The Science of Healthy Hair, Hair Loss and How to Regrow Hair | Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode, I explain the biology of hair, hair growth, why hair growth slows and what causes hair to stop growing and/or “fall out.” I discuss the essential role of hair stem cells and other supporting biological factors for healthy hair growth. Then I describe various approaches (mechanical and chemical) to slow hair loss by increasing blood flow to hair stem cells, including minoxidil, tadalafil, PRP, microneedling, Botox and ketoconazole treatments. I also discuss how age-related hormone changes cause hair loss and explain the effectiveness of treatments such as caffeine, saw palmetto, growth hormone, finasteride and dutasteride. For all hair growth options, I describe potential side effects, how soon to expect results and the amount of hair regrowth to expect and I highlight effective combination treatments for hair regrowth even in hair “dead” (bald) zones. For many listeners, thinning, brittle hair, or pattern baldness are a source of anxiety and stress. This episode explains the mechanisms underlying hair regrowth tools and the science behind them so that you can evaluate potential treatments and associated side-effect profiles and select the best one(s) for you.

#HubermanLab #Science #HairGrowth

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Timestamps
00:00:00 Hair
00:04:13 Sponsors: Helix Sleep, HVMN, ROKA
00:08:04 Psychological States & Hair
00:13:19 Hair Anatomy & Stem Cells
00:26:05 3 Phases of Hair Growth
00:35:40 Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:36:55 Minoxidil & Blood Flow
00:45:37 Increase Blood Flow: Massage, Tadalafil, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Microneedling
00:56:10 Microneedling, Minoxidil & “Dead Zones”
01:00:13 Sponsor: LMNT
01:01:25 Botox Treatments
01:06:27 Androgens, Hair Growth & Pattern Hair Loss; Scalp vs. Beard Hair
01:15:46 Topical Caffeine & Slowing Hair Loss
01:21:06 IGF-1: Growth Hormone & Sermorelin; Insulin Sensitivity: Myo-Inositol
01:25:52 Iron & Hair Growth
01:27:04 5-Alpha Reductase & Saw Palmetto; Curcumin
01:33:22 Ketoconazole & Offsetting Hair Loss
01:38:46 Topical & Oral Finasteride
01:51:00 Post- Finasteride Syndrome
01:56:01 Dutasteride
01:58:53 Mechanical & Chemical Stimulation for Hair Growth
02:02:46 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

[AnanyaSharmaGGN]

Hair fall control tips that work for me:
• Use a mild hair shampoo only on your hair like liittlleextra cooconion shampoo.
• Begin with a pre-rinse using a natural hair rinse green tea hair rinse.
• Divide the hair in sections and shampoo each section individually: starting with the scalp, then the middle, and finally the ends.
• Create a good lather with your shampoo a lot and use fingers to scrub the shampoo into the scalp and hair during the rinse-out process.
• Use warmed Coccoonion oil and massage scalp and secure your hair in a protective style.

[tomdevine]

