News Flash: Iron Deficiency Causes Female Hair Loss

  Researchers have proven that iron deficiency is a factor in female hair loss, a condition found to affect as much as 10 percent of women aged 35-60. The SU.VI.MAX study findings might help health and beauty care professionals to devise better formulations to treat the condition in the future.

http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Formulation-Science/Iron-deficiency-causes-female-hair-loss

Kasia Organic Salon carries the best Iron on the market from Premier Research Labs.  Contact Kassandra to learn more.  612.824.7611

Stay connected "Informed Beauty!"  Learn more about your nutritional MUST HAVE'S in a recent article!

Skin Problem Symptoms, Nutrition Facts and the Best Healthy Foods

For daily hair, skin, and “beautiful health” tips, read our Informed Beauty  Blog, follow Kasia Organics on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

6 Tips to Keep Thin Hair Looking Full and Thick

 Thinning hair is becoming very common and can be a result of many catalysts in the body from hormone havoc to your individual DNA.  As a stylist that specializes in hair loss for women, it is our goal to give our guests the best options for what colors look best with a cut that compliments any hair type or density.

There are techniques that are unique for each individual.  Check out our tips below and don't  leave home without them on your way to your next haircut!

Get Banged!

Hair that is thin at the crown but thick in front:  Try bangs to create a fuller look. Color!  Ask your colorist to take a section of hair underneath the bangs and color it two shades darker than the rest of your hair color which will create a dimension and make your hair look thicker.

Thinking Twice Before Layering

Ask your stylist to cut the under-layer of your hair a half an inch shorter than the top layer. This will add fullness by “pushing” the hair up.  BEWARE of a razor because that can create frayed ends that make your hair look wispier. To give fullness to fine or thin hair, keep ends blunt.

Get Color to Add Dimension

Add shing with Color!  Peroxide doubles the thickness of each strand by swelling the hair shaft, which makes your hair look and feel fuller.   Depositing color also fills the cuticle.  By adding dimension (a mix of shades), it creates the illusion of density. Also, keep in mind that your hair color should match the color of your scalp as closely as possible if you want to camouflage a wide part.

Keep Your Hair Above Shoulder Length

Plain and simple:  If it’s shorter, it will appear thicker.

Mousse It Up

Lift it up!  A foam or mousse gives your roots a boost and creates longer lasting volume  . Steer clear from creams and heavy gels.

Blow-Dry Gently

Don’t subject your hair to more wear and tear than necessary—let it air-dry 80 percent, then use a round brush to lift the roots and smooth the ends.

Strategy!  When blow-drying, don’t part your hair where you normally do before you blow-dry to avoid it going flat along the part, which is exactly where you want some height. Instead, part your hair on the opposite side. When you’re done blow-drying, flip it back and you’ll have your desired volume. Try Extensions

Extensions are now for the “every day women” wanting to add a little fullness to a little bit of length.  You can add 3 extensions or more, a minimal amount is needed. If your hair is full at the crown, but wispy from the mid-length to ends, they’ll give you a lush style in minutes and last (professional) up to 3 months.

Restore with Keratin

Fill and Restore! Look for a healing and temporary keratin treatment.  It’s best to do this every 4-8. It smoothes and coats the hair with a protective layer while also protecting colored hair.   Kasia Organic Salon offers a great keratin treatment that truly chemical free for instant relief.

Contact the Kasia Team @6128247611 for your great new style!

Trending Hairstyles for 2013 You'll Love!

We've loved the trends of 2012 from the super model heavy bang to the "low maintenance touch up" ombre' - but it's time to say goodbye to past favorites and to jump into the fun and collaborative new trends of 2013!

This season brings no question that wearable looks have a major presence from how you wear your ponytail (low or high), how you tie a knot (tight!), or in what fashion your braids will crisscross.

Enjoy a sneak peak of the coming year's hair trends!

The New Low Pony

Rock n' Roll Waves

Topping It Off

Tying The Knot

Making The Braid

Kasia Organic Salon is a leading pioneer in healthy beauty to fit your lifestyle. Follow us to ammonia-free /MEA/PPD Color, organic facials, and natural and organic products that support your life.

