Battle Against Bald | A Battle Against Hair Loss Through Hair Restoration

Bald in the Professional World

2009-07-14T00:31:00-07:00

Why are professional wrestlers typically bald? To avoid hair pulling? To look scary? I researched this for while and could not find a viable answer. It is true that way back in the day soldiers from all countries and time periods would shave their heads to keep their hair from being pulled, but a professional wrestler would not do that today. Perhaps the aesthetic from old warriors just stuck, or perhaps there is a competitive advantage that I’m missing. Either way here’s an interesting article that sheds some light on why some men choose bald!

Bald Cartoon Characters

2009-07-09T00:21:00-07:00

So I have decided to release my inner child out and pay homage to my favorite bald characters. Did I mention they are all cartoon characters?

Smurfs- By far the happiest little village of people things I’ve ever seen!
Homer Simpson- We’ve heard them all, no one liner needed
Mr. Clean- Who knew romance novels could spawn such a wholesome guy?
Elmer Fudd- rabbits are clever hard to bag creatures, keep the hope alive Elmer!
Mr. Burns- the hair he does have must be the jeweled crown of the weasels
Rocko- All my life I’ve wanted to see Rocko’s Modern Life Adult Swim Edition, we’ll see if that ever happens
Stewie- Yes I know he’s a baby and is supposed to be bald
Porky Pig- Who said chivalry is dead?

Like I said, these are my mere favorites, I apologize if I forgot one of your own favorite childhood friends. So, pay homage to the cartoon characters that immortalize all kinds of baldness!

Bald TV Anchors

2009-07-07T00:14:00-07:00

Do bald news anchors really exist? Are they an endangered radio species of the television era? Or are they a complete myth? Sure CNN has host Ari Velshi, but he is really just a financial host, not a news anchor. I have googled, yahooed, checked the usual stock photo houses and even government archives, and executed every possible search that may lead to the answer, and I still have not seen one bald TV anchor. I came across a few that could use some hair restoration, but the hairline was slightly receding at best. If anyone finds a picture please send one to me! I’m dying to put this fable to rest!

Home Remedies

2009-07-03T20:37:00-07:00

When dealing with something like hair loss, most people try every option possible before committing to hair replacement surgery, so I decided to explore some of the urban legends and home remedies for hair loss. A quick Google search will overwhelm you with strange herbs and mixtures and quack doctors all swearing it is the natural miracle cure for to hair loss. When comparing them, I found a few common denominators.

1. Lemon- some form of lemon juice was in every single home recipe I found online. The seeds, the pulp, rub it on your head, eat it, put in your water-you name it and people are using it! Apparently when given lemons, turn them into hair-aides

2. Olive Oil- It’s the only fat fashion models will eat because it has no saturated fat, but makes your hair and skin soft and silky. It also flushes your body to get rid of hair loss causing toxins.

3. Honey- A few case studies have been done to prove this. Apparently it has a lot of nutrients and proteins to strengthen the scalp thus decreasing hair loss.

Just in case you need further instruction here are some step by step directions on one home remedy!
http://vimeo.com/1993937

Best Foods For Hair Growth

2009-06-30T22:33:00-07:00

We’ve talked on here a few times about what you shouldn’t eat, and how bad habits like drinking and smoking can lead to hair loss. So what should you be eating? Here is a list from our dear friends at WebMD about the ten best foods for healthy hair!

Drinking and Hair Loss

2009-06-26T08:00:00-07:00

Could your Bud Light at happy hour be the cause hair loss? I’ve been reading up on this for a while and I’ve finally come to a conclusion. Many have suggested that the liver plays a huge part in cleaning out your body and getting rid of harmful things that can cause hair loss, among many other problems. Excessive drinking will damage your liver enough to where hair loss will become very evident very quickly. However, it takes a bit to get to that point. I’d say you’d have to drink 5 or 6 beers every day for it to have a dramatic effect, and at that point you are faced with problems worse than hair loss.

My Conclusion: Your Bud Light will not make the hairs drop out, as long as it’s just the one. My cardinal rule is never have more than three because after that you are just toasting bad habits.

AreYou Kidding Me? A blade for the head only?

2009-06-22T12:30:17-07:00

Please take a moment to watch a bit of this video.
Did you watch it? OK...
I commend any man that can rock some shine proudly. Now, he can’t do it with a brand new $12 razor with moisturizing strips on both sides and some fabulous lathery shave cream? But wait, there’s more…
Wow. Really HeadBlade?
According to their site, you push rather than pull a headBlade and the patented suspension of the HeadBlade gives you more control. You don't have to worry about the angle of the blade because it is very difficult to control both angle and pressure if your fingers aren't in contact with your scalp. Not exactly a DRTV product for everyone, so who wants a snuggie?

Is Good Hygiene Bad for the Follicles?

2009-06-22T08:00:00-07:00

I’ve heard that shampooing every day is not good for your hair. Hair has a natural cleansing system that uses the body’s natural oils to hydrate and keep hair strong. Every time you wash it, you strip your hair if it’s natural oils leaving it dry and malnourished. Most hair care professionals suggest washing hair every other day. But for us who already have hair issues, is there more we can do? There are a few shampoos out there to help people whos hair is falling out.
1.    Nioxin- A great shampoo made specifically for hair that is falling out
2.    Pureology- it is made from all natural things with no chemicals. It’s also very potent so you get twice the washes in it!
3.    Baby Shampoo- It’s very gentle with mild cleansers, so you won’t completely strip your hair of its natural oils!

