Do you know if pomades/hair dressings like brylcreem, Layrite, Royal Crown, or Murray’s, many of which are vasoline type products, can contribute to hair loss? Also, what do you make of the hair loss theory in the old advertisement i.e. dry hair causes dandruff and dandruff is forerunner of thinning hair and baldness?

Old ad here: Brylcreem

Dandruff is not a forerunner of thinning or hair loss or baldness. Dandruff just means you have a dry, flaky scalp. There are plenty of old advertisements that show doctors recommending cigarettes, too. Medicine and science have come a long way… not to mention the laws that are in place to protect consumers from fraudulent advertising.

Hair products do not generally cause hair loss (unless there is an allergy or other sensitivity). With that said, using pomade or other wax may cause hair loss if you are rough with your hair — pulling on it, for example. You can use a good shampoo which will have surfactants in it to help get rid of the pomades, though it might take more than one washing to get your hair clean of them. Bottom line, on their own these products do not contribute to genetic hair loss positively or negatively.

Hello Dr.
I am 21 years old and i have been using Rogain and Propecia for a long time( about a year). Unfortunately I have not had a positive result from these medicines. I lost hair since I was 15. I am norwood 1 or 2. I have heard about an oil called Rejuvenating Oil including oils from plants such as:

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Juglans Regia (Walnut) Seed Oil, BHT, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Gardenia Florida Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, and also chemicals such as: Chlorphenesin, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool

Are these oils really helpful ?

No, the oils probably do not help with your hair loss. Of course, you’re welcome to try the product out for yourself, but I don’t see anything in that list that will cause your hair to regrow.

My question to you is why did you use Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride) when you classify yourself as a Norwood 1? Plus, I’m not sure what you’re looking for as far as results that have lead you to believe there was no positive result. Are you expecting complete regrowth, or do you know that just seeing the hair loss halt is also considered a positive benefit? As you can see, after reading your email I’m left with more questions than answers. There is something wrong with your logic, and unfortunately without an exam and better medical history, there isn’t much I can offer you.

(female) ok well i was using this shampoo i recently got and i used it 2 times and it was fine and then the third time i used it my hair started to fall out like crazy i was having a panic attack in the shower and then i used it AGAIN! because i thought i over reacted the last time and when i put it in i new there was something wrong so i washed it out straight away. then i switched to a different shampoo and it must have reacted with the shampoo i used bfore because i woke up the next morning with about 200 hairs on my pillow, and now its continued like this for 4 weeks now and im a complete disaster, and i changed to a 100% organic shampoo because i thought it was the chamicals but its still falling out what do i do….please help me i lose around 300 hairs a day

This is quite unusual. I don’t know enough about the products you used or your medical history, though. If you’re losing that much hair in a night, I’d suggest seeing a doctor for an in-person examination. Bring the shampoos you used with you so the doctor can see if there is anything in there that could be of concern.

I recently went to a trichologist following some increased hair loss and he did a miniturization test and said I have very little miniturization of hair. I asked him how much – he said maybe 2 or 3%. Hence I have no genetic thinning/minturization.

However in addition to this the trichologist prescribed tyrosine (amino acid) for me. He noted there was redness/swelling around my hair follicles caused by white blood cells attacking the stem of the hairs (according to him). I noticed this redness when he was doing the miniturization microscopic test – the redness is not visible to the naked eye but quite evident around the follicles under microscope.

I want to know if this is the right course of action? What is this redness exactly? Is this what is causing my more than usual (but not excessive) shedding?

Additional info: I’m 23 and my dad is the only one of my relations with hair loss. He is probably a norwood V and lost most of his hair in his 30s.

I felt the need to bulletpoint four important points I want to make here:

1. Trichologists are not doctors. They do not prescribe medications or diagnose medical conditions.
2. I do not know of such test that can see redness and white blood cells attacking follicles (even under a microscope).
3. Tyrosine as you know is an amino acid, but it really has no role in balding. You don’t need a supplement as it is plentiful in meat, dairy, eggs as well as almonds, avocados, bananas, etc.
4. If you want a real medical opinion about skin redness, see a dermatologist.

I found this page that says mixing an egg with brandy, then rubbing it on your head to grow hair. Or using almond oil…. or mixing eggs, honey, and olive oil. They also say that copper prevents hair loss and zinc prevents grey hair. WHAAAAAT?

Point is, I wonder where these crazy ideas come from. Is there anything in eggs that would lead someone to believe that they’ll regrow your hair? Why use brandy? I know you probably can’t answer that, but I’m thinking out loud. These things are so ridiculous to me and I am sure I’m not the only one that shares that thought process. I believe there’s a place for homeopathic medicine in the world, but these hair loss “cures” are so obviously dumb it surprises me that people can’t just see they’re wasting time before they even start.

I agree and share your thought process as well. Much of the homeopathic remedies I’ve been asked about through this site have been truly ridiculous and won’t do a thing for your regrowing your hair or preventing it from falling out. I have no idea where such ideas come from, but I can’t help but just shake my head whenever I hear about a new one. Maybe someone’s drunk uncle had a full head of hair, so the idea of using brandy came into play?

Eggs and brandy… isn’t that eggnog? What better way to celebrate the holidays than trying to get your scalp drunk? Garnish with nutmeg and serve.

(female)
Hello
Just a quick question.. About a year ago I dyed my hair for the first time. ANd then it got really dry and brittle. Well it’s been a year and it’s still like that! Is it because I dyed it, even though since then I haven’t dyed it again and my hair is back to it’s natural color. I have very short hair and all the hair I have dyed is completely off (due to hair cuts) the problem is it’s still dry. Can you tell me why that is? What should I do?

Maybe you can try a different shampoo or conditioner? If you damaged your hair from dying it, as the hair grows out, the normal hair from below the skin will replace what is brittle. If the dying was toxic, you may have damaged the hair below the skin. I have an extensive discussion of dyes in my new book, Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies, which you can buy at your local book store, major chain book store, or from HairOutletStore.com (powered by Amazon).

If you are still bothered by your hair, see a good hair stylist or even a dermatologist for a good examination.