Hairy Topic

HAIR LOSS, is a mysterious, touchy, and probably-widespread occurrence that most people don’t know how to start fixing. As a man (or boy in some of your eyes), I am a ‘victim’ of such a condition, but have tried some remedies which one proved effective!

DISCLAIMER! I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL, THIS IS NOT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT. THIS IS NOT SUPPORTED BY ANY SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. THIS IS PURELY MY EXPERIENCE IN THE (PROLONGED) USE OF ALL PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE.

To start things off, I will provide some background information, in particular my diet, and phases I have been through that might/ might not have any effect on my hair.

1. I eat a lot of instant noodles, like close to 1 (individual) packet every two days or more. For a period of my life, it makes up 1 meal of a normal day, but never more than that. MSG-free and not, dry and soup, but nothing spicy since I have a sensitive stomach.
2. Genetics is a main suspect in my case as seen on my dad, whom has a ‘birdnest’ look once he reaches his 50s. Like him, when I was younger, I had a head full of thick, luscious hair, but it didn’t last into my late 20s.
3. My daily routine consists of work, which didn’t require me to wear a cap (or any headdress). The only time that happened didn’t last more than 6 months.
4. Shampoo (and its brands) was a tricky subject to me. I disliked anything minty (since it tickles my scalp), and have tried soap bars, liquid shampoo, to no avail or any significant effects on my hair loss problem.
5. Hair wash routine. I used to wash my hair once every two days, then once daily during the period I swam (daily). I don’t wash my hair at night, no matter if I perspired.
6. Hair loss specific products. The only, specialised one I have ever tried was your so-called ‘Hair Tonic’. It comes in a black/ brown bottle with a stray attachment. The same brand can cost between $160 to $250, which actually isn’t an issue as long as it could fix my problem, but it didn’t.

After stating the above points, I will bring you to one more pre-remedy which might have helped lay the foundation to my ‘recovery’.

The above brand and make was recommended by my hairdresser, who was very helpful in suggesting methods and products that might help my condition. That particular product cleanses sebum that have been clogging my (hair) pores, which in turn might have obstructed any growth. According to hairdresser, any pores that no longer have hair in them, will never produce any more (new) hair, so I was literally left with what I have, plus dire hopes for an effective/ ultimate solution.

After more (sloppy) research online, I jumped on the first brand that popped up (as shown below). Since I technically had nothing better to try, I bought a bottle and used it daily.

I am going to skip all the technicalities about the said caffeine shampoo since we are more interested in whether it worked, so I will leave that knowledge for you guys to research.

The turning point came about one (empty) bottle into the use of it, when I had a haircut. My hairdresser claimed that my hair loss was less obvious, though I was pretty sceptical about his comment. But that said, there was one symptom that was very obvious to me;

Less hairfall during my morning showers/ shampoo.

As I showered in the dark (without lights on), I mostly made that conjecture from how little hair I could feel on(or have to rinse off) my fingers when I shampooed. Note that I have no visual cues, nor was I able to measure the results scientifically.

Three (total) bottles into that same brand of shampoo, I had unconsciously stopped paying any attention to the thinning spot on my head. Or rather, it no longer attracted my attention. Even my hairdresser complimented on it, though he still reminds me of the supposed, intended audience of the brand – which are of American/ European/ German region, whatever that meant.

Again, whatever that meant, it worked for me. Though it might not be a one-solution-for-all, this can be a possible fix for the many of us out there who is grasping for any effective ‘cure’. I receive no sponsorship of any kind for this post, but this topic is definitely way bigger than any kind of rewards for spreading word of that product.

Is there any downside? Well, the only requirement for that shampoo to work is for its user to leave it on for at least 3 minutes, or in my impatient case, as long as it takes for the minty tingle to set in before I rinse it off. Just to clarify, that ‘minty tingle’ is solely for the product to tell you that it has been absorbed. It is not a menthol/ spearmint ‘flavour’ to refresh your scalp.

As usual, if you have any doubts, consult your doctor or a specialist. Don’t take my word for it if you have known allergies, or taking medicine that causes hair-loss as a side effect. State in the name of the product, it contains caffeine, so that’s one more thing to be aware of.

Side note: I am still on my third bottle, having bought a fourth one in confidence. Oily and wet hair still exposes some of my scalp, but that would apply to anyone with a healthy head of hair too.