Nizoral is packaged as an anti-dandruff shampoo, yet its active ingredient is ketoconazole, which fights off DHT (aka the enemy) and minimizes inflammation of the scalp, which can increase hair growth. For best results, use it four times a week, giving it a thorough lather. Using Nizorial in tandem with Minoxidil may be even more effective.
This spray is a more natural alternative to Rogaine, but can also be used along with it. You can spray it on your hair after shampooing and its copper peptide technology is suppose to help stimulate hair growth to make hair thicker.
This product, which boasts "all-natural" ingredients like saw palmetto and zinc claims to block the conversion of female hormones into DHT. Plus, it has ginkgo biloba in it, which has been shown to affect the amount of blood that's delivered to hair follicles. It may stop hair loss, but its effects are not yet proven. Nonetheless, it might be worth a shot. Spray it onto balding areas two or three times a day.
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Biotin
A vitamin in the B family called biotin is crucial for proper hair growth. Ingesting high doses of it (like 5000-8000 mg) daily can be effective in helping hair grow, but be sure to consult your doctor before taking high doses of any vitamin.
Next: See other options to counter thinning hair.
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Hair transplants
This procedure consists of removing little plugs of hair from the sides and back of the scalp (donor area) where the hair is still growing and putting them in areas that are balding. Cons: hair transplants are pricey, usually require several sessions and can cause minor scarring. Pros: results are positive and lasting.
Although balding is more of an overtly male disease, according to the American Hair Loss Association, women actually make up 40 percent of hair loss sufferers. And just so you know, a hair grows about a half-inch per month from its follicle. Each individual hair grows for two to six years, rests, falls out, then new hair grows in its place. Unfortunately, sometimes, when a hair falls out, a new hair does not grow.
In what is called female pattern baldness, the cause of this inability to grow new hair is not well understood, but likely has to do with genes, aging and levels of endocrine hormones. The hormonal process of testosterone converting to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) -- which occurs in men and women -- damages the hair follicles. Note: All you need to remember as you're reading this is that DHT is not your friend because it triggers hair loss and inhibits hair growth.
Other than female pattern baldness, thinning hair happens in women for myriad reasons:
� Underactive thyroid
� Telogen effluvium (temporary hair shedding)
� Alopecia areata (an immune disorder causing temporary hair loss)
� Breaking of hair due to styling treatments and pulling of hair
� Iron deficiency
� Vitamin deficiency
� Certain medications
� Particular skin diseases
� Hormonal abnormalities
� Stress
Dr. Philip Kingsley, unmatched expert on hair health, explains stress and thinning hair further. Plus, we highlight some hair care products to help stop hair loss and increase hair growth.
