Natural Solutions for Hair Loss: Effective Remedies for Regrowth

I started a regime of diatomaceous earth recently and within 10 days began to see it's effect: my hair, which tends to get dry and therefore frizzy easily, now feels silky. The frizziness has almost disappeared. We are having a warm spell here and my hair would have usually been an untidy mess. Instead, it is calm, smooth, and shiny, even after spin class! I am also losing less hair when I shampoo, which is amazing. I also have more energy, no more of that late afternoon slump, and best of all, I am losing weight. That could also be because of me spending longer time exercising due to increased energy, lol. I have a heaping tablespoon in the morning and evening, blended in water. It's easy to swallow with no strong flavor or smell. Thanks again and Merry Christmas to you and everyone at Earth Clinic!

I tried the borax solution on my hair, and within 30 seconds it started to tingle a little, then it got really hot and felt like it was burning. Touching my head, I could notice it really was hot, some kind of instant reaction. I quickly rinsed it out, but it kept stinging a bit, and my head was really hot for a couple hours. I also got a headache, or maybe could be described as pressure in my head.

Has anyone else had a reaction like this? I used the 20 mule brand. About 1/2 tsp in 180ml spring water.

This scared me enough to not try it again. I was hoping the borax would cure my issues of dandruff that doesn't go away unless I use baking soda/acv rinse (I want to be able to use shampoo again! ), and rapid hair thinning that has recently showed up, only about 6 months ago. I believe it could be a fungus issue. Maybe it's from fukushima radiation, who knows, I'm on the west coast, and this started about 1 month after the incident.

I usually use a baking soda solution every couple showers, mainly if my head is itchy, flaky, this definitely helps. It tingles like it should, but never burns. I also usually use a ACV 1:5 parts ACV to water rinse with 10-15 drops tea tree oil and 2 drops rosemary oil.

I have haven't been able to use any shampoo for the last 2 years because it just gives me crazy dandruff. Doesn't matter what type of shampoo. I now use completely natural shampoo every once in a while, but still get lots of flakes after using it, although they are finer and less noticable then what I used to get with the chemical shampoos.

Any ideas as to why my head started to feel like it was about to light on fire? I'm scared to try it again as I don't want to lose anymore hair from these experiments!

I'd like to start by saying how amazing this website is and all of the great information that Ted and all of the members provide. A little background; I started Acctuane July of 2010 and got off it in December of 2011. I took anywhere from 40-80 mg a day. I saw a previous post on Acctuane and hair loss on this forum and I have been following it to a T for the last 4 months will little success. I am 18 years old and had the thickest head of hair before Accutane and I have no family history of baldness on either side of my family. I am 100% sure that I am losing hair due to Accutane. It isn't in the MPB pattern, it is mostly diffusing all over. I have taken so many supplements in attempt to counteract my hair loss, here are some:

Biotin (5mg)

N-acetyl Cysteine (1500mg)

Riboflavin 5- Phosphate (36.5mg)

B Complex (Activated/co-enzymated 3x daily)

Molybdenum Picolinate (1, 000mg)

Phytisone Adrenal Complex (3x daily)

AC Grace Vitamin E (1200 IU)

Glutathione (2x daily)

EPO (1000mg)

Thorne Mediclear (2x daily)

Prescript Assist soil based probiotic (2x daily)

Niacinamide (1, 000 mg)

L-Glutamine (10g)

Copper (2mg)

Zinc (30mg)

Manganese Sulfate (400mg)

Fish oil (2x a day)

L-Lysine (1000mg)

Vitamin C (5000mg)

MSM (3000mg)

Vitamin D (6000 IU)

As you can see, I have experimented with a lot of different supplements and it's quite overwhelming. The hair loss did not start until 2 months after my course was over. I feel like none of these are getting to the source of my problem which I believe to be cell divison. Accutane is a chemotherapy agent and acts by suppressing cell division and proliferation. I have done copious amounts of research over the last 8 months and feel like I am getting so close to the answer.

"Retinoic acid (active form of Accutane) induces differentiation and reduces proliferation of stem and progenitor cells. It works on acne by inducing similar events in basal sebocytes. These same actions also lead to 13-cis-retinoic's (Accutane's) side effects, and these are directed towards proliferating cells in the adult such as in the skin, gut and bone. "

"A wide ranging effect of retinoic acid is to inhibit proliferation in dividing cells, and this accounts for its frequent consideration as an anti-cancer agent."

