Provillus a scam?
While I was busy surfing the web last night, looking for some new ideas for this blog, when I suddenly came across a site that claimed that Provillus, the hair care product that I have been using for the past six months and have been getting fantastic results with, is actually an internet scam that has been bilking poor balding saps out of their hard earned money. How could this be? The product was working great for me. Sure, it took some time before any noticeable results, but my due diligence paid off in the long run and I am now looking great and feeling younger and more vibrant. Anyway let us look at some of the claims that these naysayers are spewing out about the Product.
Provillus is not a FDA approved treatment
This is false. Provillus’ topical solution includes minoxidil, one of the only two ingredients approved by the FDA to treat hair loss. It is true , that provillus includes a supplement of proprietary herbs that are not currently sanctioned by the FDA for the treatment of hair loss. This lack of approval, however, does not mean that this included supplement will not help you grow an healthier head of hair. Many of the ingredients, such as saw palmetto and Mura Puma have been used for centuries for this very purpose. These traditional medicines have always been sidelined by the modern medical establishment, yet there has to be a reason that people have been using them for so many years. On top of that, the various vitamins (B6 and Biotin) and minerals (zinc) that are included in the supplement, do have a scientific backing when it comes to growing and maintaining healthy hair.
Furthermore, we all know that the road to FDA approval is one that is paved with truck loads of cash, which enables large pharmaceutical companies to get the stuff that they stumble upon in their labs the offical seal of approval from the government. Certain proprietary substances cannot be patented and are therefore not considered profitable by these large profit hungry conglomerates, so the effects of these substances are downplayed by their researchers. It is also important to remember that both minoxidil and finasteride were being studied for something else before they were marketed as hair loss treatments, so that the companies that owned their patent rights could pad their bottom line and justify the millions they had spent in research and development.
I still don’t see any results…
One thing that I see over and over, are people complaining how they have been using provillus for a whole month and they still are not seeing any results. The thing is, it takes time for the stuff to work and you need to give it three to six months before you can say for sure that the product does not work. Most of us did not lose our hair overnight, it was a gradual process that took years. We cannot expect our hair to grow back it a mere fortnight, it takes a bit of patience and due diligence in order to get results. That being said, not everyone will benefit from using provillus. The stuff works best for people who suffer hair loss on the top of their head ( the old horse shoe) and some people will just be unlucky enough not to see any visible results after months of trying. As for the rest of you, keep it up for six months and then come back to complain.
Provillus is way too expensive
Truth is, Provillus treatment costs only about a dollar a day to use. Thats what, a half a cup of coffee these days? Sure, you may be able to find some cheaper stuff at Costco, but then you will not get the supplements that help you grow stronger and healthier hair or benefit from the the penetrating action of azeliac acid which is included in the provillus formula.
In conclusion
Give provillus a try for yourself and see that it really does work. After a month of using it, I was also getting a bit dismayed, but I kept it up and now I am sure glad that I did. Provillus is also backed with a 90 day money back guarantee, so act now and get back that hair you thought you had lost forever.
Nizoral shampoo and provillus
While I am extremely happy with provillus and how my hair has stopped falling out and even started to grow back these last several months, I have been doing research into products that I could possibly use in conjunction with my provillus treatment that might help increase the results and lead to thicker hair. iIdid look into the possibility of taking finasteride (ie propecia) along with provillus, however, I do not want to go through the hassle of getting a prescription and do not like all the negative press I found surrounding the adverse sexual side effects I may experience while taking a drug like finasteride. Looking around on the Net, I came across a blog from a guy who claimed that he was getting great results by using a combination of Minoxidil and Nizoral Shampoo, which is a shampoo that is marketed to treat dandruff. Since I happen to suffer from “shoulder snow” myself, I found the idea of a dandruff shampoo that helps you keep your hair almost too good to be true.
Dandruff and balding
A dandruff shampoo for hair loss? Now before you go out and buy several cases of Head and Shoulders, let me just say that Dandruff typically does not cause baldness (only in the most extreme cases does it lead to hair loss). Dandruff is caused by a fungal infection on your scalp and the overproduction of sebum from your sebaceous glands. The little fungi living in your scalp feed off of the oils secreted by the glands next to your hair follicles leading to itching and flaking and a multitude of little skin flakes that fall out of your hair and come to rest on your nice black sweater. Dandruff results from a combination of poor hair hygiene, too many greasy and fatty foods, and genetics. While dandruff and hair loss do not necessarily go hand and hand, the conditions are found together often enough that people can easily make that assumption that dandruff can cause balding.
How is Nizoral different?
