Experiences with hair loss and growth

[road2raw]

Does anyone have information about hair loss and/or growth that you would care to share? How did going raw affect your hair growth and how long did it last?

[DavidZaneMason]

I WAS the most balding guy in my family. After switching to vegan....much of my hair became thicker. When I switched to all raw....after a year or two....much of the balding area had filled in. Now, although I am the oldest, I have much more hair than either of my two younger siblings. True story.

-David Z. Mason

[jacsam]

David....that a great story!!! Have you told your brothers your secret?

[Eveleaf]

My hair had begun thinning noticably before I went raw. While raw for two years, it did not get better or worse that I could see.

Now that I've been on a Juice Feast for 43 days, I can absolutely see it growing in thicker and coming out in my brush and shower a LOT less.

I don't know why it's doing this. Probably has to do with the nutrients I'm getting on the Feast that I was short of before. Or it could be the *greatly* decreased sugar and fat intake I have on the feast. Whatever, I'm just glad something is working.

Cheers,
Eve

[DavidZaneMason]

Of course they know. But these days? Knowledge is not the issue - but goals. Heh..heh. My family HAS shown marked improvement in their diet...for the most part.

-David Z. Mason

[paulieGB]

My hair had begun thinning noticably before I went raw. While raw for two years, it did not get better or worse that I could see.

Now that I've been on a Juice Feast for 43 days, I can absolutely see it growing in thicker and coming out in my brush and shower a LOT less.

I don't know why it's doing this. Probably has to do with the nutrients I'm getting on the Feast that I was short of before. Or it could be the *greatly* decreased sugar and fat intake I have on the feast. Whatever, I'm just glad something is working.

Cheers,
Eve

Hi Eveleaf,

I would like to do a juice fast or maybe just green smoothies for a while,
Just wanted to ask how your energy levels are now, and how do you feel in general ?
Also can i ask what juices you are having each day.

Cheers, Paulie

[Eveleaf]

My energy levels are just perfect - the whole point of the juice feast is to get all the calories you need from juice and not food. You don't starve or fast at all.

In general I get around 1500 calories a day. Sometimes a bit less, but if I were hungry, I could easily get more - I'd just drink more juice! I always make lots of extra just in case I want it. Again, the main idea is it is not a fast, and you should not go hungry!

My daily intake is 2 quarts green juice and 1 quart fruit juice. In the beginning I was having 2 quarts fruit, but I've grown less interested in the fruit juice and feel better now with less. The green juice is really very mild. I've gotten so used to it, it tastes like milk to me now. I make it with:

1 head celery
3 cucumbers
3 apples
1-2 pounds of greens, a variety that can include clover sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, parsely, kale, spinach, red leaf, chard, bok choy, romaine, or any other organic mixed greens.

I also sometimes include the water of a young coconut, but not every day since they can be expensive.

The fruit juice is usually apples, oranges, ginger, carrots, and whatever else is handy like pineapple, blackberry, grapes, strawberry, grapefruit, or red pepper.

Occassionally I will juice watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew instead of the above fruits.

Twice on this feast, when I have had a little craving for something savory, I have made a "soup" with juiced tomato, basil, and garlic. It was good, but I don't feel the need to have this very often.

I also "supplement" everyday with E3Live, bee pollen, green powder, royal jelly, 1/4 tsp of kelp or dulse flakes, MSM, and once or twice a week a tiny amount of celtic sea salt or flax oil.

When I have plugged these foods into a nutritional calculator, I am easily getting between 100 and 5000% of the daily recommended amount of any given nutrient. This feast is seriously NOT deficient in anything!

I feel very good on it, and often wonder if I could live like this forever. Originally I promised myself it would be at least a 30 day feast. Once I got into the swing of it, I extended that to 60 days. Now, I can't imagine stopping before 90! In many ways it is even easier than eating raw in terms of self-control and energy levels. If you are interested, I'd recommend the website juicefeasting.com and signing up for their 90 day program. The WEALTH of information they have there for members is astounding! In addition, read through Angela's juice feasting blog at rawreform.com and check out her e-book on the subject.

