Tag: hair growth

Crazy black hair growth myths

I have heard some crazy things uttered from people, including  hair stylists,  with respect to Afro-textured hair. Black hair growth myths are so pervasive and some so outlandish, leaving me dumbfounded that I simply refuse to believe that stylists were not taught otherwise at beauty school. Here are some of the craziest black hair growth myths I’ve heard:

 

1. Natural hair doesn’t get split ends

This was told to me in a salon many years ago when I revealed I had cut my hair due to split ends. I don’t know on which planet people live on, but, on Earth, everyone no matter the race will get split ends. As hair exits the scalp it is dead. As the hair gets longer, the hair fibre will begin to disintegrate due to both the natural weathering processes as well as from the general handling of the hair. The ends of the hair will start to lose the cuticle exposing the inner cortex therefore cause the hair to split more easily. This property does not differ if you are Asian, European or African.

2. Natural hair will not take hair rinses.

I was flabbergasted when the sales person told me this. Yes relaxed and permanently dyed hair are more porous, and technically the hair rinse should stay on better, but as someone who has used a hair rinse in the past, I  was a bit put off by this statement.  Again, hair is a fibre, just like cotton, wool, and mohair. There are plenty of persons who I’ve told to switch to hair rinses due to the issues experienced with their scalps when they use permanent dyes. Yes the rinse goes faster especially on the grey hair, but it does deposit on natural hair.

3. That style can’t be done on natural hair.

Nothing irks me more than these words. In this age of the internet where millions of videos exist detailing style after style on natural hair, it is painful to have this said to you. If I had the ability to make my hair look like I stepped out of a salon I would stop going to stylists all together. Hair is a fibre. It has physical  and chemical properties that can be manipulated. Natural hair can be manipulated into any shape that you want to put it in.

4. You must be mixed with X race in you for your hair to be so long!

Luckily I don’t personally get this said to me anymore. I guess my hair is too kinky for anyone to say this. However, this statement always diminishes the efforts taken to actually grow natural hair. Not until my hair care practices improved did I manage to get my hair to significantly longer lengths. When I explain to persons that deep conditioning will make that much of a difference to length retention, they refuse to believe. I swear on my mother’s grave, my hair has never been this long in my life.

5.  The 3 or 4 different textures on the scalp is due to mixed heritage

This is so far from the truth. This has to do with the property of curly textured hair. Persons of all races complain of this issue. It doesn’t matter what race you are, most persons with curly hair have at least 2 textures. The reason for this is unknown.

 

May’s QOM- Which hair growth serum should I use?

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Doc, which hair growth serum should I use?

 

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I’ve been asked this question so many times in so many different ways. Everyone wants the next great hair potion. Most persons are bombarded by a myriad of hair growth serums on the market. However, what should the discerning customer use to gauge what product she should purchase?

All are not created equally and all do not address ALL types of hair loss. Most non-medicated hair growth serums contain carrier oils such as coconut, olive or jojoba oil. Additional reported active ingredients include essential oils such as rosemary, nettle, and cinnamon oils.  The essential oils help stimulate the scalp through various undetermined mechanisms resulting in hair growth. Other ingredients that have been included in non-medicated hair growth serums are:  Saw Palmetto, (to help those with Androgenetic Alopecia), Caffeine, Capsicum, and Castor oil. The latter has received so much attention in recent years that virtually everyone has a bottle of it. Please see my blog post on it: http://askthehairdoc.com/athd-investigates-castor-oil/.

So how does one choose the right product? First of all, remember that the only topical product proven to grow hair for Androgenetic Alopecia is Minoxidil. All others, except caffeine, have not been extensively proven to grow hair. Other hair loss disorders such as Traction Alopecia and Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia may not necessarily respond to topical products and may need oral medication to halt hair loss.  Unfortunately, I cannot specifically say which is the best product to use. Even Minoxidil (Rogaine), has been shown to not work in everybody.  So my advice is to try one product at a time, and if after 4 months there is no improvement, then move on. If after two products, there is no improvement, consider getting a consultation. Don’t try to purchase every product out there, because the efficacy of some of the products have not been extensively studied and so most consumers have to rely on anecdotal reviews. Hopefully, as hair research increases, more effective products will be available on the market.

 

Pattern Hair Loss

First in our series on non-scarring hair loss is the ever pervasive Pattern Hair Loss or Androgenetic Alopecia. It is mostly an inherited condition affecting up to 40% of women by menopause, and up to twice that amount in men by age 50.

Pattern Hair Loss presents differently between men and women. Women tend to have generalised thinning to the top and sides, whilst men start off with thinning at the temples eventually ending with the “horse shoe” shape that is often dreaded.

The cause of Pattern Hair Loss, though largely known, is still being determined. In men it is due to excessive sensitivity to the male hormone dihydrotesterone. In women, male hormones are not seen as a major factor, however, the exact mechanism is yet to be determined. In fact, it has been postulated that there are other non-hormonal factors which may contribute to Pattern Hair Loss in both men and women.

As it is a genetic disorder, there is no permanent cure for Pattern Hair Loss. Gene therapy, ideally the perfect treatment,  has not been developed for the condition. The best that is available today is hair transplantation. In the near future, stem cell therapy will likely lead the way. For most, topical Minoxidil is the best option in addition to oral therapy with Finasteride and other anti-androgen medications are useful.

