Date Added: October 15, 2007 05:18:14 AM

Many scalp conditions such as irritated or itchy scalp infections and hair loss can stem from auses which are related.  There are quite a few different factors that can cause scalp and hair problems that may seem to elude our understanding, but there are also some very common factors that most of us don’t realise we can take control of. 

Understanding how natural scalp remedies &/or scalpmed treatments can help to soothe our scalps, and more importantly understand the causes so we can eliminate or at least reduce them.  It can be a lot simpler than you might think. For example learning about how our follicles respond to different shampoo ingredients or hormones like DHT from testosterone. 

Conditions like sore scalp and hair loss can be attributed to conditions such as a reaction to certain common shampoo ingredients that a surprising number of people have averse reactions to….some of these can cause flaking, dandruff or itchy scalp and corrode hair follicles resulting in hair loss.

Hair loss is a problem that affects many people particularly males but also an increasing number of females. For some people it can be devastating to their self esteem.

Prescription drugs as scalpmeds are a very common choices for dealing with scalp and hair loss issues.   The two most popular and only FDA approved drugs that deal with hair loss are Rogaine and Propecia. Rogaine is a topical treatment that you apply to the scalp, aiding hair growth and inhibiting hair loss. Propecia is an oral pill that is designed to help maintain hair count.  These are usually prescribed together as a solution by doctors.

Hair restoration surgery is another option where surgery is undertaken to take hair from other areas of the head and place it in areas where hair loss has occurred.  This is a natural looking solution, fast and long term.  The downside is that not everyone can afford surgery and it’s also a big deal to some people having any kind of surgery.

 

Luckily there are natural ways to deal with the causes of hair loss by using beneficial hair products and shampoos.  There are also natural oils that are rumoured to (and shown in studies) to help with encouraging hair growth such as lavender oil.  

Let’s have a look at the different types or categories of hair loss, and then look at some of the scalp med options available to you. 

Mens Hair Loss

Symptoms include:

1. Receding hairline

2. Moderate to extensive hair loss, especially on the crown of the head.

About ninety-five percent of hair loss in men can be attributed to Androgenic Alopecia (male pattern baldness).

For some men hair loss can start from as early as age 20 but for most male’s hair loss is only noticeable from the age of about 35 onwards. 

Factors affecting baldness are suggested to included age, heredity and the male hormone testosterone.

The main culprit is DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) which is a combination of testosterone and androgen receptors mixed with sebum and dirt particles.  The hair follicles are particularly sensitive to DHT may shrink when exposed to it and eventually the hair thins than falls out.
Other causes of hair loss can include scalp inflammations, infections, and nutritional deficiency in your diet, illness, and severe stress

DHT & Androgens: DHT is a naturally occurring human hormone, related to production of testosterone. DHT is present form birth but can increase from the onset of puberty.  DHT causes changes in men’s biology affecting their hair follicles.

In follicles, are DHT and structures called "Androgen Receptors". These regulate normal hair growth.

DHT and Androgen Receptors combine to carry out the creation of normal proteins in follicles, which regulate the health, growth, and resting cycles of a follicle.

As men age, these two processes change and too much DHT can be produced thus manifesting as an overabundance of this activity which effects the normal growth regulating process that goes on in the follicle.  In the normal hair cycle it grows, rests, and re-grows again. When DHT and the Androgen receptors are in too much supply this can extend the resting time of the cycle and weaken hair follicles.

Inflammation:The process described above initiates what is called an autoimmune response. To put it in layman's terms, follicles experiencing the above process are being treated as a foreign body and are rejected.  This really sums up what male pattern baldness is.

Telltale signs and symptoms of the autoimmune response can include tingling, itching, burning or redness, and inflammation of the scalp. This isn’t always the case but is very common.  Inflammation is considered one of the other major factors which exacerbate the hair loss process.  It’s vital to ensure you are using a good shampoo that does not further irritate the scalp with ingredients such as Sulphates known to irritate skin and eye membranes.

 

Ladies Hair Loss:

 

Scalp Inflammations:  Our skin and scalp is the largest organ of the body.  This isn’t really something most of us think about, but this is the organ that is most exposed to the environment.  Like the rest of our body, it’s important that our skin maintains a balance that enables it to regenerate itself.  This can be easier said than done – especially when we bombard it with all manner of substances and the elements.  Our skin and scalps produce sebum for protection and balance.  However, we use products to clean them without questioning how they affect the delicate balance of body etc. 

One other side effect of some products’ ingredients is that they can corrode hair follicles and disturb hormones – which control the natural resting and growth cycles of hair.  Yes hair has cycles of growth and resting.   This is why pregnancy and hormonal changes throughout and later in life can influence our hair thickness and health.

 

Post Pregnancy Hair Loss:  It’s quite common for women to lose an increased amount of hair during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth.  Some say this is the result of hormonal changes.  It is considered to be normal temporary cycle and hair can be expected to regrow in time.