I would not recommend going into it unprepared or until you are really committed to it. Mostly what I see when people fail at it is they were unprepared or undercommitted. Take your time, get really informed, and then make sure you are READY to do it, and do it right. :)

Oh, and I have also lost 29 pounds so far in 43 days. Which is nice, though not the point of the feast. :) A lot of people feast and don't lose that much. It depends on your lifestyle, how heavy you were to begin with, and how much you drink. I think Angela lost like 15 pounds only on her 92 day feast, but she drank about double what I do, and was already pretty close to her goal weight.

I should also point out that I drank a ton of green smoothies prior to the feast, and never noticed any improvement in my hair. If anything, the smoothies elevated my sugar too high, even with lots of greens included, messed up my energy levels and gave me nasty cravings. I know a lot of people swear by smoothies, but they just don't do much for me. I seriously cannot imagine trying to maintain an extended fast on smoothies.

Good luck, and please feel free to ask me anything if you have more questions. I don't mind a bit. :)

[steveoregon]

Trust me, I'll get to the subject of this thread.

Back in the late seventies, I was watching Johnny Carson one night, and he introduced a man who claimed he had a cure for baldness. As the man sat down, the audience continued to laugh and snicker. Why? Because the man was obviously bald. Johnny then asked for the cameras to zoom in on the top of his head. There you could see thin hair completely covering the top of his head (highly unusual), NOT completely devoid of hair as you would expect. The mans name was Dale Alexander. He had written a book called Healthy Hair and Common Sense. Dale Alexander himself started going bald when he was nineteen and it devastated him socially. He set out to understand baldness. To make a long story short, he discovered that the answer was a healthy diet of mostly raw foods. He spent years noting what foods seem to cause his hair to thin, and what foods seem to stop his hair loss. In his book, his cure is based on his diet of healthy foods - blender drinks, salads, etc. Not everything he recommended was raw - maybe 80%. But he was obviously on the right track. One thing of interest that he claimed, is that it was possible to regain all your lost hair over only the last five years - but not beyond.

Even though the book is long out of print, I see there are many used copies available on Amazon for less than a dollar - I would highly recommend it. Amazon link HERE (http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Hair-Common-Sense-Alexander/dp/0911638024/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209165767&sr=1-2)

Dale also wrote a book about curing arthritis - again based on a highly nutritious diet.

[queenfluff]

Eveleaf,

I think the reason your hair is starting to grow back in better is because of all the great "hair" foods you have been eating in your juice feast. Lots of cucumbers, sprouts and fruits with vitamin C which work well with your supplements - particularly the MSM. The E3live and sea veggies are also very good for your hair. Another thing to supplement with for great hair is hemp - either seeds or powder - hemp contains lots of the nutrients needed for hair growth.

Also for some person, when they go raw, their bodies choose to shed off the old "cooked" hair and eventually will replace it with healthy "raw" hair - sounds like you are on your way. :)

Oh also - there are lots of herbs that are great for hair too - horsetail (has lots of silica), nettle and rosemary. Probably would be good for you in tea form once you are done with your feast!

[Amberly]

Wheatgrass made mine and my sister's eyelashes grow, and my mom has eyelashes for the first time in her life. And her hair is curly after only three weeks.

[paulieGB]

My energy levels are just perfect - the whole point of the juice feast is to get all the calories you need from juice and not food. You don't starve or fast at all.

In general I get around 1500 calories a day. Sometimes a bit less, but if I were hungry, I could easily get more - I'd just drink more juice! I always make lots of extra just in case I want it. Again, the main idea is it is not a fast, and you should not go hungry!

My daily intake is 2 quarts green juice and 1 quart fruit juice. In the beginning I was having 2 quarts fruit, but I've grown less interested in the fruit juice and feel better now with less. The green juice is really very mild. I've gotten so used to it, it tastes like milk to me now. I make it with:

1 head celery
3 cucumbers
3 apples
1-2 pounds of greens, a variety that can include clover sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, parsely, kale, spinach, red leaf, chard, bok choy, romaine, or any other organic mixed greens.