Nizoral contains a synthetic anti fungal product called Ketoconazole, which has been scientifically proven to control the P. Oval fungi that are thought to cause dandruff. It is available over the counter in a 1% solution and a stronger dosage can be obtained with a prescription in more extreme cases. The real interesting thing about Nizoral is that a 1998 study showed that the 2% solution of the product seemed to stimulate hair growth with the same amount of effectiveness as a 2% minoxidil solution. While more studies need to be done before the FDA can let the makers of Nizoral market their product for men suffering from androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) it has been speculated that Ketoconazole will soon be let into the same class as minoxidil and finasteride.
As for Me…
Since provillus works for me, I am sticking with it, but since I have dandruff, I am also willing to give Nizoral a try. There seems to be no side effects besides a flake free head and PH balanced scalp, so I figure why not try it and see what happens. I will be sure to let you all know the results.
copper and coffee
Copper peptides
During the course of my studies into the world of hair loss and hair regrowth products, I have run across quite a large number of different products and chemicals that claim to stimulate the scalp, stop hair loss and initiate regrowth. One of the recent synthetically formulated compound that has come to my attention are Copper peptides. Copper peptides as a hair loss treatment, was reportedly discovered by researchers at the University of San Francisco who were conducted a study on wound repair. The copper peptides no only made the wounds heal faster, but seemed to stimulate the follicles also. After conducting more research on this phenomenon, Dr Loren Pickart, determined that applying copper peptides was like giving your scalp a protein injection. Dr. Pickart quickly realized the commercial significance of these copper peptides and soon thereafter, several hair care products were developed that utilized this new discovery namely Filipro, Folligen and Tricomen.
What is a peptide and why is hanging out with copper?
A peptide is basically a small polymer that is formed by several linked amino acids, which are the building blocks for most living tissues. The word peptide is derived from Greek and essentially means “small digestible”. Some of these little polymer dudes apparently have a liking to to copper, bonding to the metal thus forming a “copper peptide”. Copper itself is an essential mineral that is important for our hair and scalp, so it kind of make sense that these copper peptides would have a stimulating effect on our hair.
The results
While not as effective as other hair loss products such as Provillus, Propecia, or Rogaine, Products that contain copper peptides, seem to work best in conjunction with another product such as the ones mentioned above. Tricomen, Fillipro, and Folligen all have received rather mixed reviews when it comes to dealing with hair loss, but most people seem to agree that they do seem to improve the health of both the hair and scalp.
Coffee for your hair?
Apparently my favorite drink in the world is also being looked at as a possible topical treatment for people with thinning hair. Caffeine is thought to help stimulate hair growth when applied to the scalp and various coffee derived shampoos are now hitting the market as we speak. Some scientists, curious about caffeine’s effect of hair follicles conducted an experiment in which they placed hairs into several different test tubes each containing different concentrations of caffeine. Lo and behold, the hair in the caffeinated test tubes grew by about 33 percent. There was no mention in the report however, if the hairs got cranky when they were finally deprived of the caffeine. While these knew finding are interesting and help me justify my two pots a day habit, I think I will stick with other hair loss treatments just to be on the safe side.
Thickening that thinning hair
There are a number of hair thickening products on the market today aimed at the consumer who wants to do something about their thinning hair without having to make a huge commitment of time and money. It seems to make sense to purchase a daily use product, such as a shampoo or hair gel, that has a solution to thinning hair built right into it. These various hair care lines are relatively affordable and have given hope to men and women with thinning hair.
The overall effectiveness of these hair thickening shampoos, conditioners and gels seems to be dependent upon experience. Many people claim to see a thicker head of hair when they look in the mirror after using these product, while others claim no difference at all. I myself. used a particular hair care product for several years, never going a day without rubbing the gel into my thinning top. While I thought it made me look less balding at the time, now I am not so sure if it was really making my hair look better, or if I just merely assumed it did. Anyway, let us take a look at a few of these products and how the claim to work.
Vive for men
Vive for men in a hair care product from the L’Oreal company. It claims to thicken hair with its patented Regenium XY formula. Regenium XY is an advance polymer that supposedly helps thicken and foritfy the hair right down to the follicle. Reviews on this product are a bit mixed, but most tend to sway toward the positive side of things. The overal gist is that Vive for men does a great job at cleaning your hair and giving it a bit more fullness, but it is certainly not a miracle worker, It is not going to give you back any lost hair, or even keep you from losing more hair. It will only help make what you have left on your head seem a bit healthier. At around 8 bucks a bottle, this product is not exactly the cheapest shampoo on the market, yet if you ask your girlfriend or wife what they are paying for their shampoo, it begins to sound like a much better deal.
Vive also has a hair thickening styling gel o the market, that I used to swear by. This gel maintains good form and makes styling easy wand does seem to thicken your hair up a bit. The downside is, is that it can tend to get a bit messy to use and leaves your hair a bit rigid the next day.
