Great hair can really make a difference and this is defiantly one of those cross-cultural beliefs. Hair and its characteristics has a large link with genetics, however there are some techniques we can do to help different parts of our hair.
Regular upkeep of your hair is a good place to start. A quality diet is good way to keep a good head of hair. In Chinese Medicine the blood needs to be sufficient to nourish the Liver and course the body. The blood is then able to nourish the skin and hair allowing luster in the complexion and hair. Foods to help are red meats, green leafy vegetables, blue/green algae, and beets.
Thinning hair is the most common complaint seeking treatment. Thinning hair can result from changing hormones, age, childbirth, and taxation (Liver blood insufficiency as discussed earlier). Beneficial herbs include:
He Shou Wu / Polygonum
Gou Qi Zi / Goji Berry
Shu Di Huang / Rehmannia
Shan Yao / Dioscorea
These are common herbs used for hair disorders, although many of these are heavy herbs and can cause digestive upset if used all by themselves. Make sure to add Chuan Xiong or aged citrus peel to your tea.
With the modern invention of hair color not many people think about natural or earlier ways of darkening hair to get rid of grey. A simple 9g daily dose of He Shou Wu / Polygonum will do the trick! So whats the trick? Persistence! This is not an easy task and most of us wouldn’t last very long, however this is a well documented form of keeping dark hair that was used often on nobles and authorities.
Natural hair care is actually pretty easy and effective at ensuring ongoing beautiful hair. Nowadays there are some more natural shampoos out there rather than a bottle full of chemicals and dyes. By the way if you are experiencing hair or skin problems make sure to change your shampoo and body wash to hypoallergenic products with no dyes, colors, perfumes, etc. You can also buy shampoo ‘base’ products that are ready to accept your own blend of additives like essential oils or other oils! An additional treatment for hair is adding a premium carrier oil such as sesame oil, jojoba oil or other and add in Lavender essential oil and rosemary oil, wash this out after having it in for 30 minutes to several hours. Quality and natural products should also be used on extensions, hair pieces, and quick weaves. This will allow your hair pieces to last much longer and look great. Also make sure you move to natural hair relaxers. The old or ‘regular’ form of hair relaxers use lye to relax the hair which is dangerous and can burn your scalp. These newer and natural hair relaxers use olive oil, vitamin E, soy extract, and other herbal ingredients to help straighten hair.
