This is a chronic condition. It is known as hair – pulling. This mental disorder is involving recurrent and irresistible urge to pull out the hair from the scalp, eyebrows and other parts of your body in which you have hair. When you are pulling your hair from the scalp, then it often leaves patchy bald spots and this is causing significant distress and it can interfere with the work and social life. When people have automatic trichotillomania, then do not realize they are doing it, such as when they are bored, they watch TV or they are reading. When people have focused trichotillomania, then they intentionally pull their hair to relive the tension or distress. There are many people who have trichotillomania and who have found out that pulling out hair can help them to feel satisfied and this is giving them relief. This is a reason why people continue pulling out hair – to maintain positive feelings. On the other hand, others have found that hair pulling can help them to deal with uncomfortable or negative feelings, such as frustration, fatigue, loneliness, boredom, tension, anxiety and stress. It is not known the cause for trichotillomania but it is thought that it is a result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. You need to talk with your doctor if you suffer from trichotillomania before you start using some of the below mentioned natural cures.
Home remedies for trichotillomania
Marjoram leaves:
This natural cure can help in the treatment of trichotillomania. You should chew the leaves of marjoram because it will calm your nerves, especially during times of grief or shock. Also, it will give relief to people suffering from trichotillomania who have developed this disorder as a coping mechanism for stress.
Kava Kava:
You can chew the leaves of this natural cure but also there are capsules or supplements which you can consume. You need to talk with your doctor about the recommended dosage. This home remedy has natural calming properties [1] which can help to reduce the urge of pulling hair.
Inositol:
This is a dietary supplement that is considered as B vitamin. It can be found naturally in beans, nuts, high bran content cereal, oranges, and cantaloupe. This home remedy can reduce anxiety and stress and also stabilize your mood and all of them can reduce your urge to pull your hair.
Hypnosis:
There are many people who do not support this natural treatment but it has helped some people. The hypnotherapist is entering the unconscious mind to draw out ways that can help to cope with the urge of pulling hair. This natural treatment can remind people what the stressful situation which has triggered the trichotillomania was. [2]
Get more sleep:
When you are getting more sleep, then this will help your body to function the way it is intended to function. One of the biggest triggers for trichotillomania is lack of sleep. When you are sleeping less, then you get more stressed and anxious [3]. When we are sleeping, then it gives our bodies rest and this allows to replenish itself for another day when you are not getting that replenish so you will be able to bear the next day. When you are too tired, then you feel an urge to pull your hair because you are too tired to try focusing on something else. This is a reason why you should never let yourself be tired. You should not let the lack of sleep to be the reason for pulling the hair.
Chamomile tea:
When you are drinking this tea, then it will create an overall calming effect. It can reduce stress and soothe anxiety which can help you to reduce the urge of pulling hair. [4]
Aloe Vera:
You should apply topically Aloe Vera gel from this plant. It is known that it can calm the physical sensations of the skin which can trigger the hair pulling.
Reduce your stress:
You should look at your diet and sleep more because both ways can help to reduce your stress levels. If you reduce the stress, then you will do not want to pull your hair as much as in the past. Many people want to pull their hairs whenever they feel insecure, tired or stressed. There are many people who are using medications to reduce stress but before you start doing something like this, then you should talk with your doctor. It is always better to try talking with your doctor for some natural way of managing with stress. There are many ways which can help you to reduce your stress, such as eating less sugar; avoiding situations and places which can make you feel anxious; you should remove the toxic relationships; you need to sleep more; you should read uplifting scriptures; you should take time for self-care; you should take some natural supplements, like those we have mentioned in this article.
Take a look at your diet:
There are many people who have heard that some foods can trigger their needs to pull hair more but they do not believe in it. Many people have ignored this opinion for many months and they just tried to reduce stress and get more sleep. There are many doctors who are saying that diet and sleep have a lot of impact in the mental and physical health [5]. Here are some light foods which can help to stop the hair-pulling: Brussels sprouts; unsweetened live yogurt; cabbage; mustard; pineapple; kefir with yogurt; guava; papaya; ginger root; decaffeinated tea; ripening bananas; limes; kiwi; onions; garlic; beef; cherries; lemons; red wine; fructose; apples and oranges. Foods which you must avoid preventing trichotillomania are caffeine; chocolate; egg yolk; glucose; sugars; Alfafa sprouts; popcorn and corn; Monosodium Glutamate; nuts, especially peanuts; tomato seeds; beans of any sort; peas; nitrites; lobster, crab, prawns, mussels shrimp; sardines, salmon, mackerel; fatty fish, like herring and tuna; butterfat; legumes; soy products of any kind; crustaceans; asparagines/aspartate. When you are following this type of diet, then you will notice improvements in your overall health and you will have better mental clarity. When this diet is in combination with more sleep, then you do not have the urge to pull your hair.
Wet down your hair:
When you are doing this, then it will make hard for you to pull out your hair because it will be slippery.
N – acetylcysteine (NAC):
This is a natural amino acid supplement that can be used in the treatment of trichotillomania. There are some studies in which are shown that it can help to reduce the pull behaviors [6].
You need to put a barrier between your head and hands:
You should use barriers for your fingers, such as rubber grips, finger tap, press-on nails, and band-aids. You should use these barriers for your head: skull caps, wigs, hats, and beanies. When you are sleeping, then the skull caps are best for use because they are tight and they are very effective barriers. If you have long hair, then you should braid it tightly so you will not get in there. This natural treatment is trying to divert you from something else so you will not pull out your hair. Also, you can use some sort of cap or beanie because you cannot feel them. If you cannot feel your hair and head, then you will not touch it.
Bath:
Doctors are recommending taking a long bath because this can help to ease the anxiety which is related to trichotillomania.
Lift weights:
When you are lifting weights, then you will notice that your arms will be too tired and you will not want to pull the hair out.
Aromatherapy:
It is known that many different essential oils can be used in aromatherapy and they can help in the treatment of trichotillomania. Those people who pull hair from eyelashes or eyebrows should avoid the aromatherapy because oils which are in this treatment can be harmful to their eyes.
Pet an animal:
There are some cases when people are petting animals they get relief. When they are running their hands through a pet’s fur, then this can stimulate the same sensation which you need in order to ease the anxiety [7].
Meditate:
You should take some pictures of your bald spots and you should post them where you usually pull. These bald spots will frighten you so you will not want to pull your hair in the future. Also, you should talk with your family and friend to tell you to stop pulling your hair if they have noticed that you do. You should talk with other people about trichotillomania because in many cases when we talk with other people, this stimulates us to make changes.
References:
[1] Savage KM, Stough CK, Byrne GJ, et al. Kava for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder (K-GAD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:493.
[2] Hammond DC. Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 2010;10(2):263-73.
[3] Choi DW, Chun SY, Lee SA, et al. Association between sleep duration and perceived stress: Salaried worker in circumstances of high workload. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018;15(4):796.
[4] Mao JJ, Li QS, Soeller I, et al. Long-term chamomile therapy of generalized anxiety disorder: A study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Trials. 2014;4(5):188.
[5] Briguglio M, Vitale JA, Galentino R, et al. Healthy eating, physical activity, and sleep hygiene (HEPAS) as the winning triad for sustaining physical and mental health in patients at risk for or with neuropsychiatric disorders: Considerations for clinical practice. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2020;16:55–70.
[6] Grant JE. N-acetylcysteine for trichotillomania, skin picking, and nail biting. The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. 2017. Retrieved from www.bfrb.org
[7] Feldman S. Alleviating anxiety, stress and depression with the pet effect. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 2018.