Revita hair loss growth shampoo
This product claims not only to clean your hair, but also stimulate hair growth by minimizing the effects of DHT. The shampoo is complete free of sulfates, which are known to dry out hair and make it unhealthy, and contains a large number of interesting ingrediants including caffeine, taurine, copper peptides, emu oil, biotine and caratine which make it seem more like an energy drink than a hair care product. At around 27 dollars a bottle, the stuff does not come cheap and since they suggest that you use it at least five times a week, it is going to cost you a bit of dough. Most reviews say that it is an excellent shampoo that seems to have an effect in the long run, but it is certainly not as effective as your more vigorous DHT stopping solutions. Looking at the list of ingredients, I have trouble figuring our which one is meant to actually limit the effects of DHT and the company’s web site is no help and telling you either. After a bit of research, it seems that the copper peptides and caffiene are the two main ingredients which are meant to help stop hairloss and stimulate new growth.
Tricomin hair loss treatment
Like Revita, tricomin uses copper peptides to treat hair follicles. Copper peptides are believed to work in much the same way as minoxidil does in keeping DHT from binding with the hair follicle, but really does not have much scientific research to back it up. The tricomin pacakage which includes a shampoo, conditioner, and spray costs around 90 dollars, so be prepared to bust open the old piggy bank if you feel like trying this one out. While many of the reviews are favorable, there does seem to be an alarming number of people who clain that this product made their hair fall out. While this falling out may be akin to the initaial stages of minoxidil use as the hair moves from dormant to new growth phase, the alarming number of people with bad experiences make me want to shy away from this one.
Aloe Vera and hairloss?
Cruising around in cyberspace, I find many different sites dedicated hair loss prevention that tout the benefits of the little “miracle plant” from the lilac family: Aloe Vera. Many are willing to boldly claim that the gel of the Aloe Vera could possibly help reduce hair loss because of its cell rejuvenating properties along with its vitamin and mineral rich make up. Other hair loss experts claim that this is all horse hockey, and that Aloe Vera does not have any scientific merit what so ever when it comes to preventing hair loss. I say that we take a little bit further look into this plant and see what the real deal is.
Aloe: A short history
The Aloe Vera plant has been utilized by people for the past 4000 years as a medicinal aid for a multitude of ailments. Native to the dry, desert like climates of northern Africa, the Aloe Vera first experienced use with the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians who used it for its purgative properties. As various empires expanded, the Aloe plant traveled around the globe and was introduced to various cultures, all of whom discovered many uses for the plant. The Greek, Roman and Chinese dynasties all left behind writings that praise this little plant for all of its uses. Today, thanks in part to the internet, Aloe Vera is experiencing a revival of sorts as an alternative treatment for practically anything that you can think of from skin ailments to indigestion. The modern cosmetic industry has also latched onto the benefits of Aloe Vera, putting it all types of creams, balms and oils that are meant to heal and rejuvenate the skin.
Aloe’s Makeup
There is definitely no denying that the gel of the Aloe Vera Plant contains many good things that help the skin and body that warrants its lofty title as a “cure all” plant. It is rich in numerous vitamins and minerals as well as poly saccharides, which are long chain sugars that help penetrate damaged skin cells. Aloe is also contains anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties that make it an ideal treatment for small cuts, scrapes, bruises, and skin disorders such as acne or psoriasis.
Aloe and hair
Applying Aloe to your head will definitely help you keep your scalp and hair healthy and may even help prevent seborrhoeic baldness, which is characterized by flaky, oily skin. Androgen Alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness) however, will not really be fended off by this “miracle plant”. While Aloe has many great powers that will help penetrate and rejuvenate the skin and even hair follicles, it will do nothing to stop the formation of DHT, which we all know is the main culprit when it comes to hair loss.
However, however…
Given Aloe Vera’s proven penetrative powers, I do believe that it can be beneficial when used in conjunction with another hair loss treatment plant such as Provillus and Rogaine. Some hairloss experts also suggest using Aloe Vera to treat any initial scalp irritation or inflammation due to minoxidil use. Since it is a safe product with no real side effects, I cannot see using Aloe as being in any way detrimental to your existing hair loss treatment.
In conclusion
Aloe Vera will not cure your baldness, but using it will probably help keep your scalp along with your existing hair healthy. Aloe’s healing properties will help keep eczema, dandruff and oily build up at bay and its multitude of vitamins, minerals and long chain sugars will help nourish your scalp and hair. So, if you feel like using Aloe Vera gel, by all means, give it a try. Just do not expect to be waking up with Fabio like hair the next day.
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