Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients in Hair Loss Shampoos

While the best hair loss shampoos contain ketoconazole, a topical anti-fungal ingredient that is clinically proven to topically inhibit the synthesis of Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT (the primary hormone responsible for hair loss), the best hair loss shampoos should also contain a variety of anti-inflammatory ingredients.

There are two reasons for this.

The first reason is to prevent drying of the scalp. Ketoconazole, while moderately to extremely effective at preventing androgen-related hair loss, is often quite harsh on the scalp. Ketoconazole is actually a high-powered anti-fungal ingredient that helps prevent dandruff. Ketoconazole is considered so strong that the 2% version is available by prescription only.

Thousands of people figured out that an anti-dermatitis shampoo would help prevent male pattern baldness — especially body-builders and athletes who were experiencing hair loss from steroids. While this type of shampoo is effective, it does not contain any anti-inflammatory ingredients and even the labels suggest that it is not ideal for daily use. Anti-inflammatory and moisturising ingredients can prevent ketoconazole-induced dry scalp.

The second reason is that anti-inflammatory ingredients may help prevent hair loss. While the hormone DHT is undoubtedly the main culprit of pattern balding, a seldom-discussed component of hair loss is inflammation. DHT, by nature, is a very inflammatory hormone. This inflammation disrupts the normal growth of scalp hairs.

Since the body of research linking inflammation to hair loss is just developing, this is in no way to suggest that simply lowering inflammation (with reducing scalp or systematic DHT) on your scalp will prevent genetic hair loss. Unfortunately, certain ‘anti-hair loss’ shampoos that do not combat DHT or address the hormonal pathways of genetic alopecia claim that they will reduce hair loss because they contain certain moisturising or anti-inflammatory properties. These are not among the best hair loss shampoos and will not work.

The combination of topical ketoconazole with anti-inflammatory moisturising ingredients will prevent androgen DHT-related hair loss and prevent your scalp from becoming dried out. Shampoos containing anti-inflammatory and moisturising ingredients prevent dry scalp and may help further minimise hair loss.

These ingredients include: emu oil, jojoba seed oil and cocamidopropyl betaine, among several others. Scientists found that emu oil, when topically applied, reduces inflammation in CD-1 mice.

Jojoba seed oil has a clinically significant protective effect on the conditioning on Afro-ethnic hair chemically treated with thioglycolate-based straightening emulsion.

Cocamidopropyl betaine is a more common ingredient. It can be found as a moisturising ingredient in most shampoos. Like emu oil and jojoba seed oil, it is clinically proven to reduce inflammation when it is topically applied.

Alternative Hair Loss Treatments: Herbal Mixtures and Mild Therapies

The search for natural hair loss remedies aims to find alternatives for conventional pharmacological measures, given that these often have severe side effects. One of these options is homeopathy — it can be termed a natural route for the reason that this method of medicine uses distillations of organic substances. Homeopathy has numerous treatment ways of dealing with hair loss. An experienced homeopath’s arsenal of remedies comprises natrum mur, selenium, phosphorous, tissue salts, fluoric acid, lycopodium, kali carbonicum, and kali sulphuricum. In fact, what a homeopath prescribes depends solely on the nature and severity of the condition.

It is true that results from the homoeopathic method can take a longer time, but they are very often remarkable. An effective hair loss treatment with homeopathy depends on right dilution ratios. Let’s just say that it is not a do-it-yourself alternative.

Today, aromatherapy as a treatment for hair loss is becoming more and more popular, but the basis is not necessarily scientific. Aromatherapy professionals use the oils from bay, grapefruit, rosemary, thyme, lavender, Roman chamomile, cedarwood, jojoba and lemon. The consumers should rub these compounds into the scalp and disperse them into the air with special dispersing units. Some folks even report renewed hair growth subsequent to using this technique.

The Orient has given us lots of natural hair loss remedies. They comprise mixtures of aloe, arnica, honey, brahmi and mulberries, amongst others. Ayurveda, an olden day’s medical discipline from India, involves massages with and ingestion of certain herbal formulations. Obviously, these approaches can be benefited if only an experienced practitioner is involved.

Mustard oil, boiled with henna leaves, is helpful for healthy growth of hair. About 250 ml of mustard oil should be boiled in a tin basin. About 60 grams of henna leaves should be slowly put in this oil till they are burnt in the oil. The oil should then be filtered using a cloth and stored. Regular massage of the head with the oil will produce abundant hair.

Everyday application of refined coconut oil, mixed with lime water and lime juice on the hair, prevents the loss of hair and lengthens it. Application of the juice of green coriander leaves on the head is also considered as a helpful natural hair loss remedy. Washing the hair with a paste of cooked black gram and fenugreek lengthens the hair. Regular use of castor oil as a hair oil helps the growth of luxuriant hair.

Hello to Your Baby, Farewell to Your Hair

There are a few women who had never had problems with breaking hair until a few weeks after giving birth to their first baby. A usually-thick hair tends to thin, especially around the hairline. This occurrence is normally expected of a new mom. With all the advice women receive about pregnancy, hair loss is barely mentioned.

New mothers are usually too busy nursing their newborn babies to notice it. When you think about it, it can come off as terribly vain for a new mother to fuss about her receding hairline or brittle hair when she has a new baby to be excited about. Yet a big number of women suffer some form of hair loss immediately after childbirth up to about the time they wean their babies. Doctors say that hair loss could go on up to about six weeks after birth.

Hormonal changes

The explanation behind the sudden thinning and breaking of hair is hormonal changes. Suddenly, most women come from the luxurious thick hair during pregnancy to dealing with breaking hair. It is a ‘transitional phase’, where the body is trying to get rid of the pregnancy hormones and go back to its pre-pregnancy form.

Hair is in different phases of growth at any one time. Some hair follicles are actively growing while others are in the resting stage and end up causing hair breakage. During pregnancy, the increased hormone levels cause a woman to have more actively growing hair, thus explaining the rich growth. But after giving birth, the body normalises the hormone levels, thus the thinning.

Some hormones are responsible for the growth of thicker hair during pregnancy which is also manufactured in the placenta and only discontinues immediately after giving birth.

Hair loss after birth is normal

There is no cause for an alarm in case your hair breaks after giving birth to a child. Some women don’t even notice the change. But even for those who lose a considerable amount of it with an evident receding hairline, it grows back once the hormones stabilise. Usually, the thinning and breaking of hair stops after a couple of weeks.

In cases where it may be serious, there are creams/tubes which can help. But these have to be prescribed by a doctor after establishing that indeed the situation is that bad. Hair loss is one of the several dermatological changes women experience during and after pregnancy. In the months following a pregnancy, most women go back to their normal selves. Other conditions include hyper-pigmentation and acne among others.

Go for simple hairstyles

Knowing that the hair is not growing as expected, simple hairstyles that do not strain the hair are a good beginning. Excessive heat treatment and harsh chemicals at this time are not a good idea as the hair is already weak. One can creatively use hair bands and scarves to conceal a thinning hairline, or plait styles that both give the hair rest for a few weeks, and cover the hairline.