Saturday, January 30, 2010

Scalp Shock

I have been reading a few forums on various hair growth aids: natural (JBCO, nettle, horsetail, aloe, wild growth oil) and unnatural (e.g. mega tek, MN (aka vaginal cream), surge). For some, these aids have brought tremendous growth and thickness. However, what has been seen by all users has been an increase in shedding or hair fall. Now, shedding is a natural process of hair growth. In fact, a healthy head of hair can expect to shed 50-100 hairs a day. Yet, these products appear to produce more shedding than the expected amount. I wonder why that is....

When I was on the JBCO Challenge I experienced some shedding, even scalp sores, which is why I had to dilute my JBCO with another oils. Now JBCO, like the other hair aids I mentioned above is said to stimulate and detoxify/cleanse the scalp. This made me wonder if the reason we experience so much extra shedding with these products is because our scalp is going into shock. 

The process that led me to this theory was my recent body detox. I detoxify every year to help clean my body of impurities and foster a healthier body and mind. Now if you have never completed a detox, let me tell you that the first few days or week (depending on the level of toxins that are in the body) can be difficult. You experience fatigue, headaches, possible breakouts (acne) and irritability--basically your body goes into shock. As you purge more and more toxins from your body you begin stabilize. I believe the scalp does the same thing. To test this theory I applied JBCO on my scalp without any other oils. It seems to be doing much better than it did when I first used it. Now that I've seen this this doesn't mean I am going to just start using JBCO straight. However, what I will do is gradually build up my tolerance towards it. I also suggest that if find you are sensitive to products that you try this method as well. 

We often run out grabbing new products to put on our hair without really knowing how it will respond to our hair or scalp. Obviously the best way to tell if a product works for your hair is to try it, however the scalp is a different matter. The scalp needs to be protected. It is your breeding ground for beautiful and strong hair. If it is damaged beyond repair due to scaring, burning, excessive scratching (all reactions I've heard reported from the use of these products), it won't matter what you put on you scalp after that, nothing will grow. The scalp is resilient, but not invincible. Be mindful of that before you reach for the next best thing that someone is suggesting you use to increase hair growth.  Use these products with care. If nothing else, add a new product a little bit at a time to see how you'll respond and to help your hair become accustom to it. Particularly if it is a product is something you plan on using for a long period of time.

HHG!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.