Hi @katcot. I think hair loss, especially for a woman, causes much sadness & distress. A woman's hair is historically seen to be her "crowning glory." That's one of the reasons we spend so much money at the salon keeping our locks looking tip-top.
I've never heard of Kefir. So, if you could tell me your experience of using it & how It's helped, I'm sure it would be useful for lots of us. My hair is so much better. But I doubt it'll ever be the way it used to be before I was diagnosed. I agree with you though, a good hair cut/style, plus a volume mousse etc can make a huge difference to the look of the hair.
I had never heard of Kefir until someone on Streetlife locally said they had extra grains for anyone who wanted to start doing it.
Kefir is best made in a glass jar (I use mason jars bought from Ikea). I use the ones which cost about £2.50. You don't need to
sterilise the jars they just need to be clean. You pop the grains in and top it up with whole milk. (You can use other milks but the
taste is different). You close the jar, with or without the rubber band, put it out of direct sunlight like a kitchen worktop and cover
the jar with a clean tea towel to exclude any light.
It takes approx. 24 to 36 hours - more if you want it really sour. I like it at 24 hrs but if I keep it in a cold kitchen at this time of year
its more like 36 hours.
I then test it by just tipping the jar and can see that it's thickened (not solid as I think that's too solid for my taste). You need a
plastic or stainless steel sieve and a spatula. I use a large 2 litre jug from Wilkinsons (£1) and strain it through my stainless
steel sieve (I found the cheapest to be in Tesco at about £4.50) into the jar and I put the grains left in the sieve into a fresh
clean jar with new milk for the cycle to start again. The made Kefir I put in the fridge and it will keep for about a week but have
never really tested this. The sieve and spatula I use just for making Kefir.
The reason that I like this double sieve is that the new grains start really tiny and this way they don't drop through the holes of
the plastic sieve as they are the strongest and if I have too many and nobody to pass any onto I throw away some of the
older bigger ones (they look a bit like bits of cauliflower). I do not wash the grains in between. The sieve I rinse and dry
straight away as it cannot go in the dishwasher.
It is best to use glass for making this as plastic can contaminate it. But really look on You Tube there are many demonstrations.
They are a lot of claims for its benefits. The biggest being the number of beneficial bacteria much more than the bio yoghurts
you buy. The only way to kill them is by heating the kefir. But adding it to smoothies is good although I prefer it just as it is.
You can also add things like maple syrup etc. (I tend to say do not add honey as it's anti-bacterial). The taste to me is a bit
like runny greek yoghurt.
You don't have to use mason jars - just any clean glass jar with a lid.
For me the main difference I noticed right away was how it improved enormously my quality of sleep. I had suffered for years
with sleepless nights and being up for 3-4 hours in the middle of the night. Since I started with Kefir this has only happened
a couple of times. I still only sleep about 6 hours a night but I get a good solid sleep and do not awake at the slightest thing
and feel more refreshed. I am not positive about the hair but it is only recently that I have noticed the change and there is
nothing else which I have changed in my life.
Kat