Review shifted to this place based on suggestions by revered members.
Before looking into the remedies, it will be worthwhile to know a few important causes of excessive hair loss.
1.Temporary loss due to stress of illness or after a major surgery.
2.Hormonal imbalance.
3.Continuous use of some medicines: such as medicines used for gout, chemo therapy, cancer, birth control pills, antidepressants and dieting pills.
4.Fungal infection of the scalp
5.Diabetes
6.Pulling of hairs for making pigtails and other hair-do.
7.Due to inheritance from parents(Common pattern baldness)
8.Delayed loss from stress(Sudden severe stress followed by delayed shedding of hair)
9.Sudden hair loss due to exposure to radiation and chemicals.
10.Nutritional deficiencies
11.Dirt at the roots of hair.
In the market place one will find lot of advertisements about products that claim to stop hair loss and promote growth. One such product is Anoop Hair Oil, now marketed by Godrej. I would like to caution readers not to fall prey to these types of advertisements and products. This I have learnt from experience. Lured by the claim of Anoop hair oil I used it for more than 2 years in my late forties without any result. Until early forties I had a lot of hair on my head, but in order to control my weight, I fell a victim to some advertisements of dieting with pills and consequently started losing hair as a delayed process. In order to re-grow my hair, I tried Anoop hair oil, but it was of no use.
If one does not want to lose hair, he/ she should never resort to any kind of dieting with or without pills. Try reducing weight only by exercise, yoga or walking. One must have a balanced diet and try to live without stress.
Following are a few indigenous treatments for hair loss: -
- Use of Aanwla or Aamla [Embolic Myrobalan Fruit]:
Wash hair regularly with Aanwla water. At first, apply a paste of Aanwla powder mixed in lemon juice on the hair and then wash with water. If skin is oily, stop using any kind of oil. Soap or shampoo should not be used to clean hair.
- Cabbage and brinjal [egg-plant]:
Eat cabbage in large quantity not to have this problem. The sulphur content in cabbage prevents weakness of hair. Brinjal has iodine, which is essential for firm growth of hair.
- Use of Garlic:
Boil about 10 cloves of garlic in 50 gms. of mustard oil on a slow fire until the cloves turn black. Strain the oil through a fine muslin cloth and keep the oil in a very clean bottle. Message this oil onto the scalp at least for 15 minutes before going to sleep, covering the head with a towel. In the morning wash head with ‘REETHA’ [soap-wart]. In two to three weeks the hair loss will stop and new hair would begin to grow.
- Use of Neem [Margosa tree] Leaves:
Boil 100 gms. of neem leaves in water and then cool it. Wash hair at least twice a day with this water. This will prevent hair-loss and keep the scalp clean.
- Use of Til [Sesame seed]:
Take Til and bark of Shirish [Acacia] tree in even quantity and grind these in vinegar. Apply the paste to the root of hair evenly at least an hour before taking bath. Also decant the solid from the fluid and wash hair with it. This treatment will strengthen the hair roots and make the hair black, shiny and lustrous. Wash hair every week with this mixture.