Nutricosmetics, wave of the future for those striving for luscious locks
One of Killer Strands main concepts in Healthy Hair Care is: fight half the battle from within. In other words...fix your diet, add sufficient water, eat Broccoli every single day of your life from now on, cut down or quit partying, never smoke (anything) again, keep drinking to a social level, fresh fruits & vegetables need to be your very best friend and so on. Logical steps but proven solidly to my hands and eyes in every last one of my Client Trials over the years. You see - my clients loved being the basis of my trials - I would load them up with rules and grocery lists, protein bars and Yoga classes to take. Honestly, just testing to see if my theories worked with their hair - and as amazing as it was, most every single time tests were started they were successful. Different degrees of success, but success just the same. It was mind blowing to me - yes, the secret supplement which is a nutraceutical and THRIVEN were always part of the program, but I have never felt that they are the single answer to beautiful luxurious hair. The entire 10,000 HEADS Regimen is and 3/4 of that involves in my own way, Nutricosmetics.
The nutraceutical industry is a new and up and comer in the world of preventive health. The word nutraceutical comes from the combination of nutrition and pharmaceuticals and refers to categories of foods with health or medical benefits . Getting down to the real basics, broccoli and asparagus are candidates for a nutraceutical ! The word nutraceutical has come into play over the last 10 years, with so many people looking to preventive healthcare measures. One of the newest additions to dietary supplements is the group nutricosmetics, which promote the concept of beauty through a healthy body, or beauty from 'within'. Here in California I was brought up this way, but I have learned so much through the experience of writing this Blog, and I can see now that many areas of the country do not know the "Beauty from Within" concept - even other areas of California.
Nutricosmetics have active ingredients in them listed, so here we have the millionth reason for you to continue to read your cosmetics labels that I will never shut up about. The key ingredients attributed to Nutri's , which you will want to look out for, are soy isoflavone proteins, lutein, lycopene, vitamins (A, B6, E), omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene probiotics, sterol esters; chondrotin and coenzyme Q10. They all act as anti-oxidants are being promoted for their hair care properties. These antioxidants control free radicals produced as a by-product of biochemical reactions. Nutricosmetics cancel the effect of free radicals, which are the primary cause of premature aging of the hair. These products also have anti-inflammatory action that protect the hair against UV radiation.
All this technical talk can numb the brain, I know . . . it took me years to become interested in it, believe me. But when I watched with my own eyes; week after week clients return to me with hair they hadn't seen in years accompanied by a completely new kick in their step, I knew then what they are continually proving today that this idea of beauty from within was going to prove to be (at least) half the battle of aging hair. Doesn't it make sense though to most of you? You know when you eat better, exercise regularly and watch your diet that your hair, skin and overall looks just glow from within - don't you?
Just take: "Drinking 80 OZ. of Water" as the simplest of all the choices: categorized as a nutraceutical, to moisturize and condition the hair. Step 7 of 10,000HEADS lays out the need for 80 ounces of properly filtered water - every SINGLE day of your life. Do you realize how many different advantages simply drinking water can do for your body?
Your body is estimated to be about 60 to 70 percent water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs. Oxygen to your cells is what keeps the hair cycle going in its normal pattern, and the results of that ? ? No increased hair loss or thinning. The ways to keep your hair on your head and flourishing really is logical and in many ways simple common sense : keep your body in the most optimum health that you could possibly can for gorgeous wonderful hair.
Water is pure liquid refreshment and accounts for a large percentage of what makes each of us "human." The average 150 lb. adult body contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. Almost 2/3rds of our body weight is "water weight":
Blood is 83% water
Muscles are 75% water
The brain is 74% water
Bone is 22% water
Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste from the body. And when it comes to digestion . . . it's just not happening without water. Fiber alone cannot aid proper digestive function by itself. In fact, without water as its partner, good fiber goes bad, causing constipation and extreme discomfort.
If you're dehydrated, your blood is literally thicker, and your body has to work much harder to cause it to circulate. As a result, the brain becomes less active, it's hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued and tired.
Water - The Miracle Worker
Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a "wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of 8 - 10 oz glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water) will:
Improve Your Energy
Increase Your Mental and Physical Performance
Remove Toxins & Waste Products from your body
Keep Hair and Skin Healthy and Glowing
Help You Lose Weight
Reduce Headaches and Dizziness
Allow for proper Digestion
Help to keep you more Alkaline
Moisturizes & conditions hair strands, therefore thinning/breakage and Female Pattern Hair Loss - declines.
LOVE THIS FACT
The findings of a six-year study of more than 20,000 healthy men and women aged 38-100 in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in men
WATER as first Nutraceutical
1. Drink water when you first get up.
Imagine walking into a dark room and looking for something. Chances are you will stumble and maybe even fall unless you turn on the light. Or consider starting your car in sub-zero temperatures and putting it into gear without waiting for the engine to warm up. Either situation can lead to problems or even disasters. The same is true of the human body. Without water to “wake up and turn on” the body each day, you may be running on empty, especially if you skip breakfast . Have a glass of cool water right after you wake up in the morning to tell your body it’s time to get started.
