YOU Tips!

      Most people tend to think that the only things you can do to protect your hair are to give it a good wash and watch out for clipper-toting frat boys. The reality is that there are many things you can do to make sure you make the most of what hair you have and save the hair you want to keep.

      PRACTICE GOOD HAIR HYGIENE. Most of what we do to hair is hairicidal: We blast it with hot air, bleach it, and then dye it. High hair-dryer heat (and that from curling irons) causes the water under the cuticles (the outermost layer of the hair) to form bubbles that stress and break the hair. The tiles that cover the hair dislodge, and your hair handles water like an unroofed house. You’ll get those dreaded split ends and your collie’s hair will outshine yours. It’s best to blot hair dry with a towel and then use low heat if you use a dryer. Your hair is actually most vulnerable when it’s wet, and you should treat your hair almost as you would a silk blouse—don’t iron it or heat it up to extremes. Also, it’s smart to use a brush with smooth or rounded teeth or bristles, which will massage the hair and scalp without damaging them. And you know that we’re going to quote Billy Joel when it comes to bleaching, dying, and adding hot-pink highlights: We like you just the way you are. Still, we also know that changing hair color can be an appearance advantage if it makes you feel better and healthier. Here’s an example of what we call biological budgeting—traditionally, you may have needed the cleanliness of your hair (for mating purposes), but you also run the risk of taking it to the extreme by overcleaning or overcoloring, which can damage your hair in the process.

      EXAMINE YOUR SHAMPOO. Not that we’ve got webcams in your bathroom, but we pretty much know your in-the-shower routine: Rinse yourself, shampoo your hair, rinse your hair, add conditioner, wash body, shave legs (or face), rinse, dry off. Sounds great, but it’s not ideal for you in at least one way. There isn’t one “right” answer to the question of how often to wash your hair. Your physical activities, your use of styling products, and your hair type will usually determine how often you wash your hair. If washing every day makes your hair too dry, try every other day or every third day. Or you may have very oily hair that needs washing more than once a day. If you condition when you shampoo, it could be that you need to shampoo daily but need to adjust the level of conditioning. However, if you have dandruff, it is advisable to wash your hair daily. More frequent washing has been shown to reduce the food source (sebaceous lipids) for the organism—Malassezia—that causes dandruff. Less frequent removal of these lipids by shampooing leads to overgrowth of Malassezia and increased dandruff. Conditioners, on the other hand, do seal in moisture, so they can be helpful. Apply conditioner daily and don’t bother washing it out if you don’t want to. Ideally, use an all-natural pH-balanced shampoo that’s gentle; remember, just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s always the best (cyanide is natural). We love shampoos from these makers: Aubrey Organics, Quinessence, So Organic, Avalon Organics, and Organic Excellence.

      STAY PURE. Drinking water isn’t the only water that should be free of toxins. You should also shower and especially bathe with toxin-free H₂O. Instead of squirting yourself with Evian, remove chlorine by adding a charcoal filter to your shower or bath. Chlorine—which isn’t just in swimming pools but also in tap water—dries out the hair (as well as the skin). It’s especially important if you take ten-minute showers or baths rather than a quick rinse. The problem isn’t the straight chlorine but what it turns into—stronger toxins called trichloromethanes.

      CHECK YOUR DIET. We’re not recommending you scrub your scalp with salmon (though the thought has crossed our minds), but the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, distilled fish oils, or DHA supplements from algae are the primary nutritional component that makes hair shinier. Other recommended foods: walnuts, flaxseed, avocados, sardines, eggs, milk (skim), and green tea. There’s also a connection between balding and eating animal fat—particularly red meat—because high-fat diets lead to more DHT production and more damage to hair follicles. Instead, make caffeine your vice, which has been shown over time and through a series of reactions to decrease DHT levels. Get yours via green tea, which also has been shown to help slow baldness by slowing down DHT production. There’s not much in the way of hard science that shows a direct link between these foods and pedestrian-stopping hair, but anyone who has pets knows that the better you feed your pets, the better their coats look: They feel softer, and their sheen is brighter.

      CHECK HORMONE LEVELS. If you experience sudden hair loss or lose hair in clumps, it may be a sign of a hormone imbalance or condition. It’s worth seeing a doctor to get a blood test that will measure your thyroid-stimulating and thyroid hormone levels. You’ll have better results trying to treat the cause if it is thyroid disease (and practically any other disease), rather than the symptom.

      SLOW BALDING. If you want to treat male-pattern baldness, you can try the medications minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia). Minoxidil works by increasing the anagen growth phase and enlarging the hair follicle, while finasteride inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT (by blocking that enzyme we mentioned earlier), which causes hair loss. Research shows that two-thirds of men who use finasteride slow down hair loss. And the earlier this drug is used after noticing hair loss, the more effective it will be. But this drug has that pesky little side effect of occasionally (rarely, actually) leading to decreased sexual desire and difficulty in achieving an erection. Interestingly, minoxidil was originally used to treat blood pressure, but researchers noted that it had a strange side effect: It grew hair on the backs of hands, cheeks, and fingers, and that’s how it was developed as a hair-loss treatment. When it comes to other products or procedures that claim to grow hair—everything from the HairMax LaserComb to Scalp Med—you should be wary of a wallet transplant. Yours to theirs. No potions or lotions other than minoxidil and finasteride have been shown to predictably increase hair growth or prevent its destruction.

      ADD REINFORCEMENTS. These are the vitamins and supplements that have been most favorably linked with good hair health.

      Vitamins. The most important vitamins for hair loss are the B group (B6, biotin, and folate for slowing loss and pantothenic acid and niacin for promoting hair growth). You can get B vitamins through diet, as well, by eating such foods as beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, soybeans, bran, nuts, and eggs. See www.realage.com for our vitamin dosing recommendations.

      Supplements. The extract of the berries of the saw palmetto shrub and the oil in avocados may slow hair loss and promote hair growth by preventing follicle-killing DHT from binding to receptor sites at the hair follicles. These supplements are controversial, however, and there are few studies that show their effectiveness. There is also some evidence that the amino acid L-lysine (at 500 to 1,000 mg) can help hair grow thicker (it hasn’t been tested in humans, but the coats of sheep grew thicker after being given L-lysine). And expect a new generation of shampoos containing pepper. Pepper has recently been shown in animals to knock out that evil enzyme that leads to hair loss.

      KNOW HOW TO DYE. Surely you’ve read about links between hair dye and lymphoma. After a somewhat checkered history, hair dyeing today is considered safe and effective. Some dye ingredients that were a potential health concern in the past were removed many decades ago and are no longer used in the United States, although some ingredients may still represent a concern in other countries (like lead-containing products, which may represent a neurological risk). It will take several more decades to know if hair dyes currently in use have subtle side effects. Because of extensive lobbying in the 1930s, hair dye manufacturers