Saturday 17 August 2013


Is your hair getting enough minerals?


Mineral deficiency can wreak havoc on your hair. Here's how to rectify it.

Thanks to all the chemical treatments that your hair goes through today, keeping it healthy is a tough task. Add to that, increasing levels of pollution, stress, harsh products and an inadequate diet, and one is left with hair that is limp, dull and lifeless. It's said that hair can reveal a lot about one's health. And one of the most common problems that affect the hair is mineral imbalance.
Minerals are the most important constituents of every cell in our body and all vital nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, enzymes, amino acids, carbohydrates, fats, sugars, oils, etc. require minerals for proper cellular function. Also, all bodily processes depend upon the action and presence of minerals.
Natural Beauty Tips -  hair getting enough minerals

Tricologist Dr Apoorva Shah says, "Mineral imbalance is by far the most common cause of several diseases, which are difficult to detect and cure because of lack of proper diagnosis. Mineral imbalance is by far the most common cause of hair loss. Important minerals include copper, iron, silicon and zinc. Minerals have to be in balance with each other because too much of one in some cases can cause an imbalance in another."
Hair is one of the best mediums for mineral analysis of the body. Clinical results have shown that a properly obtained sample can give an indication of mineral status and toxic metal accumulation following long term or even acute exposure. In case of acute hair loss, it is important to get a hair tissue mineral analysis done.
Dermatologist Dr Shefali Trasi-Nerurkar says that some causes of mineral imbalance include chronic gastrointestinal diseases, vitamin A or thyroid deficiency and in anaemic, breast cancer and epileptic patients. "Meet an expert who will be able to determine the cause of hairloss. Today, hair supplements containing essential elements are available. However, if hairloss is extreme, treatments like mesotherapy containing stem cells and nutrients can be opted for." 

What causes a mineral imbalance?

Diet: A flawed diet and dependence on refined and processed foods as well as alcohol can wreak havoc on your hair. Fad diets only add to the problems. Even the nutrient content of a healthy diet can be inadequate, depending on the soil where the food was grown or the method in which it was prepared.
Stress: Physical or emotional stress can deplete your body of many nutrients while also reducing its capability to absorb and utilise the nutrients.

Medications: Both prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete the body stores of minerals and/or increase the levels of toxic metals. These include diuretics, antacids, aspirin and oral contraceptives.
Pollution: The average person is regularly exposed to a variety of toxic metal sources such as cigarette smoke (cadmium), hair dyes (lead), hydrogenated oils (nickel), anti-perspirants (aluminum), dental amalgams (mercury and cadmium), copper and aluminum cookware and lead-based cosmetics. These are just a few of the hundreds of sources, which can contribute to nutrient imbalances and adverse metabolic effects.

Nutritional supplements: Taking incorrect or improper amounts of supplements can produce several vitamin and mineral excesses and/ or deficiencies, contributing to an overall biochemical imbalance.
Inherited patterns: A predisposition toward certain mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses can be inherited from parents.
— Trichologist Dr Apoorva Shah

Mineral Food sources

Calcium: Barley, unrefined grains, milk and green vegetables.

Sodium: Okra, celery, and figs.

Phosphorus: Barley, beans, fish, lentils and dark green vegetables.

Iron: Blackberries, cherries and spinach.

Magnesium: Avocados, almonds, whole grains and grapefruit.

Potassium: Bananas, beans, almonds and whole grains.

Chromium: Whole grain cereals, molasses, meat and yeast.

Selenium: Bran, whole grains, tuna, broccoli and onions.

Zinc: Wheatgerm, wheat bran, pumpkin seed, avocado and sea food.

Essential minerals for hair
Vitamin A
Protects hair from free radicals. Deficiency in vitamin-A can cause hair dryness and hair loss.
B-Complex vitamins
Biotin: Also known as vitamin-H, deficiency in biotin can cause hair loss.

Folic acid: Important to maintain hair follicle cell division and growth.
Copper: Essential for proper enzyme function. Deficiency can result in hair loss, anemia, diarrhea and weakness.
Iron: It is a component of haemoglobin, which transports oxygen through the body. Deficiency causes anemia, brittle hair and hair loss.

Selenium: Hair selenium concentration correlates with hair loss, brittle hair and loss of hair pigmentation. Also, selenium supplementation improves alopecia.
Silica: Contributes to the formation of keratin sulfate, a component of the hair shaft. Also increases scalp circulation and stimulates hair growth.

Zinc: Required in DNA replication and RNA production necessary to maintain normal hair follicle cell division. Deficiency results in hair loss.
Pantothenic acid: Also known as Vitamin B5, it prevents graying and hair loss.
— Dermatologist Dr Shefali Trasi-Nerurka
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