These days, just about every hairstyle seems to be in fashion at once -- long, short, in-between, Beatles-like locks, Mohawks, ponytails, and military buzz cuts.

Some men wear one style at work (parted and combed conservatively to the side) and another (spiked up with styling gel, for instance) when they go out. No matter how you style your hair, a few products can help you look your best.

Men’s Shampoos

For cleaning, just about any basic shampoo will do. "There are dozens of brands with all kinds of things -- like botanicals and antioxidants -- added. But there’s no real evidence that one is better than another," dermatologist Dee Anna Glaser, MD, says. "If you like the smell and feel of the shampoo you’re using, that’s all you need to care about." 

Dandruff Shampoos

A special shampoo is important if you have dandruff. Not sure if you’re a candidate? If combing your hair releases a flurry of white flakes, you probably need it.

"Dandruff may be an overreaction to normal yeast found on the skin that leads to inflammation of the scalp and flaking," dermatologist Carolyn Jacob, MD, says. Dandruff shampoos can quickly relieve the problem.

Products on the market contain a wide variety of active ingredients, including ketoconazole, salicylic acid, zinc, selenium sulfide, and tar. Experts say all of them are equally effective.

Use a dandruff shampoo three to four times a week for a month. "If your dandruff isn’t under control, switch to a product with a different active ingredient," Jacob says. Make an appointment with your doctor if flakiness persists. You may need a prescription-strength dandruff shampoo.

Hair Conditioners for Men

Conditioners, like shampoos, come in a confounding number of formulas. All work the same way -- by coating your hair so that it’s less likely to tangle. Conditioners that promise to add extra body simply add more coating.

"If you have straight or very short hair, you probably don’t have to use a conditioner at all, or you can get away with using a combination shampoo/conditioner," Glaser says. "But if you have curly, kinky, or long hair, you may want to take the time to use a separate conditioner."

Experiment with different brands until you find one you like. In many cases, inexpensive brands perform just as well as pricier products.

SPF Sun Protection for Men

Thinning hair and bald spots are more than just a blow to your vanity. They also increase your exposure to damaging ultraviolet rays, which can cause premature aging of the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer.

"Most men know they should use sunscreen, but they often forget to think about their scalps," Jacob says.

Look for sunscreen lotions with an SPF of 30 or more if you have distinct bald spots.  

If you have thin spots and don’t want to put lotion on your head, look for sunscreen in spray form. Or buy hairspray and styling gel with SPF protection built in.

Rx for Thinning Hair

Products containing minoxidil, the medicine shown to reverse thinning hair, are now available over-the-counter. Unfortunately, most men need prescription-strength formulas to see real results. Even prescription forms of the drug work in only about half the men, Glaser says, and usually they take about six months to show results. If they do work, you have to continue using them indefinitely.

Try using an extra-body conditioner and a little dab of styling gel to make a thinning patch look a little thicker. 

Styling Gels for Men

Another way to give hair body and shape is using a styling gel. Men’s hair care companies have flooded the market with different varieties of styling gels and waxes. Here are the main choices:

• Water-based gels consist of polymers that form a film around individual hairs, making them easier to shape.
• Spray gels deliver tiny droplets of polymers.
• Pomades are oil-based and give hair added shine.
• Hair waxes clump individual hairs together to create a firmer hold.
• Paste is a combination of oil and wax.
• Hair creams blend oil, wax, and polymers for maximum control.

Whatever you choose, use the product sparingly, especially if you have thinning hair.

A little bit goes a long way, stylist Julio Rodriquez, owner of Jules Cooper Color & Design in Montclair, N.J., says. He recommends starting with a dime-shaped amount in the palm of your hand.

Look for a styling gel without alcohol if you have trouble with dry scalp and dandruff. Alcohol tends to cause dryness.

Source: WEBMD

Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair

Better-looking hair can start at your next meal. "Just like every other part of your body, the cells and processes that support strong, vibrant hair depend on a balanced diet," says New York nutritionist Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet. It can take longer to notice changes (both good or bad!) in your hair than in your skin. For example, "just one week with a poor diet can yield acne flare-ups or dry, sallow skin within days," says New York City dermatologist Cybele Fishman, MD, "but with hair, it can take a few months for a nutritional deficiency or the effects of a crash diet to show up." The nutrients you eat today help fortify the hair follicle -- from which each strand is born -- and the scalp that surrounds it. "Healthier follicles? Healthier hair. Healthier scalp? Healthier hair!" Drayer says. Of course, there's more to your hair than what you eat. Smoking, hormonal imbalances, and not enough sleep can also affect how your hair looks and feels. No magic nutrient can make up for those concerns. Still, you have a lot more leverage than you might think. If you eat a balanced, varied, protein-rich diet that focuses on the following 10 foods, you'll be giving your hair the TLC it needs and deserves.

