23 replies to this topic

[Want_more_hair]

Hello forum!

34 year old here balding badly for the last year. I am trying to read as much as possible and I have been contemplating reducing the frequency of my shampoo use as part of my hair regrowing strategy. What do you guys think of cutting down on shampoo use?

I am asking because I have been following this guy recently (@ manlycurls.com) and he has the thickest hair I have ever seen.

http://www.manlycurl...ge-manly-curls/

He is currently undergoing 30 days of not using shampoo and judging by the pics he posts in his updates, he is doing fairly well and his curly hair remains thick as hell. He has talked about cutting down on shampoo use in the past but only because it dries curly hair (for the record I have straight hair). He has also talked about hair loss in the past too but he remains conservative recommending the use of what we already know (not that I am looking for any secret unknown approaches). It would be a big leap of faith to think this guy has such thick hair partially from cutting down on shampooing his hair but I am curious as to whether any of you guys have experimented with reducing shampoo frequency and had any luck with this approach to manage or slow down male pattern baldness?

I am willing to try anything at this stage so I would thank any comments

[ViolettVol]

Hey, I think the guy in this blog has a good idea to avoid shampoos since a vast majority of them contain chemicals that contribute to hairloss or scalp damage. The most notorious of these ingredients is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - you can read about its damaging effects here: http://www.natural-h...yl-sulfate.html. I'm not an expert on other harmful chemicals in shampoos, but there are many - they may cause allergies which in turn cause hairloss. Many of the guy friends I have had trouble with hairloss which was caused by chemicals in shampoos and they solved it only by starting to use all-natural products. I don't know how the guy in the blog plans to solve the problem of removing excesive sebum/ impurities that stick to hair during normal daily activities and exercise using only water, but still, avoiding commercial shampoos is a good start. If he's using only water, some impurities might remain though.
In your personal case - I have to ask - did you do any hormonal tests to check if your hairloss is not caused by too much male hormones? That could help determine the cause and facilitate treatment because hormonal hairloss cannot be remedied by shampoo alone. Perhaps you could ask around or google all-natural shampoos, because even of you use a shampoo less frequently, if it is the SLS kind, it will still be doing damage.
I don't know if you take any supplements, but biotin or Biosil would be a great sup to help replenish your hair.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Good luck!

Edited by ViolettVol, 05 December 2011 - 04:04 AM.

[hivemind]

I have super thick hair. When I go to a barber shop, the barber is always amazed by my hair thickness.

[niner]

If I didn't wash my hair for a month, it would be pretty ugly. I can believe that some people react badly to typical shampoo, but I doubt it's the cause of your hairloss. It's usually DHT.

[maxwatt]

An old Irish guy I once worked with told me in the old country they would not wash their hair all winter, just brush it out; the women left it braided. When they washed come spring, they did not use detergent based shampoo, but a bar soap similar to the one below. But they still went bald, many of them:
It works. I've used it when traveling.

[Want_more_hair]

If I didn't wash my hair for a month, it would be pretty ugly. I can believe that some people react badly to typical shampoo, but I doubt it's the cause of your hairloss. It's usually DHT.

How about those shampoos that contain zinc (cant remember the form) as one of their active ingredients? I have read that topical zinc can decrease the action of DHT on hair follicles. Is this broscience or does it hold any truth?

Thanks

[Want_more_hair]

I have super thick hair. When I go to a barber shop, the barber is always amazed by my hair thickness.

Lucky sob!

[niner]

If I didn't wash my hair for a month, it would be pretty ugly. I can believe that some people react badly to typical shampoo, but I doubt it's the cause of your hairloss. It's usually DHT.

How about those shampoos that contain zinc (cant remember the form) as one of their active ingredients? I have read that topical zinc can decrease the action of DHT on hair follicles. Is this broscience or does it hold any truth?

I've never hear that about zinc (pyrithione?). Ketoconazole is anti DHT, though. It's the active ingredient in Nizoral. The OTC version is 1%, and there's a 2% prescription version. Maybe zinc does something... I haven't googled it or anything.

[Luminosity]

Totally sulfate free shampoos: Everday Shea bought at Whole Foods
California Baby, Whole Foods, Vitacost.com
Conditioner that should make your hair look thicker: Dessert Essence Organics Unscented Conditioner, because it's so thick

Supplements that would likely make your existing hair grow faster and thicker: MSM plain powder, preferably taken dissolved in water on an empty stomach with a little vitamin C. Recommend brands, Source Naturals, Jarrow, UltraBotanicals

Collagen/Gelatin. Great Lakes Gelatin from Amazon.com is popular. Take it dissolved in water on an empty stomach with a little bit of vitamin C.

