Clarifying the scalp for hair growth?

[renia22]

For those with hair loss issues, have you found that clarifying the scalp helps? I was reading on-line reviews for the Aqua Glycolic shampoo, and the reviews seem to be mostly positive. What people are saying is it helps to clarifying the scalp, and therefore aid in hair growth. These are the ingredients:

Amino Methyl Propanol, Water (Purified), Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, Ammonium Glycolate, Fragrance 4925, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Here is another one:
Glycolix 10% Elite Shampoo: Lauryl Polyglucose, Purified Water, Sodium laureth sulfate, Glycolic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance

These probably sound like a nightmare for those avoiding chemicals or sulfates, but the reviews from those with scalp issues were that it helped clear them up.

So far my favorite shampoos for my hair type (oilier at roots, drier at ends, prone to shedding, sensitive to certain ingredients) have been Curelle Energe Shampoo and Klorane Nettle. Both cannot be purchased in the United States & paying both the high price & shipping costs is getting to be too much. They both helped me reduce the amount of shedding I was experiencing, though. I am hoping to find something similar around here, but have yet to find a shampoo that either doesn't contain sodium chloride, silicones, or an ingredient list a mile long.

For reference, my skin generally tolerates glycolic acid pretty well & I actually prefer some sulfates, like sodium laureth sulfate, over sulfate free shampoos (with the exception of Curelle). My hair & scalp don't seem to tolerate sodium chloride, baking soda, vinegar, a ton of essential oils or botanicals, long ingredient lists or silicones very well.

What do you guys think? Is there a simpler way to clarify the scalp, or would you try one of these shampoos?

[fairview]

With all things being equal and no challenges from meds, the environment or physical issues (extreme stress, anxiety, pregnancy, etc) when dealing with hair loss one of the very first and easiest to rule out is hormonal imbalances. Women suffering from unexplained hair loss should pay a visit to their Doc and request a blood panel for not only estrogen but also testosterone. Both are naturally present for women however as a woman matures although testosterone production does not increase, estrogen production naturally drops which can lead to an upside down ratio of the two. This natural decrease in estrogen production by default allows a woman to become testosterone dominant which has the potential to create symptoms very similar to male pattern baldness with thinning/loss of hair around the crown and regression of the hairline at the the temples.

Men experiencing hair loss, should request a blood panel reflecting testosterone levels and DHT levels. DHT is a natural metabolite of testosterone and it is exponentially stronger than testosterone. Among the many things it does to men, including benign prostrate enlargement is to shrink the hair follicles of the scalp causing male pattern baldness bit at the same time has the reverse effect on body and facial hair making them thicker and coarser. The same drugs used to alleviate the benign prostrate enlargement also have the the positive side effect of hair regrowth. Proscar/Propecia are FDA approved for treating male pattern baldness.

Unfortunately for women not as much has been invested. Most all of the meds approved for men are not approved for women capable off bearing children due to the high probability of birth defects in male children.

If is isn't a hormonal imbalance treating hair loss at home can be nothing more than Russian roulette. Just as you would see a dermatologist for a skin disorder when it comes to treating unexplained hair loss, seeing a trichologist would be the best investment.

[renia22]

Hi fairview- thanks for the reply. I probably should add that I am in good health, I get bloodwork checked every 6 months (hormones within normal ranges, thyroid levels good, not anemic, vitamin D levels within normal range, I eat plenty of protein, have normal periods, not menopausal, etc),

[Shepherdess]

I have been using an Apple cider vinegar mixture on my hair about once a week with baking soda, and I really like it! I have noticed that I often do lose more hair after I deep condition my hair and scalp with natural oils, so I'm thinking that I'm going to start being more careful with anything I apply to my scalp. Using Rosemary and lavender on the scalp can be helpful as well. Since bacteria can sometimes form on the scalp and cause hair loss, I think that clarifying can be good sometimes to help clear the scalp and prevent this. Although I am trying to avoid washing my length as frequently and also trying to learn to do more scalp only washes instead. :)

[Happytresses]

I have a purifying shampoo from Sukin that is really good. Its doesn't have harsh chemicals. Take a look online and tell me what you think. I also use their protein conditioner.

[renia22]

Shepherdess- you are fortunate that you can tolerate baking soda & vinegar, that seems to be the least expensive way to go. My skin gets red & irritated from baking soda, I can't even use a pinch or have it be in natural body powders or anything like that. Vinegar was a let down too. I seem to have a similar issue with sodium chloride, which seems to be in many shampoos.

Happytresses- from that ingredient list, it looks like a nice herbal shampoo. Does it clarify pretty well? It looks like it's an Australian brand, right? I have not come across it before.

