Monmouth County's Ask the Doctor Spring Issue March/April 2018

Thicker Hair By Aleena Mcilvaine

T H E S T R O N G & L E A N B O D Y

A full head of thick, healthy hair is something everyone wants to have and keep as they get older. As we age though, it is harder to keep our hair looking as soft and beautiful as it once did. Some of these things may seem a bit out there, but they are all worth trying if you want to keep your locks looking young. We’ll start off with something easy, olive oil . Using this in a hot oil treatment will not only give your hair more volume, it will also make it stronger. Heat the oil in the microwave and apply evenly through your scalp and hair, then put on a shower cap or warm towel and let it sit for about a half hour. When the time is up just shampoo it out as you normally would. This can be done once or twice a week. Other oils like coconut, rosemary, castor, or argon also really help nourish your hair. While it may sound a bit gross to put foods in your hair, the natural vitamins and oils in the fruits do wonders for your hair. A great mask for thickening and growing you hair is a mix of avocado and banana . Make a mixture of one mashed avocado, one mashed banana and one tablespoon of olive oil. Massage it on your scalp and leave the mixture on your hair for about a half hour, then rinse it out and shampoo your hair. Too much oil in your hair won’t help the growth so this “mask” should be used once a week for the best results. Another food item that can really help your hair is plain yogurt . All you need is one cup of plain yogurt and a shower cap. You have to section your hair off and apply the yogurt straight to your scalp and rinse after about twenty minutes. The acids in yogurt will exfoliate your scalp and open up the hair follicles to promote more growth. The high fat in it will also nourish and hydrate your scalp. Your hair needs a lot of protein to stay strong, healthy, and full and something that has a lot of protein is eggs . While this is definitely something that isn’t for everyone, an egg hair mask once a week promotes the most hair growth of anything mentioned already. Eggs are full of fats and vitamins as well that reduce hair fall/breakage and promote shine. Thin, brittle hair is something that no one, no matter the age, wishes to have. With these few masks it is something that you won’t have to worry about again! Most of the masks should not be used more than once or twice a week, because too much oil or protein could actually damage your hair more than help it. Figure out first what kind of hair you have and go from there. There is a remedy for fuller hair of any type, you just have to look for it!

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ASK THE DOCTOR

MARCH/APRIL 2018