Great overview Andrew. I have tried about 90% of treatments you reviewed so if anyone is interested I can give some thoughts. First, I am a male and started losing hair (receding hairline) around the age 20 (1985). My doctor gave me good advice. He said, “take a multivitamin, exercise, eat healthy, cut it short, don’t stress and enjoy your life”. In retrospect, he was 100% correct. I started Rogaine in the early 90’s not long after it came out. I did notice a slowing of loss although I didn’t like the greasy feeling of the solution (2x per day). When Propecia came out around 1998 I started it immediately and, in combination with Rogaine, saw about a 95% reduction in hair loss. BTW, I was also eating right, exercising, taking vitamins, etc. But, I did have very high stress jobs so that had an effect. Fast forward to 2015. My hair was maintaining (although 85% grey by then) and I didn’t see the side-effects that people touted. No libido change although we had three little kids so that’s enough energy spend to drain libido anyways…but I digress. I got quite ill in 2015 while traveling to China. After that I noticed an increase in hair loss with significant loss of leg and arm hair. My doctor (a different one) told me it was from aging. I didn’t think it was. In 2018 I was diagnosed with scarring alopecia and have been fighting that. Up until 2016 I would actually see small angel hairs on my forehead telling me that the Rogaine/Propecia combo was working. Then it all became hairless, smooth, and shiny. My scalp often hurt as if it was burning and I would feel the same on my arms, legs, and back. I am convinced that this all stemmed from an illness I caught in Asia or from getting my first flu shot in 2015 (I don’t react well to vaccines). Here’s what I know works. Propecia works very well and would be my #1 recommendation as long as you aren’t prone to the side-effects. Rogaine also works well but frankly it’s tiring to apply it twice per day and then have the greasy feeling in your hair during work and on your pillow. It’s inconvenient but works. There are a million shampoos/conditioners touting miracles which I would ignore. The ones I use are Nizoral (2x/week) and Klorane Shampoo with Quinine. For some reason the Quinine in Klorane really helped my scalp inflammation and the burning sensation. I also use Klorane’s conditioner. In both cases, you need to leave the shampoos on for about 5 minutes to maximize benefits. I have also used the shampoo/conditioner from Regenepure and had good results but found the Klorane was better. I use a hair shampoo massager brush and “press” it into my scalp 60 times, twice daily for blood circulation and have found that to be effective as well. You can get those on Amazon. I’m 57 and still have a lot of hair but it’s been a hard fight. In some ways, I think I should have followed my doctors advice from 1985. I would have fretted a lot less if I had just “taken my hair worries out of the equation” and lived my life. But, in the mid-90’s I told my wife, “by 2010 they will have cured balding and we’ll all have hair, I just need to save as much of mine as I can”. Then again I thought cold fusion would be commonplace by 2020 so I’m 0 for 2. And last, I also considered hair transplants but I can’t because of my scarring alopecia diagnosis, the success rate is near zero. Even then, one person once said, “hair transplantation is like parachuting fresh troops into a field where everyone on the ground is dead or dying”. Whatever hair you have there will still get its DNA queue and die off so then you’re stuck with only the transplanted hair. Eventually you run out of donor hair to move. We need hair to be grown in the lab that can be transplanted. For the 2 people who might have stayed this long to read this comment, thank you and I wish you the best in your quest to keep your hair.

[drgarylinkov]

Definitely no magic with hair restoration. Excellent review Andrew. Medical therapy is critical for most patients considering hair transplant surgery.

[LoneLupine]

I'm a female who's been suffering from hair loss since I was 12. I've also been to beauty school/have a cosmetology license and I applaud you on explaining all the hair science in a clear, straightforward way for everyone to understand. It was a nice refresher for me too!

Back to hair loss, I've always had thin hair and it falls out and get bald patches, as I age (I'm 35) I've noticed I have pattern baldness now which is not the same as when I was a teenager (hormones) and to add 2 more layers to the hair loss cake, I am also type 1 diabetic and have trichotillomania

I've always wondered if being diabetic makes me bald because I have poor blood circulation due to the 'beetus

The trichotillomania obviously causes bald spots but was not the reason for the original balding, but it got intertwined and at some points its impossible to tell how much of the baldness is self induced and how much is natural reasons

I wish I didn't care about my hair and I've shaved my head various times but I always find myself getting sad over having such crappy hair. I need to learn to let go. I don't like how most treatments need to be continued for the rest of your life or else your hair will fall out

No one asked for my life story, I apologize! But I really loved this podcast episode. I usually just visit your channel for the guided meditation my therapist sent me, but just happened to see this. Awesome!

[AuraValemont]

For a woman who started losing her hair in her early 20s, this video is super important. Thank you Dr.

[patrickperry]

When I tell people about your podcast, I say, 'The dude talks for 2 hours straight without wasting a single word'. Doc, your presentations are succinct, extremely interesting, and even compelling! I thank you sir, so glad to have encountered your work.

[shark]

If this revives my hairline i ll donate everything

[kripadeep]

The time I faced hair fall, I did all the following to successfully reduce it -
.. Make a habit of doing hot oil scalp massages into your routine.
.. Do not use very hot water when rinsing your hair.
.. Shield your hair from too much sweat.
.. Use a wide-toothed neem comb to brush out wet hair.
.. Reduce your sugar and unhealthy food consumption.
.. Use mild anti hair fall shampoo and hair oil like littleeextra coccconion.
.. Maintain a positive mindset for general well being.

[crazytuber]

Stress has caused enormous hairloss and nothing ever worked. But Dr. Huberman is an angel who comes with the right podcast at the right time!💐 Lots of Love, Sir

[jitaftwt]

As a woman who started losing too much hair on a head that has always been normally fine and thin, I am especially interested in hearing this. Thank you Dr. Huberman!

[kristenpotter]

Thank you so much for this. I started losing my hair from stress at age 38 because my mom passed suddenly and then I went through a horrible divorce. I’ve been working with a hair specializing dermatologist and my hair is finally growing back. I have lots of little three or four inch hairs sticking out all over my head. I encourage anyone experiencing hair loss to see a dermatologist, especially one that specializes in hair. My regular dermatologist didn’t know what to do and I wasted several months with them.