The Kasia Organics “Informed Beauty” Promise: We always use: the finest, all-natural ingredients that not only nourish the body but awaken the senses and promote healthy, safe living through informed beauty. The result: radiant, restored skin and hair. We never use: parabans, petro-chemicals, phthalates, artificial preservatives, lauryl sulfates, artificial colors or dyes, synthetic fragrances, wasteful fillers or animal testing—unhealthy junk your body doesn’t need!

Check out the awaited 2013 hair trends HERE!

Experiencing hair loss that is connected to a thyroid disorder? Learn the 5 Signs?

 

Watching your hair slide down the shower drain or clumping up on your brush is a horrible feeling, especially for women! Our hair is connected to our identity, our youth, and our health. While it’s natural for some women to experience hair loss at certain times in their menstrual cycles or times of the year, hair loss is also caused by specific health conditions including a thyroid imbalance.

Why does a thyroid imbalance cause thinning hair?

Your hair normally grows in a healthy cyclical pattern with most of the hair follicles growing while only a small number are “resting.” With a thyroid imbalance, this cycle can be thrown off, resulting in more hair follicles “resting” than growing — and more hair falling out. Hair loss is a very common symptom of a thyroid imbalance.

But thyroid imbalances often arise slowly and remain unnoticed by patients and their doctors in the early phases. Even with a lab test, your doctor may say everything is fine with your thyroid, even though you strongly suspect that something is wrong. This is because standard labs have a very wide range for what is “normal” in terms of thyroid test results.

So how do you know if your hair loss is connected to a thyroid disorder?

Five signs and symptoms your hair loss is connected to a thyroid disorder

1. Thinning eyebrows. Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) often causes general hair loss as well as thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. We don’t know exactly why the eyebrow is targeted in thyroid disorders, but this is a good indicator that your thyroid hormones may be low.

2. Hair that is brittle, dry, and breaking easily. Dry, brittle hair is also connected to low thyroid function. And research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism finds that thyroid hormones increase growth and color in hair. Low thyroid hormone can lead to the early release of the hair shaft and root, as well as premature gray or white hair.

3. Feeling exhausted all the time, even after 8 hours of sleep. The thyroid is the master of our metabolism, so it affects the way we use and store energy. With low thyroid hormone, metabolism slows down. This can often lead to persistent fatigue as well as weight gain.

4. Puffiness in the face or extremities. Many people with hypothyroidism have an excess of a compound called mucin. Mucin is part of our connective tissue and is present in blood vessels and cells all over the body. It absorbs water and may cause excess water retention in an individual with an underactive thyroid imbalance.

5. Yellowing of the palms of your hands. Yellowing of the skin on your hands can happen with a thyroid imbalance due a build-up of carotene in your blood. Hypothyroidism can slow the conversion of carotene to vitamin A.

If you think your hair loss might be connected to a thyroid imbalance, begin supporting your thyroid — and your hair — naturally. Kasia provides key vitamins and minerals, as well as suggested dietary changes to target thyroid imbalances from the inside out.

Testing for more severe hair loss

Most mild to moderate hair loss will improve with some basic stress reduction and positive lifestyle changes. Hair loss that is more dramatic or persists warrants a closer look. Testing for insulin resistance, testosterone levels, and thyroid or other metabolic dysfunction can point to androgen sensitivity, thyroid dysfunction, or another endocrinologic disturbance as a possible cause for a woman’s thinning hair. Some women will experience male pattern baldness if their bodies have high testosterone or become sensitive to normal circulating levels of androgens.

Here are the tests I’d recommend discussing with your practitioner:

• hormone panel (testing specifically both free and total testosterone levels)
• thyroid testing
• fasting insulin
• metabolic panel (for kidney and liver function)
• ferritin stores (for iron deficiency)
• CBC (complete blood count) with differential
• allergy testing

References

womentowomen.com

Van Beek, N, et al. 2008. Thyroid hormone directly alter human hair follicle functions: anagen prolongation and stimulation of both hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation and hair pigmentation. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 93(11): 4381. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18728176.

