Preventing Hair Loss through Ayurveda

Posted on August 24, 2014 Updated on August 24, 2014

For thousands of years, men and women of all countries and races have shared the tragedy of pre-mature hair loss.

According to Ayurveda, the hair is derived either as a by-product or produced as a breakdown product of Asthi (bone tissue). Any disturbance in this tissue metabolism, which very much depends on the digestive fire, can affect the health of the hair. To a certain extent, the quality of hair depends on the body constitution.

The reason for hair loss is a subject that no two doctors, seem to agree on and everyone seems to have their own opinion on the subject. The major causes of hairfall are hormonal, nutritional deficiencies and complication to other diseases and medications. Hormone related hair fall may also result from an increased sensitivity of hair follicles to male hormones or due to greater number of male hormone receptors attached to hair follicles. This is the component that is inherited through the genes — termed as Pitta constitution.

According to Ayurveda, excess of Pitta dosha in the body is increased by hot climatic conditions, excessive intake of spicy, salty and sour food, hot and sharp food, tea, coffee, alcohol, meats and excessive smoking. Eating too much fried, oily, greasy, and acidic foods also aggravates Pitta. Pitta balancing herbs (Eg: Shatavari —Asparagus) and vegetables which improves the quality of Asthi dhathu (Eg: bitter vegetables) are effective in treating hair fall.

There are a number of other causes for hair fall like acute illness, high stress, and thyroid imbalance, certain drugs, sudden weight loss and high fever.

The first step is to locate the root cause in your diet or lifestyle that may be increasing the Pitta dosha. Once you locate it, try to give up or at least reduce the diet, habit, or activity responsible for increasing Pitta. Internal use of Ayurvedic medicines like Thikthakam kashayam, Thikthakam ghritham as per medical advice are effective to correct the metabolism. Ayurvedic general tonics like Narasimha rasayanam, Chyavana prasam are effective for improving hair growth. In alopecia, due to systemic diseases, treatment of the same is also required.

General recommendations and tips to maintain the results are some of the following:
– A high protein and an iron rich diet is recommended for hair loss. An adequate intake of raw vegetables, fresh fruits, salads, green leafy vegetables should be included in the diet on a regular basis. – Use a natural shampoo to clean the hair. Amla (embilica officinalis), Shikakai (Acacia concinna) are very good for washing the hair. – Oiling and massaging of scalp is very beneficial for stopping the hair loss. Use coconut oil at least three times in a week. Certain medicated oils like Neelibhringadi oil, Kunthala kanthi oil, Kanjunnyadi oil are very useful. Put oil on the scalp, and massage gently in the roots of the hair.
– The person should maintain a regular bowel movement everyday. In case of constipation, a mild natural laxative can be taken. Triphala is very useful. – Regular physical exercise is very beneficial as it helps in balancing the aggravated doshas. – Rub your scalp after washing the hair. It increases the blood circulation, and activates the sebaceous glands. – A mixture of lettuce and spinach juice is good to drink to induce hair growth. The juice of carrot, and lettuce juice is also good to take. – Applying juice of green coriander leaves on the head is also good. – Washing the hair with a paste of cooked green gram and fenugreek (methi) two to three times a week, is also good. – A paste of licorice made by grinding it in milk can be applied in the bald patches. – The seeds of fenugreek is soaked in coconut oil and kept under direct sunrays for seven days and applied to the scalp, which prevents hair loss. – Traditional therapies like Dhara, Abhyangam, Thala pothichil, Nasya shows excellent effects.

(Inputs by Dr V L Shyam MD, MPhil)

Preventing Hair Loss through Ayurveda

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Hair is the most important cosmetic addition to our appearance. Since healthy hair is a sign of a healthy body, it is important for us to keep our hair silky, shiny and thick.

Everybody has experiences of hair loss sometime or the other in their lives. In medical terms, loss of hair is known as ‘alopecia’. Alopecia may be a sign of some underlying disease. It costs our beauty and thereby brings in a set of depressing emotions.

In this article, we shall discuss the causes and remedies of hair loss in the light of the Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine. To know the causes of hair fall, it is very essential to know the structure of the hair and its normal growth cycle.

Structure of Hair
The hair on our scalp can be divided into two parts—the root and the shaft. The root of the hair is inside the skin (epidermis) of the scalp. Each hair root is surrounded by a pouch-like structure called follicle. The base of the hair root is in the shape of a bulb. This bulb is indented by capillaries and nerve fibres. Cell division takes place in the centre of the bulb and the newly divided hair cells push the previous cells up. The cells which move upwards die slowly forming the hard hair shaft.

The hair shaft has three layers—cuticle, medulla and cortex. Cuticle is the transparent outer layer which protects the other two inner layers. A healthy cuticle gives a shiny appearance to the hair whereas an unhealthy cuticle lends it a lifeless look.

Medulla is the innermost layer composed of large cells. Cortex is the layer between the cuticle and the medulla which contains pigments and keratin. Cortex determines the bulk and strength of the hair.

The hair follicle contains oil-secreting glands which make the hair look shiny. Stress and illness diminish the secretion of oil and pigments, causing the graying of hair.

According to Ayurveda, hair is considered to be a tissue which uses the same nutrients as the bones and is formed as a bi-product of the bone tissue.

