How to Care for Your Hair, Skin, and Nails

The following page explains how to care for your hair, skin, and nails through all-natural, holistic means.

Lists below are abbreviated for reading ease. All info is scientifically supported. Sources and more details are in the References section.

SECTIONS: Intro . Hair . Skin . Nails . Miscellaneous . Recommended . References

(Grds = Goodreads book page. Ama = Amazon. You = Youtube.)

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Intro

Before detailing how to care for your hair skin and nails, here’s some facts about these systems, and a gentle reminder you control their health.

Facts

. Hair — begins growing at 10wks in womb, grows 6 in/yr, the average scalp has 100,000 hairs and sheds 100/day.[1] Hair thinning graying and loss are reversible and easily treatable.[2]

. Skin — largest organ, 10% of body weight, made of collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin.[3] Skin is remade every month, aging starts by age forty-five, however good habits can reverse at any age.[4]

. Nails — begin growing at 11wks in womb, grow 1.5 in/yr, and nail color can change.[5] Nails give a picture of overall health, so watch them and practice good nail hygiene.[6]

Little lifestyle tweaks can make a big difference.

Let’s look at those now…

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Hair

. Dandruff — aloe vera lemongrass tea tree treat.[7]

. Head lice — try coconut tea tree ylang ylang acv.[8]

. Argan oil — for style shine body split ends flyaw..[9]

. Jojoba oil — for scalp and hair great moisturizer.[10]

. Tea tree oil — treat dry scalp dandruff lice more.[11]

. Hair thicken — jojoba flax rosemary peppermint.[12]

. Hair graying — lifestyle affects high orac & B12.[13]

. Hair growth — no pills, do pbd pumpkin seeds..[14]

. Hair loss — metal detox, then jojoba lavender..[15]

. Hair dye — phenyle- & formald- cause cancer.[16]

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Skin

. Odor — meat diet stinks pbd pleasant fresh.[17]

. Glow — for golden glow eat lots plants gree..[18]

. Acne — no milk sugar, do pbd & argan tea tr..[19]

. Sleep — lack of more wrinkle hang droop sw..[20]

. Injury — sesame give pain relief stop bruising.[21]

. Hives — from meat dairy & fish, creates leaky..[22]

. Aging — smoking sun bad, pbd spf daily good.[23]

. Warts — forget freezing, duct tape works best.[24]

. Tattoo — causes cancer do heavy metal detox.[25]

. Surgery — botox filler facelift awful side effect.[26]

. Scabies — treat via tea tree oil &/or ivermectin.[27]

. Eczema — no meat dairy egg; lotion pbd & fast.[28]

. Wounds — aloe honey vitC+K jojoba coconut l..[29]

. Wrinkles — age & phone bad, pbd & lotion best.[30]

. Collagen — up with pbd spirulina B12 C, no pill.[31]

. Psoriasis — steroid no, aloe xanthum gum yes.[32]

. Vitamin C — ascorbic acid reverses skin aging![33]

. Vitamin E — no evidence helps with skin aging.[34]

. Sensitivity — flaxseed alleviate skin sensitivity.[35]

. Sunscreen — orac and SPF15 with zinc/titaniu..[36]

. Hyaluronic — skin moisture look for sodium hy..[37]

. Niacinamide — for cancer wrinkles spots elasti..[38]

. Alpha hydroxy — AHA: might make future worse.[39]

. Athletes foot — tea tree better than drugs & eat..[40]

. Skin cancer — no alcohol fat salve yes tomatoe..[41]

. Skin spots — meat dairy bad veg fruits tea good.[42]

. Skin tags — to remove teatree castor garlic aloe.[43]

. Sunlight — supplies vitD avoidance hurts health.[44]

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Nails

. Nail polish — avoid ciclopirox & benzene in ingr..[45]

. Nail fungus — common, tea tree oil & pbd cures.[46]

. Nail cuticles — don’t cut, protect you from germ.[47]

. Brittle nails — up biotin iron vitE foods, apply oil.[48]

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Miscellaneous

. Biotin — key for hair skin nail eat lots top foods.[49]

. Essentials — coconut teatree argan jojoba aloe.[50]

. Mosquitoes — repels 12hr: lemon+eucalyptus.[51]

. And prayer — prayer changes molecules(!).[52]

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References

KEY: age:greger>age . cc:clevelandclinic.org . ch:chapter . da:draxe.com . nf:nutritionfacts.org . nih:nih.gov . pbd:plantbaseddiet

[1] Source: NIH > Hair Anatomy.