Shou Wu Chih is a Chinese tonic that might or might not be right for your constitution. If it gives you a feeling of pressure in your head or eyes, stop taking it. After a while, it can also be an aphrodisiac, so watch out. It could cause your existing hair to grow thicker and faster. It has mine. That is a common effect of it as well as generally making a person healthier and stronger. HEI brand in the yellow box is recommended. Yang Cheng (?) brand in the orange box is not recommended. Don't buy it. You can look for it where Chinese herbs are sold. A few acupuncturists might sell it, but call first.

You might try to find the best acupuncturists in your area and try one of them. He or she might be able to rebalance your hormones and maybe that will stop the problem. A good acupuncturist is good at hormonal stuff. Just a theory--but worth investigating.

Below is a link to a thread I wrote that has info about how to find a good acupuncturist. Good luck.

http://www.longecity...inese-medicine/

Edited by Luminosity, 06 December 2011 - 05:37 AM.

[Ben]

0. Determine if your baldness is caused by MPB. If it is do this:

1. Use nizoral (topical DHT blocker).

2. Use retin - a on your scalp (increases absorptio of 1 and 3 and scalp health)

3. Use minoxidil.

4. If the above don't work, use grape seed extract and monitor your DHT.

5. If that doesn't work, after several months, consider finasteride.


All of this be purchased cheaply on the internet.

[Lufega]

Topical green tea regrows hair. Caffeine is also shown to sprout new follices. You can buy caffeinated shampoos but they are very expensive. One idea is to get some type of leave it treatment and mix in some matcha green tea and castor oil. This way, you get the EGCG and caffeine at once. I have all the ingredients here, but haven't gotten around to doing it. Topical castor oil can also grow some hair by modulating inflammation. One of my brother is doing it and it does look thicker. He also massages his scalp daily with a handheld massager thingy.

He shou wu will definitely help either orally or topically. As long as you don't get side effects. It's very estrogenic, although only selected people experience this. It also messes with your potassium levels. I tried unprepared he shou wu and after 3 days I felt what resembled hypokalemia. Palpitations, cramps, fatigue, muscle weakness. No good. Maybe additional fruits and veggies or potassium supps are in order ? I haven't tried it again though.

There was a post here about a mexican bark called mimosa tenuiflora (tepezcohuite) and how it can regenerate hair follicles. My brother and I tried it and we almost went completely bald.

I was applying rosemary oil to my hair for a while, undiluted. Not only did it not do anything for my hair but it dried my scalp terribly. No good either.

Peppermint and spearmint are very anti-androgenic. I wouldn't use this orally but maybe I could drops in your shampoo might have some effect.

[rwac]

You should read this guy: http://www.dannyroddy.com/
According to him, hormonal imbalances, excess serotonin, estrogen, etc cause hair loss.

[Want_more_hair]

If I didn't wash my hair for a month, it would be pretty ugly. I can believe that some people react badly to typical shampoo, but I doubt it's the cause of your hairloss. It's usually DHT.

How about those shampoos that contain zinc (cant remember the form) as one of their active ingredients? I have read that topical zinc can decrease the action of DHT on hair follicles. Is this broscience or does it hold any truth?

I've never hear that about zinc (pyrithione?). Ketoconazole is anti DHT, though. It's the active ingredient in Nizoral. The OTC version is 1%, and there's a 2% prescription version. Maybe zinc does something... I haven't googled it or anything.

Great! While Ketoconazole would be applied topical as a shampoo, Ive read it can lower DHT/testosterone in the body if ingested. Would using this shampoo too frequently or get some inside via, say the eyes, be of any relevance or worry? Thanks for answering, I am looking to buy this shampoo too.

[Want_more_hair]

Topical green tea regrows hair. Caffeine is also shown to sprout new follices. You can buy caffeinated shampoos but they are very expensive. One idea is to get some type of leave it treatment and mix in some matcha green tea and castor oil. This way, you get the EGCG and caffeine at once. I have all the ingredients here, but haven't gotten around to doing it. Topical castor oil can also grow some hair by modulating inflammation. One of my brother is doing it and it does look thicker. He also massages his scalp daily with a handheld massager thingy.

He shou wu will definitely help either orally or topically. As long as you don't get side effects. It's very estrogenic, although only selected people experience this. It also messes with your potassium levels. I tried unprepared he shou wu and after 3 days I felt what resembled hypokalemia. Palpitations, cramps, fatigue, muscle weakness. No good. Maybe additional fruits and veggies or potassium supps are in order ? I haven't tried it again though.

