Transcription
The hair loss supplement industry has lost the plot. What about the red light caps? Red and near-infrared wavelengths of light can penetrate to the depth of the scalp where the follicle is.
What do we need to be aware of with the term peptides? When it comes to peptides and hair growth, there's a copper peptide GHK. And what about collagen? Collagen peptides are interesting.
These hair transplant surgeries, they look really good. It definitely can be a game-changer for sure. Thicker, fuller hair is a sign that we're healthy and youthful and beautiful and vibrant. And universally, great hair is a beauty standard. And because of that, we're all desperate to find ways to improve the thickness and fullness of our hair. Whether it's because of aging, genetically we just weren't given a big, thick head of hair, maybe you've gone through chemotherapy or a stressful period in your life and your hair is falling out. Whatever the reason is that you're trying to improve the quality and thickness of your hair, you've likely looked at some of the things that are available to us and wondered, "Is it real? Does it work? Or is it a scam?"
You've probably considered things like hair supplements, gummies, extensions. What about Rogaine? Special brushes? Oiling your hair? Should you wash your hair every day or allow your natural oils to condition your hair? How does hormone replacement therapy impact our hair growth? And what about all the things we're using to make our hair look thicker and fuller, like products, powders, sprays, and extensions? And what about the advancements in hair transplant surgeries? Red light caps? How do things like a divorce, running a marathon, having a baby, or having COVID impact our hair?
I wanted the answers to these questions too, and I wanted them from somebody who I knew I could trust. Someone who would not lead me astray. Someone who has no BS. Someone who has the credentials and the clinical training to be able to address these questions. So I've been working for months to try to get Dr. Dre, as she's known affectionately here on YouTube, on the show. Dr. Dre is a board-certified dermatologist based out of Houston, Texas. Dr. Dre is passionate about helping people to sort through the things that are fads that you're being influenced by, and the things that actually work, the things that have scientific studies to back them up. And then, of course, sharing with you information that might be anecdotally useful, things that are not harmful but might be helpful, we just don't have the studies yet to prove it.
Now, you may know her because she has millions of followers on her social media platforms from YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. And honestly, in large part, that is because she tells it like it is. Without further ado, I welcome to the show Dr. Dre.
In your practice, in your expertise, do you find that as our hormones decline, there is a thinning of hair? And is it, is it in a particular pattern?
Oh, absolutely, absolutely. The most common cause of hair loss in women is related to our hormones. It's called androgenetic alopecia. Of course, there's a genetic component to it, but the androgen hormones really influence our hair follicle health and can slowly, over time, convert the terminal hair, like what you style and everything, to a little tiny baby peach fuzz hair. It's called hair follicle miniaturization, and that can happen at any age once you become an adult, really. But women really start to notice it often times around the time of menopause or going, you know, perimenopause, as estrogen levels decline and that androgen hormone presence becomes a little bit more felt at the level of the hair follicle. And so you just have a lot of factors going on around that time of menopause that really just kind of can unmask a lot of background hair loss and hair thinning. Not to mention, with age, just our cells, they slow down, and a hair follicle has a lot of work to do in order to build a hair. It's very energy-demanding to grow a human hair. So much so that when your health is compromised, you become ill, your body is like, "All right, let's put this on the back burner." So a lot of people can also experience bouts of hair shedding during those periods of time, too, which just kind of add on top of any background hair loss that they might have.
And our hormones in decline have an impact on the way that we absorb nutrients? And we just know that, um, what nutrients do you think we should be looking at supplementing as it relates to hair growth?
Well, nutrition is vital for hair growth, for sure. All sorts of vitamins and minerals are vital, vital for good hair growth, especially iron. Iron deficiency is tightly linked with hair loss. Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency worldwide, but especially in women. A lot of it, of course, has to do with the fact that we typically lose a lot of blood once a month, or we maybe give birth at some point. So we have a lot of things that take iron away from us.
And what about collagen?
