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Posts Tagged ‘growth’

Is Cayenne Pepper Good For Your Scalp?

June 21st, 2010

The FLHC

JazzyFresh says…I read that cayenne pepper aids in circulation and stimulating blood flow. I’ve heard of many people adding cayenne pepper to hair oils (esp. Ayurvedic oils) and massaging it into the scalp to stimulate hair growth. I wonder if there is any science to this?

The Left Brain answers:

Surprisingly, there is some science linking pepper oil to hair growth, but it doesn’t work quite in the way you described.

Peppery Prose

According to a study entitled “Administration of capsaicin and isoflavone promotes hair growth by increasing insulin-like growth factor-I production in mice and in humans with alopecia,” researchers have hypothesized that capsaicin, the active ingredient in red pepper oil, can activate the insulin-like growth factors that help control hair growth. They tested this hypothesis by treating balding mice and humans with a mixture of capsaicin and isoflavone. The results showed that after 5 months the treatment not only boosted the correct biochemical markers (e.g., IGF-I) but also actually increased hair growth.

Here’s the catch: on mice the pepper/isoflavone mixture was administered subcutaneously (injected under the skin as opposed to applied topically) and in humans it was given orally. So the best research to date shows no indication that pepper oil is good for your scalp when it’s just rubbed on your skin. Of course this is just a single study, but it does give me hope that this could really work if we could just identify a way to enhance the penetration of capsaicin (perhaps using some type of nanosome).

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Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, brain answers, Cayenne, cayenne pepper, Good, growth, hair, hair oils, insulin like growth factor, pepper, pepper oil, red pepper, Scalp

1 Comment »

Does Hair Grow Faster In The Summer?

May 19th, 2010

The FLHC

Hoconnor asks…I’ve always heard that hair grows faster in the summer. Is this true? Why? And if so, is there a way to recreate the summer benefit in the winter (such as with the addition of humidifiers, heat lamps, diet changes?)

The Right Brain responds:

We’ve said this before and we mean it: the members of the Beauty Brains Forum are awesome! After Hoconnor posted this question, SarahF and Lelaleia did some research and found several interesting references. Even though Left Brain admitted to being stumped on this one, these additional resources made us think. That’s the beauty of true science – we’re always glad to reconsider our positions when new data comes in. You can read the entire discussion in the original Forum post, but we’ll recap the highlights here.

Summer time tresses

1. Seasonal Changes in Human Hair Growth

“… The rate of growth of the beard was lowest in January and February and increased steadily from March to July to reach a peak about 60% above the winter level. The rate of growth of thigh hair showed a similar pattern though with less pronounced differences.”

2. Seasonal Variation in Trichogram in Chilean Subjects

“During summer the percentage of telogen increases and the percentage of anagen decreases. This study confirms the presence of seasonal variations in normal trichogram.”

3. Seasonality of Hair Shedding in Healthy Women

“These results confirm the findings of former authors who have indicated seasonal changes in human hair growth, though this is the first study performed systematically in a representative number of women.”

It looks like there is reasonable evidence that hair grows faster in the summer. What an interesting and surprising finding! Isn’t science wonderful?

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Posted in Beauty

Tags: beauty brains, diet changes, Faster, grow, growth, hair, heat lamps, left brain, right brain, seasonal variation, seasonal variations, summer

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Unwanted Hair? Try Licorice!

May 10th, 2010

The FLHC

Vdot wants to know…The Epilar System claims to be a topical product that, when used in a series of 8-12 treatments spaced 5-6 weeks apart, can inhibit hair regrowth. Looking at the ingredients, I think the jury is still out on whether Trypsin (it’s an enzyme, right?) is a hair growth inhibitor. Thoughts on the ingredient combo here, and is it junk or worth a try for those of us who have to keep up with our girl ’staches weekly?

The Right Brain responds:

We have an answer for you Vdot, sort of. While we haven’t had a chance to research Trypsin as a hair growth inhibitor we did just come across an article describing the discovery that licorice extract can effectively inhibit hair growth.

Hair growth inhibitor

According to the Dermatology Times, a study conducted at University Hospital, J. W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany has shown that an active compound extracted from licorice (glycyrrhizic acid) stopping hair growth in rats. Do you girls realize what this means??? That’s right, the garbage dumps and sewers in large urban areas will soon be over run by bald rats! And then they’ll need some sort of Mouse Minoxidil to counteract their rodential smoothness. And, oh yeah, it might also mean that Vdot can stop shaving her “girl ’stache.”

All kidding aside, this discovery could be a breakthrough in controlling unwanted hair. The researchers found that after only three days of treatment the rats showed some reduction in hair growth and after a week or two their skin was almost as smooth as a baby’s butt. Better still, there was no sign of skin irritation or other side effects that hair removal/growth inhibiting products can cause. The scientists theorize that licorice extract works by causing the hair shaft to detach from the follicular wall. Only time will tell if this discovery is better than the Epilar system. In the meantime, watch out for those hairless rats!