 

Female Telogen Effluvium: Telogen Effluvium is a condition where a larger number of follicles than usual enter the resting phase that hair follicles go through.  Symptoms are a diffuse thinning of hair over the scalp, resulting in reduced overall hair density.  It is caused by hormonal imbalances, and vitamin deficiencies.

The good news is that the vast majority of people with TE can see a full recovery of hair fullness.  To treat TE, it’s important to repair the imbalance detected in blood tests and/or stimulate hair growth until the condition causing the TE ceases.  You can use natural oils such as Lavender and Rosemary to help stimulate hair re growth as well as by taking care to avoid certain chemicals which can corrode hair follicles such as Sulphates. 

Alopecia Areata
this is a common condition which effects as many as 1 in 1,000 people at any time.  It is much less common than Androgenic Alopecia due to DHT.  Alopecia Areata.   Sometimes bodily imbalances can cause this and can be helped or cured by correcting several factors which can be detected with blood tests which can reveal the most common causes such as medications, pregnancy, birth control pills, thyroid malfunctions, anemia, syphilis, and arthritis.

It’s also quite often caused by a response of the immune system where the body has mistaken the hair follicles as a foreign body and rejects them. 

The good news is that if an imbalance in a person's system, which if rectified, can result in complete regrowth of hair.

 

Non Surgical Options, Scalpmed Treatments Available:

 

Growth Stimulants and Copper peptide treatments: are treatments that specialize in shortening the resting phase of the follicle.  Some are listed below:

Minoxidil 2% or 5% (growth stimulant)
Crinagen (contains growth stimulant properties)
Proxiphen (contains growth stimulant properties)Tricomin Therapy Spray (copper peptide treatment)
Nizoral 1% Shampoo (growth stimulant)
Folligen (copper peptide treatment from the makers of Tricomin)
Revivogen (contains growth stimulant properties)

 

DHT Inhibitors - Work to inhibit the binding of Testosterone and 5-Alpha Reductase, which in turn keeps DHT levels as close to normal as possible, which in turn helps keep hair growth and loss regulation at its normal healthy state. These treatments really deal with the cause of hair loss.

 

Growth Stimulating Remedies Or Drugs– These can artificially stimulate growth, without actually dealing with hair loss at the cause of the problem. While this may sound like an ineffective method, growth stimulators are actually a very successful way to reverse the balding process – or help to restore hair follicle health after you have removed the cause.

Super Oxide Dismutase – Or SOD’s: these hair loss treatments work by handling the immune response which occurs as a result of excessive DHT in the follicle.  Your immune system protects itself against invading viruses, cells, and foreign tissues by releasing Super Oxide, which helps to defend the body, but also makes the body reject hair follicles.  What SOD's do is to reduce Super Oxide, lessening the body's desire to reject the follicle.   SOD's have growth stimulation properties, as well as anti-inflammatory properties.  There are natural sources of SOD including supplements including melon-derived SOD oral supplements. 

Antiandrogens: – These scalpmed treatments work by inhibiting DHT from binding to the Androgen receptor. As we know, this is one of the steps in the chain of chemical reactions which ultimately leads to hair loss.   DHT Inhibitors eliminate the first chemical interaction and stop it from occurring early on, whereas Antiandrogens work on inhibiting one of the last interactions before follicle damage happens.  These treatments work as inhibitors but at different times during the process.

Products such as Revivogen are known to be vey effective in treating DHT related hair loss. 

Anti-Inflammatory's: Either medical formulations or natural anti-inflammatories such as essential oils can be effective by reducing inflammation, itching, redness, and flaking.  A surprising number of itchy burning scalp irritations can also be caused as a result of an allergic reaction to shampoo ingredients stimulating an immune response, which can make hair loss even worse if not controlled.  One culprit is SLS (Sodium Laureth or Lauryl Sulphate).  Sodium lauryl sulfate dissolves the oils on your skin, which causes a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin.  It also corrodes the hair follicle and impedes hair growth. It has been blamed for many cases of premature hair loss and it takes hair longer to grow when it has been affected by SLS.

Natural Remedies: There are many natural remedies you can use to soothe & alleviate the symptoms and help the healing process.  Oils Known to Stimulate Hair Growth Are: Rosemary, Hissop, Neroli, Lavender (lavender has been shown in studies to increase hair growth in some test subjects by 30%), it’s also very calming & effective in relieving sore inflamed scalp.

There are other remedies for soothing and healing scalp conditions that have long been treated with scalp meds like Rogaine or Nizoral.  It’s good to know there are ways to help your scalp get back to balance and thus creating an environment for healthy hair.

 

Mia Wadsworth who founded http://www.dryitchyscalpremedies.com/ to to help suffers of scalp conditions learn about & understand hair loss, scalpmeds for hair regrowth, irritated scalp, dandruff & other scalp conditions. Mia shows how to relieve and eliminate causes of hair loss & scalp conditions fast & permanently.