RUNNING a brush through your hair and seeing it full of shedded strands can be alarming, but hair loss is common – affecting eight million women in the UK.
With causes ranging from hormone changes to nutrient deficiencies, could a high street treatment solve the problem?
We asked six women to test products that claim to boost growth and lower shedding and thinning.
The trials lasted for 12 weeks and here they give Alex Lloyd their verdicts while consultant trichologist Eva Proudman examines the products’ claims.
Ruby Deevoy, 36
THINNED POST BREAST-FEEDING
RUBY from Inverkeithing, Fife, used Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo, £6.65 for 250ml, .
She says: “I have always been blessed with thick , but since having Covid and stopping my son, it has become much thinner, with visible patches of scalp and clumps falling out in the shower.
“Terrified I was going bald, I felt self-conscious in photos. I had tried applying aloe vera gel daily, which left it feeling hydrated and lusher, but was keen to test alternatives.
“As I wash my hair two to three times a week, this shampoo was easy to slot into my routine.
“But I didn’t enjoy the synthetic, masculine smell, and while it left my hair shiny, it felt frizzier and dried out. The worst part was the headaches I kept getting afterwards.
“I’m sensitive to caffeinated drinks – coffee gives me anxiety – so I suspect that key ingredient was the cause.
“But I can’t deny that my hair feels thicker, especially at the front. While I prefer more natural remedies, this seems a cost-friendly and effective option.”
EVA SAYS: The only evidence of caffeine helping with is on a petri dish in a lab.
We haven’t been able to replicate it on the scalp in tests. Also, the formulations of these shampoos can leave the scalp tight and hair dry.
But it will get your hair clean and using a good washing technique will help scalp and growth anyway.
Jess Wilson, 35
RECENT ONSET THINNING
JESS from Morecambe, , used Skin Gym LED Hair Brush, £64, skingymco.com.
She says: “I first noticed thinness in my hair last and put it down to sun damage and not using a good enough heat protector. But by January there was no improvement.
“The brush is smaller than my normal hairbrush, with hard bristles and three settings – blue light, red light and sonic vibrations to stimulate follicles and promote circulation.
“The instructions advised me to use it twice a day for 12 weeks, but immediately I had a problem.
“While I expected to use it like a normal hairbrush, the bristles are so stiff that I needed to pre-brush and detangle my hair first.
“I thought the vibrations might feel like a head massage, but the whole experience was quite painful and occasionally I felt like the brush was actually pulling my hair out.
“After three months I didn’t see any difference – disappointing, given the price.”
EVA SAYS:The massage effect of a brush is good for the scalp and pulls blood flow into the follicle, but you want a flexible one.
This brush seems hard and could cause breakage. A product called the Manta Pulse does the job really well.
As for the red light feature, you need laser diodes in order to penetrate the follicle and stimulate the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) cells that are the energy-carrying molecules.
While LED works for skin, it doesn’t penetrate hair at the depth needed.
Amerley Ollennu, 40
HAIRLINE ALOPECIA
AMERLEY, from North West , used Typebea G1 Overnight Boosting Peptide Hair Serum, £34.40, from Sephora.
She says: “After 30 years of blow-drying, I’d developed traction alopecia, or hair loss caused by pulling.
“It was most noticeable along my hairline, and I tried everything to help, from expensive exosome therapy – exosomes are derived from stem cells – to scalp serums. I even had a hair transplant to restore some of it.
“But there are still thin patches, so I was keen to try this product from ’s range.
“Once I’d mastered the tricky applicator, I loved that it can be used on clean, dirty, dry or wet hair, as I only wash mine twice weekly.
“It didn’t leave it greasy, but sometimes my scalp felt sensitive and itchy.
“By week 12, I felt like I was losing less in my brush and could see a difference in hair density on my hairline and scalp. But there was no noticeable change in growth with dormant hair follicles.”
