There is no doubt that liquid Iodine, when applied to the scalp on a regular basis, causes the hair to grow. Iodine for hair growth certainly has worked in my own experience.
Actually, the extremely diluted iodine which you can buy at chemist shops in Australia and New Zealand (or drugstores in the USA) is the perfect strength for applying to the scalp just as it is.
But NOTE: – I have never applied iodine to the whole scalp, but only in isolated areas. If you were to put a whole bottle over your head, you would suffer iodine poisoning, as iodine is absorbed quickly into the skin pores -so NEVER do this.
(But please, drug company geeks, this would be no reason to deprive us-I haven’t tried this, but a bottle applied to the scalp would most likely not kill you. Whereas I could go out and buy a bottle of whiskey, drink half the bottle and that would be the end of me. No regulations to stop that happening to anyone)
New Zealand soils are low in Iodine and Selenium among other things.(Selenium, too, like Iodine, helps prevent cancer and is beneficial to hair growth) The old method of taking Iodine into the body, as we were taught by our mothers back in the 50′s, was simply to paint a few dabs of liqud iodine onto the soles of the feet, then forget about it. This was done now and then, when our Mum remembered about it. (Say about once a week or two)
Since adequate Iodine is necessary for good health, and is also good for hair growth, I advocate putting a few dabs onto the scalp instead of the soles of the feet. With the diluted Iodine, which is the only strength you can buy now, you can safely do this a couple of times a week. Three or four finger dabs, massaged into the area which needs attention, is a good amount. Start working on one area – then next time, move onto another part of the scalp which is thinning. Just keep rotating the areas being treated.
The idea is to do this after you have washed your hair so that the Iodine is left on the skin. If you go and wash it off shortly after applying, then it is not there on your scalp to be absorbed over a period of days, and you won’t get the benefits.
Of course, the massage you give to your scalp whilst giving it the Iodine treatment is very beneficial for the scalp and for hair growth too, as this increases the circulation.
Brushing the hair daily is very important for encouraging hair growth. 100 times a day. This is the old maxim which our 19th century ancestors took very seriously. The whole family had to brush their hair for about 5 minutes a day I remember my grandfather instructing us in this practice. He had a great head of hair, even in his 80′s.
Brushing stimulates the blood supply to the hair follicles. This feeds nutrients to the hair. Brushing the hair also helps kidney function and overall health. Combing is not quite so good – you need a proper brush, and if it is real bristle, all the better.
Massaging real apple cider vinegar into the scalp straight after washing the hair is also helpful for encouraging hair growth. Just massage 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar into the scalp while the hair is still damp after drying with a towel.
Apple cider provides potassium and other nutrients to the scalp. It also helps because it neutralizes the alkaline effect of shampoos and soaps. Apple cider vinegar, used on alternate days to the Iodine treatment, does wonders for the health of the hair.
Eucalyptus oil is also helpful for making the hair grow, as is tea tree oil, but these oils do not mix well with iodine. If you use these oils, do not use them on days where you have applied the iodine, otherwise the mixing results in the making of unpleasant and slightly toxic fumes.
The diet is also important. If your hair is thinning and you are a young person, then your diet needs some serious attention. This sometimes happens after the birth of a baby when the mum is run down, or after a family crisis of some sort. But, here again, I give you encouragement to get that hair growing again and get your health back. I speak with the voice of experience here: several tmes in my life I have thought I had lost my hair forever, but I regained my hair through persistent effort using the ideas in this article.
Eat plenty of fish several times a week. Sardines are good if you are on a budget, but salmon with its lovely oily skin is a great food for putting those oils into the body. These find their way to the scalp to give the hair shine and encourage hair growth.Try to eat a little of the skin as well if your health is under parr.
Eat a bowl of porridge each day, as this is high in silica, which helps your hair to grow. Oat straw tea is very high in silica.
Halibut liver oil capsules can be helpful too in restoring hair growth. Kelp could be added to the diet also. Both these items are rich in iodine as well as other minerals.
Make sure you are eating plenty of greens each day, cooked or raw. Eat plenty of fruit. Eat some protein food daily – nuts if you are vegetarian. Almonds are especially good.
Be careful with milk products and wheat products like bread. (Butter is generally not a problem, as there is no lactose) If your system is not digesting these properly, then this can cause added stress to the body which can lead to hair loss and other conditions like eczema, obesity or inability to put on weight. You might be better to avoid dairy products and bread. Go for alternatives.
WATER – make sure you drink at least a pint a day. A good head of hair is dependent on good kidney function, and kidneys need water.
Make sure you defuse the body of stored up electricity. This electro-magnetic energy is the very worst thing for the hair. If you work in an environment where there are electrical circuits about you all the day long, such as an office in a multistoreyed building, then your hair is pretty likely to start thinning prematurely. I believe that this is a big factor in so many younger men these days having very thin or balding hair. IODINE will surely help, but you must defuse this unwanted electricity daily by showering and walking barefeet somewhere, either on grass or at the beach. Exercise such as yoga, done barefeet, is also good. Try to do some each day.
Avoid talking too long on that cell phone.
Meditation is also important. Look at my article on “Yoga Breath and Sleep” for some easy-to-do ideas.
I hope you have the same success as I did by working on these suggestions. After a couple of months of IODINE treatment and paying attention to your life style, especially considering the diet, exercise and meditation, you should see new hair growth in the areas you have been working on.
You can read more about promoting hair growth in merrilyn’s other articles entitled iodine scalp/ hair treatments; Regrow Hair; and Vitamins for Hair Growth.
