Belgravia Expert Advises Mashable on Dry Shampoo and Hair Loss

When Facebook user Nicole Baxter posted about dry shampoo causing her hair loss, she was overwhelmed by the response. Her story was quickly picked up by social media users and the press across the world and her original post, at the time of writing, has been shared almost 31,000 times.

Belfast-based Nicole visited her GP who diagnosed her with Triangular Alopecia and posted a photo of her thinning patch to Facebook alongside an explanation detailing how person who diagnosed her had advised that her dry shampoo use was to blame for her hair loss.

Triangular Alopecia diagnosis

Triangular Alopecia is another name for Temporal Alopecia which causes a patch of balding that may contain small vellus hairs, that is often shaped like a triangle and is generally located to the side of the head. It usually affects people during childhood between the ages of 2 and 9, and is officially known to affect less than 0.2 per cent of the population although it is believed to be far more common with many people affected not seeking help and therefore not receiving a professional diagnosis.

Nicole was sent for a biopsy, however it did not take place as her hair loss and blistered scalp had cleared up significantly between her initial GP's visit and her biopsy appointment after she stopped using dry shampoo.

This recovery is somewhat unusual for her diagnosis given Triangular Alopecia is usually considered a permanent hair loss condition. This is good news for Nicole though as Temporal Alopecia currently has no effective treatment options other than hair restoration surgery which may only be possible in certain cases.

Mashable asks Belgravia Centre specialist

When the top international media website Mashable needed an expert opinion for their report on this viral story, they turned to The Belgravia Centre's senior hair loss specialist, Leonora Doclis.

Doclis, who has been featured in the likes of Grazia and the Mail Online, explained that there is no proven link between dry shampoo and hair loss although here at Belgravia we have been aware of anecdotal evidence linking the two since 2014.

She explained how hair breakage - where the hair snaps along the shaft, even near the root - can be caused by some hair products that contain harsh chemicals. This can give the appearance of a hair loss condition even though it is not given the hair follicle is not involved, and the damage is actually fairly cosmetic so can usually be dealt with by ceasing use of the suspect product and giving your hair some TLC.

We always advise clients to wash their hair regularly - ideally every day or every other day - which means this product is not necessary, however, given the many factors involved in hair loss - most often genetics - Leonora believes it is unlikely that Nicole's experience was the result of dry shampoo alone.

In cases whereby the hair has snapped off and bald patches have been caused by styling damage, minoxidil - a clinically-proven hair loss treatment used to accelerate regrowth in cases of female pattern hair loss and Telogen Effluvium, for example - can help to encourage the hair's natural growth cycle. This can be particularly useful in extreme cases such as Nicole's, as can working on improving the health of your hair with nourishing conditioning treatments as well as highly-targeted hair supplements such as Hair Vitalics which are packed with the vitamins, minerals and botanical extracts needed to strengthen your hair from the inside.