4 Things Your Hair Can Tell You About Your Health

By: Sarah Jio

Split ends, itchy scalp, dandruff, thinning locks--whatever the hair issue, your mane may be trying to tell you something about your health--5 clues ...

1. Flakes: Got dandruff? They could be innocent--in other words, dandruff doesn't always signal a health problem. But some experts point out that a persistently flaky scalp could be a sign of fungus overgrowth, excema or psoriasis. Worried? See a dermatologist and have your scalp checked out.




2. "Yellow" dandruff: Some people have what dermatologists describe as "greasy" and "yellow" dandruff, which is actually something called seborrheic dermatitis. "It’s an inflammatory skin condition that can occur where there are lots of oil glands, like the scalp and face," reports WebMD. "Though seborrheic dermatitis is related to hormones, fungus, and even some neurological problems, it’s treated the same as dandruff: with anti-dandruff shampoos. Severe cases may need a prescription steroid or antifungal medicine."



3. Thinning, limp hair: If this describes your locks, check your diet. Just like you, your hair needs iron, protein, zinc, vitamin A, and omega-3 fatty acids to stay strong and lustrous. Your hair can actually fall out (common for those who suffer from eating disorders) if you're not eating a nutritious diet (I know people who have had this happen to them in times of stress when they haven't eaten well!).



4. Hair loss: Shockingly, some medications can cause hair loss, including Coumadin (warfarin); Lopid (gemfibrozil); antidepressants; beta-blockers; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); and drugs for gout, arthritis, birth control, and high blood pressure, reports WebMD. Worried? Check with your doc.

Article Source: Click to be redirected to Glamour.

HAIR TYPES

I know this can get a bit stickey... but I found a chart that I think well exemplifies the different hair types. The chart doesnt show that sometimes there is a mixture of textures (like me 3c, 4a mix). Hopefully this will give some better insight about your hair type.

TIPS FOR ROLLERSETTING NATURAL HAIR

I CAME ACROSS A COOL LINK WITH A STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL. I THINK IVE FOUND A NEW WAY TO ROLLERSET MY HAIR! CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL NEED IN ADVANCE:
SETTING LOTION
MESH ROLLERS
PINS

I LIKE THAT SHE ROLLERSETS IN 2 HALVES.. NOW WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH ALL MY OTHER ROLLERS?

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED

THE HAIR TYPING SYSTEM
1= STRAIGHT
2 = WAVEY
3= CURLY
4= KINKY

YOU NOTICE HOW THE NUMBERS CORRESPOND WITH THE DESCRIPTION? LIKE THE NUMBER 1 IS STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN AND THATS HOW STRAIGHT HAIR LOOKS... AND THEN THE NUMBER 3 IS REALLY CURVEY AND SO IS CURLY HAIR.. WEIRD HUH?

HAIR CONFESSIONS

I WAS RECENTLY ON A HAIR FORUM THAT I FREQUENT AND THIS WAS THE TITLE OF THE THREAD. THERE WERE SOME SURPRISING CONFESSIONS.. SINCE IM NOT A PAID MEMBER THERE I'LL POST MY CONFESSIONS HERE...

1. IM OVERLY OBESSED WITH MY HAIR AND I TRY TO INVISION WHAT MY HAIR WILL LOOK LIKE AT MY DESIRED LENGTH.. AND WHEN I SEE OTHER RACES OF WOMEN I COMPARE THIER HAIR TO MINE, LIKE THE LENGTH AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE HEALTH OF IT...

2. IF MY HAIR WERE ANY KINKIER I WOULDNT BE TRANSITIONING

3. I GET MAD WHEN PEOPLE CLOSE TO ME DONT TAKE THE HAIR ADVICE AND TIDBITS I GIVE TO THEM.

IM NOT RELAXING!! GET OVER IT!

SO AS FAR AS SUPPORT FROM HOME, IM GETTING IT.. MY SO'S ONLY GRIP IS ME WEARING THIS BUN EVERYDAY, BUT I ASSURED HIM THAT ONCE IT GOT INTO A "SAFETY ZONE" (BELOW APL) HE'D SEE LESS OF THE BUN (MAYBE 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK INSTEAD OF EVERYDAY) AND HE'S AGAINST ME SLOWLY TRIMMING AWAY THE RELAXED ENDS (EVEN THOUGH I ONLY HAVE 1/2 AN INCH IN SOME PLACES) HE'D RATHER ME WAIT UNTIL NEXT SUMMER WHEN WE MOVE TO CALI.. OK COOL IM COOL WITH THAT... HE LOVES MY HAIR AND PREFERS BRAID-OUTS TO BUNS....

BUT THEN THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE (THE ONES I DONT SEE EVERYDAY) THAT WILL SEE MY HAIR STRAIGHT, FIND OUT I HAVENT HAD A RELAXER IN OVER A YEAR, AND THEIR FIRST RESPONSE IS ALWAYS... "GIRL DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG YOUR HAIR WOULD BE IF YOU GOT A RELAXER?!!!?!?!?!"... AND I ALWAYS JUST SMILE AND SAY.. "YEAH i KNOW"...

OF COURSE THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE IN THE HAIR GAME AND DONT KNOW ANY BETTER SO OF COURSE I IGNORE THEM... MY HAIR ISNT HARD TO DEAL WITH AND I ENJOY THE TIME WE SPEND TOGETHER (LOL)... MY CHI GIVES ME RELAXER TYPE RESULTS, WITHOUT HEAT DAMAGE, AND IM CONTENT WITH THAT, VERY CONTENT... EVEN IF IT DOES ONLY LAST ABOUT 3 OR 4 DAYS...AND BESIDES, MY HAIR IS THICK AND HEALTHY, SO WITH THAT SAID... I'LL BE HERE TO OFFER SOME TIPS WHENEVER YOURE READY!! GET AT ME!!!

JUST A THOUGHT

IVE FOUND THAT AS MY HAIR GETS LONGER AND HEALTHIER, THE MORE SIMPLIFIED MY REGIMEN HAS BECOME... AT FIRST I WANTED TO TRY EVERY SINGLE THING BUT NOW I HAVE LIKE 7 PRODUCTS THAT I USE AT THE MOST.. I FOUND THIS TO BE TRUE WITH ALOT OF LADIES THAT HAVE REACHED BSL OR SURPASSED IT... THE MAIN THINGS THEY DO ARE KEEPING THIER SCALP CLEAN, MOISTURISING AND SEALING DAILY & DEEP CONDITIONING MAYBE ONCE PER WEEK... SO IM FOLLOWING SUIT.. WHEN IN ROME... TIS ALL!!