Arem, Ridha. 2000. The Thyroid Solution. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Hair Growth and Folic Acid

Hair growth is affected by protein, hydration, blood circulation, everyday care and a mixture of vitamins and minerals. Although some B vitamins such as vitamins B-1 and B-2 work to support hair growth, folic acid does not. However, a lack of folic acid can strip the hair of its color, causing it to gray prematurely.

Folic acid is a synthetic version of vitamin B-9 or folate. According to PubMed Health, folic acid is prescribed to treat or prevent folic acid deficiency. In addition, women of reproductive age are advised to take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid per day to prevent birth defects such as spinal bifida, according to Women’sHealth.gov. A deficiency in folic acid can cause folic acid anemia, which can result in a low red blood cell count.

Folic Acid Uses:

Medline Plus states that in addition to treating or preventing folic acid deficiency, folic acid tablets are likely effective in lowering homocysteine levels. They are also possibly effective in reducing the risk of developing colorectal and breast cancer, reducing depression and for treating gum disease during pregnancy. Folic acid does not usually affect the hair; however, a deficiency in it can cause changes in the hair.

Folic Acid Deficiency

Symptoms of folic acid deficiency are diarrhea, mouth ulcers, peptic ulcers, poor growth, swollen tongue and gray hair. People who take the medication Dilantin, suffer from celiac disease or alcoholism, eat overcooked foods, or have malnutrition or hemolytic anemia are at an increased risk of developing folic acid deficiency. The gray hair experience in people with folic acid deficiency can occur at any age. Hair that turns gray as a result of folic acid deficiency may not return to its original color.

Treatments:

Folic acid deficiency untreated may develop into folic acid deficiency anemia, which, in severe cases, can cause low levels of white blood cells and platelets. Eat balanced meals that contain foods from all the food groups in order to consume the recommended amount of folic acid. If your physician feels you are at risk of developing folic acid anemia, you may be prescribed folic acid supplements to be taken daily.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/539148-does-folic-acid-affect-hair/#ixzz1syleGPiR

Losing Hair in Your Twenties and Thirties?

Why you're losing your hair and what you can do about it.

Although hair loss is typically thought of as we age or as a man’s problem, but it’s actually just as common (if not more) in women—and  women are now starting to notice changes in their 20s. Hair loss can be very traumatic,  especially in 20-30 year old women who notice a change may be particularly distressing.   "Fear not  -Informed Beauty..."   Let's take a look at the number of causes and a range of solutions that can help.

The science of thinning and hair loss is still largely misunderstood. There is more evidence that a hormone called DHT is responsible. Both men and women have it. Alopecia hair loss is thought to be pathogen related.

Over time, an excess build-up of DHT in the follicle causes it to begin shrinking, which changes the natural resting and growth phases of the hair. DHT builds up around your hair roots like wax.

Some of the follicles eventually die and others become incapable of producing or maintaining healthy hair growth, resulting with hair loss.

First, define your symptoms: Is your hair shedding (more hair is falling out when you brush it or in the shower) or thinning (you notice more of your scalp showing)?

Some of the most common causes of shedding—technically called telogen effluvium—include a shock to your body (a serious illness, pregnancy or going on a crash diet), a stressful situation (you lost your job or experienced the death of a loved one), starting a new medication (anti-depressants and birth control can affect your hair) or a change in eating patterns (going vegetarian can result in not consuming enough protein).   Pressure, major life changes and poor eating are hallmarks of a maturing womens lifestyle.

 Trauma ........fallout 3 months later.

Because of your hair growth cycle, it usually takes 3-6 months after a very stressful event or time period for one to notice the shedding, says Maria Hordinsky, M.D., chair of the department of dermatology at the University of Minnesota and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. So if you were laid off in January or lost a lot of weight that month, your hair may not start falling out until April or May.  The good news is that shedding is completely reversible in most cases.

