As an integral part of our body the hair cells are governed by the same natural laws as all the other cells. When the blood is pure, the functions of our inner organs normal, the digestion and assimilation of foods complete, then our hair is also normal. When, on the other hand, our health is poor and our body metabolism is faulty the hair is affected, becomes lusterless, thin, and gradually falls out.
The functions of our hair are: protecting the brain from the elements: overheating by the hot rays of the sun or chilling by extremely low temperatures; eliminating body wastes from the blood by evaporation of gaseous substances through the shafts of the hair; cushioning hard knocks to the head; and lastly, adorning the head.
In spite of being quite important in themselves all these functions of the hair are not very essential to our existence. Nature being very efficient eliminates less essential things for the sake of more essential ones when the supply of nutrition is short, or when nourishment is needed for more urgent purposes. This being the case, the hair is one of the first things to go when our body functions are impaired.
There is a continual replacement of every cell of our body; each hair consequently gradually wears out and is replaced by a new one. It is quite normal, therefore, to have a few hairs come out daily while combing, brushing, or washing the scalp. However, thinning of the hair and its coming out in large quantities is an indication that something is wrong with our system. To remedy this condition it is necessary to rid our blood of accumulated toxins, and improve our general condition of health by rational living and proper eating. The methods for this have been outlined previously; adherence to them is absolutely essential to prevent further deterioration of the hair. Anything which is bad for our health or lowers our vitality is also bad for our hair.
Overeating is, in a great measure, responsible for the imperfect digestion and assimilation of foods and of poor body metabolism. Avoid overeating, eat only when hungry and just enough food to satisfy your hunger; skip a meal occasionally, stay one day a week on juices only, and you will have good health and good hair.
Another important factor in having good hair is correct posture. When your spine is bent out of alignment due to habitual slumping some of the vertebrae become twisted out of their normal position and press upon the nerves emerging from the spaces separating each two vertebrae. This causes weakening of the particular body function which is controlled by the compressed nerve. Thus, the supply of energy and nutrition sent to the hair by a certain spinal center may be affected and the growth of the hair curtailed.
To attain good posture always carry yourself straight, chest up, shoulders back, head up, look forward, not down to the ground. Your hair as well as your whole body will respond favorably to this bearing.
Correct posture with your chest up and your lungs free to expand will promote another important factor of health — breathing. All the cells of our body, those of the hair included need enormous amounts of oxygen in order to function properly. Restrict the intake of oxygen and you will impede all your body functions. Remember to give your hair plenty of oxygen internally as well as externally.
Among special foods supplying our hair with the nutrition necessary for good growth the following are very beneficial: cabbage, egg yolk, carrot juice, raw milk, yeast, honey, blackstrap molasses, and apple cider vinegar. These foods supply the hair with proteins, silicon, sulphur, calcium, and other essential minerals. Deterioration of the hair is due mainly to a deficiency of organic calcium phosphate and sodium chloride in our blood. The last two items of the above-mentioned special foods are rich in these minerals and should be used daily.
Besides constitutional treatment our hair needs local treatment in order to do well. Let us see what can be done in this respect.
Of all parts of our body the scalp is the least active. We move around, work, and exercise and by doing that create increased blood circulation in the active regions. The scalp is usually little affected by our activity. The fact that it is on the top of the body makes it also somewhat difficult for the blood to reach it easily; usually where blood circulation is poor, body functions are retarded. Blood grows hair. To grow better hair we must establish a good circulation of blood in the scalp.
Humorous and impractical as it may seem at first thought the best exercise for bringing blood to the scalp is standing on your head. This exercise is incomparable in value for all our inner organs also, and it improves blood circulation. It will bring a rich supply of blood to the scalp and give plenty of nourishment to the roots of your hair. To learn the headstand first kneel on the floor; put your head on a pillow placed on the floor; put your hands palms down on the floor as far away from your face as possible. Now you have three points of support — your head and both hands. Keep your neck stiff without bending it; bring your knees as near to your head on the floor as possible. Now lift your feet off the floor just about one inch and balance yourself that way. Later on you will learn to lift them gradually higher and higher until you master this art completely.
Other local applications such as frequent combing and brushing of the hair and massaging of the scalp are also of great value. All these should always be done from the back of the neck and the sides of the head towards the forehead, because the main arteries carrying blood to the scalp enter from the back of the neck, go around the ears and branch out into small vessels and capillaries from these places all over the scalp. Massaging in the direction of the flow of blood will accelerate and improve its circulation. While massaging bend forward with your head down to the level of your waistline. This will bring more blood to your head.
Other good forms of exercising the scalp are pulling the hair, by taking it strand by strand and gently pulling outwards; also squeezing the scalp with your hand so that it is wrinkled by doing that. A few minutes of this procedure will warm up the scalp and leave it tingling.
Baldness in women is very rare in comparison with that in men. Women have to comb, brush, pull, and set their hair several times a day while men, sometimes for days at a time, completely forget that they even have hair.
Washing of the hair is another important item in the care and promotion of its growth. For some unknown reason superstition still persists that frequent washing of the hair causes it to fall out. Not too long ago the same superstition was applied to bathing. It was considered unhealthy and bad luck to take baths, and even the nobility would bathe only a few times a year.
When you let a tall object stand around for a while it gets covered with dust, most of which collects on the top. The same thing happens to the human body. The dust and dirt from the air of our cities gathers mostly on the top of our heads; there it gets mixed with the perspiration and oil exuded from the sebaceous glands — this forms a crust on top of the scalp. This crust becomes dry and gradually chokes the hair roots so that new hairs coming out to take the place of those which fell out are unable to push through it. Baldness is a result of this process. Regular washing and scrubbing of the scalp is necessary in order to remove this daily accumulation of dirt, so the new hair growth can function properly.
The hair should be washed two or three times a week with castile soap or some vegetable oil shampoo and thoroughly rinsed afterwards alternately with warm and cold water. Dry with a rough towel and finish up with a massage and a pulling of the hair.
Most health authorities disapprove of wearing hats. While the wearing of tight hats, particularly on hot days, is definitely harmful to the hair as well as to the whole body, in some cases the wearing of hats is advisable. In the cold regions of the earth, or in extremely cold weather anywhere, a hat will keep the scalp warm enough to promote good circulation of the blood thus helping the hair in its growth. A few small holes punched at the top and sides of the hat will provide a supply of fresh air and an escape for body gases exuded through the shafts of the hair.
Some people will argue that wearing a hat is not natural, supporting this contention by the fact that primitive man never wore one. True, he did not wear a hat, but he may have covered his head with a large banana leaf or other things at the hot time of the day. Living in forests where plenty of shade was to be found he may not have had any use for a hat. In addition to all these considerations primitive man never cut his hair and actually had a mane of thick long hair which offered him all the protection he needed. We, on the other hand, especially men, cut our hair short and thus subject our scalp to dust, dirt, and the elements. The fact that women are subject to hair deterioration in a lesser degree than men is vivid proof of the above assertion. Women, as a rule, wear their hair longer, similar to primitive man, and are thus better protected than men. Very few women become baldheaded compared to men.
Washing of the hair does not rob it of its natural oil. This oil is secreted from the blood by the sebaceous glands, as is other waste, and has to be removed by washing and brushing, the same as the rest of skin. When the scalp is too dry the application of some olive or apricot kernel oil will be found very beneficial.
To sum up the subject of growing good hair we may say that general health, cleanliness, and exercise will promote the growth of hair throughout your life.
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