I also sometimes include the water of a young coconut, but not every day since they can be expensive.

The fruit juice is usually apples, oranges, ginger, carrots, and whatever else is handy like pineapple, blackberry, grapes, strawberry, grapefruit, or red pepper.

Occassionally I will juice watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew instead of the above fruits.

Twice on this feast, when I have had a little craving for something savory, I have made a "soup" with juiced tomato, basil, and garlic. It was good, but I don't feel the need to have this very often.

I also "supplement" everyday with E3Live, bee pollen, green powder, royal jelly, 1/4 tsp of kelp or dulse flakes, MSM, and once or twice a week a tiny amount of celtic sea salt or flax oil.

When I have plugged these foods into a nutritional calculator, I am easily getting between 100 and 5000% of the daily recommended amount of any given nutrient. This feast is seriously NOT deficient in anything!

I feel very good on it, and often wonder if I could live like this forever. Originally I promised myself it would be at least a 30 day feast. Once I got into the swing of it, I extended that to 60 days. Now, I can't imagine stopping before 90! In many ways it is even easier than eating raw in terms of self-control and energy levels. If you are interested, I'd recommend the website juicefeasting.com and signing up for their 90 day program. The WEALTH of information they have there for members is astounding! In addition, read through Angela's juice feasting blog at rawreform.com and check out her e-book on the subject.

I would not recommend going into it unprepared or until you are really committed to it. Mostly what I see when people fail at it is they were unprepared or undercommitted. Take your time, get really informed, and then make sure you are READY to do it, and do it right. :)

Oh, and I have also lost 29 pounds so far in 43 days. Which is nice, though not the point of the feast. :) A lot of people feast and don't lose that much. It depends on your lifestyle, how heavy you were to begin with, and how much you drink. I think Angela lost like 15 pounds only on her 92 day feast, but she drank about double what I do, and was already pretty close to her goal weight.

I should also point out that I drank a ton of green smoothies prior to the feast, and never noticed any improvement in my hair. If anything, the smoothies elevated my sugar too high, even with lots of greens included, messed up my energy levels and gave me nasty cravings. I know a lot of people swear by smoothies, but they just don't do much for me. I seriously cannot imagine trying to maintain an extended fast on smoothies.

Good luck, and please feel free to ask me anything if you have more questions. I don't mind a bit. :)

What a lovely post, thanks for that, i might hit you up with some questions in the near future.
Thank you,
Paulie.

[sptygl]

Wheatgrass made mine and my sister's eyelashes grow, and my mom has eyelashes for the first time in her life. And her hair is curly after only three weeks.


how long before you noticed? was it a big difference?
that would be amazing to get longer lashes!! wow

[veganman]

Trust me, I'll get to the subject of this thread.

Back in the late seventies, I was watching Johnny Carson one night, and he introduced a man who claimed he had a cure for baldness. As the man sat down, the audience continued to laugh and snicker. Why? Because the man was obviously bald. Johnny then asked for the cameras to zoom in on the top of his head. There you could see thin hair completely covering the top of his head (highly unusual), NOT completely devoid of hair as you would expect. The mans name was Dale Alexander. He had written a book called Healthy Hair and Common Sense. Dale Alexander himself started going bald when he was nineteen and it devastated him socially. He set out to understand baldness. To make a long story short, he discovered that the answer was a healthy diet of mostly raw foods. He spent years noting what foods seem to cause his hair to thin, and what foods seem to stop his hair loss. In his book, his cure is based on his diet of healthy foods - blender drinks, salads, etc. Not everything he recommended was raw - maybe 80%. But he was obviously on the right track. One thing of interest that he claimed, is that it was possible to regain all your lost hair over only the last five years - but not beyond.

Even though the book is long out of print, I see there are many used copies available on Amazon for less than a dollar - I would highly recommend it. Amazon link HERE (http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Hair-Common-Sense-Alexander/dp/0911638024/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209165767&sr=1-2)

Dale also wrote a book about curing arthritis - again based on a highly nutritious diet.


I just picked up this book at my library to check it out....unfortunately the author's main food recommendations are eggs and milk. Both are in the raw state....but non-vegan unfortunately.

