What works, what doesn’t, and why we can’t stop falling for the hype.
It might smell lovely but can’t do a darn thing for your hair. Why can’t the internet let it go? Image by volant for Unsplash.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Remember the children’s story, The Emperor and his New Clothes? Everyone knows the emperor is parading around naked, but the kingdom has put in so much effort and money to bring the façade to life that no one is willing to state the obvious.
Viral haircare products often remind me of that story, because deep down we know, I think, that these viral products don’t work… we just can’t stop ourselves believing and playing along.
Aspirational arguments that hair doesn’t need to play a starring role in shaping our identity are admirable, but it’s also the kind of adage that’s hard to live by. Our confidence, how others see us professionally…
Hair might not be the end-all-be-all of first impressions, but it factors into how we feel about ourselves. Advertisers and influencers intuitively know that anytime a new hair treatment or potion crosses our many, many screens, there’s a chance that it will hook our emotions and reel us in.
Are we missing out? Is there something new I should be trying? Is this the product that will finally give me the hair I’ve always wanted?!
Red onion is great in cuisine, not on your scalp. Image by MART PRODUCTION for Pexels.
I’ve talked before about the explosion of natural remedies flooding TikTok, Amazon, and Instagram shops.
Miracle oils, hair elixirs, and outright scams purporting to regrow and thicken hair just won’t die, and it always makes me a little nauseous that people who work hard for their money keep getting taken advantage of.
Why do these bunk treatments have such a hold over our hair aspirations?
And why do we keep falling for them?
Viral is Game
I’ve been debunking hair scams for a long time now, and there’s a group of ingredients you’ll often see making the rounds anytime an algorithm thinks you’re searching for hair related content. Think of them as the malicious five where hair ingredients are concerned.
- Rosemary oil
- Castor oil
- Green tea
- Onion juice
- Rice water
Here’s the insidious thing about these ingredients: none of them are particularly problematic in skin and hair care but they can’t do a thing for growth. They’re not necessarily bad ingredients: moisturizing oils, antioxidant rich components, anti-inflammatory properties, nice scents…
But the research (if there is any) is often misquoted and taken out of context, all to tell a simpler, more entertaining story.
Two great examples of this kind of context swapping are rosemary oil and green tea. It is true that both have been researched as potential hair growth stimulators, but that’s worlds apart from meaning they work. In fact, both ingredients have been widely debunked as an option for stimulating growth. Though green tea has caffeine (which can help hair), it’s not the right kind. Only caffeine from coffee has been shown to be stimulatory. And the original papers that looked at rosemary oil compared to minoxidil were poorly done and their results were unrepeatable.
EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) from green tea is a great antioxidant. It can also be highly toxic to the liver when taken in powdered pill form and absolutely cannot do anything for your hair. Image by Kat von Wood for Unsplash.
That doesn’t stop people from believing. Despite researchers having closed the book on these ingredients, others have bought into the marketing campaign. It’s easier to look at the positive (inaccurate) studies, and… well, ignore the rest.
The result of the marketing pressures is that studies are cherry-picked, the science language is misused, and the claims are either vague or fraudulently overblown.
It’s dishonest, and in my mind it’s a bigger problem than we allow ourselves to let on — not unlike the crowds in the kid’s story who go along with the emperor’s narrative,
“I think the starting point for a lot of these ingredient myths is an appealing idea (like natural oils and extracts) that starts to steamroll. There’s so much buy-in from influencers and other bodies with skin in the cosmetics game, that when the products don’t pan out… well people just keep pretending that they do.”
The Nature of the Beast
If an appealing idea is the catalyst, then social media fuels the engine of misinformation. An interesting quirk of our incredibly social nature is that anecdotes and personal recommendations are intuitively worth more to us than clinical research data. We don’t necessarily mean to, but we’re programmed that way. Evolutionarily speaking, people love a good story.
Influencers court a parasocial relationship with their audiences, one that encourages trust — that doesn’t mean they know hair or are making recommendations without ‘influence’ themselves. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko for pexels.
Influencer testimonials and the parasocial relationships that develop with their audience are another flavor of the equation. People feel like they know their favourite influencers, as if they’re friends, so their recommendations carry that much more weight.
Add money in, and there’s incentive for them to sometimes… stretch the truth.
Filtered Reality
And let’s talk about all those testimonials.
