Relax; regrowth

Having great hair has been seen throughout history as a sign of glowing health and balance. And yet hair loss and other conditions such as graying, particularly amongst men, has been normalised as something that just happens. An abundance of hair may not be that significant to everyone, but it’s certainly an area to address if it means something to you, and doing so may also improve your life in other areas. So let’s dive in to a new way of looking at it.

Hair loss doesn’t just affect men. Until recent advancements for men, women could more easily cover it up so it was less visible as an issue. However it’s male hair loss that gets significant attention (it’s a £multi-billion industry) and that’s what we’ll look into here.

Conventional Theories

Although male hair loss was for a long time seen as genetic and irreversible, this is now seen as incorrect. Even modern medicine agrees, partly due to the success in regrowth with certain drugs. Many allopathic hair experts suggest a biochemical theory that involves a chemical called DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which is seen as detrimental to hair growth, and drugs which limit DHT (eg finasteride) sometimes regrow hair showing that hair can naturally grow back. But this theory doesn’t explain why other drugs such as minoxidil (a vasodilator, which are drugs which open blood vessels and increases blood flow) have also got results for hair regrowth. With these two approaches being so different, it’s still a mystery in many ways to experts and that’s why people are still looking for alternative solutions. However, the exciting news is not around these methods themselves, but that their limited results have demonstrated that regrowth is possible, and that hair follicles are dormant and can be regenerated, which is different to what was previously thought.

Tension

One theory that has gone under the radar is that hair loss is related to scalp tension, which is an explanation an increasing number of trichologists are agreeing with. Tension across the scalp can squeeze the follicles so tight they can’t get nutrients. This tightness, much like the surface of a drum, means that no new follicles can grow through them. If you look at men’s scalps who are bald, the skin is tight and immovable and you can clearly see there is no way hair could grow through it. It’s like trying to get plants to grow in concrete.

Patterns of Hair

The pattern you see with hair loss is related to the areas affected by tension and tightness. That men traditionally have a way of supressing emotions (and creating tension) could be a factor, it’s the emotional stress but also the inaction of stimulating these specific areas. Throughout the day, through regular movement such as with speaking and chewing, the back and sides of the head, which rarely experience hair loss, get near constant movement and exercise so the skin is supple and the hair follicles themselves are constantly stimulated and supplied with blood flow which both nourishes and detoxes the follicles.

Scalp Exercises

Relaxation is important in terms of keeping the scalp loose. A contribution to this tension may be stress, both emotional and physically but dealing with it is not enough to address the scalp inaction. That’s why there’s the suggestion to add regular exercises just as you add gym exercises.

Although there’s a lot of talk about massage, this isn’t enough to activate the movement required in the scalp to keep it nourished and flexible continously through the day. Specific, targeted exercises for the scalp muscles are different to massage in that they are about you moving the scalp yourself, it’s less about applying something externally and more about what you are doing from within. These specialised scalp exercises work to stimulate the cells just as physical exercises work. In other words, stimulating the scalp has to be done in the right way and also consistently, something most people aren’t willing to do.

All of this doesn’t disprove the biochemical theory, because it also makes sense that these exercises allow blood flow which also allows a cleanse of DHT through the increased blood flow draining the scalp follicle surface from toxins whilst replenishing it with nutrients. This method covers many bases.

The Belief Factor

Plus, with male hair loss, there’s the expectation – now disproved yet still a prevalent belief – that this is just the way it is. Which came first, the thing or the expectation of the thing, is up for debate. But what isn’t up for debate is the power of belief. Belief is the basis of the placebo effect, which even skeptics understand is incredibly powerful.

I brought this subject up some time ago with motivational speaker Esther Hicks (Abraham-Hicks), who had this to share: “You have the power to create anything you want from wherever you are, but you have to stop offering the majority of your vibration about what is, and begin offering the majority of your vibration about what you desire. When you do that, things will change. Even though you do not often see it, there are those who are able to focus their thoughts toward what they desire even when they are standing in the middle of something they don’t want. With things that are not life threatening, such as hair loss, however, most people aren’t willing to take the time to find the new point of attraction and practice it long enough to get results.”

So there’s the inner work to address. Done the right way, this belief-shift can be transformational – even if this can be the hardest for many as it appears to the action-loving mind that nothing is happening. Due to the doubt of the physical senses, it has to be balanced with resisting the temptation to mirror check, which can keep setting you back in terms of progress.

A good place to start is by doing a process on why it is that you want thick, full, luxurious hair in the first place. In this practice, you write down the feelings you would feel if you got what you wanted. In this case having thick, full, luxurious hair – how would it make you feel? This gets rid of the obsessing and gets you to focus on how you want to feel, such as more confident – which is a feeling you can get now – rather than the physical improvement, which will come later.

Conventional technology is constantly improving and evolving and my work supports whatever cosmetic approaches you are inspired to, if you choose that approach. It starts with choosing the right technique to relax and clear your mind and then discovering the best solution for you.

Michael James is the author of Feel Better, No Matter What which is published by Watkins Publishing.