Next month: Male Pattern Hair Loss- Cause and Staging

Scalp Massage and hair growth

There are a myriad of solutions, techniques, and machines that are advertised as the next best thing to regrow hair. Scalp massage is one of the methods promoted on the internet. The link between scalp massage and hair growth has been described in several articles on the internet. Is it really useful? Is it all “hocus pocus”?

Scalp Massage Benefits

Massage in general has been shown to increase blood and lymphatic flow to the skin. Therefore,  scalp massage should also  increase blood flow to the scalp. The increased blood flow results in increased availability of essential nutrients within the blood, thus bathing the dermal papillae of the hair follicle with nourishing molecules. The increased blood flow is also reported to be the method by which  Minoxidil and caffeine help to increase hair growth.

Massaging the scalp has also  been found to lift any skin cells clogging the hair follicles, thus allowing increased and deeper penetration of skin products through the hair follicle. This is important for persons who use hair growth products.  Using products with small sized ingredients that can penetrate the hair follicle will be of even more benefit.

Scalp massage and Hair Growth

Unfortunately, not many studies have been done to examine the direct effects of scalp massage on hair growth. There was one done in Scotland in 1998, examining daily scalp massage with the use of topical essential oils. The group with the essential oils got more hair growth than those without. However, the study group involved patients with Alopecia areata, a rare auto-immune hair disorder that is significantly different from the commonplace Female and Male Pattern Hair Loss. Indeed, the study was more geared towards examining the effects of the essential oils and not the scalp massage. So the question remains, how beneficial is scalp massage for hair growth?

However, if you’re stumped for options, you may consider doing daily massage. Five minutes should suffice. Whatever you do, don’t use your fingernails. Only use the pads of your fingers or fingertips.

 

 

 

 

ATHD Investigates- Castor oil

Castor oil has long  been touted in the West Indies as a miraculous natural hair restorative product. You will come across some woman in Jamaica or Haiti who has used this oil at least once in her lifetime. Reports of thicker and longer hair have been mostly anecdotal with no actual scientific data to back up claims. With so many persons claiming that it works, does it truly have the potential to actually grow hair? Let’s look into the properties of this oil.

How is castor oil made?

Castor oil is derived from roasting or  cold pressing the castor bean.  The colour of castor oil is actually pale to golden yellow. This is what you will find in products that are made from cold pressed oil. The traditional method of preparing  the oil results in a much darker product. This arises because the beans are roasted then pounded before boiling. The ash produced in the process darkens the final product.

What are the properties of castor oil?

Castor oil is comprised of the fatty acids ricinoleic acid (~97%), with linoleic acid and oleic acid. Ricinoleic acid has several properties with the most notorious one being a laxative. Countless Jamaican children can attest to “de-worming” with this oil. It stimulates the E2 and the E3 prostaglandin* receptors**. The latter are in the intestines and the uterus. It therefore increases the motility of these organs. This is why pregnant women are not recommended to ingest or use the oil as it reportedly can induce labour. Studies done haven’t definitively proven this, however, it is used by many for this purpose around the world.

So, can castor oil really grow hair?

The E2 prostaglandin receptors are present in several areas of the body, including the hair follicle. Could this be the reason for castor oil’s reputed effects on hair growth? This has never been extensively studied by scientists. Prostamide, (prostaglandin-ethanolamide) receptor stimulants, like bitmatoprost (Latisse) and lantanoprost- used for glaucoma, have been found to grow hair as a side effect. Could castor oil have some cross effect on these prostamide receptors as well? After all, the prostaglandin and prostamide receptors are somewhat similar in shape. Their activity on these newly discovered receptors has never been determined.

Castor oil has reportedly been reported to not only grow hair but also to thicken the hair strand. This is not impossible since Minoxidil has also been found to thicken vellus (thin baby-like hair) to thicker terminal hairs; however, the actual Mechanism of Action of Minoxidil is still not known. So are those “before and after” pictures really true? Considering that the actual hair counts and hair fibre determinations have not been done, then from a scientific point of view, it could be pure coincidence. After all, lots of persons experiencing hair loss also take vitamins and utilise many different methods which may rectify their hair loss WITHOUT the help of the castor oil.

Is castor oil all hype?

There is absolutely no way to tell from the available information if it is truly all hype. The placebo effect is a real phenomenon. There are persons who will experience positive effects even though the entity they are using actually isn’t doing anything to help their ailment. However, so many persons have given such glowing reports on the effects of castor oil, that you do have to wonder that it really does what people say. In any case, it doesn’t hurt to use castor oil as it is a really great emollient and has significant cosmetic effects on the hair. Here are some easy ways you can add it to your routine:

  • Add it to your deep conditioner
  • Make a pre-shampoo treatment mixing it half and half with honey
  • Use it daily as a sealing oil on top of your  regular leave-in-conditioner
  • Hot oil treatment

 

*prostaglandins are locally produced hormones in the body, i.e. they are not influenced by the hypothalamus in the brain. They are mostly responsible for setting up the body’s response to external injuries. Read up on prostaglandins here: http://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/prostaglandins.aspx

**receptors are complex structures present on the cell membranes, (the wall which holds in the contents of all cells). When stimulated by certain hormones, they can increase or decrease specific activities in the cells.