This Coffee Shop Ingredient Could Save Your Hairline

As much as men may not like to admit it, hair loss can leave a serious dent on their self esteem.  Interestingly, there may be a solution to hair loss – a solution that is already a big part of our daily lives: caffeine. Yes, the same substance that gives our coffee its ‘kick’!

WORDS LIM TECK CHOON

FEATURED EXPERT DR ADOLF KLENK Chemist and Researcher

Don’t go washing your hair with espresso just yet, though, as the amount of caffeine consumed by even the heaviest coffee drinkers is not enough to do the trick.

According to Dr Adolf Klenk, a leading researcher of caffeine and its effects on hair loss, you will need to consume 40-50 cups of coffee to provide the dose of caffeine needed to make its way up to the hair root!

Fortunately, caffeine can be used as an active ingredient in shampoos, hair gels, and other hair care products without causing health problems.

CAFFEINE AND THE HAIR

Male pattern hair loss is a condition caused by an inherent sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a substance produced in the body from the male sex hormone testosterone.

Dr Klenk explains that research on caffeine indicates that:

• Caffeine can control the effects of DHT and therefore prevent premature hair loss in men.
• “Caffeine can also protect hair roots against hereditary hair loss in men and support healthy hair growth,” he adds.

RESEARCH ON CAFFEINE IS PROMISING

The Center for Cosmetologic Research, Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome performed an application test on 30 male subjects, aged from 18 to 55 with male pattern baldness. They found that caffeine shampoo, when used over 6 months, can:

• Decrease hair pulled out by 7% after 3 months, 14% after 6 months.
• Significantly improves strength of hair.
• Reduce intensity of hair loss.
• Reduce typical scalp problems such as itch, dryness and tension.

The same centre conducted another research, this time using caffeine liquid hair wash, on men with alopecia (a type of hair loss caused by the cells of the immune system attacking one’s own hair follicles) over 2-4 months.

They found that the caffeine liquid hair wash brought about the following benefits:

• Decreases hair loss by 8% after 2 months, 15% after 4 months.
• Reduces premature hair loss by 43%.
• Improves hair structure by 53%.
• Improves scalp condition by 12%.
• Reduces balding by 43%.

Therefore, if you are worried about losing your hair, or if you are already losing your hair, it may be worth discussing with a dermatologist or hair restoration expert about using caffeine hair care products.

DON’T FORGET THE B VITAMINS

• B vitamins can help with the formation and growth of new hair follicles.
• To complement your efforts to prevent or reduce hair loss, consider adding good sources of B vitamins to your daily diet, such as chicken, fish, eggs and dark leafy vegetables such as spinach.