There was a post here about a mexican bark called mimosa tenuiflora (tepezcohuite) and how it can regenerate hair follicles. My brother and I tried it and we almost went completely bald.

I was applying rosemary oil to my hair for a while, undiluted. Not only did it not do anything for my hair but it dried my scalp terribly. No good either.

Peppermint and spearmint are very anti-androgenic. I wouldn't use this orally but maybe I could drops in your shampoo might have some effect.

With the caffeine, could I make myself my own shampoo if I have pure caffeine and enough of a kitchen lab? I have seen the prices of caffeine shampoos and they are astronomical for the small advantage they may offer.

[niner]

Great! While Ketoconazole would be applied topical as a shampoo, Ive read it can lower DHT/testosterone in the body if ingested. Would using this shampoo too frequently or get some inside via, say the eyes, be of any relevance or worry? Thanks for answering, I am looking to buy this shampoo too.

There's no danger at all; people take ketoconazole orally at doses hundreds of times higher than you could conceivably get from using the shampoo topically. You probably would get some systemic DHT reduction from the oral dose, but then millions of guys (myself included) take 5-alpha reductase inhibitors specifically for the purpose of pushing down DHT, and it's way more effective that ketoconazole. Works great for hair. Not optimal for libido, but not that bad. I wonder why you don't hear more about topical DHT? Seems like a good idea...

[niner]

There was a post here about a mexican bark called mimosa tenuiflora (tepezcohuite) and how it can regenerate hair follicles. My brother and I tried it and we almost went completely bald.

Holy crap! The hazard of natural product experimentation, I guess.

Peppermint and spearmint are very anti-androgenic. I wouldn't use this orally but maybe I could drops in your shampoo might have some effect.

Spearmint will reduce T. I don't know about peppermint. T isn't the problem with hair loss though; it's DHT. If you reduce T, I guess you might have a corresponding reduction in DHT, but I don't know if that would happen or not. At least it smells good.

[lucid]

If I didn't wash my hair for a month, it would be pretty ugly. I can believe that some people react badly to typical shampoo, but I doubt it's the cause of your hairloss. It's usually DHT.

I thought the same thing. I've been shampoo free for 5 months. You still have to wash your hair, but just with water.

It 100% cured my rather severe dandruff and my hair looks better (Before it had the white-guy 'lay-down flat' look which made me conflicted because i wanted some texture in my hair but i didn't want to buy 'girly' hair products for men). So yeah, now my hair has nice texture, doesn't get very greasy if i dont rinse it for a day (which would have been a disaster before), and it all around looks better.

But yeah, I'm not convinced it causes baldness...

[Want_more_hair]

I have been reading around caffeinated shampoos and the anecdotal evidence seems to be encouraging.

By the way, I have reduced my frequency of shampoo as per the recommendation in other articles of the writer from the link (he advocates this for better looking hair) and have certainly noticed better looking hair (been doing this for 2 months now). Not sure on any hair regrowth benefit (as I was trying to ask with the thread) although I seem to be "shedding" less. There has been no advancing of my hair loss pattern though since I have done started shampooing less (my mpb has been quite aggressive since it started).

[nowayout]

I wonder why you don't hear more about topical DHT? Seems like a good idea...

I don't think that came out the way you meant.

[niner]

I don't think that came out the way you meant.

You're right! I must have meant topical 5-alpha reductase inhibitors... Seems like it ought to work.

[nowayout]

You're right! I must have meant topical 5-alpha reductase inhibitors... Seems like it ought to work.

There exists a small study claiming that topical finasteride helps for hair loss. However, finasteride (and dutasteride) are known to be very well absorbed systemically through the skin, so it is an open question how local the effect really is, and to which extent you can avoid side effects, by topical application.

[kurdishfella]

i dont use any chemical products either nor natural ones it messes up your natural bacterias. just water (i understand a lot of chemicals are used there as well, best would be to take dips in spring water or something). your body traps bacteria by thick saliva or ear wax or even bubbles in piss frequent. plus fresh air all it takes to make me feel clean again. being wet plus using towel which attracts many chemicals makes your body like a absorpant machine for them all not found in nature much at all.

Edited by kurdishfella, 16 February 2022 - 03:14 PM.

[stockcarman]

Microneedling at 1mm once a week , Topical Minox twice a day, Oral minox once a day , Naz shampoo three times a week , 1% Fin once a day , 10.000 mg of MSM once a day , is the key . I am 69 years old an that's how I grew most of my hair back an it's still growing in .

[kurdishfella]

Interesting fact hairy people have better genetics because they lived in the wild longer then non hairy people who have adapted to modernized living.