Yeah, so collagen peptides are interesting. There is some research suggesting that they can be helpful. It's, you know, small and limited, and there's still a lot of unanswered questions about that. But a lot of people are still motivated to pursue collagen peptide supplements and anecdotally report that it helps. You know, the best form, the best dose, who's going to get the best results? Those are like big black box questions that we don't really have answers to yet. But a lot of people do observe benefit from collagen peptide supplements. I just wish we'd had more research to really answer the tough questions about who's going to see those results.
Why don't we have that research? Like that, it seems like that's a huge industry, and there's so much debate about the different types of collagens, like marine collagen. And maybe you've got some opinion on if you are going to take a collagen, which type is best for hair growth?
Yeah, that's that's one of the questions we don't really have a great answer to. I mean, obviously, if you have some underlying allergy to, like, fish or something, and obviously you would want to avoid that. But is bovine as good as marine for hair specifically? I don't think we have great data on that, honestly. But yeah, that's just another of many in that category of like answers that we need today or yesterday.
Yeah, because people are buying these supplements, taking them, and I think a lot of people get let down by them who don't see results. If we knew in advance who wasn't going to see results, it would save people a lot of money and time taking them. But yeah, which hormone is it that women experience when they experience a decline in it, it has the most significant impact on hair growth?
I really think estrogen would probably be up there. Prioritizing hair, the hair cycle. And you can really feel it at different stages in your life as a woman. If you, like I said, if you ever have a baby, you know that your hair grows a lot when you're pregnant, and then as soon as you're not, it's like all that hair is on the floor. You're just looking at the drain like, "Where are you going? Why are you leaving?" And a lot of it has to do with our estrogen signals. Basically, it directly tells the hair follicle to go into the growing phase and to stay there. And if anyone ever takes hormonal like contraceptive pills or estrogen type medications, they'll notice that if they stop those, then they experience a lot of hair loss because it, you know, they no longer have that external signal anymore. And so the hair follicle feels that for sure.
It's also the factor where you've got the androgen hormones also that are there, like, you know, they're considered the male hormones, but we all have them, right? Testosterone. And so now that that's always been there, but it doesn't really have the estrogen to kind of do the more pressing biology at the level of the follicle. So it's just that androgen there, which can cause the follicle to miniaturize. So those two things together, it's kind of like, you know, the seesaw effect where you lose in one, you get, it's not so much that the other one raises, but it's just more obvious at the level of the follicle. And that's really what explains a lot of hair thinning and hair loss in women with age.
So that's interesting. You say the hair, you know, the thinning of the follicle, like where it's just getting smaller. So I'll hear some women say that their hair is falling out in clumps, and then I'll hear other women just say, "My hair's just like, I can see my scalp." And that's very bothersome. Is there, is there something different going on where you're losing hair versus the thinning of it?
Yeah, so hair shedding can happen really at any time in our life where we maybe have experienced any kind of stressful event, like a surgery, a major illness, where you have a fever. I know I keep bringing up having a baby, but it definitely does a number on your hair follicles. So that for sure. Basically, what happens is your hairs on your head are not all in the same phase of the growth cycle. About 90% of them are in the growing phase, but the rest are in the telogen phase and on their way to being shed. And it's normal to lose about 100 hairs a day. You shed those aren't hairs that you're permanently losing, they're just shedding so a new healthy hair can grow in. But what happens when the body is acutely taxed, for example, or some sort of stressful thing is going on, it's like, "Okay, let's shut this down. We're not going to divert energy to hair growth right now." So it puts a bunch of the hair into the quiet phase and the shedding phase. So about three months after the fact, just based on the calendar of the follicle, you'll get this massive shedding. And that can go on for a long time. The duration of time it goes on kind of is influenced by what it is you went through. You know, for example, I mean, there are a lot of stresses that people undergo and put themselves through, even willingly, like running a marathon. A lot of people after they do that will experience this massive shedding. It's called telogen effluvium. Yeah, yeah. Also, you know, COVID infection can cause, you