Healthy hair starts with healthy follicles. Like any other part of your body, your scalp needs a good supply of oxygenated blood and nutrients to thrive. Most women don’t realize this. While you’ll still want to pay attention to what’s on top, taking care of your hair follicles can also make a big difference. Consider what follows your inside-out hair-care program.
Strengthen your heart and hair. Vibrant health is all about good blood flow, so anything that’s smart for your heart is great for your hair. Since the heart is a muscle, exercise actually strengthens and enlarges it so that it pumps more blood with more force on every beat, including way up to your head.
Clean up your arteries. Not only can the typical high-fat diet plug up arteries, but it can also plug up follicles, which can cause thinning. In fact, studies have found a link between heart disease and hair loss. The connection is likely due to a naturally occurring chemical called nitric oxide—its job is to prevent clotting, dilate blood vessels, and, as a sidelight, nourish hair. When atherosclerosis damages the walls of your vessels, less nitric oxide is produced. To keep arteries clean and your hair gorgeous, eat a heart-healthy diet—lots of fiber, complex carbs, protein, and “good” (unsaturated) fat.
Get stress under control. If you’re in a constant state of high anxiety, follicles can actually shut down. And this is true for psychological as well as physical stress. (Crash dieting, for instance, can trigger hair loss.) To help your body deal with stress, aim to get 1 extra hour of sleep a night. Skeptical? Try it for 1 week.
Pump more iron. Not getting enough iron can spell trouble for red blood cells—crucial to the health of hair follicles. The Daily Value (DV) for iron for women is 18 milligrams, but vegetarians and those who are pregnant need significantly more. Keep in mind that drinking coffee and tea hurts iron absorption, while taking in vitamin C helps it.
Break bad habits. Anything that negatively affects your overall health doesn’t stop at your hair. So, smoking and drinking, for example, can make your hair look and feel less healthy. Just think: healthy body, healthy hair.
Deploy the secret weapon. All these previous changes take time, so while you’re waiting for them to kick in, use a hair-thickening shampoo. It actually works. With a protein-rich formula that penetrates hair and a protective layer that seals in moisture, hair-thickening shampoo can increase the diameter of each strand by as much as 50% to create the illusion of thicker hair.
Comments from Members
Seems like a good idea..my only concern would be the lint that the towel would leave on all the other clothes...
...its worth a try though.Thanks.
Can you put a dry towel in with the wet towels you just washed? Does it work the same?
This sounds like a good thing to try..I'm all about being green and saving money
I agree that this does sound like a great idea; however, I've been told since I was small and I passed along to my daughters that you should dry towels separately, as the terrycloth 'rubs' the clothes and causes the fabric to pill more quickly.
What a great idea!!!
It works! I learned it from my Mom and do it all the time! 
If anyone has tried to dried their clothes with a dried towel in the dryer, please let me know the outcome. I am a bot concern of the lint that the towel would leave on my clothes. Comment back = )
I have been doing this for years. I have a few designated towels just for this! White for whites and a dark for darks. However, just be careful when you do this, there are certain clothes like sweaters that I do not throw a towel in with. It does work quite well!
Putting tennis balls in the dryer also help speed the drying of heavy things such as towels and sheets. Put in about three and it works great!
PUT IN TENNIS BALLS. THEY WORK GREAT AND DRY YOUR CLOTHES QUICKLY
Wow what a cool idea... Ill give it a try!
Tennis ball. OMG! WONDERFUL tip--I tried it today and my clothes are dry in half the time that they usually take! We have been trying to cut down on our electric bill, so I will try the dry towel also. Thanks!
MaryJane: The dryer doesn't know what it is drying, so it should work not matter what is in the load with the dry towel. Julie: I hadn't thought of pilling! Maybe this is why some clothes do this more or faster. Jennifer: It would depend on how linty your towels are. I like Paula's idea of having designated towels for certain loads.Sue: STOP YELLING! We heard you the first time. :) LOL!! (Please know that I am just kidding with you. I have also accidently double posted before not realizing it posted the first time.)
Very interesting tip, thanks! I will definitely have to try this one. I am always trying to save on the electric bill, but my boyfriend tends to leave his clothes in the dryer then go back and run it again to get the wrinkles out. I'm working on stopping that! :)
Sounds Like a great idea. I will try and post how it worked out.
Sounds like a good idea i will try it and let you know how it works. I will probably use a beach towel they seem to have less lint.
Im going to try this!! I always have a problem with drying my clothes!! Deborah 11/23/09
I think about the lint when I am about to do it and make sure that it is not going to be noticible. It works great when you are in a hurry! I think denim is an excellent fabric to use a dry towel in the dryer!
Have to try it !!!
This is a GREAT idea! I'm totally going to try it!
awesome!! thanks for the tip!!
I am going to try it. Great idea.
Thanks!
Great idea!! I can't wait to try this!
Sounds like a smart idea!
