Featuring Dr. Marie Barrera
Photo provided by Dr. Marie Barrera
What is your name?
Marie Barrera, ND
Where are you from?
San Francisco Bay Area, California
What is your background?
My mother is Chinese, my father was Mexican-American.
I inherited my hair from my father’s Latino side of our family.
In a few sentences, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
I am a naturopathic doctor with a passion for helping people with chronic disease and auto-immune conditions.
My super-powers include: meditation, homeopathy, crystals and astrology!
I am also a certified nutritionist and believe in the medicinal properties of healthy eating and organic foods. Nutrition is a main foundation of how I practice medicine.
I am currently a resident at Sophia Health Institute In Woodinville, WA with Dr Christine Schaffner and Dietrich Klinghardt, MD (I support all of our amazing doctors!)
What are you currently doing for hair health and care?
Every 2-3 days I rub Amla (Indian gooseberry) and sesame oil onto my scalp and hair.
Indian women have been using Amla in their hair since forever—that’s why they have such lovely hair!
Amla is:
Antioxidant: Amla has twice the antioxidant power of acai and around 17 times of pomegranate and thus can help eliminate toxins and free radicals!
Improves pigmentation: I read that regular use of Alma will help keep gray hair away…well, so far so good for me!
Strengthens hair: Amla contains essential fatty acids that penetrate into the follicles, making it softer, shinier and voluminous. It also stimulates hair growth owing to its high iron and carotene content.
Here is a website I like that talks about Alma and hair:
https://www.kamaayurveda.com/blog/amla-for-hair-indian-secret-to-healthy-lustrous-hair/
I also make a Rosemary hair rinse.
Rosemary contains ursolic acid which helps to increase scalp circulation – this means more oxygen and nutrients go into your hair follicles, thus helping with hair growth.
Rosemary is also antimicrobial—so it keeps your scalp clean.
I don’t know how well Rosemary maintains hair color, but it has stained the cup I use for my hair rinse a brown color…so here to positive thinking! :D
To make my rosemary hair rinse: I boil rosemary leaves with water and let it sit to room temperature.
Sometimes when I feel fancy, I add lavender, sage, or calendula just to spike it up a notch :D
Are you using any natural hair products (if yes, what are they and what do you like or not like about them)?
I do use a curl styling cream by Mixed Chicks. It is probably in the middle as far as clean products but hey, a girl has to do what a girl has to do! All the other 90% of the good things that I do can handle this treat :D
What do you like about your hair and what has taken some time for you to accept about your hair?
I really like my curls! It has taken me a while to accept my natural hair. I was told for a long time that it was too whimsical and unruly. A family friend once told me it looked like someone took an egg-beater to my hair, and asked why I didn’t have silky straight hair like my mother. As I grew older, I would spend time and money straightening my hair so I looked “professional”. It wasn’t until medical school that I didn’t have the time, energy or money to keep this up. I began to wear my hair naturally and did a lot of positive self-talk. I am pretty good at faking it until I make it (and I really enjoyed how I was able to divert saved hair money to purchasing cute dresses)…because now I love it!
What are some helpful tips you can share with other readers?
I read a study where researchers injected noradrenaline under the skin of unstressed mice, the researchers were able to cause melanocyte stem cell loss and hair graying (ugh…poor mice!). Basically, stress DOES cause hair cell loss and gray hair. So my advice would be to find regular ways to decompress, especially with how our lives have been kind of bananas lately. Be kind and gentle with yourselves and others. Do some self-care and remember how precious your life is!
Please share something different, interesting, or funny about yourself.
They say that I’m sassy.
I enjoy a good conversation about extra-terrestrials, Vedic cosmology, and the BEST red lipstick shade (believe it or not it is Sephora #96 Red Velvet).
I love to travel the world and use to do so every 3-4 months—I hope to return to this one day!