Hair Loss Blog
Welcome to the myhair blog — your source for everything you want to know about hair. If you're trying to find out more about a new hair loss treatment, interested in learning more about certain hair care products, or just want some hairstyle advice, you've come to the right place. All of our content is created, fact-checked, and reviewed by our expert editorial team and qualified medical professionals.
What is minoxidil (and who should use it)?
Minoxidil was the very first treatment to be FDA-approved for androgenic alopecia. It was first approved as a liquid serum, then as a foam. This medication is now available in 2 percent and 5 percent concentrations. The 5 percent products are thought to be most effective for men.
Does a baldness gene cause hair loss?
There’s no individual gene responsible for androgenic alopecia. Instead, a number of different factors are responsible for the progression of this type of hair loss, including epigenetics, your diet, hormonal changes, and hundreds of genetic loci. The multifactorial aspect of this condition is part of what makes it so hard to treat!
Should I use minoxidil foam?
Although minoxidil was first FDA-approved as a hair loss treatment in the 1980s, minoxidil foam didn’t come into the market until 2006. Since then, the foam version of minoxidil has been shown to be just as effective as the liquid serum, preventing further hair loss and improving hair regrowth.
PRP and Hair Loss
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments extract PRP from your blood and inject it back into your scalp. When PRP is administered into areas where you’ve seen hair loss, hair follicles in that region are stimulated and prompted to start producing hair again.
Does wearing a hat cause hair loss?
Wearing a hat is unlikely to be the cause behind your hair loss. In fact, unless you’re wearing a very tight-fitting hat all the time, there’s little chance your head covering has impacted your hair health at all. Most people with hair loss have a partially hereditary condition known as pattern baldness.
Can you use green tea for hair growth?
Green tea is made from leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. This plant, which is rich in powerful antioxidants, beneficial bioactive compounds, and nutrients, also has DHT-blocking properties. DHT is the main hormone involved in pattern hair loss.
Is it possible to stop hair loss?
Most people experiencing hair loss symptoms are seeing signs of androgenic alopecia, the most common type of hair loss. This condition, often referred to as male pattern baldness, has three FDA-approved treatment options: minoxidil, finasteride, and LLLT. All of the options have been shown to stop hair loss from getting worse and promote hair regrowth.
Using caffeine for hair growth
Caffeine is a chemical with a ton of health benefits. It’s also a DHT blocker, like finasteride. When applied directly to your scalp, caffeine enters your hair follicles in at little as 2 minutes. This makes it the ideal ingredient to incorporate into shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products.
Should you be using hair thickening shampoo?
Lots of products claim to be thickening shampoos. But they don’t all do the same thing. Some might add volume to your hair, a pleasant but temporary effect. Others repair damaged hair strands, or target hair follicles so that they can produce longer, stronger, healthier hairs. While this effect isn’t as instantaneous, it’s more likely to increase hair thickness over time.
All about hair loss
Hair loss has plagued people for millennia. From Ancient Egypt to modern times, it’s been a persistent thorn in our sides, affecting men, women, and sometimes even children. Yet, it’s only been in the last few decades that the reasons behind hair loss have been understood and effective treatments have been discovered.
Our aim is to provide you with accurate, up-to-date information that can help you manage your hair problems and answer all your hair-related questions. We aspire to help you separate fact from fiction so that you can skip the useless snake oil treatments and identify which products really work.
And actually, snake oil really was used as a hair loss remedy back in the day. Ancient Egyptians mixed it with ingredients like donkey hooves, porcupine spines, and hippopotamus fat and let it soak into their scalps for hours. Did this concoction work? Not a chance.
The good news is that there are many different — and most importantly, effective — treatments you can choose from today. So far, the FDA has approved options like minoxidil, finasteride, and low-level laser therapy. A few other treatments, like microneedling and ketoconazole, are also currently being explored by researchers. And as for natural remedies… well, let’s just say some of them work, while most of them don’t.
Hair is complicated. We’re here to simplify it.