[VietYork]

00:03 Hair loss and ways to slow or reverse it
05:36 Hair loss is a significant concern for many individuals.
16:43 Hairs are made up of proteins called keratins and grow from stem cells in a little cave below the root.
21:26 The erector pili muscle contracts when we get cold or scared, causing the hairs to stand up.
31:18 There are three critical stages of the hair life cycle: antigen phase, catagen phase, and telogen phase.
36:20 Blood flow is crucial for hair growth
46:10 Increasing blood flow to the scalp can slow down or maintain hair loss.
51:10 PRP and microneedling are two treatments for hair regrowth that involve the use of needles.
1:00:58 Botox injections are being used to offset hair loss by decreasing squinting and increasing blood flow to the scalp.
1:05:59 Botox injections can reduce scalp squinting and hair loss
1:16:12 Topical caffeine application can be as effective as minoxidil application for offsetting hair loss.
1:20:55 Increase hair growth and maintain hair by stimulating the production of igf-1 and avoiding insulin resistance.
1:30:18 Saw palmetto and ketoconazole are commonly used compounds for hair growth.
1:35:12 Ketoconazole shampoo can help maintain hair and stimulate growth.
1:44:55 Topical finasteride is associated with fewer side effects compared to oral finasteride.
1:49:34 Finasteride dosing recommendations
1:59:16 Combination of microneedling and finasteride is the most effective way to regrow hair
2:03:49 Huberman Lab offers free newsletters and toolkits on various topics.

Crafted by Viet York from Molly․com

[juliefredericksen]

Been fighting hair loss for ten years now, and I have never heard anything more comprehensive than this. 👏🏼

[angelalobatowilliams]

I'm a board-certified Dermatologist and received this video recently from a friend for an opinion. This is such a SUPERB lecture. Deep knowledge about health should be available for the general public as much as possible so people are able to get detailed information to think about that, be curious about themselves, be aware of they own clinical trajectories and needs and also be agents of their own health. Even though some data about some emerging (and unexpected!) therapeutic options remain unclear, as he said, any discussion would be much easier for both, doctors and patients if both were capable of making decisions based on current science.
Also I'd like to say that human body is so fascinating; if we learn more about our nature, and pay attention to what happens inside and outside of us, our body will perform beautifully for us. If your body is not performing beautifully enough, proper knowledge would always be useful for making decisions along with your doctor, especially when it comes to taking supplements or therapeutical drugs.
In summary, I think that this video is very informative and highly recommended.

[jimjam]

I'm in my 20s and losing my hair, having a chat to good friends is the best treatment. Its about confidence and owning who you are as a person. It still has a toll on my mental health and I would rather not be in this situation, but I would rather spend money on other things and not stress about it. A massive percentage of people will lose their hair, as highlighted in the podcast, you just have to come to terms with it and be confident. The majority of people you meet won't care, I haven't lost a relationship or friendships because of it, if anything, being more honest has strengthened my relationships with the people closest to me. They are the only people that matter.

[anij]

I have PCOS hair loss I'm so excited to listen to this because the slow gradual loss of my hair has been something that has been a really debilitating thing for my self Esteem

[chriscyborg]

This podcast's ability to choose a wide range of topics is profoundly amazing! ❤

[alyssavirginia]

It’s very very very true! I experience intense anxiety, depression and pro-longed stress from the age 18 now. Losing my father, moving out, familial issues etc. I’ve lost all my hair due to my mental health. Thank you for this video and all of the information. I’ve been doing my best to bring my hair back. Including going to therapy to manage my emotions! ❤

[mikeyperes]

Great video! I love your content. Dense with wisdom and information.

SOME MINOR CORRECTIONS:

Minoxidil:
- 2x per day, not 1x per day: Is typically recommended 2X per day, not once (based on recommended use and what is FDA approved).
- Applied topically as a cream: Correction, applied topically either as a liquid or as a foam.
- Leave on the scalp for 3-5minutes: I think the recommended "leave-in" duration is typically 4-6 hours.

[daneenshelton]

I can never get enough of Andrews pod casts, he is super smart and I come away learning a great deal of useful information. My long commutes are never long enough as I am never bored. I have really enjoyed his latest on dopamine and hair loss, particularly because he is the one talking the entire time and I enjoy his delivery of the information that never stops coming. Thank you Andrew, I can’t thank you enough for these amazing and informative talks.