"Deleting telomere elongation capacity throughout the body would also be life-threatening, because it would mean that our regular, proliferating cells (like those in the skin or the lining of the gut) would suddenly have iron limits on their ability to reproduce themselves and thus replenish tissue. From the moment that we denuded our cells of telomerase, a clock would be ticking. With each division the telomere would shorten by a notch from whatever it had been when we took telomerase out. We would be under the specter of a rather horrible death, as our stem cells went offline one by one under replicative senescence with each failure of a stem cell responsible for supplying key functions, the tissue would fail to be renewed and would slowly degenerate. "(De Grey, 297)

To sum all of this up, the evidence we currently have is that long term treatment with ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid), which is almost chemically identical to Accutane, causes "telomere shortening, growth arrest, and cell death."

Accutane induces cell apoptosis. It down-regulates the telomerase enzyme and shortens the telomere length so the cells can't divide as much anymore.

Numerous factors affect the number and activity of androgen receptors in dermal papilla cells. Retinoic acid (vitamin A derivative), if used for a long time, may reduce the number of androgen receptors by 30 - 40 percent. [29] Vitamin B6 reduces by 35-40% the extent of protein synthesis observed after androgen receptor activation. [30] A polypeptide with molecular weight of 60 kDa, analogous to an intracellular calcium-binding protein called calreticulin, prevents binding of the androgen-receptor complex to DNA and also results in the production of calreticulin.[31]

Drugs producing hair loss:
Drugs may affect hair follicles in anagen in two ways: by stopping mitosis in matrix cells (anagen effluvium) or by inducing transition of hair follicles from anagen to premature telogen (telogen effluvium). Anagen effluvium ensues a few days or weeks after drug administration, [46] and telogen effluvium only after two to four months. In both cases hair loss is reversible. Anagen effluvium can be produced by cytotoxic drugs (alkylating agents, alkaloids) and telogen by: heparin, vitamin A and its derivatives, interferons, angiotensin converting enzyme blockers, beta-blockers (propranolol, metoprolol), the antiepileptic trimethadione, levodopa, nicotinic acid, salts of gold, lithium, cimetidine, amphetamine, isoniazid and antiinflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, acetylsalicylic acid).

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/DOJvol4num1/original/jankovi.html

I feel as if there was a way to increase cell division that the hair loss could be reversed. It states in the last paragraph that "in both cases hair loss is reversible". I hope that this is the case and that I just have telegon effluvium and not permenant alopecia.

Without having a scientific background it is hard to connect the pieces and come up with a solution. Ted- if you can decipher all of this and make some connection between it, it would mean the world to me and many other Accutane sufferers.

Sorry for the long post, take care EC.

Please see an eye doctor immediately, the dimming like a curtain falling is a symptom of detached retina, it can result in blindness, but if caught in time and repaired can save your sight.

Splenda contains aspartame which is a poison to the body. Google "Excitotoxin"... It can cause seizures, parkinsons disease and cell death.

Just read on this site about splenda and hair thinning and loss. Thanks whoever posted this, I wasn't aware. I started using splenda 2 yrs ago, using it in coffee and baking. Claims to block the absorption of vit d and proteins and kills the good bacteria in the colon. I found other side effects others have complained of on the web I have some of them such as the feeling of water dripping somewhere on the body, night sweats( I even started sage capsules to cut down on the perspiration), itching ( which I thought was from dry skin) mental fogginess which I thought was just me. I cut it out completely this am and I do feel more focused. Thanks to all who post here.

Hi, I've looked at Cayce products before and just took the plunge to purchase. I purchased from baar.com. Amazon sells them but I was concerned maybe they weren't the genuine full strength products. I bought crude oil treatment, rinse, and shampoo and a different line of spray in conditioner for the scalp. There weren't too many testimonials, but those were good, claims of better conditioned, fuller hair, one claim of thicker hair. I'm 64 and lately my scalp is becoming more visible in areas, on top and on the crown, and I don't want it to get worse. My hair is almost totally gray and very dry. Conditioner helps only a short time and it's dry again. My scalp is dry too, produces very little sebum. However I have no dandruff or itching. My overall hair look's dry and tired, no volume, won't hold a curl. I'll post results in about a month.

