As you may know, Lisa, the owner of Believe, has strapped her dancing shoes on for charity and will be one of the featured dancers at “Dancing With Our Stars”, October 15 at the Matrix Center in Danbury, CT (tickets are still on sale: $65 buys you dinner, drinks and the show, ($100 and you can attend the after-party fun)—who we hope is Lisa! All money raised goes to Hillside Food Outreach, so stop by Believe to get your tickets now! Or visit www.hillsidefoodoutreach.org or call Westchester 914-747-0095, Putnam 845-225-3393 or Fairfield 203-702-4881 for tickets.)
Despite some aches, pains and even a sprain or two, Lisa is not only getting her body in better shape, but keeping her hair in good condition, too. There is a direct correlation between increased circulation and hair health. Poor circulation, especially to the scalp, can actually starve your hair and speed up hair loss (guys that have thinning near their temples usually suffer from poor circulation—sometimes a hereditary condition.) Age is a culprit too. Like everything else as we get older, our circulation slows down. Arthritis is another catalyst. If you have arthritis, have regular shoulder and neck massages to increase blood flow to the head.
High cholesterol may also be to blame (it thickens our blood and keeps it from reaching the smallest capillaries at the roots of our hair.) Sebum, too (the oil our scalp produces) can clog pores and choke off hair growth. Use cider vinegar as a hair rinse after shampooing to break through the sebum “crystals” that form.
Poor circulation makes its presence known if a few ways—tingling in your feet, muscle cramps, wounds or sores that are slow to heal, a blue-ish tinge to the fingernails—even a low sex drive. If you have any of these symptoms you should talk to your medical practitioner, since good blood flow is vital to good health.
Once you get the go-ahead from your doctor, you can up your exercise to get the blood pumping. Not only will your body get more shapely and strong, you will notice a difference in your hair. It will get shinier, with more bounce (your skin will appear clearer, with better color, too.) Whether its dance, like Lisa (even just in front of your Wii) or running around your neighborhood or even yoga (inverted positions make blood flow to your scalp), increased circulation is one way to ensure healthy hair. Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart muscle and improves its pumping efficiency.
Some foods and herbs are believed to increase blood circulation, too. Give them a try and track if you notice a difference:
Garlic and onions may help prevent plaque buildup on the walls of your arteries (and lower cholesterol.) Garlic has, for centuries, been considered a blood purifier.
Dark Chocolate contains flavonoids that reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It also may improve blood flow (and it even ups the serotonin in your brain—the chemical that makes you feel good.)
Olive oil not only helps lower cholesterol, but has antioxidants helping reduce the risk of heart attack and increasing blood flow.
Ginkgo is well known for helping to improve the circulation for the whole body.
Nuts (and sunflower and pumpkin seeds) help protect the heart from cardiovascular disease and help blood vessels to dilate—keeping the blood circulation flowing.
Chili peppers contain capsaicin and there is a whole school of thought that this chemical protects the heart, helps unblock any blockages and increases blood flow.
Hawthorn Berry is a well known herb for improving heart function and blood circulation. One good type of hawthorn to buy is as Hawthorn drops.
Other things you can do to improve circulation:
Get rid of stress—just like your muscles tense up when you are stressed, so does the tissue on your scalp. This squeezes capillaries and lets less blood through to the roots.
Use the right products on your hair. We do pile tons of products on our hair and sometimes we need to stop and clarify our scalp. Switch off between your regular products and use GL Shampoo and MUD MASQUE conditioner to keep the roots of your hair unclogged and your scalp free of sebum and debris.
Scalp massage is invaluable. To keep proper blood circulation for a healthy scalp, massage your scalp 5-10 times a day (Bonus: this will help with stress too.) Come into Believe for an evaluation of your scalp's health and we'll be happy to treat you to (and teach you how to give yourself) a perfect scalp massage.
While you are at Believe, don't forget to buy your ticket to “Dancing With Our Stars.” It's going to be a night to remember. See you soon!