1. Salmon

Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D (both are key to strong hair) the omega-3 fatty acids found in this tasty cold-water fish are the true superstar. Your body can't make those fatty acids, which your body needs to grow hair. About 3% of the hair shaft is make up of these fatty acids, Drayer says. Omega-3s are also found in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp, and in the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated. Other options: essential fatty acids from fish like herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel, as well as avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts (see below for more wonderful things about walnuts.)

2. Walnuts

These are the only type of nut that have a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids. They're also rich in biotin and vitamin E, which helps protect your cells from DNA damage. Since your hair rarely gets much shielding from the sun, this is especially great, Drayer says. Too little biotin can lead to hair loss. Walnuts also have copper, a mineral that helps keep your natural hair color rich and lustrous, Fishman says. Other options: Try using walnut oil in your salad dressing or stir-fry instead of canola or safflower, Fishman says.

3. Oysters

Oysters are rich in zinc, a lack of which can lead to hair loss (even in your eyelashes), as well as a dry, flaky scalp. Three ounces has a whopping 493% of your daily value. You can get some zinc through fortified cereals and whole grain breads, but oysters can boast a good level of protein too. "Remember, hair is about 97% protein," Drayer says. Without enough protein, your body can't replace the hairs that you naturally shed every day and what you do make can be dry, brittle, or weak. Other options: Get your fill of zinc with nuts, beef, and eggs.

4. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a great source of the antioxidant beta carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. "Basically, every cell of the body cannot function without enough A," Fishman says. It also helps protect and produce the oils that sustain your scalp, and being low on vitamin A can even leave you with itchy, irksome dandruff. Other options: Carrots, cantaloupe, mangoes, pumpkin, and apricots are all good sources of beta carotene.

5. Eggs

A great source of protein, eggs are loaded with four key minerals: zinc, selenium, sulfur, and iron. Iron is especially important, because it helps cells carry oxygen to the hair follicles, and too little iron (anemia) is a major cause of hair loss, particularly in women, Drayer says. Other options: You can also boost your iron stores with animal sources, including chicken, fish, pork, and beef.

6. Spinach

The iron, beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C in spinach help keep hair follicles healthy and scalp oils circulating. Other options: Try similarly nutrient-rich dark, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and Swiss chard.

7. Lentils

Tiny but mighty, these legumes are teeming with protein, iron, zinc, and biotin, says Fishman, making it a great staple for vegetarian, vegans, and meat eaters. Other options: Toss other beans such as soybeans (the young ones are called edamame) and kidney beans into your soup or salad.

8. Greek yogurt

Cruise the dairy aisle for low-fat options such as Greek yogurt, which is high in hair-friendly protein, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid -- an ingredient you'll often see on hair care product labels), and vitamin D. Emerging research links vitamin D and hair follicle health, but exactly how that works isn't clear, Fishman says. Other options: Cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, and skim milk also fit the bill.

9. Blueberries

Exotic super fruits may come and go but when it comes to vitamin C, "It's hard to top this nutrient superhero," Drayer says. C is critical for circulation to the scalp and supports the tiny blood vessels that feed the follicles. Too little C in your diet can lead to hair breakage. Other options: Kiwis, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and strawberries.

10. Poultry

This everyday entree is extraordinary when it comes to protein, as well as hair-healthy zinc, iron, and B vitamins to keep strands strong and plentiful. Because hair is nearly all protein, "foods rich in protein are literally giving you the building blocks for hair," Drayer says. Other options: Lean cuts of beef are another good source of lean protein.

Source: Webmd 10/12

Straight Talk About Straightening Hair

If you've got curly hair, you may daydream about having smooth, straight locks. There are several options for taming curls, and each has pros and cons.

Keratin Treatments Many women swear by this salon treatment, which smoothes and straightens hair by coating it with chemicals. Stylists say it provides a glossy, frizz-free finish and makes hair much easier to care for. To keep that finish, you need to reapply keratin treatments about every 12 weeks. Treatments can cost $200 or more. Keratin treatments don't work well on tightly kinked hair. And they can make your hair brittle, so you'll need to use conditioner generously when you shampoo. Or you may want to skip keratin treatments altogether. There have been safety questions about the treatments, particularly for stylists who work with them. Some brands may contain or release unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical that has been linked to health problems, including cancer.