[2] Source: age/ch:hair.

[3] Source: age/ch:skin (collagen responsible for skin's firmness, hyaluronic acid its moisture, elastin its stretchiness).

[4] Skin deterioration occurs with loss of hydration, lotion twice-daily for a month can take seventy-year-old skin to thirty-year-old skin (nf/skin @0:00-1:11 & age/ch:inflammation).

[5] Nail color changes: yellow brown green often fungus, yellow may be diabetes/thyroid warning (news/nails & news/nails).

[6] Good nail hygiene: keep short trim regularly don’t bite/chew avoid ripping hangnails use clean tools scrub long nail underside often (news/nails).

[7] Dandruff: aloe vera gel prevents, lemongrass & tea tree oil treat (nih/aloe & nih/lemongrass & nih/teatree & nf/dandruff @1:10-2:09).

[8] Head lice: soak hair in coconut tea tree and ylang ylang, rinse, wet with acv, do 1x/wk for 2wks (da/lice, see Benefits #7 Uses #4).

[9] Argan oil: super for hair non-greasy hydrator perfect leave-in conditioner thicken hair add shine make styling easier prevent breakage mend split ends tame frizz/flyaways (da/argan).

[10] Jojoba oil: moisturizes hair soften detangle improve growth texture shine treat dandruff dry scalp (da/jojoba).

[11] Tea tree oil: treats dandruff dry scalp head lice scabies psoriasis eczema (da/teatree).

[12] Hair thickening: jojoba works, flaxseed & rosemary up hair health strength growth (da/jojoba, news/flax, cc/rosemary), see also Argan above and peppermint in Hair Growth below.

[13] Hair graying: alcohol smoking obesity stress increase, high ORAC delays, vit B12 reverses (nf/graying & nf/reverse).

[14] Hair growth: junk food meat poor sleep bad, raw vegetables herbs soy capsaicin/hot peppers good, pumpkin seeds best; no supplements unless known deficiency, no pills too many side effects permanent sexual dysfunction in 20% (nf/growth & nf/supps & nf/pills); rosemary good, peppermint remarkable growth & thickness, caffeine in shampoo good; key vitamins: biotin iron zinc vitD (da/rosemary & nf/rosemary & nih/peppermint & nf/caffeine & da/vitamins).

[15] Hair loss: heavy metal causes, avoid seafood, eat cilantro chlorella blueberries garlic & foods rich in biotin vitA B9 B12 C; biotin deficiency increases hair loss; supplements no benefit (nf/loss @1:51-3:19 & metal detox foods & nih/biotin); jojoba & lavender reverse hair loss; shampoo/conditioner: pumpkin seed saw palmetto melatonin caffeine rosemary thyme cedarwood lavender all combat hair loss (da/jojoba & da/lavender & nih/combat & nih/success); tips: use a soft natural brush avoid high-heat styling & styles that pull, consider coconut/castor (da/remedies).

[16] Hair dye & straighten products: phenylenediamine & formaldehyde cause breast lung skin cancer (nf/dyes).

[17] Body odor: when tested meat diet intense stinks plant based diet pleasant attractive (nf/odor & nih/odor); eat fruit smell fresh, eat meat smell toxic (see Cancer #28).

[18] Glow: skin that has a ‘golden glow’ comes from eating plants so eat better to look better & eat greens to be gorgeous (nf/glow & nf/glow & nf/attractiveness).