Naughty Naughty Hair!

2009-06-19T02:00:00-07:00

Talk about a bad hair day! Here is a short video I found about some scandalous hair that comes back to life! A glob of hair falls out and then climbs back up the drain to taunt inanimate objects in the bathroom! It’s shot in stop motion, and beautifully executed. This is fear of hair loss taken to a frightening extreme. Paging Dr. Bosley! A short disclaimer though, this short film is not for the faint of heart!
http://vimeo.com/2348267

Summer Is Here!

2009-06-16T09:13:20-07:00

Oh summertime. Sunshine, beaches, BBQ’s, and one nasty sun burn on your scalp. Malignant Melanoma is now the number 1 type of cancer in America, so what do you do? Well, there are the top ten way to cover your bald spot, or you could use sunscreen. Keep in mind regular sun screen which works fine, but it may be oily or irritate your scalp. Also, any kind of lotion could be messy if it get’s in your hair. If you have particularly sensitive skin, baby sunscreen is great and has a high SPF content. There is also a multitude of scalp sprays that you can find at any drugstore. From reading reviews it looks like Cue Shield Bald Head Shine is the winner. It’s the first sun block created for completely bald men, and you can use it on your tattoo’s too! It is SPF 55 so there’s plenty of potency, however it is a lotion so be careful around your hair! If all else fails, you could try the Flair Hair Toupee Visor mentioned in an earlier blog entry.

Is Your Lunch To Blame?

2009-06-12T00:15:00-07:00

Food Allergies in the U.S. are rising at nearly exponential rates, and most of them are foods that people eat every day. The National Food Allergy Organization reports that the eight most common food allergies are “milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts
(e.g., walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.” I have also come to learn that some of the symptoms to these are so miniscule that you could be undergoing anaphylaxis shock and not even realize it!

Wait a second, if it’s below my level of consciousness and I won’t even notice, who cares?
You may not realize it while it’s happening but your muscles could be tightening up, your stomach could be swelling up (commonly mistaken for beer belly or laziness,) and your airways could be constricting. The scariest thing is you could be giving yourself these symptoms everyday! Some other common reactions are:
    Nausea
    Constant fatigue
    Moodiness
    Irritability
    Tension headaches
    Sinus problems
    Sore and constricted muscles in lower and upper back
    “I’m really never sick, but I never really feel good.”
HAIR LOSS

Even if you have even the most mild intolerance to any of these, it could be detrimental to your all over health, well-being and hair follicles. Here is one case study of a man who had full hair re growth after a blood test and discovering his food allergy, it's pretty interesting!

Stay Happy and Healthy!

Genetic or Self Induced?

2009-06-09T09:23:54-07:00

When looking at portraits of anyone from over 100 years ago, it seems they always have a full head of hair. People like Henry the IIIV and Andrew Jackson appear to have never suffered MPB. It is true that back then anyone with enough money to afford a portrait could have certainly spent some time to idealize their features but still, it all seems too perfect to be a coincidence.

Could our modern day diet of processed foods, pharmaceuticals and pollution exposure be taking effects on our bodies so obvious that we’ve over looked them?

In researching this further, I found a few articles about prescription and over the counter drugs that could be a major factor to hair loss.

Drug Induced Hair Loss
Telogen Effluvium and Other Effluviums

The Economy of Hair

2009-06-05T06:20:00-07:00

We know hair restoration works, but there’s that pesky price tag to deal with. Maybe a bad analogy but like coffee – there are many varieties and potencies offered out there.

I was clicking around You Tube last night when I came across some funny videos. Some were hailing the pharmaceutical as if an anti-aging elixir may be the culprit, others were not so pleased. So here are a few of my favorites. I tried to keep it on both sides of the fence. Enjoy.

Propecia is Crap
1 year on Propecia

Do you homework. Pick your flavor. Enjoy!

Thinning Out Stress

2009-06-02T09:02:15-07:00

Remember those cartoons where some wacky overworked character was working frantically on a zany invention. In frustration, he would pull out handfuls of hair or have it fall out on its own from the stress he was under. The question is: “Does stress really cause hair loss?”

The link between stress and hair loss is still a hotly contested argument. It’s not so much the stress, but how you let the stress affect you, and what you do about it.

Many over-stressed people tend to lack energy because they have taxed their reserves – and, as a whole, the body is then running on empty. The result of this is the scalp is then getting very little nutrition when nutrients are used for more urgent things. Here are 10 well-rounded tips to de-stress yourself, to keep yourself in control and thus, keep your hairline healthy.

The (Sometimes Not-So) Healthy Schedule

2009-05-29T09:31:00-07:00

I was thinking about my health the other day, something we discuss quite regularly here. Somehow, I then began thinking about my schedule, oh how unhealthy that sometimes is. It’s funny that, despite technology’s speedy solutions, the day never seems to have enough hours.

Even so, in every rigorous commute or otherwise lost hour, I try to get the most out of it. One simple solution I’ve found is podcasts. So, I’ve decided to influence my lost hours on the subject of health. I’ve listed a few great podcasts on health from iTunes. Spencer Kobren’s Bald Truth Radio was picked up on XM radio if you’d like to hear his more current lists.

Podcasts:

MUSC On Men’s Health

NPR: On Health Podcast

Spencer Kobren’s, The Bald Truth