Hair Ends

Luann

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Hi all
We've talked a lot about scalp health and sebum, as well as hair loss and shedding. My question today is, can diet and gut health affect the ends of the hair as well? Hair is thought of as a dead tissue, so will split ends improve with diet? The split ends are really my biggest problem right now - I've been using lemon juice as a rinse since my house has hard water, and it might be making things worse. But yeah, how does a Ray Peat diet affect the shaft and ends of the hairs? Thanks
 

Lecarpetron

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I know this doesn't help you about split ends, but my long hair changes between wavy and straight based on thyroid/temp status. It changes much faster than it grows. I was surprised by that bc like you said, hair not right on the scalp should be "dead" theoretically, but I suspect it's not.
 

whodathunkit

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If your hair is strong and healthy when it comes out of your scalp and you don't fry it with heat, physical abuse (like dragging a comb or brush roughly through tangles), or strongly alkaline cleansing products, the ends should be fine for as long as you don't cut them. But if the health of your hair shaft is compromised or thin because of hormone or metabolic problems, this will cause your hair to be prone to split ends, breaking off prematurely, etc.

If your diet rectifies the problems that are causing your hair to split or break off, then diet will cure your hair problems. Even if it's not the sole cure a good diet will improve the integrity of your hair. Peat does seem to help the quality of my hair.
 
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Luann

Luann

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@Lecarpetron thanks it does help, it shows that the length of a hair can respond to diet stuff, maybe it's the sebum on your head that changes your hair?
@whodathunkit thank you, peating should have fixed the split ends by now, with the calcium and protein and low fat. But maybe more time is needed :(
 

Orion

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I think good levels of progesterone would be beneficial, so a lean healthy liver would be part of the plan.

Cholesterol, thyroid and vitamin A = pregnenolone -> progesterone/DHEA

Extremley low unsaturated fat intake, sucrose, caffeine, B vitamins, vitamin A/E/D/K, raw carrot, should direct liver health in the right direction, and detox estrogen.

Hair cells are supposed to be very metabolically active, requiring higher amounts of glucose.

Consuming more calcium than phosphate should help keep calcium in the hard tissues and not soft tissues like the scalp. Adequate salt and magnesium as well.

Lastly sunlight all day :) or redlight when possible.
 
L

lollipop

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I know this doesn't help you about split ends, but my long hair changes between wavy and straight based on thyroid/temp status. It changes much faster than it grows. I was surprised by that bc like you said, hair not right on the scalp should be "dead" theoretically, but I suspect it's not.
Interesting. Wavy hair correlates with which condition @Lecarpetron ? Healthy thyroid or unhealthy thyroid? Same with straight hair? Healthy thyroid or unhealthy thyroid?
 

Lecarpetron

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Interesting. Wavy hair correlates with which condition @Lecarpetron ? Healthy thyroid or unhealthy thyroid? Same with straight hair? Healthy thyroid or unhealthy thyroid?

Wavy = better thyroid (by temps and pulse)

I had wavy, yellow blonde hair until age 14. It then became stick straight, and around that time I also got cystic acne...then, to heal the acne, went on the Pill.

Besides losing the wave, I also lost the color, which is now best described as "none." My southern friend calls it "dishwater blonde." :rolleyes:

I was shocked when the wave came back. I hope the color follows.
 
L

lollipop

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Wavy = better thyroid (by temps and pulse)

I had wavy, yellow blonde hair until age 14. It then became stick straight, and around that time I also got cystic acne...then, to heal the acne, went on the Pill.

Besides losing the wave, I also lost the color, which is now best described as "none." My southern friend calls it "dishwater blonde." :rolleyes:

I was shocked when the wave came back. I hope the color follows.
Super interesting @Lecarpetron :): Thank you for sharing! Very cool to see it changing I imagine...you have got me thinking...lol.
 

Birdie

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Wavy = better thyroid (by temps and pulse)

I had wavy, yellow blonde hair until age 14. It then became stick straight, and around that time I also got cystic acne...then, to heal the acne, went on the Pill.

Besides losing the wave, I also lost the color, which is now best described as "none." My southern friend calls it "dishwater blonde." :rolleyes:

I was shocked when the wave came back. I hope the color follows.
I bet the color will come back. Mine did. I'd been using a blond rinse for a few years. Now, for the past about 3 years, not needed !!
 

Birdie

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Hi all
We've talked a lot about scalp health and sebum, as well as hair loss and shedding. My question today is, can diet and gut health affect the ends of the hair as well? Hair is thought of as a dead tissue, so will split ends improve with diet? The split ends are really my biggest problem right now - I've been using lemon juice as a rinse since my house has hard water, and it might be making things worse. But yeah, how does a Ray Peat diet affect the shaft and ends of the hairs? Thanks
You might be right about the lemon juice. I used to read a hair forum sometimes and noticed people saying it dried out their hair.
But I don't think the ends will close up even with a good diet. On that hair forum, people would use nail scissors to cut off their ends.
Can you imagine meticulously clipping your ends... I never tried it.
 

Integra

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Jul 11, 2016
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Wavy = better thyroid (by temps and pulse)

I had wavy, yellow blonde hair until age 14. It then became stick straight, and around that time I also got cystic acne...then, to heal the acne, went on the Pill.

Besides losing the wave, I also lost the color, which is now best described as "none." My southern friend calls it "dishwater blonde." :rolleyes:

I was shocked when the wave came back. I hope the color follows.

I am completely confused about my natural hair color and texture. As a baby, I had super bright blond ringlets, then it turned wavy, then I went hypo-ish around 12, then it got dark brown and super curly again after puberty, but now it's turning blond and wavy again. :D

It could be that the amount of iron in thebdiet affects hair texture, too. I drastically reduced muscle meats and I noticed my iris changing from greenish to blue. I also had little brownish pigments inside the eye, but they're also fading away.
 

JohnA

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I think this hair theory jives with some of the body temperature research I've been doing recently.

The physics on how different hair textures regulate body heat is somewhat confusing, but very curly/kinky hair is denser and thus does a better job at keeping the head cool by blocking the sun's rays. Very straight hair lets more sun in. This is why natural hair texture, like skin color, seems to correlate with your ancestors' historical latitude (e.g. equatorial Africans have extremely kinky hair, and hair straightens out as we move further from the equator).

Your hair's texture is determined largely by genetics, but the anecdotes in this thread suggest that there's a spectrum upon which hair can move based on metabolism. Perhaps our hair skews curlier at times of high metabolism and warmer body temperatures (infancy, puberty, high metabolism diet, etc.)?
 
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Luann

Luann

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I have a theory that my split ends (which still appear regularly) are partly caused by their rubbing against a polyester vest that I have to wear at work. Would like ideas on this!!

I was copper deficient for over six months but am not sure how that would affect my ends.
 

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