Alpecin Liquid Review — Does Alpecin Work?
Hair loss, technically known as alopecia, is a condition which the majority of men (and women too) have suffered from at one point in their life. And every now and again, people have seemed to discover a solution, but it’s always a temporary one. I thought I might as well try this next new fad.
I don’t have male pattern baldness (because I’m female, fight me) but I do still have some type of hair loss in that, lately, more hair than usual has been falling out.
I suspected that because it was fairly sudden, it had to do with maybe my shampoo or stress but I realised those just worsened an already bad situation. Hair was falling at a greater rate than it used to so I wanted to something about it before I get granny hair in my 30s.
Is Alpecin Liquid different? Does Alpecin work?
I decided I’ll try one of Alpecin’s new products (at the time at least) which was Alpecin Liquid, an after wash liquid that you apply and massage to your hair. I’d seen quite a few adverts and knew some men who used it so the solution seemed obvious.
I bought my 200ml bottle which came in those classic Alpecin style bottles for £8 which isn’t a bad deal. It’s basically a gel-like substance that you rub into your scalp after every wash.
The first application felt like my scalp was on fire and it felt like the burn listerine mouth wash has in your mouth, or pure lemon water on your skin. I thought maybe this was part of the process so I braved through but it improved as the days went on. After searching online, this is apparently from the high alcohol content in it but others didn’t react that badly to it.
The first days, my hair shedding actually INCREASED and I went into panic mode. Larger clumps of hair fell off but thankfully it went back to normal after the 3rd day.
Two weeks in and I hadn’t noticed any significant change in my hair loss, good or bad. I was improving my diet during this time and doing less to my hair overall to really push any kind of benefit. However, I did notice my hair becoming thinner and more brittle. Unfortunately this is where I drew the line and stopped using it further.
How Does Alpecin Work?
Fair enough I only spent £8 on it but I wanted to find out why there were mixed Alpecin liquid user reviews as some reviews were positive while a good chunk had similar experiences as mine so I researched more on my type of hair loss and on how the product works in general.
I realised that I was suffering from pretty bad chronic inflammation on my scalp which is why application of Alpecin liquid was painful whereas others stated it has a ‘minty feel’. It does have some alcohol and citric acid in it which is equivalent to putting alcohol on a minor wound, it will sting! This may also be why I started losing more hair straightaway as it worsened inflammation to begin with.
This was a caffeine based treatment, similar to the Alpecin shampoo and it works by countering inflammation since caffeine causes vasoconstriction which means it reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. Perhaps this could be why the inflammation calmed down a little after the first few days or perhaps my skin just adjusted.
I realised this is exactly the opposed of what I needed.
From what I understand know, inflammation is potentially the root cause of many if not all forms of alopecia. And inflammation can be reduced by either vasoconstriction (what Alpecin does) or vasodilation (what drugs like minoxidil do as a hair loss treatment). The difference is, vasoconstriction will eventually deprive the hair follicles of vital nutrients and oxygen — all the stuff it needs to produce hair.
This really explains my whole experience in using Alpecin Liquid. The condition of my hair depreciated and it started thinning two weeks in and this may be the reduced blood flow. Obviously, it’s a combination of accepted theory and my personal experience, not a proper experiment but I’m convinced this is why it happened.
Why Alpecin’s Data is Questionable
A few interesting bits of information I found on the experiments Alpecin did with its caffeine based shampoo:
- Experiments were all in test tube environments, not on actual human hair
- Hair follicles were completely submerged in caffeine for 5 full minutes to see improvement in hair loss
So if you’ve also attempted to use an Alpecin product and it hasn’t worked for you, then it could be because of the grounds they base their claims. I’m guessing my scalp is on the sensitive side which is why it reacted as badly as it did. Nonetheless, from the reviews I’ve read, it seems to be an even mix.
My Solution
Well using Alpecin Liquid taught me one thing, increasing blood flow to my scalp is the way to go. I searched up every known method which can increase blood flow to the scalp and help with inflammation, I’m pleased to say I found a combination that works.
