Hair loss, also known as alopecia or balding, affects a large number of people all around the world. Over 40% of men experience hair loss or thinning by the age of 35, with this number increasing to over 65% of men by the age of 60.
Women are similarly susceptible to hair loss, with up to 80% of women experiencing noticeable hair loss by the age of 60. A common misconception around hair loss and alopecia is that it’s an untreatable condition that can only be accepted.
The truth of the matter is that while individuals suffering from hair thinning or hair loss typically have a hereditary genetic predisposition to losing hair, there are many factors that contribute to the process and a wide number of treatments to reduce its effect.
In both men and women, the primary cause of hair loss is a hormonal imbalance. Other factors such as dietary imbalance or a lack of critical nutrients contribute significantly to hair loss.
Inversely, supplementing the diet with foods that promote hair growth can have a dramatic effect on hair loss, thickening and strengthening hair.
What Causes Hair Loss?
The causes of hair loss are varied and complex. In men, hair loss is commonly hereditary and is caused by an imbalance of hormones called androgens. An imbalance of androgenic hormones and dihydrotestosterone, another male hormone, contributes to hair loss. Female pattern hair loss is typically caused by an excess of male hormones, leading to a similar hormonal imbalance.
Each hair on the head is seated in a tiny cavity called a follicle. Hair loss and balding occur when these follicles shrink over time and create thinner hairs. Eventually, these follicles seal up and fail to grow any hair at all, resulting in hair loss.
Hair loss typically begins at the hairline, receding backward over the head to the crown. While the follicles that seal up fail to grow new hair, they remain alive and functioning, able to grow new hair if the opportunity presents itself.
Each person possesses roughly 125,000 hairs on their head. The average human loses 100 to 150 strands of hair every day, which can cause extremely fast hair loss when follicles cease to create new hair.
While the primary cause of hair loss is genetic, there are several other factors that can exacerbate and speed up the hair loss process, or reverse it if resolved.
Insufficient Dietary Silica Intake
Hair is made from keratin, which the body extrudes to create both hair and nails. The body uses silica from the diet to create keratin, converting it from raw ingredients.
When the body is unable to create sufficient amounts of keratin due to poor silica intake, the quality, thickness and health of hair will suffer. Although many people suffering from hair loss will attribute it to genetic causes, it’s actually far more common for silica deficiency to be the root cause.
Silica is also used by the body to create collagen, which is used to repair skin and hair damage. By increasing the levels of silica in your diet, it’s possible to dramatically and rapidly increase hair production, thickening and strengthening hair.
Many supplements that are designed to reduce or reverse the effects of hair loss consist primarily of dietary silica, which can be found in a far more inexpensive from in diatomaceous earth.
While diatomaceous earth contains many particles of silica that are too large for the body to digest, much of the silica that composes it is bioavailable and can be used by the body to create new hair. There are many different scientific clinical trials that have conclusively proven the effectiveness in treating hair loss with diatomaceous earth.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study performed in 2012 demonstrated that supplementing the diet with silica results in an increase in overall hair volume, scalp coverage, thickness and shine of hair, effectively reversing the hair thinning process.
Another 3-month randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study performed in 2015 conclusively determined that silica supplements promote new hair growth and decrease hair loss, with users of silica supplements losing hair at a rate 200% slower than the placebo control group.
If you’re considering supplementing your diet with silica to prevent hair loss, diatomaceous earth is far more cost effective than any other silica supplement offered specifically for hair treatment.
Insufficient Dietary Protein Intake
A lack of protein in the diet can affect hair loss in a similar manner to insufficient silica intake. Low protein intake can contribute to a wide variety of debilitating health conditions such as slow metabolic rate, increased fat deposits size, muscle, bone and joint pain and low energy levels.
Many studies demonstrate that protein synthesis in the body is an integral component of the hair growth process, with good nutrition directly linked to increased hair production and thickness.
Iron intake is also critical to sustaining healthy ongoing hair growth. Iron is an essential element in the body, used to transfer nutrients from the bloodstream to the scalp. By regularly including red meat in the diet, or legumes and grains for vegetarians and vegans, it’s possible to reduce iron deficiency and promote better hair health.
Thyroid Disorders
Hormones generated by the thyroid have a direct influence on hair follicles. The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating the production of hormones in the human body, and as hair loss can be attributed to hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders are often the main culprit responsible for hereditary hair loss. As age proceeds, thyroid imbalances contribute directly to the progression of hair loss.
While thyroid disorders required professional medical treatment, there are a number of foods that can be incorporated into the diet to lessen the impact of a thyroid disorder on hair loss. Foods rich in goitrogens such as mustard, kohlrabi, peanuts, sweet potato, and mint all help to reduce the impact of thyroid disorders on the hair.
Pregnancy Related Hair Loss
Pregnancy is another commonly overlooked cause of hair loss in women. Between 40% and 50% of women experience hair loss during the pregnancy cycle. This is caused by hormonal changes in the body that instruct hair follicles to enter a “resting mode”.
At any point in time, the human body is generating hair from only 90% of the follicles available, with the other 10% resting. Pregnancy causes more follicles to enter a resting phase, resulting in hair loss. This hair loss is completely normal and will reverse in the postnatal period.
Excess Vitamin A Intake
Many people choose to supplement their diets with vitamins to promote good health, but occasionally excess vitamin intake can cause unwanted symptoms. Foods that are rich in vitamin A such as carrots or sweet potato can cause the body to absorb more vitamin A than it needs.
Retinoids, created from vitamin A in the body, have been attributed to hair loss. While this process is not clearly understood, there are a number of clinical studies conclusively linking excess retinoid levels and hair loss. To prevent retinoid related hair loss, simply cut back on foods that are rich in vitamin A.
What to Do if Experiencing Hair Loss
If you're beginning to experience the early stages or hair thinning or hair loss, the first step is to assess your lifestyle and dietary choices. A sedentary lifestyle with poor nutritional intake is usually the first cause of hair loss. The first step in combating hair loss is to actively change eating and activity habits, adhering to a balanced diet and regular fitness plan.
In addition to preventing hair loss, making positive lifestyle changes offer a wide range of health benefits such as increased energy, fat loss, better cognitive function, resistance to disease and improved long term health. By improving your lifestyle and incorporating diatomaceous earth into your diet, it’s possible to stop or even reverse the effects of hair loss permanently.
Diatomaceous Earth Information Guide:
We have a wide variety of food grade diatomaceous earth resources for you look through to make your life a little easier and chemical-free. Please check out the other valuable resources and versatile application uses for silica-rich diatomaceous earth below:
- Diatomaceous Earth Supplementation
- Truth About D.E. Food Grade Silica Supplements
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- Silica Supplements Guide
- Silica Mineral Benefits For Hair
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- Silica Water
- Bamboo Extract
- Orthosilicic Acid (Organic Silica)
Please reach out regarding any information above. In the future, more share-worthy useful enhancements, experiences and effects of diatomaceous earth will be added as the benefits continue to pile up. Always welcome for more insight and awareness, click the button to see the most recommended beautifully blended product that combines both high quality food grade diatomaceous earth powder and pure organic silica together in one formula.