2. Drink water before each meal.
Drinking water before a meal helps you feel fuller, so you may be less likely to attack your meal like a starving person. Water helps prepare the stomach for the food that will follow.
3. Drink water with a snack.
Between meals, if you feel hungry, try some fresh drinking water first to see if you are dehydrated. Sometimes people think they are hungry when they really are just thirsty.
4. Drink water before a workout.
Depending on the temperature, humidity, and your body’s fluid levels, you may need one or several glasses of water, each about eight ounces, to arm yourself against dehydration during a workout.
5. Have water with your medication, if allowed.
If you are allowed to take water with your medication, do so. Water helps to dissolve the medication and spread it throughout your digestive organs for rapid absorption
6. Drink more water to prevent illness following exposures.
If you are around sick people in the hospital or at work and school, drink a little more water than usual to wash away germs and viruses that your body may have picked up from exposure to these people.
7. Have a glass of water when you’re tired.
Feeling tired? Fatigued? Need a nap but can’t take one? Have a glass of water. Because of its ability to move quickly throughout the body, water can reach your brain and activate it right before a meeting or other situation where you need to pay attention. Cold water, especially, will wake up your body to keep you alert.
From my Client Trails I have had many of my clients go ON the 80 OZ a day Water trial - yes, its a bit of a headache at first, but once your body gets used to it, you won't even notice it. When they go off, they don't even have to tell me, I can tell the minute I touch their hair- the difference is so profound.
This is such an easy solution for so many of you with dry-dull-lifeless hair - I would highly suggest getting a water filter put in ( cheapest way to drink the proper water on a daily basis), mine is $17.00/month and that is for all the water I can possibly drink + it is Reverse Osmosis treated water.
Such a Gold Mine - - So simple - - and very very inexpensive. KC
References:
1. L Benson. Eat & Drink Your Skin Care. GCI magazine. 34-7 . Sept. 2008.2. "Drink to Your Health...with Water! Mothers Nature Healthy "Cocktail". www.BetterWayHealth.com . October 2007.
I have been counting my water religiously for years now. I actually add my glasses and tally it on my PDA! I do your recommended glass upon rising and try to drink 4 glasses before lunch, and 4-6 glasses after lunch. (Usually it's 6 if I work out that day)
ReplyDeleteWhen I get off track, even just for a day, my moods change, my energy sinks, I eat more, and I get headaches.
Midorilei:
ReplyDeleteI bet you have glorious skin and hair , don't you?
I find it fascinating that one little trick like this can solve so many of life's ailments - yet we all {including me} find it so hard to accomplish each & every day. Why do you suppose that is???, I mean there are doctors that truly believe that many lives could be saved each and every year if their patients would have just drank ENOUGH water !
Make yourself a new goal this week, no others - just this: drink 80 oz of water every day in the manner suggested for 10 days. Make a chart! At the end of that 10 days, notice how you feel, notice how hard it is to drink that 80oz of water.
Harder?
Easier?
Why do you suppose?
THANK you for your comment,
KC
Hey, this is my first time commenting, but I am a long time reader of killerstrands. I love how you make hair like a chemistry, I love it. I love actually learning HOW things work on the hair, how it's affected, the anatomy of hair..all of it. I am definitely a hair addict.
ReplyDeleteever since I was six and dehydrated I have been a water person. It was on Christmas eve that I had to spend the night in the hospital. Apparently, I dehydrate easier than most people, so I have a water bottle that I take everywhere. I drink soo much water, and I have very healthy hair.
I'm 17 and still in school, so whenever a teacher doesn't let me drink out of my water bottle, I definitely feel the affects. I get tired, my mood changes, it's just so significant. Very fascinating. I plan on commenting more often. Expect more from me -SAM
Hey...Sam from Ohio,
ReplyDeleteI have an uncle Sam who lives in Ohio, so this was a funny email to get for me!
Glad you are reading the Blog at such a young age, spread it around your school, I want high school aged kids to read it so they can prevent the hair loss I see at your age. . .do you purchase a sulfate-Free shampoo? If you don't, you MUST!
KC
Diet and lifestyle are two major factors that influence the health of the hair. Poor diet, illness and deficiencies of any particular vitamin and mineral affects the quality of hair and problems like dandruff, thinning hair, balding, premature graying etc. spoil the hair. Regularly cleaning and brushing the hair is very important. When the hairs are brushed, oil-producing glands in the scalp get stimulated. This natural oil makes the hair glossy and healthy. To give extra shine to the hair, after washing rinse the hair with some lemon juice mixed in a cup of warm water.
ReplyDeleteCrowning Glory