I am actually thinking of contacting Klorane and asking them to offer the Nettle shampoo through drugstore.com like they do some other ones. Even though my hormones are within normal ranges, maybe I do have a DHT build up on my scalp or something, or maybe my well water affects my scalp. Maybe that's why I seem to do well with sodium laureth sulfate & nettle. Klorane also make a peony shampoo that I haven't tried yet, and even though it's pricey at least I can get free shipping with that one. Herbatint also makes a few shampoos that look like they might work for my hair, but I have not heard anyone mention them on this board.

[Fantak]

renia22 I have a similar problem and I know another administrator on the boards is similar. Neither of us can use oils or conditioner on our scalp for an extended time. The other user must use sulfate shampoos or else she starts shedding like crazy. Aloe Vera caused my hair to shed so badly I thought I'd end up with bald patches.

What I mean to say is that there are some long hairs out there who can't tolerate the usual miracle-worker-for-everyone product or treatment. I remember seeing someone on LHC who when she stretched washes ended up getting bad sheds and so went back to washing with sulfate shampoo and her hair was much healthier.

You have to find what works for you through trial and error and yes it's frustrating because all the recommended remedies don't work but eventually something will and all the experimenting will be worth it :D

I hope I didn't ramble too much! Best of luck!!

P.S. if you dilute shampoo it may be worth the splurge of getting something expensive :) I say this after trying a bunch of local shampoos for the past 6 months to no avail and will now go back to my super expensive shampoo that will cost another mini fortune to ship :/

[renia22]

That makes a lot of sense, fantak. I can relate to a lot of the above. That is horrible about the aloe! How scary! In my case, I think I made things much worse by buying into the 'sulfates are bad' trend (not that they aren't for some people). The worst my hair & scalp have ever been were on most sulfate free shampoos, shampoos with silicones or lengthy ingredient lists, and oils or conditioners on my scalp. Shampoo bars wreck my hair something awful, too. The Klorane Nettle is probably the best I ever tried. It makes my hair really clean and shiny and hardly any shedding at all, which for me is like a miracle. But at $15 plus $10 shipping per bottle, it adds up. Maybe I can dilute it like you suggested and use it a couple of times a week, and something else on other days (stretching washes makes things worse for me too, I wash daily). I am currently waiting for a bottle to arrive and with it I ordered a small bottle of the Klorane peony one to try it, so I hope that one is similar. I also might try Finesse volumizing again; I recall a while back having minimal shedding from that one but I think I stopped using it because I was trying to go more 'natural'. That one is hard to find in stores, but easy to find on-line, and it's only about $4.

Which shampoo do you like that you are paying a small fortune to ship?

[Bedhead]

Well, since you're blood work came out positive, have you looked at the mineral content of your water? It was one of my major contending factors. If it is heavy with minerals, your might want to invest in a water filter for your shower. Once I stopped using my water, my hair started to sprout up all over the place.

As far as the clarifying is concerned, any clarifying shampoo is going to have SLS in it. However, it's not something you would use frequently. I've used one, when I was first going NW/SO, and it helped tremendously, not for hair growth, but to help take away build-up that caused and imbalance in my hair and scalp. Once you do that, then you can start fresh, and know what's actually affecting your hair, rather than reacting to whatever you had built up on your hair.

I would also recommend more scritching and massage to stimulate the folicles.

[renia22]

Well, since you're blood work came out positive, have you looked at the mineral content of your water? It was one of my major contending factors. If it is heavy with minerals, your might want to invest in a water filter for your shower. Once I stopped using my water, my hair started to sprout up all over the place.


That is great you had success with a water filter. I have one too & notice that my hair feels better with it. Also when I stay at my parent's house occasionally, my hair feels very dry & unmanageable from their water. They have town & city water (I have well) and no filter.

[SlightlySoprano]

So I had this same issue, almost exactly. Bloodwork came out normal. Water isn't particularly hard or soft... and what I realized was, although my bloodwork came back normal, I still wasn't TRULY getting proper nutrition. Not enough fruits/vegetables in my diet, as well as fish. Once I started to eat better, my hair loss slowed significantly. It's all about whats on the inside, less about what's on the outside, unless you struggle with dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis (which I do, but I also find that I can control it partially with diet)

[renia22]

^^ Getting adequate protein definitely helps! Though of course we all probably know that one person who eats crap & has glorious hair (there's one on every crowd haha). Getting it right on the inside is probably #1 for the rest of us, though. Unfortunately, in my case, I also have the type of hair that if something has the potential to aggravate shedding, it usually does, and I have noticed a huge difference in shedding from one shampoo to the next. At this point I am hoping to just find & stick to a few shampoos that don't make things worse & hopefully not break the bank doing it :/

[SlightlySoprano]

Have you seen a dermatologist? Is it possible that you have a scalp skin problem similar to psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis?

