4 Proven Ways to Fight Hair Loss and Regrow Hair

Hair loss can be a real drag, to say the least. Not only is it frustrating, but it can also really do a number on your self-esteem. How to fight it and regrow hair?

You may even be tempted to take extreme actions like hair implants to solve the problem—but hold your horses. There are a lot of natural steps you can take to fight hair loss and regrow hair. Extreme measures should be a last resort.

Try these healthy and inexpensive alternatives first before making any big decisions. Not only can they fight hair loss and regrow hair, but these tips will also help your overall health. This, like a positive cycle, can only mean good things for your hair.

Here are 4 proven ways to fight hair loss the natural way:

1. Diet

Your diet is the first thing you want to take a look at. The modern American diet is suboptimal, to say the least. High in refined carbs and low in nutrients, it’s pretty much a recipe for iron and protein deficiency—two leading dietary causes of hair loss in both men and women.

Try adding the following foods, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to your diet to help fight hair loss:

• Protein:

Protein is the most important macronutrient for someone who wants to fight hair loss and regrow hair. You may have heard that there is no such thing as a protein deficiency in the Western diet. However, this is a dangerous blanket statement that prevents many Americans from getting the correct amount of protein they need.

The amount of protein you should consume correlates to your body weight. Small people can simply get by with less protein without it causing health issues. The more massive you are (whether it’s fat, muscle, height—whatever), the more protein you need just to function on a basic level (such as maintaining your own hair).

The minimum recommended daily allowance for protein (RDA) is 10% of your calories come from protein. Newer research shows, instead, that we should be consuming more like 15%-35% of our calories from protein sources.

Unless you have kidney problems, upping your protein is usually safe and remember: your body uses protein to grow hair, so it’s crucial you get enough for your needs.

• Iron:

Men aren’t usually iron deficient, but if you are iron-deficient (such as, you have anemia or another blood disorder that causes you to be so), getting the right level of iron for your needs is a proven way to fight hair loss.

If you’re healthy, taking a standard multivitamin for men should provide enough iron, as well as eating things like red meat and beets. But if you truly have an iron deficiency, talk to your doc about prescription-strength supplements.

• Vitamin C:

Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron. Eat some oranges or broccoli and you’ll get plenty to help with this issue. It also can help with any immune system issues that could be causing hair loss.

• Vitamin D:

While not traditionally a vitamin for hair loss, Vitamin D (particularly Vitamin D3), can help your immune system function more normally.

If an autoimmune disease is causing your hair loss, it can help keep it in check. If Vitamin D deficiency is your problem and you have a health issue that demands you need extra, your doc can provide you with a prescription-strength dose for an extra boost. This is great for those who are unable to be in the sun, the most natural way to get Vitamin D.

• Healthy fats:

Choose to eat healthy fats like the omega-3’s found in tuna, eggs, and flaxseeds, among others. Not only are these foods great sources of protein, but they provide you with fat, which nourishes your follicles as well as acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory, killing three hair-loss birds with one stone.

2. Exercise

A lot of guys who are losing hair are afraid to exercise, worrying that it might boost testosterone, causing more hair loss. However, the cardiovascular benefits that exercise provides will actually do more to help you keep your hair that causes you to lose it.

Good circulation is key to keeping your scalp healthy, among other all-important male body parts. Your scalp is like soil. It has to be rich and healthy to grow hair, and blood is what carries all of those nutrients you consume straight to your scalp and follicles.

Cardio-heavy exercises like kickboxing and running should do the trick. Stay away from anything so strenuous that your body fights back and starts stress shedding, however (To prevent that issue, work up slowly).

3. Stress Management

Stress can’t cause baldness but it can cause you to shed and for your hair growth cycle to remain in the shedding phase for longer, causing distinct bald patches. Exercise is easily the best way to manage stress (see above for its other benefits).

Try calming activities like yoga, meditation and even hitting the old punching bag. The key is to find what works for you—and use it regularly.

4. Herbs

There are a lot of herbs that are touted for being proven to fight hair loss and help regrow hair, but here is the best of the best:

• Saw palmetto. By far one of the most popular anti-hair loss herbs.
• Rosemary essential oil. You can even make your own scalp treatments and shampoo with this one. It’s been scientifically proven to be just as effective as minoxidil in curing hair loss and regrowing hair.
• Ashwagandha., an Ayurvedic herb that’s been known for centuries has a hair loss fighter.

Conclusion

There are a lot of safe and natural ways to regrow hair that is proven and backed by science and tons of anecdotal evidence. Try them all out to find what works for you before resorting to expensive measures.

Both your hair and the rest of your body will thank you.