Hi Ted, I have hair loss caused by mold, I am waiting on my borax to arrive via mail, I am also experiencing eye floaters in my vision, as well as a few times a day my vision dims slightly, it feels as though I half blink my eyelids but I know I haven't blinked.. Just wondering if this is common? And if supplementing with borax will fix this problem?.. I am also in the process of being desensitized to mold... Via drops under the tounge starting in a week or so. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks

For all of you losing hair: maybe is your thyroid. In that case you need iodine and selenium supplements. Be careful with selenium dosage. Some sources are saying that over 200 mcg is already poisonous, some say 400 mcg is still allowed...

For the last 5 years when I see clients coming in with good hair I ask what they eat... So 90% consistent with good head of hair is..... A daily consumption of apples, oatmeal, milk, peanuts, dark leafy greens. This is really interesting too.... all of them had cooler body temperature...

Question: I may have hyperthyroidism and noticed when I take zinc my scalp feels better. Any thoughts?

Hi, I am 58 years old. I am losing my hair rapidly about 60% hair loss, specially from the crown.. Every time I touch my hair, I get two or three in hand. Do you think brushing technique will be of any help? Please Help. I am so worried.

Hi, Try Lugols iodine it helped me with hair loss, also have thyriod problem. Good luck.

B12 stopped my unnatural hair loss.

As I recall, it took about a month or so. I was also taking a low dose of B-complex. 1000 mcg of a sublingual lozenge of B12 is a good average amount to try. Many people find that after 6 months of this, they are able to reduce their thyroid meds.

When the proper amount of B's are supplied, they can help balance electrolytes, which in turn may help with blood pressure. It may also help lower BP to increase potassium in diet. This should be done very carefully if the BP med. is a potassium sparing type, though.

I agree that chlorine and other chemicals in the water are contributing to hair loss and other health issues.

I've been researching this lately, and find many people notice softer, healthier skin, hair and scalp after purchasing a shower filter.

These standard filters will eliminate chlorine, but not chloramine which some cities use now, for chloramine treated water supply you need a vitamin C filtration system, but can be expensive as filters only last about 1 month.

The best would be to get a whole house water filtration system, but not everyone has $2-5000 to spend on this.

Maryann, I would definitely try iodine therapy. The fact that you have fertility troubles already points to possible, even probable iodine deficiency. I have been able to get decolorized iodine at a local pharmacy (not sure if I'm allowed to say it's CVS?). I have struggled with thinning hair as a result of thyroid and other hormone problems. I have taken iodine orally for over a year which has helped with fertility and greatly improved my thyroid function, but my hair was still falling out by the handful in the shower. I started putting the iodine on my scalp with a q-tip every other night or so and within about three applications I only lost about 1/3 the amount I previously lost in the shower. It takes weeks, even months to see new growth so of course I'm still waiting for that. However, it's so nice to keep what I've already got at least! Blessings!

1) I used baking soda 1:5 ; 1 part baking soda to 5 parts water to wash my hair, left it on 10 minutes and rinsed.

2) I used borax 1/2 Tablespoon to a liter of water pour it in my hair and left it on overnite, I rinsed the following day, then sprayed my hair with 1 part ACV and 5 parts water. I have a sink top water filter and so it probably did have some chlorine and definitely fluoride it in and I am hoping the borax helped some.

The only side effect I had is when I left the baking soda sit on my scalp for 10 minutes. It did burn (sting) in the areas where my hair had thinned out (on top, at temples) and I take that as a good thing (like there was a little fungus or something there that I did not know about, that needed to be removed )

3) I am very pleased with the results and my hair is not falling out.

I think that when a person chemically treat their hair maybe with perms or permanent hair color and use peroxide or vinegar incorrectly you will have a negative reaction. Read everything carefully!

I know this sounds strange, but L-Glutathione & MSM help the texture/look/feel of my hair almost overnight. I have very thin hair, and when I take these supplements my hair doesn't have that "thin" appearance anymore. For the first time in my life I am getting complimented on my hair - I can't believe it!

