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Hair loss after pregnancy
I am a 38-year-old mother. My second son is now six-months-old and for the last three months, I have been losing alarming amounts of hair. My doctor says this is normal but I have heard horror stories from my hairdresser. I have now stopped using shampoos that contain coal tar but cannot find an alternative to treat my dry and itchy scalp. Can you suggest any alternatives to an ill-fitting wig?
Dramatic hair loss is common after pregnancy - but according to David Satchell, a hair specialist who favours natural remedies and founder of the Eucaderm clinic in Brighton which claims a 70% success rate in treating alopecia, today’s mothers who suffer from what is called post-partum alopecia are taking much longer to recover than previous generations whose hair would have returned to its full glory within 12 months.
Satchell, whose own hair began to fall out six months after his involvement in a serious car crash at the age of 15, blames higher stress levels, poorer nutrition and an increased in environmental pollutants. There is, he says, is no miracle cure but if you follow his natural treatment plan, you can expect a dramatic improvement in both the quality and the quantity of your hair.
Because you are complaining of an itchy and dry scalp he recommends a shampoo he formulated which replaces the coal tar you wish to avoid with juniper tar and eucalyptus oil. You may also benefit from a supplement that includes not only the B vitamins and zinc, all of which are important for healthy hair, but also live enzymes which will enhance the absorption of these nutrients.
Finally, and you will need to steel yourself for this, he prescribes alternating hot and cold head “dunks,” followed by rigorous massaging, to open up the blood vessels to the scalp and stimulate hair growth. You need to plunge your head into hot and then cold water, massage the scalp and repeat five times per session. Try and do as many sessions as you can face in a day.
David Satchell is the author of Natural Solutions to Hair Loss and Scalp Problems, published by Allborough Press and available by mail order from Eucaderm (01323-645164). It costs £5.95 which includes p&p. A 200ml bottle of the Therapy No. 3 shampoo costs £5.25 inc p&p and a month’s supply of the synergy plus vegetarian multisupplement with live enzymes is £27.75.