Hofstein - Grow hair fast : 7 steps to a new head of hair in 90 days

Copyright 2004 by Riquette Hofstein

Cover and internal design 2004 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

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This book is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified physician. The intent of this book is to provide accurate general information in regard to the subject matter covered. If medical advice or other expert help is needed, the services of an appropriate medical professional should be sought.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hofstein, Riquette.

Grow hair fast / by Riquette Hofstein.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 1-4022-0257-1 (alk. paper)

1. HairGrowth.2. HairCare and hygiene. I.Title.

RL91.H668 2004

646.7'24dc22

Printed and bound in the United States of America

VP 10 9

To my parents, Jacques and Sarah Hofstein, on their 60th wedding anniversary. For their total love and understanding, and for allowing me to grow and discover who I really am, without question and with total trust.

Author's Note

All plants, like all medicines, may be dangerous if used improperly. If they are taken internally when prescribed for external use, or if they are taken in excess or over too long a time, allergic reactions and unpredictable sensitivities may develop.

To determine whether you are allergic to any of the recipes in this book, test preparations on a small patch of skin before using them on the hair, scalp, or face.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the recipes and substances used in this book are safe when used as directed.

Keep herbs fresh and conditions of use as sterile as possible.

F irst and foremost, I would like to thank all of my clients who are the daily fulfillment of my life's purpose. I would also like to thank the individuals who assisted so wholeheartedly with this bookJan Nathan of Publishers Marketing Association, who introduced me to my publishing house; DebWerksman, my editor at Sourcebooks; Gerry Bryant for his excellent advice. And I am eternally thankful for the everlasting knowledge of my professors who have supported and inspired me since my days studying health and nutrition. May all your dreams transpire, your hearts embrace, and your hair grow.

M y goals for this book are threefold: to educate, motivate, and stimulate your mind on a subject I am fiercely passionate abouthair care. I fully realize that a book is merely a tool, but books have been known to make big changes in the people who read them. I would like you to think of this book as an experience that could very well change your life.

I have been licensed in the field of trichology (the study of hair and roots) for over thirty years. I opened my first clinic in 1969 in Sydney, Australia, and eventually started my company, Riquette International, after moving to Beverly Hills in 1981. I have seen and helped thousands of clients who come to me from all walks of life. Some of them are movie stars, rock stars, politicians, and executives in Fortune 500 corporations, while others range across the socioeconomic spectrum to children and single mothers working at the convenience store around the corner. Many of them walk through my door as a last-ditch effort, acting out of fear and desperation over the loss of, or severe damage to, their hair. Their stories are often sad and poignant cases, replete with shame, anger, and shattered self-esteem.

The information presented within these pages is derived from the very same techniques and methods I have employed to successfully (some would say miraculously) turn the proverbial ship around for my clients. The results have been astonishing. I have files and files of heartfelt letters of gratitude from my clients, thanking me for accomplishing what they all firmly believed was an absolute impossibility.

I really have a lot of compassion for the people who come through my doors. I completely identify with their deep-set anguish and injured dignity. Really.

I've been there. I know what it's like.

I was born in Cairo, Egypt, to my very sweet and dear parents, Jacques and Sarah Hofstein. By the time we moved to Paris when I was eight, I already knew what I wanted to do. There was a hairstyling academy not too far from our home. My parents, who were always encouraging my sister, Paulette, and me to try new things, easily agreed to allow me to go and hang around the academy. I met the headmaster and talked him into letting me run errands for the instructors. I have no idea what he thought of this precocious little girl who was so eager to work for no money, but he let me stay and listen to the lectures in exchange for the errands. And listen I did.

When my parents moved our family to Sydney, I immediately enrolled in a four-year apprenticeship at Alexander of Alexander International Hairdressers. I was fourteen and still in school. My parents were extremely supportive. Mummy would pick me up from school every day and cart me off to Alexander, then wait for me until I was finished. At night she would be my model, allowing me to cut, perm, color, and do just about anything you could imagine. Papa even got into the act by allowing me to practice scalp massages and rolling curlers in his wavy, silky black hair.

After receiving my BA from the Beauty Technical College in Sydney, I avidly continued my education by studying at the Schwarzkopf Institute of Hair Research in Munich, London's Max Factor Makeup School, the International College of Aesthetics in Rome, Geneva's famous skin care institute La Prairie, and I earned my certification in trichology from the prestigious Ren Furterer Institute in Paris. Eventually I received advanced degrees and certifications in makeup, hair and skin care, hypnosis, nutrition, iridology, holistic healing, and stress management in over fourteen European countries and North America.

My studies were as much an academic endeavor as they were a personal journey for answers. During my teenage years I was afflicted with a terrible and emotionally debilitating case of acne. At times, it was so awful that I believed that all anyone could see on my face was my eyes. To make matters worse, my hair became so brittle and fragile that it began to fall out. My parents took me to a series of doctors, and I consulted every dermatologist I could find. No one had the answer to healing my condition.

Finally, I came to the realization that if anyone was going to figure this out, then it would probably have to be me. I had to learn to trust myself, and take all my advanced training to a heretofore-unexplored territory. I began experimenting with altering my diet, taking vitamin supplements, and using herbs. This was back in the days when the field of herbology was still very new and regarded with a great deal of skepticism. My travels throughout the world brought me in direct contact with a lot of stories and folklore about the use of herbs in curing the body of ailments. I tried them allin every combination I could think of. Eventually, I did find the answer. My skin cleared up, and my hair became more lush, beautiful, and healthy than ever before.