EVA SAYS:Peptides are amino acids, the building blocks of protein, but they are not able to get into the follicle.
Also, the serum has both water and alcohol as the carriers for the ingredients, but only the latter can penetrate the hair – and I can’t tell if it has enough.
Proteins such as soya bean give hair a plumped-up cosmetic thickness, but won’t treat the underlying cause.
Annette Kellow, 40
RECEDING AFTER SON BORN
ANNETTE, from West London, used Nutrition Geeks Biotin Growth+ tablets, £9.99 for 180, from .
She says: “Since my son was born six years ago, I’ve had hair loss around the front and sides.
“It looks particularly thin if I don’t keep some curl in it.
“After said rosemary oil helped, I used it twice a week but it left my hair greasy.
“This supplement is stronger than many standard biotins and I found it easy to take one a day alongside my multivitamin.
“For a long time I didn’t see any difference and felt frustrated, but I then learned it takes at least 12 weeks to notice a change, so I kept going with it.
“At around 18 weeks I started to see little baby hairs on the sides of my head and the front where my fringe is.
“I’m going to stick with it, as I feel it is good for my and skin too.”
EVA SAYS: Studies show that taking biotin – also known as vitamin B7 – can help hair, skin and nails if you are deficient.
But it’s rare to be lacking this on a .
Taking too much can affect thyroid function, and if that goes out of sync, you’ll see a negative effect on your hair.
I’d advise supplementing other nutrients such as B3, B6 and B12, plus vitamin D. My patients are often low in the latter, as well as iron and zinc.
Ali Prickett, 38
SEASONAL HAIR LOSS
ALI, from St Neots, , used Forest & Shore Hair Oil, £18.99 for 100ml, Amazon.
She says: “Every , my hair loss is so excessive I feel like a tree shedding its leaves. I’ve tried using products with no sulphates or parabens and increasing my vitamin intake, but nothing has made a noticeable difference.
“This product combines 12 oils with vitamin E and there are two options of how to use it – as a mask or post-wash.
“I opted to apply it two hours before washing my hair twice weekly and also added a few drops to the ends once dried.
“The pipette’s design made it tricky to get a full dose, so I had to pour it straight from the bottle.
“I saw an improvement surprisingly quickly, with new growth after only a few uses. Several weeks later, the shedding slowed and then stopped.
“I’m a convert and have raved about this oil to anyone who will listen.”
EVA SAYS:This oil has lots of effective ingredients and a nice formulation, with rosemary, lavender and antioxidants that will stimulate the hair follicle.
Some are hydrating, but others could irritate the scalp as it is already oily.
The application process is beneficial as you are massaging it into the scalp.
But I think it might contain too many elements, which means you get very little of each one.
Nikki Watkins, 41
SHEDDING IN SHOWER
NIKKI, from Tamworth, , used Aveda Invati Ultra Advanced range, from £33, Boots.
She says: “I had been losing hair for four weeks before I began the test – lots of strands would come out in the shower.
“The range has four steps – exfoliating shampoo (£33 for 200ml), thickening conditioner (£37.50 for 200ml), revitalising scalp serum (£60 for 150ml) and fortifying leave-in treatment (£39 for 100ml).
“This was more hair admin than I am used to, but it was quick to do. The shampoo was rich and smelt gorgeous, but the conditioner made my hair feel a little dry.
“My barnet didn’t look any different and the hair loss continued, only stopping in the last few days – despite finishing the test a while back.
“It turns out I’m anaemic, so the hair loss could have been a side-effect, or even seasonal. I don’t think an expensive hair range can do much about either.”
EVA SAYS: I like Aveda’s Invati range, however I’m not sure about the formulation of this new shampoo.
It’s sulphate-free, but there’s a misconception around sulphates.
They are a good cleaner, but you need MEA and TEA (monoethanolamide and triethanolamine) types, which have big molecules that don’t dehydrate the hair, rather than SLS (sodium laureth sulphates).