[paulieGB]

Hello,

I have a few questions for Eveleaf about juicing.

I have been juicing now for almost a week and have noticed a big increase in hair loss when i brush my hair.
Before i was losing up to 10 hairs when i brushed, now im losing minimum 20 up to atleast 50 hairs every time i brush and i brush twice a day.
Could this be because of the juicing ? maybe its just coincidence i dont think so though, did you get this when you first started your juice feast ?

Also Eve, i am amazed and very please that your hair is growing back thicker now you have been on the juice feast for a while,
Im amazed because when i think about it -
when you juice you must be losing alot maybe most of the protein in the food, Do you ever worry about the protein left in the juice ?
Also how do you calculate how many calories you have each day ?
when i put into fitday what i am eating and juicing each day, it cant be correct because i must be losing alot or most of the callories from the food when i juice it.
And i have read that low protein and low calories and even to low on the EFA's can cause hair loss, just what i read.

I really do love the way the juicing makes me feel, it puts a big smile on my face and gives me Loads of energy,
I have been juicing apple with cellery with powdered wheatgrass.
Carrot with cellery and powdered wheatgrass.
I quite often add cucumber to these juices also.
And i did juice some kale with cucumber a couple of times, I was very suprised at the little amount of juice from the kale and the enormous amount of waste i was throwing in the bin, thats why i havent juiced greens that much, Not sure if i needed to anyway now that i am added powdered wheatgrass to my juices. What do you think ?

Cheers Eve, hope your well.

Paulie.

[Eveleaf]

Hi Paulie!

Things are going well, thank you for asking. I'm on Day ...(thinks) 62 here. It's hard to keep it straight! LOL.

Great job on your juicing! I'm really excited for you that you are doing so well and feeling so good.

No, I did not notice an increase in my hair loss when I started juicing. However, I'd been raw for about two years proir, maybe this has to do with it? If you are experiencing serious detox that can cause extra hair loss, though once it passes hair should regenerate.

I sincerely doubt that when I juice I am losing any significant amount of protein, calories, or nutrients from the pulp that gets thrown away. I use a high-quality juicer and blender, and what gets discarded is just the stripped down *fiber* of the food. The fiber locks up the nutrients of the food, but when you juice you break that open and extract the nutrients and leave the fiber. You are in fact getting a great deal MORE nutrients from your food then when you just chew it. Chewing food breaks up some of the fiber but actually leaves most of it intact, which prevents the body from really getting to a lot of the nutrition.

Protein especially - a big misconception is that protein in food = protein in the body. This just simply isn't true. Our bodies have to create protein from amino acids. If the protein isn't already broken down (as is the case with animal protein, for example), the body must work harder to break it down into amino acids first, before it can be reassembled as protein in our bodies. The amino acids in juice are plentiful and really not an issue.

How are you juicing your greens?

I find that if I put them through my juicer, I lose too much. These days I will run my cucumbers and celery through my regular juicer to extract the juice from them, then throw that juice in my amazing Ktec blender. Then I will stuff the blender to the brim with greens (I have to do this more than once, because I juice a LOT of greens), packing them down tightly. In about 20 seconds of blending I have liquified the greens with the juice, and I then run that green juice through two nut mylk bags. I am amazed when I do this because that blender was PACKED with leafy greens, but I the amount of pulp I am left with to discard is usually less than 1/4 cup. This is a fabulous way to extract the most you can from your greens and the only way I can really recommend doing it.

I think taking wheatgrass powder is fantastic, but I still recommend 1-2 pounds leafy greens, well varied, every day. If you do it like I do with the blender and nut mylk bags, you won't be throwing much away at all. And your body will LOVE all the extra nutrition!

[paulieGB]

Thanks so much Eve.
I have been raw since november but recently i have only been, maybe 70% raw, so maybe my body (hair) is detoxing from the cooked foods, now that i am juicing.
I do have a cheap juicer that i have been putting my greens through, i love your idea with the nut mylk bags, can't wait to try that, i do have a cheap blender aswell unfortunatly but im sure it will be fine.

Paulie.