I had noticed I was developing baldness when some doctor switched my pain medication from codeine to Darvon. This darvon stuff made me go bald on the top of my head. I had the doctor switch me back to codeine and then I began eating two eggs and taking one vitamin B-complex tablet every day and the bald spot went away.

That was about 20 years ago and that bald spot never came back....oscar

For thinnig hair - try Teds recipe of teatree oil, laverder oil, and aloe vera. I did it once a week for 3 weeks and it worked great.

Speak to anybody from the Caribbean, and almost all of them will tell you about Jamaican Black Castor Oil for growing, thickening and moisturizing the hair. The castor oil beans are boiled, and used as a hair pomade. It has an awful smell, is thick, but it does grow your hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc. For caucasian hair it is best to use Jamaican Black Castor Oil, with Peppermint Oil as the peppermint combats the greasiness, and the presence of the menthol gives a cooling effect to the scalp, binds the hair roots & increases blood circulation. The resulting stimulation of your hair follicles culminates in a renewed and reinvigorated hair growth cycle!

Jamaican Black Castor Oil, infused with Peppermint WILL grow and thicken the most thinning hair, it's worked for thousands.

I searched for Grass Oil and found that it can be purchased through some India(n) stores. I also came across a recipe that looks like it is pretty straight forward.

Mix 63 ml. of the juice of green grass in 250 ml. of coconut oil, boil it. Let it cool down, strain and use it for massaging the body or scalp.

Under teds remedies for hair loss he writes about using borax as shampoo. After reading the directions I was a bit confused. Does he mean to dissolve 1/2 Tablespoon of borax in 1 liter of water for 30 minutes until completley dissolved, then wash the hair and scalp with the mixture but do not rinse until the next morning.

PLEASE HELP!!

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

My hair comes out in handfuls and it has for years. It gets especially bad during times of stress, but for the last couple of months it has been really bad. I decided to try Ted's peroxide/ACV remedy using the 1:10 ration (20ml ACV, 20ml HP, 200ml water). I massaged this into my scalp and then washed with a organic shampoo made from coconut & essential oils (parabens & sulfate free). I made a mix of tee tree and lavender oil which I massaged in and left overnight. The hair was still coming out excessively. The next morning I shampoo'd my hair again but still had a fist full come out in the shower. More came out after the hair had dried and I was gutted. I really hoped this would have worked. My hair is so thin now, I can put all of it up with the smallest hair clip. As the day wore on though, less hair started to come out. I woke up this morning and no hair came out at all. Usually I'm pulling 5 fist fulls our every morning, but not even 1 strand came out. I would definitely recommend this.

Regarding the previous post, www.whfoods.com states that a symptom of BIOTIN deficiency is seizures. BIOTIN is readily available in egg yolks, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, carrots, almonds, etc.

I read on the site that Ted recommends iodine solution to be applied to the scalp. I have hypothyroid which was not diagnosed by any doctor for almost 15 years and suspect that that's how I lost 75% hair (female pattern baldness with thinning all over). Now I am on Armour (natural desiccated thyroid hormone) but I guess it will take time for my hair loss to be reversed (if at all that can happen).

I read about Ted's iodine solution and tried it. I applied iodine solution all over my scalp and I must admit, it did wonders to my hair. I can almost immediately tell when my hair is benefiting from something and the next morning, my hair looked darker (i have brown-black hair), thicker and healthier. Plus, I was more energetic the next morning (definitely because iodine works for thyroid).

I also have been reading on this one remedy which a lot of people swear by (i don't know if it's been mentioned anywhere on this site)... Onion juice applied topically. I know that under Ayurveda, onion juice for the scalp has been recommended. I started this today and did notice my hair looking healthier and thicker. Apparently it takes up to 4-6 months when applied 2-3 times a week but the upside is that it's an affordable home remedy and needs to be applied for only 20 minutes before being washed off.

Someone said that in Romania onion juice and garlic juice are very popular for reversing baldness. I do see something in it, as onion and garlic have sulpher. The smell might make you think twice, but some people recommend using lemon juice after washing hair (to take the smell off). Hope I am regular with it for the next 4-6 months and hope it helps others too.