Within 2 months of sticking to this routine and these steps, my hair stopped falling. In fact, it became lusher than any girl’s hair on Pinterest. The gorgeous hair they showed on Pantine TV ads had nothing on me. And you don’t need to spend hundreds or live a hardcore life, you just need to do the simple things well and consistently.
A) Scalp Massage
Seems incredibly simple right? That’s the beauty of it. My relatives back in India always used to tell me how this works and I always thought to myself how they’ve cracked the code which technology here in the West couldn’t. Well obviously it’s not that simple but scalp massage definitely helped.
I did it for about 5 minutes everyday with virgin coconut oil, gently using the tips of my fingers and applying directly into the scalp. I didn’t miss a single day for weeks because each day it became clear it was helping. Remember — BE CONSISTENT.
Even if you don’t see new hair growth (in a balding patch for example), rest assured that it is still helping and I can only convince you from experience. It could be the difference between you having just thin hair or being totally bald.
B) Taoist Soap Shampoo
I mentioned how I didn’t really pay attention to the shampoo I was using until my hair started falling. Whatever smelt good, looked ‘natural’ and had a nice bottle would be enough for me to start buying it.
The minimum requirements you should be setting for your shampoo is that it should be SLS and paraben free as well as free from any perfumes and scents. Any kind of fragrance added to the shampoo is asking for inflammation. It does not help your hair! I repeat, no fragrance, which includes essential oils!
It’s hard for some hardcore believers of essential oils but they aren’t suitable for everything. In fact, many are neurotoxic which is why it comes with large warning signs telling you not to ingest it. The truth is, you can experience unwanted side effects from it simply absorbing into your skin. If this causes your skin to flair up, a skin or hair problem is headed your way.
For me, for the entirely of the 2 months I was using Taoist soap. This was mainly for its blood circulating abilities but it was a bonus that it apparently helped with inflammation too and contained antioxidants that help heal damaged follicles. It ticked the minimum criteria of being free from those harsh chemicals and there were only natural ingredients.
For the first time in a long time, I no longer got dried up, frizzy hair after a shower. The texture of my hair began improving and my scalp felt much less inflamed. I used this product very regularly during the 2 months and practically the only other thing, aside from coconut oil, that I put in my hair to get the result that I got.
C) Eat More Protein
Collagen (a protein) is what hair and skin is made from. It is an essential component of keratin production. Be it in the form of lean beef, which has the most bioavailable source of protein or in the form of powdered hydrolysed beef collagen, you need it for any improved hair growth.
The brand isn’t relevant if you make sure it is hydrolysed and beef based, but taking about two table spoons twice a day will boost your energy levels. It fills a void inside which is hard to explain but you notice hair and nails grow much faster and personally my skin started to improve too.
It’s also a good idea to cut the sugar intake by as much as you possibly can, this applies to both complex sugars (carbs) and basic sugars (sugary junk food) because sugar feeds inflammation of all kinds. Patients with arthritis start getting more joint inflammation when they increase their intake of sugar. You may even notice your skin breaking out when you eat too much sugar.
D) Intense Aerobic Exercise
Now bear with me, this is perhaps the only step that requires you to physically do more than normal. Whilst there isn’t a direct link with hair loss, I felt it was incredibly useful for in those 2 months. You need intense aerobic exercise daily, which is different to weight lifting or yoga or even long distance running. The heart needs to work hard for short periods of time so that all blood vessels, even in the peripheries receive good amounts of oxygenated blood.
As a kid, I always sucked at the bleep test (it may be called something different in your school) so that’s what I decided to do but anything that makes you breathless, gasping for air, will do e.g skipping, sprinting or even those insanity workout youtube videos.
After about 4 days of daily bleep tests to about level 11, the colour of my face totally changed. It became brighter and fresher, which obviously meant circulation had improved. If it can reach the small capillaries in the skin of my face, it’s not a stretch to say it would be reach the scalp too.
Regardless, it made me feel and look much better.
So there, I started off by review Alpecin Liquid but ended up sharing some of the secrets that gave me the best results for my hair. Hope you find them useful!