[19] Acne: milk causes, excess sugar/B12 increases, pbd cures, no cocoa (nf/milk & nf/milk & nf/B12 & nf/pbd & nf/cocoa, see Cancer #27 #57 #66 #67); antibiotics steroids bad, peroxide works but causes redness dryness peeling stinging burning, bergamot & green tea good, barberries great avoid if pregnant/breastfeeding, tea tree best - try tea tree with argan oil (nf/peroxide & nih/bergamot & nf/greentea & nf/barberries & nih/teatree & da/argan).

[20] Sleep: lack of causes more fine lines/wrinkles swollen eyes hanging eyelids droopy mouth corners, it’s called beauty sleep for a reason; goal: 7-8 hrs/night (age/ch:skin).

[21] Injury: sesame oil given to patients with traumatic injuries have prompt pain relief & less bruising (age/ch:inflammation).

[22] Hives: parasites in meat pork chicken seafood milk cause, itching & hives occur 3-6hr after eating but not every time, is common and rising leads to leaky gut (nf/hives).

[23] Aging: 80-90% facial aging due to sun exposure avoid peak hrs 10am-4pm, smoking makes one look 11yrs older; best anti-aging habit daily SPF moisturizer; best diet wfpb (nf/aging & nf/spf & nf/wfpb @2:12-3:01 & age/ch:skin).

[24] Warts: forget freezing off, duct tape cures 85% painless nonthreatening inexpensive; best duct tape type: not clear (nf/warts & nf/tape & nf/type).

[25] Tattoos: spread throughout body in 10min, kill cells in 24hr causes cancer, laser removal worsens; do heavy metal detox eat pbd & exercise (da/tattoo & news/laser & news/cancer, see Hair Loss above), read Cancer page.

[26] Surgery: botox fillers facelift side effects: swelling bruising post-surgery scars hair loss nerve damage depression infection hematoma gangrenosum flesh-eating disease more, botox is neurotoxin can lead to paralysis & difficulty breathing (nf/botox); reminder: you are beautiful as you are; eat healthy feel healthy & be thankful for long life if you’re lucky enough to have it :)

[27] Scabies: aka skin mites, cure with tea tree oil and/or ivermectin (da/scabies & cc/scabies).

[28] Eczema: aka dermatitis, primrose borage hempseed no use, coconut/olive oil & B12 good, lotion daily & always after shower (nf/eczema & nf/eczema, coconut not for babies @4:40-5:00) … no meat dairy egg cuts eczema 70%, pbd cuts 50%, do intermittent fasting (nf/foods & nf/diet & nf/pbd).

[29] Wounds: aloe for burning itching scarring, honey to close clean sterilze, jojoba quickens closure, lavender quickens healing; care: eat vitC vitK foods no alcohol/sugar, when closed coconut oil good, don’t let dry out, follow care guidelines (nih/wounds & nih/jojoba & nih/lavender & da/care).

[30] Wrinkles: caused by aging skin fault lines & excess smartphone screen light, sleep position no affect, crows feet pads no help; daily lotion & pbd best, spinach kale broccoli almonds flax soy garlic turmeric ginger cocoa good, wine bad (nf/wrinkles & nf/prevent & nf/reduce & nf/pbd & nf/foods & nf/cocoa), be cautious of topical vitA avoid tretinoin (nf/retinoids).

[31] Collagen: makes up 75% of skin, decreases 1% a year, vitamin B12 & C important, best foods tomato sweet potato spinach kale broccoli soy spirulina; collagen pills: animal sources have rat/kangaroo tails duck/bird feet alligator/frog skin sheepskin mad cow disease, aquatic sources have fish heads bones skin scales fins mercury poison (nf/collagen & nf/vitC & nih/spirulina & age/ch:skin+inflammation).

[32] Psoriasis: chronic disease, aloe beats steroids (nf/psoriasis).

[33] Vitamin C: aka ascorbic acid, reverses skin aging, easy & cheap to make at home (nf/vitC @3:15-5:18).

[34] Vitamin E: despite ubiquity in products there's no evidence it helps skin aging, same goes for CoQ10 (nf/vitE @3:00-3:14).

[35] Sensitive skin: 50% of people have, flaxseed lessens sensitivity & improves appearance hydration smoothness (nf/sensitive).

