Encouraging hair growth when toxic meds cause hair loss

Hair loss is no fun! (public domain photo)

Are you on medications that cause your hair to fall out? I am. When I became sick with Lupus and started taking powerful meds, I was astounded at how quickly my brush filled with hair each day. It's a good thing I started out with a healthy head. Otherwise, I might have gone bald. I'm also glad I found a few ways to curb the hair loss from my meds, before it got any worse. Now that I've stopped the meds that were causing my issue, my hair is coming back full force. However, even before stopping the meds, these tips really made a difference.

Fuss more, lose less.

Did you know scalp stimulation keeps hair from falling out so rapidly? That's right. The more you brush your head, the more new growth is encouraged. You would think it would be just the opposite, wouldn't you? I did. Until I read about it. You do, however, want to stay away from damaging practices like blow drying and using curling irons. Devices that heat your hair can make it brittle and weak.

Head massage

New hair growth is stimulated by regular head massage. You might think it unwise to mess around with your hair too much. Actually, the opposite is true. Vigorously massaging the scalp when you shower can encourage toxins to work their way out of your hair and scalp, leaving nothing but healthy, beautiful hair.

Watch what you put in your mouth

You're taking in enough chemicals, without adding to the mix. Talk to your doctor about hair loss. Your medications may very well be the problem. There may be a medicine that's just as effective that doesn't have such embarrassing side effects. Consider your diet as well. Is it helping to flush chemicals from your body? Are you getting enough water and essential nutrients?

Get the chemicals out.

Certain herbs and household products can help reduce chemical build-up in hair follicles. I use a rinse of plain tea made with steeped sage, lavender and thyme. I also rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar once a week. Using these two techniques seems to help quite a bit. I haven't experienced any significant new hair loss since I started doing this.

Moisturize

Moisturizing your hair and scalp regularly keeps it healthier. This can improve its' chemical resistance. Think about how healthy people are less likely to contract colds and flu. Your hair is a part of you. It works on the same principle. The stronger and healthier your hair is, the less likely it is that you will lose it.

This post was previously published by this author on Yahoo!