Finding key ingredients to strengthen and restore your hair can often be a hassle. There are several different hair types and textures in the world and sometimes you can find several textures on your own head! With all the information out there it’s hard to figure out what’s necessary for your hair type. To simplify things, hair needs nutrients. Nutrients like proteins, minerals and vitamins play a significant role in hair growth. Deficiencies in iron, vitamin D, vitamin C, riboflavin, biotin, folate and vitamin B12 are linked to hair loss. In contrast, over-supplementation (like in vitamin A) can cause hair loss.
Although there are only two FDA approved medical products for hair growth (minoxidil and finasteride) and others like Olumiant for alopecia, there are several ingredients that people swear by that help stimulate and maintain hair length. The chart below goes through four spotlight ingredients.
Key Ingredients for Hair Growth
| peppermint | There are limited results of peppermint research and hair growth out there but one study found that peppermint oil resulted in better hair growth than minoxidil (a widely used and reputable vasodilating drug for hair growth). Menthol which is the ingredient in peppermint that causes the tingling effect is seen to increase blood flow. |
| fenugreek | In a hair loss study fenugreek (a traditional Herb commonly used in India) was seen to counteract inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 affecting the anagen to catagen to telogen stages of the hair cycle. It has antioxidative properties and has been seen to alleviate oxidative stress. Another study shows that fenugreek reveals oestrogenic activity which may counter dihydrotestosterone which may significantly inhibit androgenic alopecia. It can be used as an emollient, has antifungal and bactericidal activities. |
| vitamin E | In a study of 38 volunteers suffering from hair loss, 21 took 100mg of mixed tocotrienols (vitamin E) orally and 17 volunteers were given a placebo capsule. The group that took the tocotrienol had a significant increase in the number of hairs (34.5% increase) in a predetermined area vs the placebo group (0.1% decrease). Another study found vitamin E to be a potent antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress on the skin/scalp which can slow premature aging(lack of melanocytes-graying- and alopecia) of the scalp. Vitamin E has been seen to enlarge capillaries and therefore increase blood flow to follicles. |
| castor oil | Comes from the ricinis communis seeds and contains glycerides like isoricinoleic acid, has eicosanoic acid, linoleic acid,(fatty acids) etc. Rinoleic acid moisturizes and has anitfungal/microbial activity, it’s also seen to penetrate the skin and can act as inhibitor to prostaglandin D2 synthase demostrating an effect on hair growth. The fatty acids penetrate to nourish follicles. |
You must be logged in to post a comment.