[Othala]

I use a clarifying shampoo that contains Ammonium Laureth Sulphate at every wash. It totally solved my scalp issues (over-sensitivity, pain when moving hair even slightly, painful bumps) when natural products could not (yoghurt, aloe, rhassoul, other clays, herbal rinses, ACV, etc).

I think a well-formulated clarifying shampoo will remove product residues and not deposit any residues of its own in the hair follicle and thereby permit hair to grow un-obstructed. I was recommended on this course of action by my dermatologist who is also a personal friend and although I objected in the strongest terms for many weeks to his proposed strategy (clarifying shampoo, no rinse-out conditioner, no oils on scalp) I am very glad that I relented.

[kitcatsmeow]

for me, scritching has helped a LOT!

[renia22]

Have you seen a dermatologist? Is it possible that you have a scalp skin problem similar to psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis?

Nope, no scalp conditions, no dandruff.. the only time I seem to have scalp issues (acne on scalp, cysts, etc) is when I go sulfate free, ironically enough. Also if a shampoo is loaded with ingredients (even multiple essential oils, herbs), that makes shedding worse. I also seem to react poorly to shampoos containing sodium chloride.

I'm sure I'm just fighting an uphill battle with genetics. My grandmother on my mother's side had thinning hair (the thin all over type), and my sister has similar issues. Anything that can work to improve the situation I do already, I don't even take OTC medications or anything like that, high protein diet with lots of fruits & veggies, fish oil, fatty fish & chicken, get my vitamin D & iron checked..I'm sure that all helps but I strongly suspect genetics is working against me :( That and I do seem to have some sort of sensitivity to many shampoos.



I use a clarifying shampoo that contains Ammonium Laureth Sulphate at every wash. It totally solved my scalp issues (over-sensitivity, pain when moving hair even slightly, painful bumps) when natural products could not (yoghurt, aloe, rhassoul, other clays, herbal rinses, ACV, etc).

I think a well-formulated clarifying shampoo will remove product residues and not deposit any residues of its own in the hair follicle and thereby permit hair to grow un-obstructed. I was recommended on this course of action by my dermatologist who is also a personal friend and although I objected in the strongest terms for many weeks to his proposed strategy (clarifying shampoo, no rinse-out conditioner, no oils on scalp) I am very glad that I relented.

^ I can totally relate to this, although for me I seem to do well with simple sodium laureth sulfate formulations. Not always easy to find ones without sodium chloride, though I have found a few. I don't know if I ever tried a clarifying shampoo with ammonium laureth sulfate besides Finesse. I like that one but the fragrance gets to me. Do you have one that you recommend? Come to think of it, I have heard good things about Tresemme Deep Cleansing. I think that one has the ammoniums. Have you tried that one?

[Othala]

Do you have one that you recommend? Come to think of it, I have heard good things about Tresemme Deep Cleansing. I think that one has the ammoniums. Have you tried that one?

Ha ha! The clarifying shampoo I use is Tresemme Vitamin C deep cleansing shampoo.

[renia22]

Ha ha! The clarifying shampoo I use is Tresemme Vitamin C deep cleansing shampoo.

Ha! too funny. It's on sale at Shop Rite this week for $3, I will go get some. If I don't like it, no biggie for spending $3.

[renia22]

for me, scritching has helped a LOT!

I almost didn't see this. At first I didn't know what scritching was & had to look it up! I will try that, thanks!

[kdaniels8811]

have you considered trying indian herbs? I swear by them, shihaki, brahmi, amla, whatever I can get my hands on. I make a thick tea and squirt it on my scalp, then shower while it soaks in, then rinse. No irritation or chemicals with weird names. They are cheap (3.50/100 grams), last a long time, and do not irritate my scalp. My hair is dark auburn, on blonde hair the shihaki may darken the color but has no effect on dark hair color other than to make it nice and shiny. Good luck!

[renia22]

have you considered trying indian herbs? I swear by them, shihaki, brahmi, amla, whatever I can get my hands on.

No I have not, I only tried a shampoo with Indian herbs once but I do recall liking it. Which herb would you recommend for an oilier scalp (preferably something light & not a paste)?

(Actually I should mention I do color my hair with a BAQ henna/cassia mixture every 6 weeks or so. My hair itself is okay from this, and the color is nice, but the mixture doesn't really do anything for shedding)