[36] Sunscreen: ORAC reduces sunburn 40% eat spinach kale rosemary tomato sweet potato apples grapes grapefruit before sun season; lotion goal SPF15 or more with zinc oxide/titanium dioxide, no PABA trolamine oxybenzone octinoxate homosalate parabens; tips: apply liberally works in 10min & up to 8hrs (nf/foods @1:26-6:43 & nf/sunscreen & nih/zinc & nih/toxins & news/toxins & nf/tips); also consider natural UV protection with SPF oils; reminder: best sunscreen is protective clothing.

[37] Hyaluronic acid: look for sodium hyaluronate in products, it's the form of hyaluronic that absorbs into skin (da/hyaluronic).

[38] Niacinamide: aka nicotinamide, form of vitamin B3 one of best safest ingredients for anti-aging reduces wrinkles spots yellowing improves elasticity (nf/niacinamide & age/ch:skin), also best skin cancer fighter (nf/best).

[39] Alpha hydroxy acid: in masks/peels can help short-term but make future damage worse (nf/AHA @1:50-2:20 & age/ch:skin).

[40] Athlete’s foot: aka tinea pedis, tea tree oil works better than drugs with less side effects (nf/athletes-foot @2:10-5:10 & nih/teatree), eat garlic & practice good feet hygiene (da/remedies).

[41] Skin cancer: alcohol & high fat increase odds 10x, black salve fake cure dangerous damaging, tomatoes & grapes good (nf/alcohol @2:43-4:30 & nf/salve & nf/diet & nf/foods @2:22-5:32 & age/ch:skin), see Niacinamide above too.

[42] Skin spots: meat dairy & butter bad, vegetables beans legumes olive oil prunes apples & tea good (nf/spots @1:44-1:58).

[43] Skin tags: remove with tea tree/castor oil, garlic/aloe (news/tags).

[44] Sunlight: supplies 95% of vitD, sun underexposure may kill more people than skin cancer from sun overexposure (nf/sunlight), for more see Autoimmune #28, Food #42.

[45] Nail polish: ingredients ciclpirox olamine and benzene- acid are toxic, harm liver (news/polish).

[46] Nail fungus: caused by athletes foot tight shoes injury pool sauna fake nails weak immunity, tea tree thyme & acv treat (nih/fungus & nih/teatree & da/thyme & news/acv); tea tree & pbd best, tea tree safe topically but don't ingest & keep from pets (nf/teatree & nf/safety).

[47] Nail cuticles: that small sliver of skin at nail base protects body from germs/infection, don't cut cuticles (news/cuticles).

[48] Brittle nails: iron deficiency may cause, fake nails worsen, eat biotin vitE foods (da/brittle), apply almond jojoba argan regularly to strengthen (news/strengthen).

[49] Biotin: major role in hair skin nail growth strength hydration, in peanuts almonds walnuts sunflower seeds broccoli mushrooms sweet potato berries oranges & more (da/biotin & top foods).

[50] Essentials: top 5 for superb hair and skin: coconut for hair eczema wound scar makeup removal razor burn, tea tree for acne dandruff fungus, argan for hair glow acne dryness eczema psoriasis, jojoba for scalp wrinkles acne eczema psoriasis scar makeup removal, aloe for wound burn fungus (da/essentials & da/argan & da/jojoba), and next 3: frankincense lavender rosehip (da/beauty).

[51] Mosquitoes: alcohol banana attract, garlic vitB electronic devices useless, peppermint spearmint lemongrass work 30min, DEET effective safe lasts 8hrs, lemon+eucalyptus effective as DEET lasts 12hrs but not safe if pregnant/under 3yo (nf/mosquito & nf/mosquito & nf/DEET & nf/alternatives).

[52] Prayer: watch how water and rice change; words have the power of life and death (Pro 18:21), speak life over your health.

* End note: if you made it this far, nice job. And if you want more, here's: How to View Food.

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Whatever brings you to this page, I wish you great health and hope on your journey.

You are beautiful as you are. You can do all things (Phi 4:13).

Peace and Love,
Ben