Thinning Hair – Nutrition and the Role of Hair Care Products

Thinning Hair and the Role
Of Hair Care Products

by Randy Ice PT, CCS and Danielle Mitwasi MBA, CFP.
Up to 70% of men and women visiting a hair salon report thinning hair. In previous articles, we have discussed the role of good nutrition in feeding and growing healthy hair, and how certain nutrient deficiencies can cause thinning hair. By thinning hair we mean the process of actual hair falling out as well as shrinkage of the hair diameter shaft which is referred to as “miniaturization.”

Thinning hair and nutrition

We’ve pointed out that taking an adequate amount the following dietary nutrients are essential to growing good, strong healthy follicles and reducing thinning hair:

1.) Protein and collagen
2.) The minerals sulfur and iron
3.) The essential fats known as omega 3 fatty acids that come from fish and flaxseed oil

A lack of any of these nutrients can stunt hair growth and accelerate thinning hair. Additionally, one of the most common causes of thinning hair in women is unrecognized, or inadequately treated hypothyroidism. If you have cold feet or hands, dry skin, brittle nails, heat or cold intolerance, constipation or low body temperature, it is highly likely your thinning hair is coming from a lack of the two basic thyroid hormones your thyroid gland secretes, T4 and/or T3.

Treatment of thinning hair with bioidentical thyroid products such as Armour’s Thyroid or Naturthroid will usually reverse thinning hair within a few months once normal thyroid function is re-established. To this end, sufficient dietary iodine and selenium is needed as both thyroid hormones contain iodine and the vast majority of Americans are iodine deficient.

Thinning hair – HORMONE IMBALANCES AND DEFICIENCIES

Perimenopause or menopause with losses of estrogen can also accelerate thinning hair as estrogen is needed to balance testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the scalp. Excess DHT that accumulates in the scalp and within the hair follicle has been found to be a major source of thinning hair, and is the genesis of such pharmaceuticals as Propecia, a DHT blocking drug that may improve hair growth but also has some significant unwanted side effects.

LASER HAIR THERAPY for thinning hair

We often use oral DHT blocking supplements combined with Laser Hair Therapy to reverse thinning hair and encourage the growth of thicker, fuller hair. We have used Laser Hair Therapy in our hair care studio for several months and have seen remarkable hair growth in many of our clients who have thinning hair. Low level laser light seems to re-waken newly dormant hair follicles and stimulate hair to grow. It also reverses the miniaturization process creating thicker hair shafts.

Thinning hair – DHT BLOCKADE

Beta sitosterol is the active ingredient in the saw palmetto plant that has been used to improve urination in men with benign prostatic hypertrophy thought to be due to excess DHT levels within he prostate gland. It also may block the effects of DHT in the hair follicle, thus allowing thicker hair shafts. We use it extensively in those with excess scalp DHT levels to block thinning hair and its effects on the hair follicle.

Thinning hair – NIOXIN HAIR CARE PRODUCTS

To that end, the type of shampoo, conditioner and other hair care products used can also have a significant effect on hair growth and thickness. Many hair shampoos leave a heavy buildup on the hair follicle and clog the pore at the root, leaving the hair stressed and inhibited from proper growth. In our studio, we use Nioxin products to complement our laser therapy/hormonal and nutritional approach to growing healthier hair. Nioxin is a salon professional hair care brand first established in 1987 by Eva Graham who experienced thinning hair after childbirth. Initially it began with a 3 part system kit consisting of a cleanser, a lightweight hair conditioner known as “Scalp Therapy” and a scalp treatment designed to stimulate and protect the scalp.

Over the years the Nioxin company has developed versions for noticeably thinning hair, chemically treated hair and normal or course hair. They also have developed a product specific for salon called Dermabrasion Treatment which is massaged into the scalp by a trained stylist to exfoliate the scalp and remove buildup to regenerate the scalps surface and unclog hair follicle pores. We often do Scalp Treatments with this product combined with scalp massage for 20 minutes to improve blood flow to the hair follicles and is essential to bring the nutrients and hormones in your body to the scalp where you need them. The Nioxin products do seem to more thoroughly clean the scalp of accumulated buildup and sebum while unclogging hair follicle pores, and it is advised that only Nioxin products be used for several months to achieve the best hair growth effects.

Recently, Nioxin introduced a new product called Diamax that addresses the fact that 48% of women and 43% of men have hair shafts that are shrinking in size ( the miniaturization process discussed above) making for thinner looking hair. Diamax increases the diameter of each and every hair strand by using the three safe nutrients:

1.)  Caffeine
2.)  Panthenol ( an analogue of Vitamin B5 aka pantothenic acid)
3.) The B vitamin niacinamide

All three combine to penetrate the hair shaft and thicken it while simultaneously protecting it against breakage. These three nutrients are absorbed into the hair shaft to create a thicker more resilient hair.

A consultation with a Nioxin trained stylist is likely to be different from other salon experiences. They are trained in determining the causes of thinning hair and will be able to suggest a solution based on your individual needs. They are also trained to refer you to our medical staff to help determine if a medical condition or drug side effect is causing hair loss.  Getting to the root of the hair loss cause is essential to ending thinning hair and our staff is trained to take the time to explore all possible issues. Of course, improving your hair health via many of these methods will also improve your total body health and more than likely also improve the quality of your life.

Randy Ice PT, CCS is a long time cardiopulmonary therapist with an intense interest in anti-aging medicine and retaining his full head of hair. Danielle Mitwasi MBA, CFP has been in the beauty and hair care business for over 17 years and successfully cured herself from Type II diabetes through  the Mediterranean diet, supplements and gastric bypass.

For a free consultation on thinning hair, call Tiffany Hair Studio & Skin Care at (951) 894-4545. More information is available at www.TiffanyHairMurrieta.com