know, any viral illness, but that one in particular, a lot of people experienced very profound hair shedding after the fact. In fact, I think around the stay-at-home time, pandemic time, there was such a spike in people looking for solutions for hair growth who had experienced that. So yeah, I mean, there are a lot of things that can do that. And good news is, it's not like a permanent thing, provided the underlying trigger was addressed. For the most part, some people do experience chronic shedding, chronic telogen effluvium, but for the most part, it can resolve and be a thing of the past for you. Whereas like the seeing more of your scalp, that's more likely with androgenetic alopecia, pattern hair loss, where the hair follicle has gone from a terminal hair to just this little miniaturized baby hair. And so you see a lot more. It's essentially like a peach fuzz hair, if you will. You see so much more of your scalp. This is something that affects men and women, but the pattern on the scalp is different. Like men tend to have a receding hairline, whereas with women, it's more of a widening of the central part. So they'll often notice that like they can see more of the crown of their scalp over time as opposed to before. And then with a reduction in those terminal hairs, like the overall thickness of like your ponytail starts to get a lot less over time as well. So that's kind of the difference. But the frustrating thing is, you can have both going on at the same time. And so really, you know, seeing a dermatologist is the best thing because you can really tease out what exactly is going on. I tell people this all the time, you know, these are some of the most common types of hair loss, but there are tons of different hair loss disorders. And some of them, you know, you only have a limited window of time to get in there and correct before they end up leading to permanent hair loss in those affected areas that can't be restored. So getting the right diagnosis is like the best thing because you then actually know what it is you're dealing with and how to save the hair.
By the way, if you're enjoying this video so far, thank you. And I know you're a very polite person, and I know you've already expressed your gratitude by making sure that you're subscribed. But if you haven't, here's your reminder to make sure that you have subscribed. And now I'm going to say thank you. In fact, let me know in the comments if me giving you this reminder helped you remember to subscribe so that I can show you I'm a polite person, I can thank you for subscribing. You can also let me know what other topics you would love for me to cover because I get all my best ideas from you. All right, back to Dr. Dre.
So I want to go back to that question in just a moment to address like who we should go and see, because it feels like there's a lot of opportunistic companies out there. But first, the androgenetic alopecia, if I'm hearing you correctly, if a woman, for example, is supplementing with testosterone, she's in menopause, and she's experimenting with like, what's the right supplementation level for her, and she starts to experience that thinning of the hair, is that typically? Two questions. So number one, is that typically in a male pattern placement kind of related to the testosterone? And number two, is that reversible if that's something she experiences?
So it's usually, like I said, the widening of the part. It's not necessarily the, what you typically hear about with men with the receding hairline. They can have that, but it's not always that pattern. And yes, it can be, it is reversible. So it can be intervened on, it can be reversible. And the sooner it's intervened on, you know, the better the chances of hair restoration. You know, and like I said, there are so many different types of hair loss, but there are like two big buckets of hair loss: one is scarring, and the other is non-scarring. And so androgenetic alopecia is non-scarring. So those follicles, they can be saved, they can revert back to the growing phase and get hair. That follicle is still there. The scarring alopecias, on the other hand, if they are left to their own devices, the follicle will scar. And once it's scarred, there's no coming back. So that's really where I push people to get an accurate diagnosis as soon as possible because a lot of the scarring alopecias can be sneaky and look like run-of-the-mill androgenetic alopecia. And somebody might be misdiagnosed if they don't see a specialist who knows hair. And they may lose time with their hair. So I always push people to see a, I mean, I'm a board-certified dermatologist, so I know it sounds like, "Well, of course, you're going to tell people to see a dermatologist." But we are the specialty that is the expert in hair. We get them. We're the ones who are trained on all these disorders and how to manage them and diagnose them and the tests that need to be done. So yeah, I mean, I think it really could save a lot of people a lot of headache, heartache, to make sure that they know what they're dealing with as far as what's going on with their hair.
Can you clarify what you mean by scarring alopecia? What's an example of that?
