Who wants to be bald?
Nobody. Actually, some people do prefer it, but that's the thing: it's a choice for these people. For others, losing hair isn't a choice - it just happens. So how do you prevent hair loss?
THE EASY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PREVENTING HAIR LOSS
These steps work for both men and women!
1. Shampoo your hair - Sounds obvious right? Well it's not just about shampooing, it's about the brand of shampoo and how frequently you do it. Shampoo your hair no more than 4 times a week and no less than 3 times a week. Make sure you are using a trusted shampoo (either drug store or salon quality that's not old. Believe me, there are people who use shampoo that's 3 or sometimes even 4 years old! I recommend using Kerastase for salon quality, and Garnier for drug store.
2. Condition your hair - Condition your hair no more than 3 times a week. If you have severe hair fall out, you might want to skip out on the conditioner completely, or only apply it to the ends of your hair, avoiding the roots.
3. Use an antifungal - I highly recommend using a product with Ketoconazole, an antifungal agent. Nizoral works great. The reason it's important to use an antifungal is that normal hair fallout is caused by normal fungi residing at our roots. So to lessen even your normal fallout, use an antifungal regularly depending on your hair. For some, Nizoral can dry out their hair. For me, however, Nizoral makes my hair silkier, so I use it before every time I shampoo.
4. Air dry your hair - You can dry off your hair with a towel, but be careful not to keep your hair wrapped in a towel as they can snag off.
5. Avoid hot tools - This includes the hair dryer. It's better not to use hot rollers, curling irons, and straighteners as well. For some people who love styling their hair, this may be difficult, so avoid hot tools near the scalp as much as possible.
6. Be gentle with your hair - A huge reason for hair fallout that many people don't realize is from brushing your hair vigorously. Use a gentle hair brush, or a wide-toothed comb.
7. Medical checkup - If your hair fallout is severe and worrisome, it's worth getting a doctor's consultation. At times, a hormonal imbalance may be the cause. For example, if your thyroid hormone levels are low, taking thyroxine can decrease fallout drastically.
8. Supplements and diet - Often, when I see patients who are dieting, they complain of severe hair fallout. Make sure you are eating healthy, and taking supplements including multivitamins. In addition, take a high dose within the recommended range of Biotin - this should greatly increase your hair growth.
9. Don't touch your scalp with dirty hands - You didn't expect to see this step did you? The reality is that our hands our very dirty and touching our scalp adds microbials including fungi around our hair follicles. So wash your hands before scratching your head!
10. Regular hair cuts - Another huge reason for a medically normal person to experience hair fallout is because of not getting regular hair cuts. When a person has poor condition of hair, like split ends, that hair follicle becomes very fragile and more prone to tangles. Tangles in turn snag when being touched by fingers or by the hair brush, and so your hair will be forced to pluck out.
HOW TO TREAT HAIR LOSS
Your hair has already fallen out, and now you have a big bald patch on your head or a receding hairline. Here's how your hair can magically reappear.
1. Rogaine - There are different strengths and formulations for this product, so get the one that suits you. Apply this product day and night and be consistent with it. It should work wonderfully, but be patient. Some women without drastic hair loss even use this product just to thicken their hair!
2. Hair transplant - I don't recommend this method unless Rogaine fails to work after a year or 2 of consistent use. So make sure to follow the steps above on preventing hair loss in addition to using Rogaine in order to prevent going for hair transplant.