The Need for Hair Growth Shampoos

  • Hair growth shampoos and hair loss shampoos are in-demand.

    The American Hair Loss Association reports that, by age 35, approximately two-thirds of American men are going to suffer some degree of hair loss. This only gets worse as men age: By age 55, some 85% of men will experience noticeably thinning hair.

    Men aren’t the only ones affected by hair loss, contrary to popular belief. Women, too, suffer from this condition. According to WebMD, 40% of women will suffer visible hair loss by their 40th birthday.

    Hair growth shampoos are treatments that can reverse hair loss and, with it, the adverse, psychological impact of thinning hair or outright hair loss

  • Losing your hair is more than just a cosmetic problem. Significant hair loss can result in psychological and emotional issues such as:

    • A lack of self-esteem
    • Depression
    • Unhappiness
    • Forced career changes
    • Anxiety

Two Categories of Hair Growth Treatments

Overall, the hair loss product market can be broken down into two, broad categories: those that contain drugs and those that are drug-free.

How Hair Growth Shampoos Work:

What They Can Do and What They Can’t Do

FROM VETA'S WEBSITE

We know our products deliver the intended results for the overwhelming majority of men and women who use them as directed. How do we know this? Because we have witnessed the results first-hand on customers of every age, race, and hair type. Because we've spent over 10 years developing, evolving and continually perfecting functional hair care products just like this. Because the Veta product line was tested, piloted and proven at select A-list salons prior to being launched to the public.

How to Properly Choose a Hair Growth Shampoo

As with any other purchase decision, the research you do beforehand will ensure that you get the best possible shampoo for your condition. Instead of just buying any shampoo willy-nilly, or based on which you think has the nicest commercial, here are several, important factors to consider, so you can make an informed purchase.

  1. Understanding the Active Ingredients – Go deeper than just reading Amazon reviews before buying. Go with the active ingredients that have a proven track record of working, such as ginseng, Vitamin E, amino acids, and B vitamins.

  2. Looking for DHT blockers – there are myriad natural and clinically-proven ingredients that fight follicle-DHT sensitivity. Follicle-DHT sensitivity is one of the biggest reasons of hair loss.

  3. Free of Chemicals – Choose shampoos that are free of chemicals such as sulfates.

  4. Healthy Ingredients – The ingredients should include essential oils, minerals and vitamins.

  5. Relevance – Choose a hair loss shampoo that directly targets the cause of your hair loss (if you have a doctor’s diagnosis).

  6. Nutrition Issues – If your hair loss is due to bad nutrition, then choose a shampoo that delivers nutrition back to your hair and increases your circulation, so said nutrients travel back into the follicle.

  7. Comprehensive Shampoo – In case you aren’t sure as to the actual cause of your hair loss, then err on the side of caution: Choose a shampoo that addresses hair loss from any number of reason.

  8. Allergies – If you’re allergic to certain substances, go with a hypoallergenic hair loss shampoo, and always check the list of ingredients in any shampoo you’re considering against your known allergies.

  9. Avoidance – Be sure to avoid shampoos that fail to address hair loss, even if they may be marketed as hair growth shampoos. These ineffective shampoos will usually have ingredients added just for conditioning purposes, such as silicones, “pearlizing” agents, or conditioning agents.

Options for Your Hair Growth Treatment

As mentioned above, there are two avenues you can take:
the prescription-medication route and the hair growth shampoo.
Let’s look at the drug-based treatments first.

  • Minoxidil

    If you’ve ever heard of the brand Rogaine, then you’ve also heard of minoxidil. Rogaine is one of the many brands this treatment is marketed and sold as. An antihypertensive vasodilator medication, minoxidil that’s topically applied is frequently used to treat hair loss.

    Approved by the FDA and available in over-the-counter form for both men and women, minoxidil has been found to work in two out of three men. However, and this is a huge problem, if you stop using it, then your hair will actually fall out again and potentially faster than before. Plus, you might not even notice any changes until you’ve been using this medication for at least four months!

  • Finasteride

    Finasteride is a pill that you take to halt your body from producing the hormone called DHT or dihydrotestosterone. This hormone has been found to be at the source of male pattern baldness. Brand names include Propecia.

    Unfortunately, as with the aforementioned minoxidil, you’ll begin to lose your hair again if you ever stop taking Finasteride. Additionally, it may cause erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men although that’s uncommon. Men who experience these side effects from taking this pill can reverse them; however, that can take up to three months to occur.

Active Ingredients in Drug-Free Hair Growth Shampoos

One of the best ways to ensure that you make the smartest buying decision when it comes to drug-free hair growth shampoos is to understand the active ingredients in various products.
Here’s a brief rundown of some of the most common ones.

  • Ensulizole

    Typically used in sunscreen, this active ingredient is a UBV-protecting agent. This water-soluble ingredient actually feels light on your skin and provides a non-greasy finish. There are no known bad effects of this ingredient.

  • Soy Proteins

    Soy proteins have been found to block the damaging effects of DHT, which is seen as a primary cause of male pattern baldness. In addition, soy contains a list of ingredients in and of itself that are proven to be healthy for your hair, ingredients such as B complex vitamins, folic acid, and potassium.

  • Sulisobenzone

    A typical ingredient in some sunscreens that guards the skin against UVA and UBV ultraviolet light, sulisobenzone helps to protect your scalp from the sun’s damaging rays. Preventing photodamage from the sun, it is safe and been found to have only negligible effects on the reproductive system.

  • Shea Butter

    Shea butter works in various ways to protect and help your hair. It helps to lessen excessive oil production on your scalp and moisturizes a dry scalp, both of which help to make your hair healthier and promote hair growth. It also acts as a shield from the sun’s harmful rays, protecting your scalp and helping to stop hair loss that way.