So there's a condition that actually women oftentimes might experience for the first time in menopause, starts to manifest. It's called frontal fibrosing alopecia, or Lichen Planopilaris. It's this inflammation that comes around the hair follicle, and it tends to happen here in the frontal scalp, so the hairline. Over time, just recedes. Starts out, often times, if you look really carefully, it'll be light pink or red. You look around the hair where it's coming out of the scalp, you might see a little bit of like rough stuff or redness. But over time, that redness, it's inflammation around the follicle, and it takes over and can destroy that follicle. And then it just kind of makes its way back. And you'll see women out and about randomly who, you know, likely have it, you know, not just diagnosing strangers in public, but you know, it's hard not to see things when you know it. You'll see women sometimes with a, you know, like it's like, "Oh my gosh, their hairline is like all the way back here." Yeah. And so that's something that is one of those things like it's not super common, but it happens. And it tends to happen around the time of menopause. So if you just chalk it up to, "Oh, you know, it's menopause, I got to put up with it. It's just that I'm not going to, you know, I'm not going to prioritize myself and get the, you know, and you maybe try some of the hair loss stuff over the counter." Well, you could be missing, you know, a scarring hair loss. And like I said, once the scar forms, that's it. Now, there are treatments that have initiated, especially when it's like in the red stages, when the inflammation is starting to come in there, if initiated right away, I can shut that down. So it saves your hair. So that's why I mean, just don't sleep on your hair loss. The sooner you have the right diagnosis, it really can completely change the long term.
I certainly know this is anecdotal, but there are people who I know in my life in the fitness industry who've kind of overdone the testosterone, their voice deepens, their characteristics change. And one thing I've noticed, again, it's not a clinical, just like observational, that their hairline starts to move way back. And so, is that an example of scarring?
So, you know, it's hard to say what type of hair loss any individual might have, but it certainly can be reversible hair loss, non-scarring. But also, some of these scarring hair loss disorders are known to be triggered by hormones. So it could also be that as well. It's just hard to say any one person for sure. But, you know, taking testosterone or anabolic performance-enhancing drugs definitely can lead to, you know, just pushing the balance overboard at the level of the follicle and just shutting down the follicle for sure.
So let's talk about the catch-22. And again, I think this is a question about the scarring extension. You know, if you've got thinning hair, you're like, "Oh, this is a godsend." And you just feel so much more womanly and so much more beautiful. Like hair is something that for women, it's just so tied to our female identity. And so, so many women now, just hair extensions are like a normal thing. You can get them on Amazon, you can buy them at the mall at the kiosk. But also, I've heard that many women experience like, like almost bald spots from either wearing like, you know, extensions in a certain spot or the tension or the rubbing. Talk to us about dos and don'ts.
So yeah, that's definitely something we commonly see. It's called traction alopecia. It can happen from tight hairstyles, like maybe you like to wear your hair in that slick back bun that's really popular, or tight braids. And hair extensions are just kind of another way to put chronic traction, especially, you know, if they're put in really tight, just a lot of traction on the hair over time. That traction causes, of course, breakage, hair loss, hair shedding there because the hair is like, "Gosh, this is too stressful." If you intervene early enough, lay off the extensions, change up your hairstyle, switch to looser hairstyles, yeah, you will get that hair to grow back. It's not scarring. But it can go over to the other bucket of scarring if you continue to chronically put traction. Eventually, the follicles say, "That's it. I'm making a scar. I'm so wounded down." And once that happens, you don't get hair regrowth from those follicles. So changing up the hairstyles, laying off the extensions, taking a break from them, all of those interventions can really help. Because a lot of women love to wear different types of styles of braids. And I to those women, I say, you know, just change up the direction you braid your hair to offset the traction for sure. Like, for example, here, a lot of women will experience hair loss related to tight hairstyles, even like headbands can put a lot of traction there for sure. So just really loose hairstyles can help correct that.
That's interesting because you would think that putting your hair in a bun every day would be considered protective, right? So you're not styling it, you're not putting heating items, you know, like you're not using a curling iron or a flat iron, so it would be protective. But there's still that tension.
