hair loss can make use of hats and scarves. During chemotherapy, it is important not to use chemicals on the hair in the form of hair coloring or other styling treatments. Gentle shampoos are beneficial and can be used after 3 to 5 days to keep the hair and scalp clean.

Hair Care for Children

Hair Care for  Children

Children need a great care. Everybody part of a child is very tender and needs special attention. Their hair also needs to be cared a lot. They may be scared to visit a salon. Their hair is thin and baby soft.
 
The key to your child’s hair care is to be encouraging; when your start to take an interest in his own hair, it is the time to encourage him to follow good hair hygiene practices. It is important to properly shampoo and rinse your child’s hair.

Teach your child about towel blotting, de tangling, combing and brushing their hair. Help them build a Healthy hair hygiene schedule so that they learn the importance of keeping their hair clean and neat. Inculcate good eating habit in your child because high-quality carbohydrates and
plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are must for healthy hair. For shine and condition, good nutrition is required.

Use a mild shampoo, preferably your child’s favorite color or scent, to wash his soft hair. If the shampoo that you use for your child does not sting your child’s eye he will be more willing to wash his hair.

•   Allow your child to comb his own hair. Never brush your child's hair before bedtime, this will over stimulate the sebaceous glands and make the hair greasy and heavy. A Quick brush to get the tangles out is enough. Combing hair promotes shine and condition therefore you must comb your child’s hair properly. Instead of using a brush, use comb on wet hair, or else static

•   electricity will be created, which leads to breakage.

•   Use high-quality combs and brushes for your child’s hair care.

•   To instill good hair grooming habits teach your child to care for his hair. Use some hair-friendly clips and hair ties to prevent your child’s hair from following on his face.

SLOW GROWING HAIR

SLOW GROWING HAIR

People who dream of long hair expect their hair to grow at a faster rate than normal. Different people have different hair growth rates but human hair on an average grows only 6 inches in a year. Hair growth is affected by factors such as health, heredity, and weather conditions.

Once the hair comes from the scalp, it is considered dead and has no way to renew itself. The hair is couple of years old by the time it is past the shoulders. Hair growth is also affected by daily wear and tear like brushing dying, bow drying, washing, etc. Split ends also slow down the process of hair growth so trim your hair regularly.

A healthy diet plays a major role in the condition and growth rate of hair. Hair may thin due to nutritional deficiencies. Any health related problem may also retard the growth of hair. Take high protein diet, since hair is made up of protein a low protein may retard the hair growth cycle. Do not take stress, because excessive stress will not only slow down the hair growth cycle, it may also result in hair loss. Regular sleep of seven to nine hours of boosts the hair growth cycle. Take a balanced diet, it helps maintain and improve good hair growth. Massage your scalp regularly to promote blood circulation because this boosts hair growth. Take choline and inositol supplements, they are helpful in slow hair growth. Tyrosine an amino acid is also helpful in boosting hair growth cycle. Vitamin A, B, C, E, and K are very important for good hair growth. Protein rich foods like fish, meat, egg, cheese, nuts, etc.
Avoid any contact with chlorinated or saltwater and overexposure to the scorching sun; it will retard your hair growth. Use a shampoo that contains SPF if your hair is overexposed to the sun.

Diet and Hair

Diet and HAIR

Hair health begins from inside to outside of the head. Just like the nerves system there is a body system, called integumentary system. The integumentary system contains hair, skin, and nails. People use a lot of different products to get healthy hair. Good care of your body and nutrients are necessary for healthy hair. Unhealthy is due to poor nutrition. Unhealthy hair is dull, dry, and may have a lot of split ends; it is unattractive. They appear to be frizzy.

A diet which is high in sugar, salt and animal fat not good for your hair. They create added stress on the body, resulting in need for more nutrients for the body. Faulty eating habit depletes Vitamin B.  Vitamin B has lots of different functions for humans; it prevents hair loss, helps fingernails remain healthy. Foods like bread and egg contains vitamin B and vitamin C. Vitamin B and C are necessary for hair growth, hair color, and good circulation. They prevent individual strands of tresses from breaking. Although multivitamin is good for hair, but it is very important to get the right nutrients from the food. Vitamin A gives a healthy scalp and it works wonders for skin. Avoid eating junk foods and consuming unhealthy drinks, they deplete body's nutrients. Some drinks like coffee contain a lot of caffeine which is harmful for hair. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day is for healthy hair clean out your system. This will help your body to get dehydrated and your hair will also get more moisture. Hair is 98 percent protein. Hair locks are dead protein. Hair is dead as soon as it grows out of the head. For healthy hair you need to supply them with protein. Meat, seeds, and nuts have got plenty of protein in them.
One must abstain from alcohol and smoking as they too rob the body of vitamin B and vitamin C.

