There have been a handful of studies looking at whether caffeine affects hair growth or hair loss. However, the results have been mixed. Let’s take a closer look at the research.
There is some evidence that caffeine interferes with dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which we know plays a major role in male pattern hair loss. Specifically, caffeine seems to inhibit phosphodiesterase. This interference causes cell growth and stops the miniaturization of hair follicles which DHT does. In androgenetic alopecia, this miniaturization of the hair follicles is what precedes the death of the follicle and the hair loss.
But, there have also been some studies with identical twins that showed the opposite: that caffeine could cause hair loss. So, the benefits of caffeine are still debatable.
Before you pour your coffee on your head, consider some of the caveats:
- It’s not clear whether ingesting the caffeine or applying caffeine topically is best, although topically seems to be the winning idea.
- We don’t know yet how much caffeine would be of benefit. One study used 1% caffeine shampoo.
- Historically, coffee was used as a fabric dye. So, depending on your hair color, if you apply coffee to your hair and head, your hair could turn darker or more yellow or orange.
- Remember that coffee has a strong smell. Some people love that smell, but others do not. Do you want to smell like coffee all day?
This is definitely an exciting new avenue for research, but at this time, we can’t say for sure that soaking your scalp with caffeine or coffee will help reverse your hair loss.
If you want to start treatment for your hair loss, then there are some treatments that actually work, that are FDA-approved and are backed by solid science like the low-level laser therapy (LLLT) caps. Hair loss treatment is more effective when the hair follicles are starting to malfunction, but are still producing hair.
We are here for you when you’re ready to start treatment for hair loss.
If you have any questions about treatment for hair loss or any of our products, we encourage you to call us directly at (844) 280-4680.