Yeah, you know, it's definitely protective in the sense on the strands to have it, you know, it's I wear my hair that way otherwise it just turns into a frizzy mess. So I always encourage people to do more of a looser bun or loose braids, like, you know, plaited, plated braids can help to keep that breakage at bay, especially if you have certain hair textures that are more, you know, the shape of the hair is just a lot more likely to break. And so those hairstyles make sense. But if they're too tight, then it can cause breakage and ultimately hair loss. So it's definitely all in how the hairstyle is executed to optimize hair health.
So there's that catch-22, right? Like, so we want to use these things that make our hair look thicker, like hair extensions. And I'm really hesitating to even ask this question because I don't even know if I want to know the answer, but for those of us who have like, very baby fine hair, I've put so much product in my hair, I have to abuse my hair to make it look like it's got any amount of body. So it's just like submissive and it just does what I tell it to do. But it's a lot of product. And I know that product is then on my scalp, which is my skin. And I'm wondering, you know, should I limit that? Or is there something I should be doing, like if I'm just really scrubbing my scalp clean every day, am I minimizing the damage I'm doing to the hair follicle?
So, you know, it's kind of like a balance, like you said. When it comes to styling products, you know, fortunately, for the most part, we're putting them on our hair strands and not necessarily directly on our scalp. I mean, I do, I like scrub, I use, like the mousse or whatever, it's definitely on my scalp. Dry shampoo? Yep, yep. So yeah, you're absolutely right. That can ultimately be a lot for your scalp. And scalp health is, you know, it's kind of like fertilizer. How healthy your scalp is to support the needs of the follicle down in there. So if you have a lot of scalp buildup, which can be product residue, can just be oil from your scalp because you have a ton of oil glands up there, that left on the scalp can be very irritating. And there's a little yeast that lives on everyone's skin who kind of thrives in that chaos. And that little yeast can actually lead to a lot of inflammation that directly affects the hair health and the hair growth cycle. So if you do use a lot of styling products, I suggest using like a clarifying shampoo once a week can help remove product buildup. Consistent shampooing on a regular basis with the frequency that your hair type tolerates really is necessary. You know, there's always the push you hear about in certain communities, movements, if you will, to go abandon your shampoo. And there are rare people out there who seem to be able to not shampoo their scalp and live perfectly happy, healthy hair lives. But for the vast majority of people, some regular scalp cleansing is key for healthy hair growth and for preventing dandruff as well. So I do really encourage shampooing the scalp with some frequency.
Men are being much more vocal and I think transparent about their hair issues. Like we all, we women, we've always been talking about all of our issues with our vanity and our appearances. And I think men are becoming more comfortable with that. And so I don't know if it's the algorithm, but I've suddenly seen like tons of dudes going to Turkey for these hair transplant surgeries, and they look really good. My question is, couldn't women do that? And is that something you would recommend?
So women can be candidates for hair restoration surgery, and it definitely can be a game-changer for sure. It really all depends on, again, what type of hair loss you have. You've got to know that. You've got to know that before any discussion of hair restoration surgery, where you are in the trajectory of that disease, normally, and then also your age, background health, all of these things factor into the success of that procedure if you are actually a candidate for it. Then I caution about going to a clinic you might see advertised on a YouTube video. You really want to do, I mean, it's a surgery, you know. And so I would, I would make sure you really do research on hair loss surgeons and those who actually do the procedure because it's pretty, it's pretty involved. And you don't want to have an adverse effect and be back home in your own country and then, you know, not really have someone to follow up with.
