Q1 I’m in my early 30s and my hair has started to thin on top. Baldness runs in the family so I know it’s inevitable. But is there anything I can do to slow down the rate of hair loss?
A. Scalp health is one of the keys to healthy hair, and can in fact slow down the rate of loss. Using a natural shampoo (and conditioner if you use it) without sulphates, parabens, and perfumes is a great start.
The most important step is stimulating the circulation to your hair follicles through massage. You can do this while you wash your hair using your fingers — or even better with a stimulating scalp massage device designed to promote healthy blood flow to the scalp.
A scalp massage device is simply a handheld ‘brush’ with silicone bristles that fits into the palm of your hand. Gently press the tips to your scalp and use small circular motions with medium pressure. You can use daily this outside of hair washing to help boost hair growth and prevent hair loss. Massage can be done on dry hair or using a serum or oil designed to improve hair growth.
There are numerous products available to help prevent hair loss and breakage and nourish the scalp. As well as shampoos and conditioners you can check out masks, tonics, massagers and derma rollers.
Protection from the sun is just as important in preventing damage to the hair as it is for the skin — this can be as simple as remembering to wear a hat whenever you are out in the sun.
As you have mentioned, a predisposition to thinning or baldness is something of a genetic lottery, but you can make adjustments to your diet through food choices and supplementation to ensure that your body has sufficient levels of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 to optimise the density and thickness of your hair along with nourishing your scalp.
Foods rich in beta-carotene are another source of important nutrients for the hair and scalp. This is mostly foods of the bright orange or yellow colour such as apricots, melons, carrots, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, papaya, peaches, and bell peppers/capsicum.
Silica-rich herb horsetail can be made into a herbal infusion that you can drink to nourish your follicles — adding in other well-known hair-nourishing herbs such as rosemary and chamomile along with circulation-boosting spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne will help too. Simply use a rounded teaspoon of your chosen herb and spice blend per cup of boiling water and steep for 5-8 minutes. Drink 2-4 cups daily.
Q2. I’ve two children aged three and seven who suffer from car sickness. We’re about to go on a long trip to see my parents and I’m dreading it. Is there a remedy I could give them?
A. Ginger has long been touted as a natural remedy to ease motion sickness (and morning sickness), with scientific backing showing that it does in fact reduce nausea and vomiting. Ginger is also used to help with chemotherapy-related and postoperative nausea and/or vomiting.
Since ginger capsules or ginger tea are not generally appealing remedies for young children, instead you can offer it as a syrup, lozenge, or biscuit to reduce the likelihood of car sickness.
Ideally, you would have your children take the ginger remedies for the week leading up to travel as well as having them on hand during the trip itself.
Sea Bands, designed to be worn over the acupressure points in the wrist, can help with motion sickness. Cheap and readily available at chemists, it is well worth having these on for extra reassurance. It is a good idea to practise with these before you take your trip, and have your children wear the bands for around 10-15 minutes before they hop in the car.
