If your new hair isn't coming in as strong, it may be more a matter of hormonal changes, in your body, than anything else. We all know that as we age, we start losing calcium resulting in loss of bone density; collagen, resulting in less taut skin, etc. But, the changes have their effect on our hair and nails, too. The things we consume - both internally and externally - become more important than ever. The changing seasons may have a bit more influence, too.
Like yours, my initial silver and white hairs came in coarse - actually, wiry - and even curlier than the rest of my hair. But, it also came in patchy and weird, so I his it, for a while. Now, it's all me, again. No henna, to try to get back as close to my natural red as possible. My youngest daughter, an aesthetician/ cosmetologist, the last time she was here, got up closer, and began riffling her fingers through my hair. She told me she loved it, and that it was beautiful, and as soft as ever (that made me feel great), then she asked, "what color would you call this???" As she looked closer, she decided there is a mixture of 6 or 8 different colors; bright white, silver, blonde, a very soft, ashy red - almost pink, deeper red, and a couple shades of brown. But, what she most noticed as she was looking so intently through my hair, was how 'healthy' it felt. So, she stopped and looked at my skin, too. Then, she started asking what I was doing different.
I'm off all municipal
water. There are no added chemicals in our water, and we're drawing from a 650' well. We eat very little purchased processed food. I'm off all prescriptions, and the only otc med that I take is either Claritin or zertek (I alternate them). I make my own
toothpaste, deodorant, moisturizer, lotion bars, sunscreen, bug repellent, soaps (facial,
shampoo & body bars), and household cleaners, so no detergents, sulfates, phtalates, poly-whatevers, fillers, preservatives, artificial fragrances, etc. And, the water I use to make them is from the same source as the water I drink,
shower, clean house, and cook with.
Some - maybe even most of those things might be difficult to manage, for someone who still has to use municipal water and works full time! But, there are other things I've been doing for years, that have had their say in the matter, too. Even before I started making my own everything, there were some brands of all of those things that were available, in the stores. So, reading labels is huge. If you can't pronounce it, and they don't offer a recognizable common name (for example, coconut oil's scientific name is long & scary sounding, but most companies here also give the common name in parentheses), it might not be something good to use. Some of the other things I do are herbs that are included in my daily tea - like silica, from horsetail, passionflower and hawthorn, which are for the heart and pulmonary system, but how well those systems work has a dramatic affect on everything else - including the nails and hair - good circulation is important. I do also try to remember to take a 'hair, skin,& nails' supplement, but that's kind of catch-as-catch-can. Do things to get your blood pumping. Massaging your scalp for a few minutes every day adds a lot to that.
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