How do YOU deal with unwanted hair? Leave a comment and share your tricks and tips with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Posted in Beauty

Tags: Frankfurt, garbage dumps, Germany, glycyrrhizic acid, goethe university, growth, hair, hair growth inhibitor, hair shaft, hairless rats, hospital, j w goethe, J. W., Licorice, Unwanted, Vdot

2 Comments »

Human growth hormone significantly increases sprint capacity in healthy recreational athletes

May 4th, 2010

The FLHC

A newe study finds that human growth hormone (HGH) improves sprint capacity in healthy recreational athletes. This is the first trial to demonstrate that HGH improves athletic performance.

View full post on ScienceDaily: Fitness News

Posted in Physical Health

Tags: athletes, athletic performance, capacity, fitness news, growth, growth hormone hgh, healthy, HGH, hormone, human, human growth hormone, human growth hormone hgh, increases, newe, performance view, recreational, recreational athletes, significantly, sprint, study

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Is Fitter Fine For Hair?

April 14th, 2010

The FLHC

Severinka supposes… I came across the Fitter Hair Products and couldn’t find a single word on actual active or basic ingredients. While I sent an E-mail requesting a general disclosure, I was wondering if you, Dear Beauty Brain, have any insight on this?

The Right Brain rants:
Fitter fails to impress us. It appears to be another salon line making unsupported claims about stimulating hair growth. Here’s a few of the things they say about their Regenerator product:

REGENERATOR Increases thickness and density, Stimulates existing follicle growth Increases volume, body rootlift, Improves condition dramatically Increases elasticity, Increases shine and luster, Defines curl, Tames frizz Protects hair from modern styling aids, Reduces the need for styling products Helps control thinning due to the effects of the aging process and stress of modern day life.

They lost us at “stimulates existing follicle growth.” As we’ve discussed in previous posts on ways to stimulate hair growth, only drug products can make claims like this. And there aren’t very many approved drugs! The rest of the stuff they stay about defining curls and taming frizz is pretty typical. Any decent conditioner will help with that. But too little too late, they’ve already lost credibility because of their growth claims.

Fitter ingredients

What about the ingredients? We had a hard time tracking down a complete list of ingredients too, but we did find one reviewer who said Fitter used aged black rum, a purified castor oil, masticated fresh organic rosemary leaf, and protein extract from beef marrow. None of these ingredients (with the possible exception of castor oil) have any effect on hair whatsoever. And as far as fresh rosemary is concerned, just remember, mastication can cause blindness. At any rate, our opinion is that this Fitter formula can’t support the claims it makes.

Finally, it’s also interesting to note that Fitter says their products are “hand made without preservatives or chemical processes.” How do they hand make their shampoos? We have visions of them dumping drums of beef marrow into a bathtub and stirring it with an old boat oar.Now that’s hand made! And while we’re ranting, if their products don’t have preservatives, why they don’t grow mold or bacteria?

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Fitter formulas feel fake and foolish. End of rant.

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Posted in Beauty

Tags: basic ingredients, castor oil, fine, fitter, frizz, growth, hair, right brain, stimulating hair growth, styling products, unsupported claims

2 Comments »

What Does Your Hair Really Need?

February 17th, 2010

The FLHC

Cubelixa’s question…Ok, thanks to you I have already learned that silicones are not as bad as some people say; that the first 5 key ingredients of shampoo and conditioner of different brands are often the same or at least similar; and that the herbal stuff they throw into their products don’t do much for my hair but are mostly there for selling/marketing reasons. Now my question is: what (ingredients) does my hair really need to stay healthy and grow as long as I want it to?

The Left Brain’s answer:

The truth is your hair doesn’t “need” any topical ingredient to keep it “healthy” and growing long.

No such thing as healthy hair

It’s a common misconception that hair can be healthy. Hair can be no more healthy than a shoe lace, a cotton blouse, or any other non-living fiber. The hair on your head is not living tissue. It is dead, keratinized protein. Hair cannot be healthy. Of course, it can look healthy or not-healthy but that’s not the same thing.

What does hair need?

So, hair doesn’t need any topical treatment. However, hair follicles (the living tissue below your scalp that makes hair) do need vitamins, nutrients, and other critical elements that it gets from the foods you eat. This is why it is important to eat a healthy diet to have healthy looking hair.

One other factor

Although there is no ingredient you can put on your hair to make it healthier or improve growth, the particular hair style you wear can have an effect on growth. If you wear pony tails, do a lot of heat styling, or otherwise physically damage your hair, it will negatively affect hair growth.

Read more in the Beauty Brains Forum thread on healthy hair.

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Posted in Beauty