Anytime you see a before and after claiming to show how well a product works, chances are very good you’re looking through a filter. Before and After bait and switch is one of my greatest pet peeves in the industry, and it’s not restricted to cosmetic products and ingredients. Plastic surgery, non-surgical devices, weight loss, hair transformations. It’s very tempting to alter the lights, angles, and shadows of an after image to make things look better than they would otherwise.
Before and afters in the modern age are heavily filtered. Be wary. Image by Christian Naccarato for Pexels.
Why We Keep the Faith
There are powerful psychological drivers at work keeping us invested in the products we’ve fallen for. Even when we know deep down that there’s been no improvement, it’s very seductive to think that our results are just around the corner.
Desire for control over our hair loss, a misconception that natural comes with no side effects (dangerously false), and our tendency to see improvement even when objectively there is none (called a confirmation bias) paired with slick marketing tactics all conspire to keep us invested (and buying) a product that doesn’t work the way we want it to. And it’s not exclusive to hair. Millions of women purchase cosmetics that purport to improve the look and length of lashes, when the fine print tells you the models are wearing falsies.
There’s also the issue of a placebo which can create the illusion of success over time. Hair growth cycles fluctuate, and it’s all too easy to mistake those for results.
Ingredients that Show Promise
Hair loss is multifaceted, but the underlying causes almost always fall under genetics, hormone fluctuations, autoimmune conditions, inflammation, traction damage, or systemic shock (telogen effluvium). Knowing what kind of hair loss you have and getting a proper diagnosis can save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime (if not more).
Any real chance of altering the hair cycle and restoring hair growth has to address the underlying causes. There’s a real parallel with non-surgical fillers and neurotoxin. If the underlying causes are volume loss and muscle activity, then these can make a wonderful improvement. If, however, the underlying issue is something like deep jowling caused by descending fascia and fat pads, well, no amount of Botox or filler will address a surgical problem. In fact, they can make it worse. Knowing what you’re treating is honestly one of the biggest steps in successful hair restoration.
Below are some of the ingredients we’re excited about. They cannot deliver prescription level results, but I really think there’s good clinical evidence that shows these compounds have real potential to support hair health and growth.
- Saw Palmetto: may block DHT plus decades of research for its potential as an androgen inhibitor to promote prostate health.
- Curcumin: anti-inflammatory, may support scalp health. Emerging research suggests supportive role in the hair growth cycle
- Caffeine: May stimulate hair follicles and counteract DHT effects locally with both in vitro and in vivo data. You’re seeing this ingredient in a lot of products and there’s a reason.
- Pumpkin Seed Oil: Potential DHT modulation plus randomized controlled trial showing increased hair count with topical application.
Results are modest but they’re grounded in real science. That’s why I included them in my Feel Confident Haircare line to promote scalp health and hair growth.
Remember, there’s also no such thing as a magic pill or bullet. Prescription-level results are just that – prescription. They carry their own kinds of risks which is why (though very safe) they need medical supervision. If a product is promising that kind of result? Be wary.
Product Red Flags
- Clinically proven claims with no links to product or ingredient research
- Single studies with no follow-up
- Results that sound too good to be true
- Claims that a product can replace medical therapy (they can’t)
- Before and After’s that rely on better lighting, new hair styles, and different angles
- If influencers are being incentivised to promote the product might be reciting a script
Product Green Flags
- Multiple human clinical trials and ongoing research (minoxidil and caffeine are good examples)
- Clear mechanism of how the ingredient works (saw palmetto = mild DHT inhibitory activity)
- Consistent results across labs
- No overblown promises or guarantees
- Avoiding meaningless or trending buzzwords
If you’re looking for ingredients that can truly help hair follicles, consider our Feel Confident hair care line. Real ingredients, real research, and none of the hype. All the products in my hair care line contain caffeine, turmeric root extract, saw palmetto, and pumpkin seed oil, each one beneficial to help promote hair follicle health. To find out more, explore our Haircare collection at Feel Confident (https://feelconfident.com/collections/hair).
And, for a reliable source on tried and true hair loss medications, visit Feelconfident.com (https://feelconfident.com/pages/doctor-guided-treatment) to see if medical hair loss therapy might be right for you.
The content of this newsletter is for entertainment and educational purposes only. This content is not meant to provide any medical advice or treat any medical conditions. Patients must be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare provider on an individual basis and treatment must be tailored to meet that patient’s needs. Results and particular outcomes are not guaranteed.
