Bengali/Indian women in North America: Are you losing hair?

If you find you are losing hair, then maybe some of these tips will help.

1. I found that I am allergic to shampoo. So I'm looking into Hypoallergenic shampoo or shampoo-alternatives like baking soda. I still haven't figured it out, so I'll keep you posted. But presently, right after I use shampoo, my scalp starts itching A LOT, there are bumps all over my scalp and if I itch then the bumps start bleeding. Sometimes (not always) I'll have a bad case of dandruff as well.

2. USE HAIR OIL! The one that works best for me is Dabur Amla Oil. I apply it 5 minutes before taking a bath/shower and then I shampoo it. It stops my hair fall almost 100%. When I first started using it, I would lose even more hair than when I didn't use it. But after about a week of regular application, the hair-fall stopped almost completely. After about 6 months, my hair was more dense and visibly my "lighter areas" filled up with hair. It was the most relieving feeling ever! Especially because I was struggling with my hair loss problem for almost 10 years, and I couldn't ask anyone for help because no one admits to having this problem!! Some other hair oils I've used successfully are: Keo Karpin hair oil, Cantharidine, Jabakushum hair oil, Plain Almond oil, Plain Sesame oil (NOT ROASTED), Plain vegetable oil (like any cooking oil), Vringraj hair oil.

3. Just wash with water. Sometimes this is the only relief I have from my shampoo allergy. Just use plain water to wash your hair. I find that I have less hair loss this way, as well.

Let me know your experiences. Comment below and tell me if the above tips helped you or if you know any other tips, I will write about them as well.

Good luck!

Japanese Variation

After spending a little time in Japan, I have been inspired to modify my meals with a little bit of a Japanese flair.

Breakfast:
 - I still love my toast and milk. I haven't changed this. But I learnt that the Japanese have rice, fish and a bowl of miso soup for breakfast. What an excellent variation to the routine!






Lunch:

 - Half a cup of white rice
 - 3-4 oz. salmon cooked (with soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or plain)
 - salad made with shredded cabbage and sesame-ginger dressing (organic)
 - bowl of miso soup (with wakame sea weed and tofu)
 - One slice of apple or other fruit

 



Snack:

 - Milk
 - Fruit

Dinner:

 - Same as lunch
 


Realization:
After being brave enough to eat just one slice of apple for dessert (after learning this behaviour in Japan), I realized that I often reached out and cut off a few more slices of apple. And then the realization hit me: all this time I had been reluctant to eat fruit for fear of not being able to finish the whole fruit and thus wasting any of it. Often the fruit would go bad because I would never reach out and eat it. Thus, I ended up wasting the whole fruit for fear of wasting some of it.



Fear is so silly. It serves absolutely no purpose.

New Diet Plan

There are a few things my meal plans have to incorporate:
1. I have less and less time to spend preparing my meals
2. I have less interest in cooking than I did before due to new interests
3. I have to lose weight
4. The food has to be tasty. I can't eat boiled tofu.
5. Food has to be fresh and healthy. I refuse to eat prepared and processed foods.

My new diet plan consists of the following:

Breakfast:
- Toast. This can be a mini bagel or sliced bread.
- Milk. I like to have hot milk made into a chai or a latte.

My Introduction to Losing Weight

My very first experience with eating healthy to lose weight started with a longish conversation with a nutritionist who worked for the hospital. I will always be forever grateful to Mrs. Dasgupta for giving me the basics of a healthy diet that turned into a fundamental base for developing my eating skills. Here it is in a nutshell. I used to weigh 72 kg, my height was 150cm. I lost over 4 kilos with this diet. But I had to stop it prematurely due my grade 12 final exams.

Breakfast:
  - 1 slice Toast
  - 1 slice low fat cheese
  - 1 cup of low fat milk


Snack/Tiffin:
  - Sandwich made with 2 slices of bread and salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, etc)


Lunch:
  - 1 small bowl of rice
or
  - 1 small whole wheat khubus
  - 1 small piece of fish (30g)
  - unlimited vegetables cooked


Snack:
   - 4 saltine crackers
   - 1 orange
   - 1 cup milk



Dinner
   - Same as lunch
   - Walk after dinner