Normal Cycle of Hair Growth
About 10% of the hair on the scalp is in a resting phase at any given time. The resting hair falls after 2 to 3 months and new hair starts to grow in its place. The growing phase continues for around 2.25 to 6 yrs. During this phase each hair grows approximately 1 cm per month. At any given time about 90% of the hair on the scalp is in the growing phase.

Normally, the dead hair decays at the rate of 70 to 80 strands per day. The rate of decay increases in the rainy and damp season. A rate of fall or decay greater than this is considered alarming and such a situation may be termed as hair loss.

Ayurvedic Classification of Hair
Ayurveda has classified the hair type according to the three basic body types—vata, pitta and kapha. According to Ayurveda, people falling under any of these body types have different hair features as per their doshas. Let us discuss the hair properties of people with respect to vata, pitta and kaphaconstitutions.

Hair of People with Vata Constitution
The hair of people with predominantly vata type of constitution is generally dark, coarse, wiry, inky, and frizzy. Such type of hair gets tangled easily and is prone to be dull with split ends. Such hair also has the possibility of dandruff infection.

Hair of People with Pitta Constitution
The hair of people with predominantly pitta type of constitution is generally brown, blonde, light, fine and silky. People with pitta constitution face problems like premature graying of hair and premature baldness. Such hair with a dominance of pitta tends to become oily particularly in hot and dry weather. This situation also leads to the dullness of hair.

Hair of People with Kapha Constitution
The hair of people with predominantly kapha type of constitution are generally dark or light, thick, heavy, wavy, and slightly oily. The hair of people with kapha constitution is lustrous.

Causes of Hair Loss
Hair is nourished by the nutrient plasma, which is produced by the metabolic processing of the food we consume. The healthy nutrient plasma is responsible for the nourishment of the hair. According to Ayurveda, excess of pitta dosha (heat) in the body is the chief cause of hair problems. There are various other reasons for hair loss as mentioned below:

Hormonal imbalance in men and women is an important cause of hair loss. In men, a high concentration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in hair follicles causes hair fall. In women, hormonal imbalances both during pregnancy and after delivery cause hair fall.
High amount of sebum in the scalp clogs the pores of the scalp and prevents nutrients from reaching the hair follicle, resulting in hair loss.
Inadequate nutrition or unhealthy diet also causes hair fall.
Stress, worry, lack of sleep, and anxiety too cause hair fall.
Long-standing diseases like typhoid, viral infections, anaemia, surgery, etc. cause general debility which leads to hair fall.
Some medicines like birth-control pills, anti-depressants, etc., including those used for gout, during chemotherapy against cancer, etc. cause hair fall.
Diseases like lupus and diabetes also cause hair fall.
Tying hair tightly pulls the hair from the follicles and cause traction alopecia.
Heredity is also responsible for hair fall.
Dandruff or fungal infection of scalp causes hair fall.
Accumulation of dirt on scalp causes blocking of pores and weakens hair roots. This leads to hair fall.

Hair Loss Remedies
Hair loss, in general, can be stopped or reversed at home by taking some simple steps. However, in case of chronic alopecia, expert guidance is required which has been described in the ‘Treatment’ section of this article.

The first step is to locate the root cause in your diet or lifestyle that is causing the pitta dosha. Once you locate it, try to give up or at least reduce the diet, habit or activity responsible for increasing pitta.
Always use a natural shampoo or soap (without too many chemicals) to clean the hair.
Oiling and massaging of the scalp is highly beneficial in preventing hair loss. Use coconut oil or mustard oil at least three times in a week. Certain medicated oils like Mahabhringraj oil, Amlaoil, and Arnica oil are also very useful.
Ensure regular bowel movement everyday. In case of constipation, a mild natural laxative may be taken. One teaspoonful of Triphala powder can be taken at bedtime with warm water.
Rub your scalp vigourously after washing the hair. It increases the blood circulation and activates the sebaceous glands.
A paste of licorice made by grinding it in milk can be applied in the bald patches. It induces hair growth. A paste of the seeds of lemon and black pepper may also be applied on the bald patches.
Consume raw vegetables, fresh fruits, salads, and green leafy vegetables regularly.
Use relaxing techniques such as yoga, pranayama, etc. to overcome stress, anxiety and sleeplessness.
Avoid hairstyles which pull the hair and consequently damage it.

Diet Regimen
Ayurveda requires you to maintain some simple diet regimens. These can no doubt be easily followed.
Do’s:	Dont’s:
High protein diet like milk, buttermilk, soya bean, cheese, ghee, butter should be taken. Seeds, nuts and grains should also be taken on a regular basis. Seasonal fruits and vegetables should be consumed in sufficient amounts. Sprouts made fromMoong or Chana dal are also recommended. In addition, taking food items that cool the body and living in a cool climate (especially in the summer) is very beneficial.	One should avoid pitta-aggravating diet such as fried, spicy and sour foods. Excess use of yogurt, pickles, tea, coffee, alcohol and non-vegetarian foods also increasespitta. Smoking should be avoided. White flour/white sugar products should be avoided. Junk foods, fast foods, or foods that contain artificial colours, flavours and preservatives should not be consumed regularly.