  • B Complex Vitamins

    Vitamins such as riboflavin and biotin are essential in helping to stop hair loss. Riboflavin deficiency has been linked to hair loss, as has biotin deficiency. B-6 is another B complex vitamin linked to hair loss, so your best bet to battle hair loss is to look for this active ingredient in your hair growth shampoo.

  • Argan Oil

    Argan oil is loaded with A, C and E vitamins, all of which have been linked to hair growth. When you use argan oil externally as part of a hair loss shampoo, it can help to boost your scalp’s and skin’s cell production, thus causing healthier hair and skin. Argan oil is good for dry, brittle and thinning hair since it guards against you losing more follicles than you’re capable of growing (which makes hair loss noticeable).

  • Ginseng

    This anti-apoptotic, a fancy way of saying it helps the proliferation of your dermal papilla cells, improves your hair’s regeneration capacity. Ginseng promotes hair growth by stimulating the flow of blood and nutrients to your scalp. Finally, ginseng helps to boost the health of your hair cells and follicles, helping to stop hair loss.

  • Jojoba Oil

    This active ingredient will address one of the primary reasons of hair loss: sebum. Sebum contains dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which is regarded as the main cause of male pattern baldness. Jojoba oil removes this sebum, thereby assisting in promoting hair growth.

  • Peppermint Oil

    Peppermint oil has a myriad of benefits including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, analgesic, vasodilating and vasoconstricting. Its own secret ingredient is menthol; menthol works to increase blood flow to your scalp. Balding usually happens in part because of the reduction of blood flow to the hair follicles.

  • Clary Sage

    Another popular active ingredient, clary sage is known to stimulate your hair follicles. This produces extra blood circulation, which in turn helps to promote hair growth. In addition, it also promotes a healthy scalp, strengthens your hair strands, and balances your scalp oils, all important for stopping hair loss.

  • Follicusan

    This active ingredient stimulates your dermal papilla cells at the hair follicles’ base, which counteracts premature hair loss. As a result, both hair thickness and volume are increased.

    Here are some of its many benefits:

    • It reactivates your hair growth cycle
    • It gives thinning hair more vitality and energy
    • It revitalizes your scalp
    • It boots your hair’s structure and health

  • Aloe Vera

    Look for aloe vera in your hair growth shampoo because it contains amino acids as well as proteolytic enzymes, both of which are instrumental in helping hair growth. Essentially, aloe vera addresses the damaged and cells of your scalp, which helps to induce hair growth.

  • Trichogen

    Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), trichogen features amino acids and vitamins that help your natural hair cycle to recover a normal state. Some of its benefits include hair-growth stimulation, metabolism and cellular oxygenation; a reduction of that oily look; a balance of sebum secretion; and a decrease in itching and dandruff.

    It includes the following ingredients:

    • Soy sulfopeptides to regulate cell nutrition and growth
    • Amino acids
    • Aminosaccharide to help strengthen your hair’s extracellular peribulbar/papillary matrix
    • B group vitamins to help regulate cell nutrition
    • Zinc salt
    • Panax ginseng/Arctium majus extracts for antimicrobial effects
    • Silicone

  • Vitamin E

    An antioxidant known for repairing and rebuilding tissue, vitamin E lowers inflammation when you apply it to your scalp as part of a hair growth shampoo. It also addresses damaged hair follicles, thereby creating healthier conditions for the regrowth of hair.

  • Pronalen Fibro-actif

    This active ingredient will stimulate hair growth, boost oxygen consumption, and your mitochondrial respiration. Paraben-free, it boosts the synthesis of collagen and elastin.

  • Caffeine

    Believe it or not, caffeine can have a healthy effect on your hair and scalp. It impacts your hair follicles to stimulate healthier hair. In a 2007 study in theInternational Journal of Dermatology, caffeine was found to stimulate the hair follicles of test subjects, thus playing a role in stopping hair loss and encouraging hair growth.

  • Adenosine

    A bio-organic compound, adenosine addresses different functions in the body. It’s been proven by current research that adenosine applied to the scalp can stimulate hair growth in both men and women.

  • Procapil

    As far as active ingredients in hair growth shampoo goes, procapil works to make your hair stronger. It stimulates the activity of cells in your scalp and hair to help hold cells together; this works against the damaging effects of DHT. It also raises blood flow to your scalp, thereby helping to nourish your hair and increase its thickness.

  • Biotin

    This water-soluble B complex vitamin is an integral part of healthy hair. It metabolizes fatty acids as well as amino acids. Biotin works to make your hair stronger, in addition to fight dryness, hair loss, and breakage.

  • Keravis

    Keravis is an anti-breakage hair fortifier. It’s a vegetable protein that works to replenish and strengthen your hair, so that it’s healthier and able to grow better again. Keravis acts on the fundamental aspects of hair regrowth: tensile strength, cuticle abrasion, and bending modulus.

  • Copper Peptides

    These ingredients have been found to improve hair-transplant success rates, according to university studies. They work to boost your hair follicle size, reduce hair loss, and stimulate hair growth.

  • Capixyl

    This active ingredient works on your hair follicles, making them both thicker and longer, which helps to stop hair loss. Any damage caused by inflammation in your scalp is also addressed and reduced.

  • Inositol

    Inositol makes your hair stronger because it helps it to retain moisture. Researchers have determined that, in lab animals, diets low in inositol cause baldness. Doctors have reported some of the same findings in their patients.

  • Saw Palmetto Extract

    This active ingredient has been proven to guard against the conversion of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone). DHT is a hormone that contributes to hair loss because it shrinks the hair follicles.

Although these are the active ingredients that are available in the drug-free products market, the best ones will have high concentrations of follicusan and trichogen.