Organic Products for Hair Loss

Many factors cause hair loss, including heredity and synthetic chemical hair treatments. Traditional hair loss treatments include Minoxodil, Finasteride, and cortisone scalp injections, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). But these treatments contain chemicals. For those wanting to take a more natural approach to treating their hair loss, trying the organic products available may help. These products contain organic ingredients such as essential oils to treat the scalp and strengthen the hair strands.

Ingredients

• Organic shampoos and topical treatments for thinning hair contain natural essential oils and other ingredients used to cleanse and soothe the scalp while promoting healthy, moisturized hair. Essential oils derived from organically grown plants will comprise the majority of the ingredients in organic hair treatments. Essential oils of lavender, rosemary, chamomile, and thyme all have antibacterial and anti-fungal effects, treating scalp conditions like dandruff and other irritations, according to Surviving Hair Loss. Since, according to the Mayo Clinic, these scalp conditions and infections can contribute to thinning, unhealthy hair, treating them with organic essential oils may help alleviate the condition of your scalp, and thus the thinning of the hair.

Health Benefits

• Treating unhealthy hair with organic products may not restore hereditary hair loss, but will improve the quality of chemically treated hair. Organic essential oils and other ingredients like jojoba oil, aloe vera juice, and pomegranate extract all soothe and moisturize the scalp and hair strands, improving the condition of the hair, according to Surviving Hair Loss. Additional ingredients like panthenol, soy protein, and wheat protein all serve to strengthen and expand the hair shaft to make hair thicker, stronger, and healthier, improving the look of your hair. Since chemical styling treatments and certain hairstyles each contribute to thinning hair, according to the Mayo Clinic, improving the health and strength of the hair shaft, as long as the follicle remains undamaged, can improve thinning hair.

Nutrition

• In addition to organic topical treatments containing essential oils, or cleansing shampoos, some organic hair loss treatments include vitamin supplements or cleansing teas. According to the Mayo Clinic, poor nutrition can cause hair loss and thinning. In theory, an organic vitamin supplement may serve to improve overall health, and thus, the health of the hair shaft. Fish oil supplements, organic primrose supplements, and other vitamin combinations all contribute to maintaining health and moisturizing hair, skin, and nails. Organic herb teas to detoxify the body may also aid in alleviating thinning hair, by improving the body's circulation and overall health.

Considerations

• When purchasing organic hair loss products like shampoos, topical treatments, or internal supplements, keep in mind that these solutions will only help to heal hair damaged by chemical treatments, hair dried by synthetic ingredients, or hair loss caused by poor nutrition. For permanently damaged hair follicles or those scarred beyond repair, the only treatment option is hair transplant surgery or scalp reduction surgery performed by a medical physician, according to the AAD. While organic treatments will not cause further damage and may even improve the quality of existing hair, they will not restore hair where the follicle is dead or scarred, due to a variety of medical conditions, including hereditary hair loss.

Organic Products

• When looking at organic hair loss products, read all ingredients to ensure that they all include "organic" in the description. Organic ingredients contain no hormones, irradiation, pesticides, antibiotics or bioengineering, according to Surviving Hair Loss. Currently, according to their website, while the USDA requires that all food products labeled as organic contain at least 95% organic ingredients, it does not regulate the labeling of non-food products, such as shampoos or topical treatments. Any percentage of organic ingredients in a beauty product allows the manufacturer to call the product "organic," when it may only have a few organic ingredients. The only way to tell if the product you are purchasing contains organic ingredients is by reading its list of ingredients, to see which are specified as organic. Do not assume automatically that essential oils are organic; if not listed that way, contact the manufacturer to ask them.