Hormones and genes are the two principal determinants of body hair growth. As it goes, if these two factors favor healthy, lush, and voluminous hair growth, you can expect hair in the right place, quantity, and quality. However, if your body hair seems sparse or absent where it ought to be naturally, you can try a few natural tips to speed things up.
That said, please note that these natural efforts will only produce an appreciable result if your genes and hormones are favorably disposed of. Otherwise, you may wish to consult with a dermatologist to see other available options.
Before we delve into practical ways you can aid your body hair growth naturally, let’s first consider how hormones and genes determine hair growth.
Hormones and Hair Growth
Men and women have hormones that are specific to them. These biological chemicals mediate the secondary sexual characteristics we witness in these genders. Hormones known as androgens are present in men, while estrogens are specific to women. That is not to say that women don’t have androgens or that men, too, don’t have estrogen. The reason these hormones are gender-designated is that each is found in excess of each other in a particular gender.
Also, the receptors that recognize each hormone are gender-specific. That is, men have receptors for androgens in certain body parts such as the face, armpits, chest, and groin areas that women don’t. As such, it’s typical to find males grow hair in these areas mentioned when they reach puberty.
Androgens and estrogens don’t act in isolation; they interact with other hormones such as progesterone, insulin, thyroid hormones, and cortisol to determine how much hair a person will have. Their interaction may also lead to hair loss. An imbalance, whether it’s in excess or shortage, of these interacting hormones can lead to delayed hair growth or even hair loss.
Gene’s Influence on Hair Growth
Our genes are the biological blueprints of who we eventually become morphologically and even physiologically. Several genes work together, though, to either cause speedy hair growth or limit it. As it goes, if an ability or trait is genetically coded for, there’s often little or nothing you can do to alter it. For instance, a gene called AR, commonly found on the X chromosome, has been linked with androgenetic alopecia, aka baldness. If you inherit this from your mother as a man, your chances of suffering hair loss are high, not minding how many precautions you take.
However, while some structural genes are directly in charge of determining traits and characters, others are regulatory; they help to control the switching on and off of the structural genes. When you alter your lifestyle through diet and exercise, you can control, to a degree, the expression of genes responsible for hair growth. Lhx2 is an example of a regulatory gene that controls the expression of genes responsible for producing hair follicles. If Lhx2 becomes activated, it means more hair follicles will be produced and also more hairs. Certain natural processes are capable of activating this regulatory gene. We will discuss these things in the next section.
7 Natural Steps to Grow Your Body Hair Naturally
These seven steps typically involve a change in diet and lifestyle, which are not only safe but require little or no monetary setbacks.
1. Regular & Moderate Exercise
Exercising regularly is good for overall body health, including hair growth. At the least, it improves blood circulation, boosts testosterone levels, and can stimulate inactive hair follicles to begin hair growth. For the exercise to be beneficial, it has to be sustained over a reasonably long period. Also, it doesn’t have to be anaerobic all the time. An everyday 30-minute walk or moderate weightlifting is enough to do the magic. You should start seeing the difference in a matter of weeks.
2. Healthy Diet
It’s not a joke that we are what we eat. Since hairs themselves are proteinous shafts, having enough dietary proteins will speed up their development. But aside from proteins, certain vitamins, particularly A, B, C, & D are germane to hair growth. You can easily get most of these things from fruits and vegetables.
However, there are times when taking supplements, especially those rich in iron and zinc, may be necessary. If you feel you are deficient in these minerals, getting an OTC food supplement will help significantly.
3. Adequate Sleeping Time
Inadequate sleeping time is associated
with stress. When the body is stressed out, the cortisol level increases and this inhibits hair growth. Many people have discovered that when stressed out, their hairs begin to recede and break; it’s because of the high level of cortisol in their blood.
In managing your stress, you must give serious attention to adequate sleep. Usually, you need about eight hours of sleep every day. If you follow this trend faithfully for weeks, you will observe a significant increase in your hair’s volume and quality.
4. Testosterone Balance
For years, scientists have associated a high level of the testosterone derivative – dihydrotestosterone DHT – as the culprit in male pattern baldness. With a high level of this hormone in your body, you can experience hair thinning, recession, or loss. Similarly, if this hormone level is below what is required, hair will not grow at all.
Therefore, if you are struggling with slow hair growth, you may need to check your testosterone level with a doctor. They can help you determine if you have the right amount or not and offer medical advice on how to keep it stable.
5. Use Natural Remedies
There are plenty of natural remedies acclaimed to aid speedy body hair growth. While many of them may not have scientific backing yet, people who have tried them claim that they truly help. Since many of these remedies are harmless, trying them out isn’t out of place.
One such natural remedy is the use of essential oil with carrier oil. Mix either lemongrass or rosemary with coconut oil and rub it on the body area you desire to have exponential hair growth. You should gently massage this combo into your skin twice a day and watch its effect after two weeks.
6. Avoid Steroids
Muscle enhancers, also known as anabolic steroids, can negatively impact hair growth and overall body health. These synthetic hormone lookalikes are illegal for athletes, and many people use them to control their weight. While they may help in achieving your bodybuilding goals, one of their side effects is hair loss and thinning.
7. Quit Smoking
Smoking is associated with reduced blood flow, which can limit the ability of hair follicles to perform optimally. The more smoking time you have, the more severe this issue becomes. As such, if you’re indeed passionate about getting your hair back, you’ve got to limit the sticks.
Another way smoking can be detrimental to hair growth is the potential damage it can cause to the hair follicles’ DNA. The DNA contains the genetic code, and if any alterations or mutations happen, it can result in irreversible damage.
Conclusion
It’s not totally impossible to influence your body hair growth rate. Sometimes, the problem isn’t hormonal or genetic; you only need to adjust your lifestyle. As such, if you can abide by the simple rules put forward in this article, you can quickly turn your hair’s fortune around.
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