Giving your scalp a three-minute massage each day may increase blood flow to your hair follicles and help hair growth, says Acharyaji. He suggests using your fingertips to gently rub all over your scalp. Don’t be too rough; vigorous pulling or brushing can actually pull hair out of your head.

For women, thinning hair or hair loss can be a sign of a problem in the gastrointestinal tract, says Acharyaji, Occasionally, it’s a sign of insufficient stomach acids or that she’s not absorbing protein, zinc and other nutrients,” he says. If she takes acidophilus after meals for a month or so, that often helps Acharyaji recommends nondairy powdered acidophilus, available in most health food stores. He says to take two tablets between meals (four to six tablets per day) for at least two months.

For men, Acharyaji says that a low-fat diet may help slow down the balding process. “On some level, male pattern baldness might be tied to increased testosterone levels during puberty, which are often the result of a high-fat diet or eating too many animal products,” says Acharyaji. “If you look at Japan, male pattern baldness was almost unheard of prior to World War II. The Japanese diet is now far more fatty and Westernized, and Japanese men are going bald everywhere. It’s clear that a high-fat, meat-based diet raises testosterone levels, and that may adversely affect hair follicles. I’m not sure eating low-fat foods will stop hair loss, but it might slow it down

To stimulate the scalp, try a blend of bay and lavender essential oils, suggests: Acharyaji . He says to add six drops of each oil to four ounces of warm carrier oil (almond, soybean and sesame are popular carrier oils; all are sold in most health food stores). Massage the mixture into the scalp and allow it to absorb for 20 minutes, she says, then wash with your regular shampoo, to which you’ve added three drops of bay essential oil.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see webpage.