Natural choices for frizzled hair

Q. Hi, I am Armina B. Reyes, an employee from Dow AgroSciences with an office here in Ayala Alabang. I’d like to request your help for any simple tips for hair and skincare. You see my hair is becoming thin, especially the top area. I have been going to a parlor for a weekly wax and hot oil treatment. There was this recommendation for me to use kakang gata but I’m not so sure if this will be of help. I prefer to use natural treatments instead of chemically formulated medicines. Also, with regard to my face, I have some problems such as "lines" under my eyes. I just started using a moisturizer, but I think there are some natural treatments available for this. Appreciate your time in giving me some information. Thanks and regards.

ARMINA B. REYES, Materials

Management, Dow AgroSciences

BV-Philippine Branch

Q. Thanks to e-mail at the tip of my fingers, I can write and send you my letter. I am in my 40s and my hair is thinning most especially at my bangs. In my younger years, my hair was really thick and I guess I took that fact for granted. Since the fad was frizzy, I maintained that style for two years in a row. I think it’s taken its toll on me now. I have now switched to a local hair growing shampoo and hope it works. My hair, too, is kind of dry but I am hesitant to use any conditioner. They say imported shampoos and conditioners have strong chemicals that are too strong for our hair use. Is this true? What are the choices for my hair? Thank you and more power.

ANA MARIE ARAGON, IMO

Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia

A. Hi, dear readers! Please visit our website for the cool natural products that we have in our virtual store at http://www.whollymollytips.com/CPL.htm and click on "Healthy Products." Also, we’ve had several columns with tips dedicated to natural health and beauty in the Lifestyle section of the Philippine STAR. You can look up their archived issues since we’ve featured something on hair and skin almost every month. Check out the following dates: April 7, March 29 and January 18, 2001; December 23 and November 23, 2000 for columns with questions and tips on natural remedies for dry skin and thinning hair. I believe that vitamin B complex (B6, B12, thiamine, folate) supplements spur hair growth. If you’ve taken a lot of antibiotics, were recently pregnant and nursing, or are a chocoholic, you could be suffering from a B deficiency. Eat lots of fish and green leafy vegetables, whole grain cereal and milk. The oil treatment shouldn’t affect your scalp, but avoid the heat for now. Just wrap a towel around your oil-soaked hair for 10 minutes a time. Hope this helps!

* * * MAINTAINING MY SHINY MANE

Q. Dear Bon, hello! I would like to ask for help with regard to my hair problem. I have straight hair that’s long and black, but it has no shine. Can you suggest what to do or what shampoo and conditioner to use? I’ve tried a lot of hair conditioners and different types of shampoo, but there have been no changes at all. I want my hair to be healthy and shiny. I hope you can help me. Thank you very much and more power to your column.

JOAN MANGUERA

A. Healthy and shiny hair happens when you have a balanced diet, full of the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Although you can try as much as you can to maintain a wholesome diet for healthy hair, hereditary and environmental factors need to be factored in. Dust, pollution, wind, humidity, heat, and typical Asian hair texture are conditions that could be beyond your control. Try to stick to locally manufactured shampoos and conditioners made from natural ingredients. Treat yourself to a warm olive oil towel wrap once a week.

* * * GIVING YOURSELF A PERSONAL FOOT SPA

Q. I have the following materials for foot therapy: peppermint crystals for soaking the feet, foot scrub, a pumice stone, foot lotion and foot spray. How do you use these products to get the maximum benefit?

LILIA U. YAP

A. First, soak your clean feet for about 20 minutes in a solution made with the peppermint crystals to relax them and soften the surrounding skin. Every now and then, you can lift them out of the peppermint-infused water to scrub away dried skin around your heels and toes. You can use either the foot scrub or the pumice stone for a smoother exfoliation experience. After you’re done (don’t keep them submerged too long or else your skin will look like a prune!), dry your feet off and apply the foot lotion lavishly. Finish off the foot spa treatment with a cool, refreshing spray. It’ll feel so great you could walk a million miles!

* * * AN EFFECTIVE KITCHEN TONIC FOR THINNING HAIR

Q. Hi, Molly! I’m Honey. I’m one of the avid fans of your column in the Philippine STAR. If you can still remember, you recommended cayenne pepper and olive oil as remedies for thinning hair. I would like to try it on my mom and dad, but your information seems incomplete. You mentioned using this stable mixture every night. I’m just curious how long I should let it stay. Perhaps an hour long? Or overnight? Oh, and please, I also want to know what is in cayenne pepper and olive oil that makes them capable of bringing back the thickness of your hair. Thanks for reading my letter. You can send your response to this same e-mail address (this is my dad’s computer). I hope to get your response very soon. Yours truly,

HONEY SIAO

A. The herbalist from whom this kitchen concoction was derived doesn’t provide the specific active ingredient that works as a tonic, but they are most likely the natural occurring elements of hot pepper and olives. Cayenne pepper acts as a natural scalp stimulant that aids in spurring hair growth. The olive oil functions as a lubricating medium which when applied to your scalp infuses your scalp and keeps its moisture level balanced. You can keep the harmless pepper-oil mixture steeped on your parents’ scalp for as long as it remains comfortable to them. Leaving it overnight may be too uncomfortable to manage, so an hour will be just fine.

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