Tips from Hair Loss Experts: 5 Foods to Avoid and At-Home Hair Loss Prevention Tips

Hair loss experts have pointed out that besides genetic factors, poor dietary habits are also a common cause of hair loss. Hong Kongers often eat out and attend social gatherings, which means we consume many foods high in sugar, salt and fat that can damage our hair health. This can start with an inflamed or oily scalp, but if left untreated, it can quickly escalate to hair loss. The bad news is that this type of hair loss is on the rise recently! So, we’ll show your in this blog 5 foods to avoid and teach you a way to care for your hair follicles at home and keep hair loss at bay.

1.Foods high in sugar

Eating too many sugary foods can cause a temporary shortage of trace elements, affect the glucose metabolism of hair follicle stem cells, and even cause inflammation, excessive sebum secretion and other issues. This will make it hard for your hair to absorb nutrients and even shift hair follicles into the telogen phase, leading to hair loss.
 

Studies across the globe have shown a close relationship between sugar intake and hair loss. People who drink more than one sugary drink daily (over 3,500mL per week) have a 2.36 times higher risk of hair loss than those who don't.
 

⚠Foods to avoid: sugary drinks (soft drinks, bubble tea, juice), barbecue sauce, dessert, sweet fruits, etc.
 

2.Foods high in oil

Eating too much greasy food can mess up your skin’s sebum secretion, leading to consequences ranging from an oily scalp to clogged hair follicles and even scalp issues (like sores on the scalp and seborrheic dermatitis). Plus, it can increase the testosterone levels in the body, indirectly causing an increase in dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which can speed up hair loss on the scalp.
 

A study published in the international journal “Nature” in 2021 has suggested a causal link between obesity and hair loss. The study found that when mice were fed a high-fat diet, the stem cells within their hair follicles underwent changes that caused inflammatory signals in the body. This ultimately resulted in hair thinning and loss.
 

⚠Foods to avoid: bacon, sausages, full-fat cheese, butter, potato chips, fried foods, etc.
 

3.Strongly-flavoured foods

Heavy-flavoured food is usually too salty or spicy. Eating too much salty food can mess with your blood pressure and circulation, and disturb the blood flow to your scalp, hence insufficient nutrients for hair follicle cells. This can make your hair lose its shine, become fragile and brittle, and even fall out as the hair follicles may shift to the telogen phase.
 

⚠Foods to avoid: salty cheese, smoked foods, pickled foods, etc.
 

Some people believe that eating spicy foods can boost metabolism. However, overdoing it can make you sweat too much and raise your body temperature, hence stimulating hormone secretion and messing up its balance. Plus, spicy food is often cooked with a lot of salt and oil, which can make your scalp oily and clog your hair follicles.
 

⚠Foods to avoid: spicy barbecue sauce, chilli peppers, spicy hot pot, Sichuan boiled fish, etc.

4.Processed food

Processed foods like canned foods, jerky, and cakes contain a lot of additives including preservatives, artificial colouring, and artificial sweeteners to maintain their flavour. These substances can cause inflammation in the body and harm your health. Plus, these processed foods are usually loaded with lots of seasoning to make them more appealing, which means they're leading you to a trap of high sugar, salt, and fat consumption!

⚠Foods to avoid: canned food, cake, jerky, meatballs, smoked food, marshmallow, cup noodles

5.Smoking, excess alcohol or caffeine consumption

Research has shown that the chemicals in tobacco can damage the capillaries and hair follicles in the scalp, leading to poor blood circulation and disrupting the hair growth cycle, hence hair loss. Some studies have also found that when compared to non-smokers, smokers have significantly higher levels of androgen, which will be converted into DHT that can attack the hair follicles and trigger hair loss.

Drinking alcohol can harm your liver, heart, skin and other body parts, and also trigger dehydration, making your hair dry and brittle. Drinking too much can also cause mineral (like iron) and nutrient loss, which can weaken the immune system and lead to various health problems, including hair loss.

On the other hand, drinking too much coffee can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and disrupt the quality of your sleep at night, which can cause an imbalance in growth hormone secretion and hinder hair growth over time.

It can be hard for urbanites to change their diet and lifestyle habits in a short period of time. So, besides eating right, it’s also a good idea to take advantage of technological tools to take good care of our hair follicles and scalp, strengthen our hair, and prevent and treat hair loss.

Hair Forest’s RGA Laser Cap

Stimulate your hair follicles anytime, anywhere

For Hong Kongers who are too busy to take care of their hair, Hair Forest has got your back with the new RGA Laser Cap that allows you to get professional hair treatment at home. The cap has 2 variations, each containing 81 and 272 laser diodes with 650 nm wavelength respectively. You only need to wear a helmet-like device, it will then emit low-level laser beams that penetrate the epidermis of the scalp at a depth of 3-5 mm to repair damaged hair follicles, increase the oxygen content inside them and therefore stimulate hair growth. Wearing the cap for 8 minutes once a day can effectively relieve scalp inflammation, oily scalp and hair loss problems.

- Made in USA and FDA-approved

- Home-use low-level laser therapy for hair growth

- Activates cellular ATP production and stimulates metabolism

- Awakens dormant hair follicles

- Unique laser energy that guarantees no damage to skin cells, and a non-invasive and pain-free process

- Relieves scalp inflammation
- Prevents and improves hair loss problem

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