Category: Hair Products

Have you ever commented on polyscorbate 80? – the primary ingredient in the so-called Helsinki Formula? And jojoba oil? Both laid claim to scalp hair regeneration.

I am not aware of any solid document to prove this product really works for hair loss prevention or treatment. The Helsinki company was tied up in difficult legal challenges for years in the 1980s. They pioneered the promotion of hair growth formulae before the market developed for such activities. It seems to be dying and then being reborn on a regular basis since then.

I read your comments regarding Nourkrin with interest. I agree with you there are no constructive comments on the internet. I have been using the standard, not high strength version for nearly 3 months now. My wife was a professional hairdresser and cuts my hair. She has confirmed noticeable new growth, thickening and a stop to any further loss. An improvement was noticeable after two weeks with steady progress thereafter. The pharmaceutical assistant that recommended the product said her husband had very good results after 6 months, but a rapid deterioration ensued when he stopped using it. After starting it again he has recovered the situation. I have not tried any other products and do not know whether this (expensive) product is better or worse than it’s rivals. I would be interested in other feedback regarding comparisons.

If you are getting a response from it, then continue using it. I am not against it, just do not know first hand the value of it, so I do not recommend something that I do not know. When I get comments like yours, that is encouraging, and I may very well change my mind. According to their website, the ingredients are:

• Marine based extract of proteins and polysaccharides.
• Vitamin C in the form of Acerola Cherry. This is the richest possible source of vitamin C.
• Silica, which is a mineral and is essential in the connective tissue. Silica is an important mineral for reducing hair loss and maintaining strong healthy hair.
• Horsetail Extract, which is the organic form of silica and increases the strength of the hair and revitalizes lifeless hair.
• IgG Protein, which helps improve the environment in the digestive system aiding digestion.

I can not give you a comparison between these products and other such products as there is no scientific studies that make the comparisons.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Hi Doc,

I found this article about caffeine and hair loss. It seems a little silly to me. Care to comment? Once again thanks for all of your work.

Coffee could help cure baldness

This article is referring to the research that was done in Germany and recently published in International Journal of Dermatology. In this study, researchers removed some hair follicles from balding patients. They have cultured the hair follicles and then exposed them to testosterone and/or caffeine. The growth of the hair follicles has shown to be increased after being exposed to caffeine, so the investigators suggested that caffeine may have a protective mechanism against testosterone effects on hair growth.

Does it mean that you should double the amount of coffee you take every day to prevent your hair loss?

The answer is “absolutely not“.

Although interesting, this basic study was done in the lab and not in the human body. There are several factors involved in the process of hair loss that can not necessarily be contemplated in cell culture. In order to reach the conclusion to use caffeine as a medication for hair loss, several other studies should be done. Efficient levels of caffeine should be determined in animal studies in an appropriate hair loss model (topical, as well as systemic). Safety of caffeine at those concentrations should be determined with toxicology examinations. After these phases, and if it is proven to be both efficient and safe in animals, the product should pass different phases in human trials, like any other medication. The human part of the study usually takes years before it could be approved for human use.