That's amen. You're not seeing those things on YouTube for a reason, right? Like, yeah, we do see the consequences of things like that. So, you know, it's one of those things not to slander anyone, but just want to be really careful when selecting a surgeon that you know they're well-vetted and you have no recourse. You're here in the United States. Yeah, you there's something you could do. Yeah, even though we're the dermatologists are the hair loss experts, a lot of us don't ever get training in that procedure. It's like a very specialized niche of dermatology. It's not typically, at least when I was going through training, a part of residency training. Even you might be exposed to it if you have someone who does that in your program, you'd be exposed to it. But it's really, you know, very, very specialized niche of dermatology. So I would, I would really caution individuals to just vet the person during the procedure and of course, to make sure you're even a candidate because like I said, there's so many types of hair loss out there. And hair loss, hair replacement surgery is not going to be even remotely reasonable for a lot of types of hair loss.
You know, and we're such vulnerable candidates, women, any of us who are like, there's something that you, every time you look in the mirror, it's upsetting. It affects your confidence. You feel like that's all anyone is looking at. So I think especially this is true for maybe for men too, but I'm talking to my audience today who, their hair has a lot to do with how they view themselves and their own youth. So I think we're very vulnerable to these social media, some of them are gimmicks. I think. And maybe they're not. And that's some of the questions I have for you. And there's so many of them. I almost feel like I should give these to you rapid fire. But you'll see the before and after on a, you know, one-minute TikTok. And now I think to myself, that is convincing. I'm putting, clicking add to cart right now. But then I remind myself, but wait a second, there's filters. She could have extensions in. It could have been altered. There's so many things you can do to sell and influence the consumer who's vulnerable and just wants a solution. So let me start with some of the most common ones. Obviously, there's the capsules that have biotin in them. Like, I think it's called Nutrafol. Nutrifol. You know, not to name them by names because there's lots of them. That's one. And then there's hair gummies. These two products, I think they probably have some of the same ingredients. How helpful are those?
I would say they're not helpful in the vast majority of cases and they can actually be harmful. So they might help. All right, they might help, especially if there's some underlying deficiency. The problem with a lot of them is that it's not, you know, it's like going to the grocery store to make a cake. Are you going to buy the whole store, or are you just going to go in there and get the flour or the sugar or the eggs? What you actually need? And so a lot of supplements might have the wrong doses of things and superfluous things. Biotin is a classic example of the hair loss supplement industry has lost the plot because biotin, in the absence of biotin deficiency, which is very, very rare, very rare. Oh, biotin is not actually going to grow your hair. And what happens is these supplements tend to have a high dose of biotin. You think it's a B vitamin, right? How bad can it be to take a little bit of extra? What happens is biotin can interfere with certain lab tests that your doctor might need to order to check like your thyroid, and it can mask the accuracy of those tests. So for example, you might have a problem with your thyroid, you go to your doctor, or they check the lab, and it seems okay. It's because the biotin may have masked that. Also, the test that they order when you're having chest pain and make sure you're not having a heart attack, that can be messed up by these high doses of biotin. So it's definitely, you know, it's a Goldilocks effect. Too little, not good for the hair. Too much can be bad for the hair, but can be really bad for you. And some of these supplements have even been associated with like frank liver failure recently. So I caution about the supplements because, like I said, A, you got to know what you're dealing with, what the actual hair loss diagnosis you have. And, you know, B, a lot of these supplements, they're of unclear benefit, but in some cases can cause frank harm.
I went to my dermatologist and had a copper peptide treatment done to my scalp. It was, I think, three sessions. It was the most painful thing I've ever done in my life, other than giving birth. And I thought I did see nice results from it, you know, because we're taking very close pictures. It was very expensive. Like I said, it was incredibly painful. But now I'm seeing a lot of, again, the word peptide, which I don't think is probably regulated. So I'm seeing a lot of products being marketed as peptides for hair growth. So is there a particular peptide that we've found to be, under the right circumstances, going to see a board-certified specialist who can help us, like a dermatologist? Are there treatments that are helpful? And then what do we need to be aware of with the term peptides?
