Plus, your hair is not just an accessory – it’s an extension of your health. So what Does Your Hair Say About Your Health? Chinese medicine practitioners can tell a lot about your energy, nutrition, and overall health just by looking at the state of your hair.
Here you’ll learn more about Hair Care as Health Care and learn some easy Chinese medicine tips for growing healthy, beautiful hair!
Your hair tells a story about your inner health and balance. What story does yours tell?
According to Chinese medicine, your hair represents your “extra” energy. If your body is abundant and full of vibrant energy and healthy blood, your hair will grow long and strong. If, however, you are imbalanced, stressed, or depleted, the hair is one of the first things to suffer.
It makes sense – if we are low on resources, naturally we would want to save those for our internal organ systems, brain, and defense system. Our hair (while beautiful and empowering) isn’t really needed for survival. So, it gets put on the back burner until we are healthy and have resources to spare again.
Most of the time we aren’t in a life or death situation, but the body still shunts resources away from the hair leaving it dry, brittle, or falling out. So, what does Hair Care as Health Care mean?
Your energy doesn’t just determine how active you are, it can also determine how healthy your hair is! Without enough energy (or qi), your body stops “investing” in things like your hair, nails, and skin in order to keep other more important body systems functioning. So, if your hair has stopped growing, it could be a sign that you need an energy boost.
Blood deficiency, or not having enough quality blood, is one of the main reasons we lose hair or have dry hair. Without enough blood to nourish the hair follicle, it can’t grow a strong and healthy strand of hair. As a result, it falls out, thins, or becomes too dry. This is often due to a lackluster diet, dehydration, stress, childbirth, illness, or other issues that deplete your blood and fluids and make you feel fatigued.
Just like hormones can cause issues with your skin, they can lead to imbalances with your hair, too. Both sex hormones and thyroid hormones should be checked if you’ve noticed significant changes in your hair health lately.
We joke about it, but stress and anxiety actually can make your hair go grey or fall out! Chronic stress blocks your body’s ability to grow healthy hair and throws off your hormone balance. To restore the health of your hair, start by restoring your mind.
Cosmetic acupuncture isn’t just for your face! It also restores the brilliance and bounce to your hair 100% naturally. Here’s how:
Acupuncture boosts blood flow to the head.
Studies show that acupuncture causes more blood to circulate in the body. With scalp acupuncture and cosmetic acupuncture, we can focus this energy directly to the head and hair follicles.
Acupuncture increases your overall energy so you can grow healthy hair.
With abundant energy, your body will have the resources to nourish your hair once again. Acupuncture has been shown to specifically restore energy and prevent hair loss.
Acupuncture relieves the stress that causes hair woes.
Hair falling out? Early greying? Too oily or too dry? These are all issues that could be caused by stress. Thankfully, acupuncture can significantly reduce your stress and balances hormones to keep your hair as healthy as possible.
Aside from starting a course of acupuncture treatment at The Beauty Within, here are some at-home hair care tips to boost your hair health!
Eat Red, Purple, and Green
As with all things health and beauty, what you eat determines how you feel and look. And your hair is no exception!
To maintain luscious locks, be sure to eat a diet rich in all the necessary vitamins, especially B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, and zinc. These are easily found in dark-colored fruits and veggies like berries, beets, and greens.
Don’t skimp on fat, either. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for a healthy scalp and strong, shiny hair.
Try Combing Therapy
Can combing your hair be therapeutic? Yes! In fact, combing therapy has been used to prevent hair loss in Chinese medicine for centuries.
It is believed that tension in the scalp blocks off the blood supply to hair follicles, which later leads to hair loss and male/female pattern baldness.
For the best results, use a wide-toothed comb to stimulate your scalp (front to back, then back to front) both in the morning and before bed. Try adding a scalp oil like the ones in our next tip!
Make a Scalp Massage Oil
A scalp massage is a great way to stimulate the acupuncture channels of the head for healthy blood flow. A scalp massage oil can help you get even more benefits. Natural essential oils have been shown to stimulate healthy hair growth and shine. Here are some of our favorites:
Rosemary – Best to improve both growth and thickness.
Lavender – Best to speed hair growth when stress is at the root of the problem.
Tea Tree – Best for oily scalps or clogged hair follicles.
Ylang-ylang – Best for dry scalps.
Take a Chinese Herbal Formula for Healthier Hair
Chinese medicine has several famous hair tonics that promise to regrow hair. He shou wu has even been studied as a treatment for alopecia with some success.
He shou wu and other hair tonics work by nourishing the blood so the body has plenty to spare to grow the hair. Interested in using a Chinese herbal formula for your hair? Ask us about using an herbal hair tonic at your visit to The Beauty Within.
Acupuncturists (like us!) are experts at seeing the big picture – even when it comes to things as tiny as hair follicles.
If you’re confused about why your hair has been drier lately, or why you’ve noticed more hair falling out in the shower than you used to, we can help. Rather than just assuming it has to do with aging or your hair care products, we dig deeper:
1. What’s at the root of the problem?
2. Where do you feel empty, lacking, or undernourished?
3. What other symptoms are you experiencing?
4. Are you energized or exhausted?
5. How are you managing stress?
These questions all help us get clear on what’s causing your hair loss, thinning hair, or other hair conditions. Once we understand the bigger picture, we can choose the best path to restore your hair’s natural health.
Ready to restore the health of your hair from the root? We’re here to help! Schedule your consultation today to learn how you can boost your mind, body, and hair with one of our holistic acupuncture packages!
