Will My Hair Care Routine Prevent Hair Loss?'

Name: Hamza

Question: Hi. I'm not really suffering from hair loss. being 20, i think i may have lost very very minimal amounts of hair from the corners of my hairline. like i said, very minimal. i have naturally thick hair, which is good. I honestly just want to maintain my current hair, and do whatever to prevent hair loss as much as I can. I am looking to apply jamaican black castor oil to my scalp 2 times a week, take biotin pills daily, regenpure dr shampoo twice a week (after sleeping on castor oil and washing in the morning), is there anything else you recommend? is my routine good?

Answer: Hi Hamza. Your hair care routine is a way of caring for the condition of your hair and keeping it clean, healthy and shiny. What you cannot do with hair care products, however, is treat or prevent male pattern baldness - which appears to be the type of hair loss you are describing here - no matter how much or how little hair you have lost.

This kind of genetic shedding which can cause a receding hairline - as you mention - is inherited from your parents and, although for many men who have this predisposition it may become more noticeable from their mid-to-late twenties and thirties, it can actually start any time following puberty.

Male pattern baldness is a permanent and progressive condition although the rate of shedding can vary from person to person, and many lifestyle factors including stress, smoking and dietary deficiencies can trigger its onset or accelerate its effects in those who are affected.

The thinning hair caused by male pattern baldness is due to a process called 'follicular miniaturisation'. This happens when the testosterone in men prone to genetic hair loss is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which then binds to the susceptible hair follicles located in the areas along the top of the scalp from crown to hairline and temples. This gradually crushes them, causing them to produce increasingly weaker, thinning hair and receding, which can eventually develop into baldness.

Using shampoos, vitamins and hair oil have no effect on this type of hairloss condition; they can only benefit the health of the hair, they cannot address a genetic hair loss condition. There are two clinically-proven hair loss treatments for men which have been MHRA licensed and FDA approved for this specific purpose, designed to inhibit the formation of DHT and help to accelerate hair growth.

These are the only proven treatments for male pattern baldness and they can be used separately or together, and in conjunction with supplementary products that support hair growth, or your own vitamins such as biotin. You should, however, be careful as to your intake as biotin can actually cause hair loss if regularly taken in too large a dose.

In order to ascertain the best course of action for your specific situation, we advise having a consultation with a hair loss specialist. They can assess your scalp and provide personalised treatment recommendations based on their findings and your medical profile. From there, once you have all the information you need on the most suitable options available, you can decide on the best route for you.