So when it comes to peptides and hair growth, there's a copper peptide GHK, which has been examined for hair growth potential, mostly in like preclinical models, so like cells in a dish, animal models. There might be some clinical research here and there, but it's still, you know, kind of in the early stages. I would say some dermatologists might feel comfortable with it as more of an experimental therapy, and they may be seeing results in their patients in their given practice. But I would say as far as that goes, it's promising, but I wouldn't hang your hat on it per se as going to be like the thing that changes the game. A lot of times, things like that also are something you have to continue doing, which is honestly the case for most hair loss interventions. There's never really a one-and-done thing. So it becomes this question of like, is it actually helping that much, and is it worth the investment of my time? And like you said, it can be really expensive. Now, you'll come across a lot of hair growth serums that have this peptide in it, applied to the scalp. You know, do they deliver the same results as what treatment you might have had in office? It's hard to say. You know, it is a pretty early in the research stages type thing, even though it's been around for a long time. Just things that we don't really have great answers to. Some of the more well-vetted treatments for like androgenetic alopecia pattern hair loss are going to be good old Rogaine, really topical minoxidil. You know, it actually can get the hair into the growing phase and regrowth. Doesn't work for everyone, but it really can. Not just topically, but the actual pill medication, taken by mouth, can really help a lot of people with hair loss. You know, it's got side effects, which aren't going to be right for everyone, such as well. You know, we love to grow hair until we don't want it, which would be unwanted hair growth, right? So oral minoxidil can cause unwanted hair growth.
Is that what you mean? I don't mind. I'll shave my. You know, you might get hair growth on the face. A lot of it's dependent on the dose as well. You use a very, very low dose to minimize that chance, but it still happens. Some women are happy and men are often happy with it, but some women are like, "Okay, I'll just shave this. Whatever. I'd rather have what it's doing for me on my scalp." So that's kind of the main one. And of course, it can cause, you know, originally it's a blood pressure medication, so it can cause some lower leg swelling, some tissue, some fluid retention, like around the eyes, for example. You might wake up with puffy eyes. And again, a lot of that is dose-dependent. The stuff that you can buy without a prescription and over-the-counter medication, the topical minoxidil that you apply, that doesn't have the side effects of fluid retention. But it likewise can cause unwanted hair growth if it gets on your face where you didn't intend it to. It can cause a lot of scalp irritation, which a lot of people don't tolerate. And then it's also just the thing of putting it on there twice a day, every day. It gets to be, you know, some people are fine with it. You know, some people, they get in their routine, it works when it works, and they're like, "Sweet, I'm going to keep doing this. Why not?" But other people are like, "Uh, no."
Yeah, because when you have really fine, thin hair, like oiling or putting even, you know, some type of topical serum in my hair, I'm like, I have to decide if I'm going to do this because it's going to ruin my hair for the day, you know what I mean?
Yeah, it really can be a lot to keep up with for sure. And the other thing that people have to be aware of that have small pets is the topical minoxidil. If they get into it, or even just a smallest amount, the residue on your pillow, if like your puppy sleeps next to you on the pillow, it actually can be harmful to pets. So caution people who are using it who have small animals at home. It can, you know, potentially be harmful to them. So some people are like, you know, is less of a risk if they're taking the oral and that works for them? Their pet is likely to be exposed to that, you know what I mean? So that's just another, you know, everything boils down to you, the individual. What's going to be right for one person is not going to be right for the other. I don't have pets, so, you know, it wouldn't be a problem for me. But somebody who has like, little tiny puppy, you know, those little dogs, then yeah, they might not feel comfortable with the minoxidil residue around their bedroom or like the applicator in their trash can in their bathroom, worrying their little dog's going to get in there. So I get it. Like some things are just not right for all people, you know.
Okay, what about the red light caps?