Chemical Relaxers Salon and home chemical relaxers last longer than keratin. The treated hair stays straight permanently. If you have it done in a salon it's about half the price of a keratin treatment. But the roots grow back curly. That two-textured look bothers some women, says Anthony Cress, a hair stylist in Newport Beach, CA. Salon stylists usually use relaxers with lye because they work faster. They can be more irritating to your scalp than those without lye and are best done in salons, says Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, CA.

If you straighten your hair at home, use a no-lye relaxer, which is less likely to irritate your scalp, and don't leave it on longer than directed. All chemical relaxers can make your hair dry and brittle and harm your scalp. And the damage can build up. For touch-ups, though, you only need to apply the relaxer to your roots, not all over. Victoria Barbosa, MD, MPH, a dermatologist in Chicago, says she advises her patients not to use a chemical relaxer if their scalp is unhealthy or they have serious problems with hair breakage or hair loss. To protect your hair, don't use a relaxer more than every 8 weeks, and use moisturizers generously on your hair. Blow-Dryers and Flat Irons If you don't want to pay for salon treatments or expose yourself to chemicals, you can straighten your hair between shampoos or swims with a blow-dryer or flat iron. “Heat rearranges hydrogen bonds in the hair, causing temporary straightening, which lasts until the hair is exposed to humidity or water,” Barbosa says.

Too much heat can also damage hair. To prevent damage, try these tips: Blow-dry only once or twice a week on a low setting. “If you start getting flyaways, breakage, or the hair isn't as shiny, what you're doing is too much,” Mirmirani says. To cut back on heat, wash your hair at night. Let it air-dry, and straighten it with a flat iron in the morning. Use a flat iron on dry hair only. Keep it on a low setting and don't hold it in one place too long. "If the flat iron or curling iron is not moved along the hair shaft swiftly enough, an entire section of hair can be singed off at one time," Barbosa says. Cress suggests stretching the time between stylings by using dry shampoo. "It absorbs the oils from your scalp, and you don't have to restyle," he says. Going Natural The simplest option is also best for your hair: Embrace your curls. "I don't like to say, 'Go straight for the chemicals,'" Cress says. "It can be an uphill battle to keep your hair moisturized if you blow-dry and color and have other products and treatments in your routine." Ask your stylist how to style your hair so its natural curliness is more appealing to you. The trick is to treat your hair gently. Don't towel dry it vigorously like you're polishing a bowling ball. "It is instantly setting yourself up for failure and frizz,” Cress says. “Instead, use a wide-tooth comb to style it the way you want to wear it, then let your hair fall into your hand with a towel and gently squeeze the towel." Finish shaping it with a product like light liquid gel or mousse.

Individualized Hair Loss Solutions

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Source: Webmd 10/13

In mouse study, scientists say they've used stem cells to grow large numbers of active follicles

TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists might be able to offer "hair-challenged" males a new glimmer of hope when it comes to reversing baldness. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say they've gotten closer to being able to use stem cells to treat thinning hair -- at least in mice. The researchers said that although using stem cells to regenerate missing or dying hair follicles is considered a potential way to reverse hair loss, it hasn't been possible to create adequate numbers of hair-follicle-generating stem cells -- specifically cells of the epithelium, the name for tissues covering the surface of the body.

But new findings indicate that this may now be achievable.

"This is the first time anyone has made scalable amounts of epithelial stem cells that are capable of generating the epithelial component of hair follicles," Dr. Xiaowei Xu, an associate professor of dermatology at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

Those cells have many potential applications that extend to wound healing, cosmetics and hair regeneration, Xu said.

In the new study, Xu's team converted induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- reprogrammed adult stem cells with many of the characteristics of embryonic stem cells -- into epithelial stem cells. This is the first time this has been done in either mice or people, the researchers said.

The epithelial stem cells were mixed with certain other cells and implanted into mice. They produced the outermost layers of skin cells and follicles that are similar to human hair follicles, according to the study, which was published Jan. 28 in the journal Nature Communications. This suggests that these cells might eventually help regenerate hair in people, the researchers said.

Xu said this achievement with iPSC-derived epithelial stem cells does not mean that a treatment for baldness is around the corner. A hair follicle contains both epithelial cells and a second type of adult stem cell called dermal papillae.

"When a person loses hair, they lose both types of cells," Xu said. "We have solved one major problem -- the epithelial component of the hair follicle. We need to figure out a way to also make new dermal papillae cells, and no one has figured that part out yet."

Experts also note that studies conducted in animals often fail when tested in humans.