If you’re early in the realization that you might be losing hair, and you’re ready to try a hair loss remedy to slow or stop your thinning hair or receding hairline, then an easy option to research and try is the selection of shampoos designed to help you retain hair. You can research the available products by looking for documented studies outlining their efficacy, or you can consult a dermatologist or cosmetician who deals with hair loss frequently, or you can look on the Internet - it’s filled with information regarding the available hair loss shampoo treatments available.
It’s easy to get confused when investigating the hundreds of shampoos available. With some background knowledge of what has shown to be effective in larger, previous studies, however, you can make more intelligent choices about the shampoos you choose for experimentation. And that is the great thing about shampoos - they are relatively inexpensive in this maze of hair loss/regrowth methods, so you can try lots of them without breaking your budget!
When you’re checking out shampoos that might help you fight your own hair loss problem, look for these ingredients and consider how they should effect your choices:
1. Surfactants. People feel good when their shampoos lather up nicely. Lather, however, is just for psychological effect. Somehow we believe that the more lather a shampoo produces, the cleaner our hair must be getting. Hogwash! The ingredient that causes lather is call a surfactant and does not have cleaning properties. Other ingredients in shampoos actually do the cleaning. Surfactants are, however, pretty harsh, and, for someone who is experiencing more-than-normal hair loss, surfactants should be avoided. There are lots of shampoos out there without it - try some.
2. Herbal Additives. Of all the herbs that can be added to shampoo to promote hair growth, Saw Palmetto has been documented to be the most effective. You should be sure to find shampoos that include this natural remedy and try them out. Saw Palmetto has been proven effective in limiting the amount of DHT your body creates, and DHT is the primary cause of a large percentage of hair loss cases in adults. DHT is found in the blood streams of both men and women (to a lesser degree) and causes hair-producing follicles to atrophy.
3. Nettle and bay have also been helpful to some people. Medicinal herbs, these contribute to the development of nutrition in the scalp, and stimulate hair follicles. Shampoos which include these might help you too.
4. Essential Oils. The concentrated oils from plants such as lavender and other aromatics, essential oils have been used since ancient times to treat the scalp and hair. These still have value in hair care and the reduction of hair loss, proving once again that we have much to learn from long-forgotten medicine.
5. Tea Tree Oil. Perhaps one of the more common hair loss remedies included in shampoos, and almost as popular for its effectiveness as Saw Palmetto, Tea Tree Oil stimulates the scalp and cleans the skin and hair follicles to clear the way for new growth. It is available in drug stores and on the Internet, and is often sold as a disinfectant, as it is useful in preventing parasitic infections such as lice.
There are no definitive studies to show that shampoos can actually result in regrowth of hair that is caused by what we all “permanent” conditions, largely the result of heredity and hormones. However, early prevention is important, and experimenting with shampoos during these early stages may provide invaluable help in reducing the rate of loss.