How to Grow Healthy Hair from the Inside Out with Erikajoy Gardner: Webinar Recap

StyldLife held our third Crown Club webinar and for the first time, we also livestreamed the event on Facebook! We were joined by StyldLife hair stylist, cosmetologist and trichologist-in-training, Erikajoy Gardner.

Erikajoy Gardner has experience with natural hair: growing, nurturing and helping with natural hair growth and reversal of hair loss. She’s the owner of Shear Joy Beauty Boutique, located in Florida, where they specialize in hair restoration. Erikajoy joined us to discuss nourishing hair from the inside out, preventing hair loss, and restoring hair loss.

Disclaimer: Erikajoy Gardner is not a medical professional. The following information shared is based on Erikajoy’s personal/professional experiences, 16 years as a cosmetologist, and continuing education as a trichologist. Please consult with your primary care physician before any health journey.

Erikajoy taught Common Hair Loss Factors, Contributing Factors of Hair Growth, the Internal Hair Growth Process, Overall Health Impacts on Your Hair Journey, and Hair Loss Restoration/ Preventative Factors.

Common Hair Loss Factors:

• Chemical Damage: This includes perms, lightening, and dyes. These processes are often thought to be made of harsh chemicals, but it's more about how these products/processes aren’t right for your hair type. The damage doesn’t always happen at the salon, sometimes it’s a mixture of the treatment and what you do to your hair once you get home.

• Mechanical Damage: This involves improper use of thermal tools, brushing your hair incorrectly, running fingers through your hair to get rid of knots, and not brushing your hair at all.

• Hormonal Imbalances: A common sign of hormonal imbalances is male/female pattern baldness, which while typically hereditary, can also be caused by a change in testosterone levels. In addition, endocrine malfunctions and fluctuation in thyroid levels can also impact hair loss.

• Medications: Antibiotics, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression medications are all known for causing hair loss and breakage.

• Sicknesses/ Autoimmune Deficiencies: Autoimmune diseases, like Lupus, Hashimoto’s, and Graves disease all cause hair loss.

• Stress: Stress caused by anything, from work, relationships, school, family and the everyday, can cause stress-related hair loss.

• Extreme Diets/ Nutritional Imbalances: Diets with caloric deficits for instance, can cause a fluctuation in what vitamins you are taking in, which can cause hair loss, breakage, and a difference in hair texture.

There are a lot of things that will contribute to hair growth or lack of:

• A Consistent and proper hair routine that involves shampooing your hair 2-3 times a week to maintain your scalps PH levels (Your scalp should be at 4.5-5.5 acidity.) while using shampoos and conditioners that are best for your scalp. Use products that prevent against split ends and strengthen your hair. Brush and comb your hair daily, detangling knots from the bottom up. If you choose to use heat, use a heat protectant, the right setting, and stay away from titanium tools (these can cause soft curls to not return to their natural curly style). An extra tip from Erikajoy: When you get your hair cut every 8-12 weeks, have them straighten your hair before cutting.

• Your genetics play a role in her hair density, but families can also have a wide range of hair types. Sometimes, hereditary issues won’t necessarily happen to you, or they can be prevented. Other times, you might experience an issue family members have, but instead of the cause being genetics, it’s really just hormones and imbalances. Many women face hormonal imbalances in their 30s-40s and think it's their age, but it’s more likely an underlying condition. Genetics also play a role in the androgen phase/active growing phase of your hair. This can range from 2 to 6 years and can average ¼ inch to ½ inch a month of hair growth.

• Constant and consistent nutrition plays a big role in hair growth. Newer studies show that you should be eating based on your blood type. As mentioned earlier, drastic diets can cause imbalances and can shine a light on a lack of nutrition or missing vitamins in your diet that you need for hair growth.

Your cells are constantly growing and regenerating, and this isn’t any less true when it comes to your scalp. Layers of keratin form the shaft of the hair and push their way through the dermis layer to the epidermis layer (which is the layer of skin you see).

Out of the 20 amino acids we need to function daily, 18 are found in hair, and because of this, we need a balanced diet for hair growth.

Here are some of Erikajoy’s dietary tips:

• An overabundance of dairy and sugar lead to insulin spikes that increase testosterone which can lead to male/female patter baldness.

• Ketogenic diets are good unless you have a biotin deficiency.

• Gluten is awful for hair growth since it causes deficiencies and depletes vitamins and minerals you need for hair growth – but don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you can’t eat bread. There are many kinds of bread that don’t have gluten in them.

• Adopting the wrong kind of diet can harm you in your health journey. Before trying out a new diet or adding vitamins and supplements to your everyday, find out the best diet for your blood type and see what vitamins are missing by doing a blood test with your primary care physician or a bioresonance test.

We had time for Erikajoy to answer a few questions:

Can gut health cause hair dryness?

It can be a combination of things. You could be using hard water or the wrong products. If your hair is broken in certain areas as opposed to all over, then it's a sign of gut health.

Is gray hair related to gut health or hereditary?

It's related to gut health – copper deficiency causes hair to turn gray early.

When you do a hair strand test does it have to be hair free of products?

Yes – hair should be clean. You can snip of pluck several strands from the base.

Have you heard of rice water for growing hair?

I’ve never heard of anyone trying it and getting good long term progress. I don’t understand the science behind it, but it didn't seem like the best idea.

Do you have any vitamin brands you trust?

I prefer liquid vitamins but for pills: Biote (Iodine), Super Nutrition (B Complex), The Vitamin Shoppe.

What do you think about chlorophyll?

I love it – I don’t take it daily, but it's awesome for your gut.

Erikajoy finished up with a call to action for everyone: Book a session with her through StyldLife to go over a personalized diet/recips, hair care, and even do a bioresonance test through her boutique!

As Published on SL Crown Club