Are we on the verge of reversing our greys and other signs of aging? Peptides have hit the market promising to do just that.
Signs of aging hair (like going grey) used to be inevitable… but perhaps it’s not as destined as we once assumed? Image by Freepik.
Hair and the Test of Time
We’ve made a lot of progress where hair is concerned since the 1970s. Minoxidil, finasteride, and regenerative treatments are just a small part of the arsenal we have to improve the look and feel of our hair.
We can slow hair loss, stimulate growth, and transplant it.
But what about the signs of aging? That’s trickier.
Why Hair Ages
Think of each hair follicle as a tiny factory. When we’re young, it works quickly and efficiently, painting each hair with rich color and coating it with protective oils. As we age, that same factory slows down; the growth cycle crawls, hairs receive less color, the scalp produces fewer oil, and the hair fiber itself becomes smaller. The result is thinner, greyer, less voluminous hair.
Enter peptides, which have exploded on the hair care scene. Can a peptide reverse the signs of our aging strands or is the relationship between our hair and time a much more complicated thing?
Peptides: A New Frontier for Treating Aging Hair
Peptides are short amino-acid chains that can act as cellular messengers, signalling your scalp to increase blood flow, trigger the production of keratin, and extend the active hair growth cycle. Essentially, they’re thought to counteract the slowdown that happens with age in the hair follicle machinery, "waking up” the hair factories, as it were.
But no two peptides act the same or do everything.
Copper peptides boost blood circulation in the scalp and block some DHT, potentially reducing thinning. Acetyl tetrapeptide-3 works at the root level, thickening the extracellular matrix and widening the hair base helping each strand grow thicker in diameter. Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 essentially superglues your hair roots in place by strengthening cellular anchor points in the follicle cutting down on daily shedding. Finally, keratin and palmitoyl peptides can patch up structural gaps in dry, brittle strands and repair the scalp's moisture barrier, instantly locking in hydration and softness.
The overall potential upside of incorporating peptides into your hair routine? Fuller, denser, stronger, and softer hair.
Grey Zone: What About Greys?
On a cellular level, the mechanisms controlling how and when our hair turns grey are pretty straightforward.
As we age, our melanocytes, the pigment producing cells that reside in the hair follicle bulb, begin to slow down. Over time, they produce much less of the pigment that is deposited into the growing hair, resulting in grey.
Some biomimetic peptides, such as palmitoyl tetrapeptide-20 (RevivHair), act as melanocyte stimulating hormone analogs. That means they can signal melanocytes to turn back the clock, potentially reversing early grey.
However, once your melanocyte stem cell reservoir is depleted (another consequence of age), that’s it. These anti-grey peptides only work early on, when there are still melanocytes to activate.
No new melanocytes? No more pigment. Image by Freepik.
But Peptides Can’t do it All
Remember, not everyone gets to experience aging. It’s a milestone to embrace. Photo by Aedrian Salazar on Unsplash.
Reversing the effects of aging on our hair is big business, but if you’re looking to try these products, you need to keep expectations in check. Aging is incredibly complex, and while we can do some things to combat the passage of time, we don’t have a magic bullet. Though adding in a peptide product can boost growth, decrease inflammation, and improve density, there’s no one peptide (or ingredient) that can do it all.
Remember that not everyone gets to reach this milestone in life. Embracing your age is always a confident and beautiful option.
If you’re looking for a peptide containing product to pre-emptively dial in on the signs of aging at home, my Feel Confident Thickening Scalp Serum is packed with three.
- Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 — a growth-anchoring peptide that strengthens the hair follicle base, reducing shedding.
- Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 sh-Oligopeptide-2 — a cutting-edge, plant-derived growth factor peptide that can help stimulate dormant follicles and support a healthy hair growth cycle.
- Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-9 & Polypeptide-86 — A peptide bioengineered to boost scalp circulation and provide anti-inflammatory benefits directly to the hair follicle.
Based on an 8-week clinical and consumer perception study of the Feel Confident Thickening Scalp Serum, there was a 37% increase in scalp moisturization, a marker for improved skin barrier function and an important factor for hair follicle health. 97% of participants saw improvement in scalp comfort, and all experienced enhanced, visible fullness at the roots.
