Hair/Scalp Problems
FOODS TO EAT MORE OF
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
ESSENTIAL OILS
HERBAL
NATURAL
SUPPLEMENTS
FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
- Fruits: Bananas, prunes, watermelon
- Vegetables: Arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, corn, green/yellow peppers, kale, onions, spinach, watercress, yellow squash
- Low-fat dairy products, whole grain products (especially barley), brown rice, oats
- Nuts, seeds (especially flax and sunflower) and beans
- Garlic & sea herbs
- Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soy products
FOODS TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE
- Raw eggs
ESSENTIAL OILS
- Baldness: Cedarwood, rosemary, sage (on location, bottom of feet).
- Dandruff: Cedarwood, lavender, rosemary, sage, tea tree (on scalp, add to shampoo).
- Dry Hair: Birch, geranium, lavender, rosemary, sandalwood (on scalp, in shampoo).
- Fragile Hair: Birch, Roman chamomile, clary sage, lavender, sandalwood, thyme (on scalp, in shampoo).
- Head Lice: Anise, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon, rosemary (bottom of feet, rub over scalp 3 times daily).
- Head Lice: Put a few drops of tea tree oil on a fine comb and comb hair thoroughly night and morning, and add 10-20 drops of tea tree to 1 pint of hot water and use as a final hair rinse.
HERBAL
- Burdock, Chamomile, Stinging Nettle (internal and topically), Yarrow
- Rosemary infusions can naturally darken hair color and restore color to gray hair as well as combating dandruff. (add a few drops of oil or a cup of rosemary infusion to rinsing water after shampooing).
- Hair Loss: Dandelion, Ginger, gotu kola, rosemary, southernwood, stinging nettle
- Dandruff: Add infusions of beet juice, rosemary leaves, chamomile flowers, or stinging nettle roots to hair rinses.
- Dandruff: Take strong sage tea and a little soap to wash head, rinse very well with water mixed with a little vinegar.
NATURAL
- Flaxseed Oil: 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) daily (can be mixed with food - take in the morning).
- Hair Loss: Steep 4 peppermint tea bags in 3 cups boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool, pour onto damp hair and massage into the scalp for 5 minutes. Rinse. Do twice a week.
- Hair Loss: Rub vinegar or an egg yolk on the scalp each evening, rinse off in the morning.
- Dandruff: Dilute 1/4 cup honey with enough warm water to make it spreadable. Rub it on scalp, then cover with a shower cap for 30 minutes. Shampoo as usual.
- Head Lice: Cover head/hair with camphorated oil. Cover and leave on overnight. Shampoo out the next morning as usual.
- Head Lice: Cover head/hair with mayonnaise and then cover with Saran wrap for 2 hours.
SUPPLEMENTS
- Biotin: 1,000 mcg daily (can combat excessive oiliness and flaking; take with vitamin B complex)
- Evening Primrose Oil: 1,000 mg 3 times daily (can substitute 1,000 mg borage oil once a day)
- PABA: 100 mg daily (promotes the health of the skin and scalp)
- Selenium: 200 mcg twice daily (don't exceed 600 mdg daily, higher doses may be toxic)
- Vitamin B Complex: 1 pill twice daily with food (B-50 complex with 50 mcg Vitamin B12 and biotin, 400 mcg folic acid, and 50 mg all other B vitamins)
- Zinc/ Copper: 30 mg zinc (add 2 mg copper daily if using zinc longer than 1 month)
FOOD MEDICINE
Not all recipes are nutritionally perfect, but the options below are a great way to start incorporating beneficial foods into your diet in delicious ways. Always try to buy organic, and feel free to make substitutions to accommodate gluten-free, vegan, etc diets.
Abbreviation Definitions:
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian
LC = Low Calorie (under 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch/dinner, and 200 for beverages/sides/snacks)
GF = Gluten Free
KT = Keto / Low Carb
VG = Vegan
VT = Vegetarian