BALDNESS, GRAY HAIR AND DANDRUFF
The hair, like the skin, is often used as a barometer of the general health of the body since it is dependent on a pure bloodstream for nourishment. It is important to keep this basic fact uppermost in mind when considering hair problems since, unfortunately, there are many firms that capitalize on these problems and sell the person all sorts of expensive treatments, lotions, creams and so on, and the only ones who benefit are the dispensers of the various nostrums and their suppliers.
There are a number of known causes of baldness for example: congenital baldness (baldness at birth), post-infectious baldness (baldness following surgery or disease), baldness due to shock or nerve injury, scalp disease and what is generally referred to as “male pattern” baldness.
With the exception of male pattern and congenital baldness, all the rest offer a good prognosis for full recovery under proper treatment.
HAIR REFLECTS STATE OF HEALTH
When the body is in vigorous health, the hair usually reflects this by being resilient and lustrous. Since we know that our bloodstream is the sole source of nourishment for our hair, we can do two things: improve the purity and quality of the blood and get more blood to the hair roots. Since we can only improve the quality and purity of our blood by improving our diet and exercising properly, we eliminate our bad eating habits and improve the circulation of blood to the head and scalp by massage and exercise.
EXERCISE IN THE INVERTED POSITION
To bring more blood to the scalp, it is best to perform all exercises in the inverted position with the head down so that gravity is working in our favor rather than against us. With this principle in mind, we use the slant board to keep the head ‘lower than the feet, low parallel bars to aid us in performing the head stand and to keep the head down while brushing. All these help circulate additional blood to the head and scalp.
It is important to keep in mind that premature baldness, excessive hair loss, as well as dandruff (excess shedding of epidermis), are symptoms, often resulting from a body imbalance or living in a “twilight zone” of health. By twilight zone, I refer to the state describing those people who have no diagnosable disease, but still are not enjoying vigorous health. For these cases, exercise which strengthens the muscles supporting the vital organs and improves elimination should be practiced regularly.
GENERAL CARE OF THE HAIR
With reference to the general care of the hair, I recommend shampooing or washing the hair at least once a week to keep it clean. Daily brushing of hair vigorously from the roots down to the tips for several minutes daily will help improve its appearance by distributing the natural oils from the scalp up along the hair shaft.
For this purpose I must emphasize that you should use a natural bristle brush rather than a nylon bristle brush because nylon bristles can irritate the scalp or break and pull out hair. No matter which brush you use however, be sure to clean it often.
It is also important to properly massage the hair, nape of neck and forehead a few minutes every day to improve the circulation. When massaging the head, be sure to move the scalp.
Many people have checked their prematurely graying hair by improving their diets. Of course there are many different causes for gray hair in which improving the diet will not always help. However, there is no harm, especially in cases where the hair is prematurely graying, in improving the diet before trying the beauty parlor treatment.
Many shampoos, antiseptics, and medicines are harsh and harmful. You my do better to shampoo your hair with a ripe avocado blended with a little castile soap and water, or, if your hair is very oily, a mashed tomato. Rinse well!