“As soon as you notice hair changes, look at a calendar and think back to what happened within the past six months."

Use these techniques to combat shedding:

• Patience.  It can take up to a year for your hair to normalize.  Bottom line: Once you identify and change the stressor, try not to freak out. Give it some time and let your hair grow back in naturally.   By changing daily habits and stress reduction, you will be better able  to cut down the added stress on your hair. This may take some tim, but it takes you making serious personal changes as well.
• The right shampoo and wash as normal.   A startled reaction to seeing more hair in the shower drain is to wash it less often, “but there’s no evidence between shedding and hair care practices. In fact, using a natural/organic shampoo with gentle cleansing and nourishing ingredients will help maintain a healthy scalp.  Gentle and chemical free/non-clogging hair products are one of the best ways to promote hair growth.
• Don’t be afraid to color-  Ammonia Free -of course!   Most likely hair loss is internal, although using ammonia free color brands free of PPD, Resorcinal, and MEA are key.  You do not want high acidity on the scalp, nor do you want to shock the follicle to fast - resulting in more sheding.  Kasia Organic Salon offers the safest Ammonia Free Color line on the market.
• Re-assess your pills. High levels of  vitamin A can be associated with hair loss.  Biotin, Iron, Omega Fatty Acids, and other herbal blends can be very beneificial in kick-starting your hair and skin growth cycles.

If your scalp is more visible than it used to be, it means your hair is thinning and the problem is likely female pattern hair loss (or alopecia). Unfortunately, this situation is genetic and there’s not much you can do to reverse it. But you can slow down the changes.

Styling for Hair Loss:  Part your hair on the side instead of down the center, wear it back in a loose ponytail  or high bun without a part.  Keep the cut blunt with a possible bang to break up the shape.   Color your hair so it more closely matches your scalp color.

 Contact Kasia Organic Salon for gentle hair care that will assist you through any stage of hair loss.  612.824.7611

References:  Abigail Cuffey

Aging Hair and How It Turns Gray: Hair Lingo and the Stress Connection

Ready for some hair lingo?  

The researchers examined cell cultures of hair follicles. Results showed that our hair naturally produces hydrogen peroxide (a powerful bleaching agent), which catalase (an enzyme) usually breaks down into water and oxygen. In aging hair, catalase levels are lower, so hydrogen peroxide isn’t broken down and builds up in the hair follicle. That build-up leads to damage.

Normally, other enzymes (MSR A and B) can repair that damage, but their levels also dwindle as we get older. The combination of high levels of hydrogen peroxide and low levels of MSR A and B disrupts another enzyme (tyrosinase) that creates melanin (the pigment that gives your hair color) and blocks it from coloring your hair. “Gray hair” is simply hair without pigment.

In plainer terms: Hydrogen peroxide literally bleaches the color out of aging hair.

Beauty connection

When older women bleach their hair, the effect isn’t quite the same as it was when they were young. Hydrogen peroxide can interact with the dye, making hair color much harder to manipulate. Understanding why hair grays is prompting scientists to test chemical reactions that might unlock the fountain of youth, or the ability to reverse graying!

Stress and your B's

We know that stress uses up vitamin B, and experiments with black rats deprived of B vitamins resulted in their hair going white.

Similarly, some studies in humans have shown that certain B vitamins taken in large doses can begin to reverse the process of greying. Japanese research suggests that hair follicles are susceptible to the same sort of stresses that damage DNA.

This type of stress, known as oxidative stress, is caused by exposure to cigarette smoke, UV light and pollution. There is also an association between emotional stress and oxidative stress, which means that the GHOSTS blaming their grey hairs on stress might have a point.

Call Kasia Organic Salon today to consult on what looks best on YOU as you start to gray. 

Reference:  http://www.youbeauty.com

Have you changed your style lately? Check out Heather's new SASSY style!

Could Heather be any more SASSY?

Kassandra used a soft hi-lift blonde and razor cut up the back and sides for a edgy new short cut that shows off her great facial features.

Have you changed your style lately?  

Before - After