8 Ways to stop your Shedding now!

A couple years ago seasonal shedding nearly ruined me.  There was a point in time when that's all I wrote about because I was so plagued by it.  I attribute a couple of my past set backs to complications related to excessive shedding.  Fast forward to today and I can honestly say that I'm confident in the strategies I use to combat shedding at the first signs.  My intention is to list as many options for you as possible because I understand that one size may not fit all when it comes to shedding.  As you continue to read the post, notice that many of my suggestions have a similar bond, they deal with the scalp directly.  And in doing so they have a greater likelihood of actually being effective.

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One of the most popular methods talked about for minimizing shedding has got to be tea rinses.  This pretty much involves applying various teas to the hair and scalp to moisturize, strengthen, and (most importantly) eliminate shedding. Many swear by this method.  I won't go into length on the process here because I have a detailed post on the topic that you can read as a reference.

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Have you noticed that drinking a lot of water has be coming up a lot lately in my posts?  Here's the thing, normally, this time of year means that my scalp is dry and itchy.  Undoubtedly, this will lead to excessive shedding.  The scalp just isn't healthy if it's dehydrated.  So, on the one hand, you have dry skin cells surrounding the scalp, on the other hand, the amount of nourishment to the hair follicles is diminished because dehydrated cells are less able to absorb nutrients from the blood stream.  Put this all together and you have a recipe for hair fallout.  When I kicked up my water intake this winter, everything started going right.  My scalp is healthier with very little flaking, and shedding is at normal levels.  All is right with the world.

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When the temperature drops, our body's natural instinct is to direct blood flow to our internal organs to keep them warm.  The result of this is less blood flow to our extremities, hence the cold hands and feet.  Our scalp also suffers from this phenomena and (I believe)  this relates to increased shedding during the cooler months.  When I experience too much shedding and I want to nip it in the bud, I implement the Sanford Bennett method of scalp massage. Works like a charm for me every time. I love this technique because the exercise aggressively invigorates blood flow directly to my scalp.   When I do this consistently, I don't have to worry about overzealous shedding.

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If any of you ladies are dealing with dermatitis of the scalp, I suggest you check out my posts on using essential oils and apple cider vinegar to manage some of the symptoms.  Really bad dandruff leads to hair loss, especially in the winter time.  I've seen it happen in my own journey. If you are dealing with severe dandruff issues, addressing it should be a first priority in your regimen. 

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Do you remember how in the post about the Skin Care Regimen created a by Celebrity Expert, we were asked to finish off our facial cleansing routine by sealing our pores with an ice cube?  Well, on a related note, I wrote about how taking cold showers (or rinsing the hair will cool/cold water) can not only help seal the cuticle layer of the hair, but also help bring blood flow to the scalp (as our bodies attempt to warm that area) and close the pores that surround the hair follicle.  The results are shinier hair and minimized shedding.

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Another option that some ladies swear by when it comes to shedding is garlic conditioner.  I've tried garlic conditioner myself and, although I didn't have much of a shedding issue at the time, I used it as a deep conditioner and really liked the product.   I'll be completely honest and tell you that when I did use it, my shedding didn't slow down but looking back, I think about how I wasn't doing the other things on this list to deal with internal factors related to the shedding. I thought that a hair product was the cure-all.  Now I know to take a more holistic approach so I can deal with the shedding on multiple levels.

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I believe that boosting vitamin intake is ultra beneficial in fighting the war against shedding.  When you're taking supplements that support the growth of healthy hair, you are giving yourself an edge over shedding.  Some supplements to look out for are omega 3 oils, biotin, and MSM which is said to help lengthen the "life span" of the hair strand. 

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To this day, the post that has received the most comments over every thing I've ever written is the nail rubbing post. People seem to think the idea is crazy enough to try and, once they've tried, they are compelled to return and share the good news.  I've been told by countless of you that when you rub your nails, you can begin to feel stimulation in your scalp.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the process is as simple as it sounds. Just rubbing the nails together to stimulate the scalp through reflexology.  What I like about this method is I can do it anywhere.  I don't have to wait until wash day to rub my nails.  I can stimulate my scalp whenever I feel like it and no one in the room knows that I'm creating healthier hair when I rub my nails together.  It's our little secret.