So those can help for sure. It's called low-level laser therapy. It's the same kind of premise as the face mask, but on the scalp. Red and near-infrared wavelengths of light can penetrate to the depth of the scalp where the follicle is and can do a couple of things. It can help with the sort of metabolism, the energy, the cells, and get them back growing hair, basically. It also can calm down a lot of inflammation. It has anti-inflammatory benefits, which are really helpful for just kind of supporting the soil, if you will, of what the hair follicle needs. And then third, it improves blood flow to the follicle, which is the other big thing. Blood flow is really important for hair growth. So it does kind of three things. And a lot of people do get really good results with that. People who didn't respond well to minoxidil, or some people respond to minoxidil and add the laser cap on, the low-level laser therapy, and they get even better results. But for some people, you know, it might not do anything. So it's kind of a bit of a, you know, lottery in a sense that it can help, but it might not work out for you. So some of those companies do have pretty good return policies, which I think is great. Also, so the other thing to keep in mind is that it can be used with many other hair wash treatments. So it's not like, "Oh, I'm going to try this and then that." You might be able to try both, stack them, and even get a better result.
Yeah, and if I hear you, you're saying there's probably the least amount of negative side effects with the red light caps.
Yeah, I mean, it can cause a little, you know, it's improving blood flow, so it can cause a little bit of warmth sensation, tingling, but it doesn't cause any kind of adverse effect, really.
And I've also seen a lot of people talking about just stimulating your scalp with a like a doing this brushing technique. Any thoughts on that?
So scalp massage actually, there's a study that shows, I mean, it's not like the most robust thing in the world, but a small study showing that daily scalp massage, I mean, with your fingers, if you're so motivated, can help improve hair growth, hair density, probably just by improving blood flow to the scalp. So it's a very low-risk thing to do. It's not, you know, it's worth a try if you're motivated. There's no harm. And I mean, unless you have some kind of headache disorder that's triggered by touch like that. But otherwise, you know, it's definitely something that if you're motivated to do on a daily basis, for sure. Probably one of the other benefits of regular shampooing your scalp, it's just that little extra massage too. Not only are you cleansing away oily residue that can be inflammatory, but you're also helping with blood flow to the scalp. So yeah, I definitely can help. Do you need some gadget to do that? It makes it easier, then maybe. But it's not like we know that that's any better than just using your hands.
And I know nutrition is something that you talk about a lot. Is there particular foods that we should be thinking about because they do help us to have the nutrients we need to produce stronger, thicker, fuller hair?
Well, there's a lot of emphasis nowadays in any kind of fitness community or anyone talking about diet to emphasize protein. So I hate to sound like a broken record, but having amino acids is like the building blocks for hair. So really, really important. Making sure that you get your fruits and vegetables that have anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamin C. It's really, really vital for collagen in our skin, but also to support the needs of the follicle, as well as your B vitamins, iron. I mean, pretty much everything that you need in your balanced diet is important for hair. But, you know, in the demographic that tends to watch my channel, and I assume overlaps with yours, a lot of us grew up in a time of the fat-free revolution. And, you know, we sometimes just default to that. And the foods that we might choose because that's what we grew up eating or we're told were good for us. That is very important though for healthy hair growth. Healthy fats, important not to skip out on. So in other words, a balanced diet sounds really boring, but that's really what I recommend people try and follow. Not to go overboard with any kind of elimination thing because honestly, a lot of times those things can backfire on your hair.
By the way, if you enjoyed this episode, if you like this talk about like hair and things that have to do with vanity, like boy, do I have a great episode for you. Check out this one where I talk about beauty hacks. Like a lot of this stuff are like tricks and gimmicks and like, but fun little temporary things without having to go under the knife that improve your beauty standard. Like, you know, if you really want to look as cute as possible on a budget, you'll love this episode.
Well, this has been fantastic. You are just a wealth of information and knowledge. I'm going to obviously recommend that everybody follow you on YouTube. You produce a daily video that is so good. Like I just love the way you deliver facts, the way you answer common questions. And you're you're almost like anti-influencer, you know? You're like, "I recently saw one of your videos where you're talking about, like, yes, I sometimes use a makeup wipe just to remove my makeup, not to wash my face." And no, I'm not going to tell you which brand because I'm not going to influence you to do this. I thought, "I love her." So thank you so much for serving my audience here. You are phenomenal.
Thank you, Shari, for having me on. I really appreciate it very much. It was great talking to you.
Great having you. Thank you again. Appreciate it.