Black Hair Styles

 

Black hair styles look their best when the hair is the proper texture and as close to damage free as possible. Black hair care for black hair styles must start out with a good foundation. Take any picture of a black hair style from a magazine and look closely at how the light reflects to create a natural shine. Even relaxed hair can look great when certain steps are taken prior to relaxing.

Black hair styles need the necessary elements for fast hair growth and strong healthy hair. Faster hair growth and strong hair are now in reach for everyone. A hair vitamin rich in sulfur is a good hair vitamin to start with. Exotic Allure™ is a hair vitamin made with black hair styles in mind. It contains massive amounts of the cysteine which is a sulfur containing amino acid. This black hair vitamin also contains a high dose of MSM which too contains sulfur. Exotic Allure™ hair vitamin also contains 5 essential oils which can aid the scalp and give the hair a beautiful natural shine.

By taking a good hair vitamin a great foundation is laid so less damage is likely during any chemical treatment such as relaxers. Great black hair styles are made with strong healthy hair and Exotic Allure can help you achieve beautiful hair in a short period of time. This breakthrough hair vitamin for African Americans is rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals, herbs, and oils that the hair wants and needs. Black hair styles will never look better with Exotic Allure.

Common Mistakes In Black Hair Care

Common Mistakes In Black Hair Care


 




1. Under washing of hair. Black hair should be gently shampooed every 7 to 10 days. It is better to have more frequent gentle shampoos rather than waiting and having to shampoo weeks of build-up, oils, and dirt from the hair.


 



2. Too much heat on the hair. When using a pressing iron, don’t use the “high” setting. If you can hear a “sizzle”, it is too hot. It may take a little longer to get the results you are after but your hair will not suffer the damage it would have with too much heat. Try not to use heat (irons or rollers) every day.


 



3. Getting too many touch-ups. The less time your hair comes in contact with chemicals, the healthier it will be. Try getting a touch up every 10 to 12 weeks in the winter and every 8 weeks in the summer. Having a six-week schedule is very damaging to the hair.


 


4. Braiding with heavy extensions. This causes the extensions to pull on the hair and as a result damage and or hair loss will occur.

5. Braiding too tight. Braiding too tightly will cause damage to the hair and can lead to hair loss.

Black Hair Growth and Care

Black Hair Growth and Care

How is your hair doing? Is it healthy, shiny, and soft? How fast does your hair grow? The purpose of this site is for you to gain the knowledge to have beautiful healthy Black hair. Hair is comprised of 3 main sections; the medulla, the cortex, and the cuticle. The cuticle is the part of the hair that you see. The cuticle layers overlap each other like shingles on a roof. Cuticle layers reflect light and make the hair shine. The cortex of the hair is just inside the cuticle layer. The cortex is made of macro and micro fibers which are protein. The protein is made of coils of amino acids. The cortex is where the hair gets most of its strength and produces color molecules (melanin). Inside the cortex are DI-sulfide bonds (cysteine bonds) which give the hair incredible strength. The medulla or medulla canal is the innermost part of the hair which even today the exact function is unknown.

Black hair care is different from Caucasian hair care for many reasons.

1. The cuticle is the outermost part of the hair and has up to 14 layers of keratinized protein (white’s hair has about 7 layers). This offsets the cuticle to cortex ratio in black hair care. When a Caucasian hair is the same diameter as a Black hair, the Black hair’s cuticle is almost twice as thick but the cortex is smaller. This means in equal diameter hair, Black hair will tend to be weaker because it does not hold the same amount of sulfur bonds as in the White hair. Oriental hair is this respect is much like Black hair in that it contains about 14 cuticle layers also. Click here for ways to make your hair stronger and avoid breakage.

2. Black hair follicles tend to be curved as opposed to straighter follicles of Caucasian hair. This tends to make the hair growth curved or twisted. It also can lead to ingrown hair. The shape of the black hair is partly responsible for the dryness common in Black hair care. Natural oils don’t naturally slide down the hair as it does in Caucasian hair. Click here to see ways to avoid having dry hair.

3. Often Black hair growth is compacted into an elliptical shape rather than being perfect round. This makes the hair grow in a wavy (curly) pattern. Combing or brushing this pattern can be damaging because it may pull the hair. Gentle combing with a wide toothed comb is necessary to avoid damage. Click here to see ways to avoid damage to the hair.

4. Chemicals applied in black hair care tend to be more damaging (ie. relaxers. 80% of Black women relax their hair and this can lead to breakage and shedding if the hair is not healthy or relaxers are applied incorrectly. Click here to see ways to have less damaged hair after relaxers.

5. Relaxers can oxidize oils from the hair (and scalp) which leads to dry and brittle hair. Proper conditioning of the hair is necessary to maintain healthy hair. Click here to see ways to avoid dry and damaged hair.

6. As an alternative method of straightening the hair hot irons are often applies with extreme heat causing damage, breakage and dryness to the hair. Click here to see ways to avoid heat damage to the hair.