Eating to fight hair loss

• Published May 31, 2016 4:44 PM KST
• Updated May 31, 2016 4:44 PM KST

Four experts say 10 edibles may or may not prevent going bald

The following is an article on hair loss experienced by a Korea Times reporter and experts’ advice on foods that may reduce hair loss and improve hair growth. — ED.

By Ko Dong-hwan

With another day at work over, I come home only to find my wife raising a hygiene issue in the bathroom. She chided me as I left hairs in the bathtub after I had washed my hair in the morning. The black strands inside the dried white bathtub apparently didn’t go down the drain.

The unpleasant scene painfully reminded me of how much hair I am losing these days.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been losing hair and fretting over it on an almost daily basis. As the sad truth persists, witnessing my hair falling out in the bathroom and other places around my home has become something close to fear.

I wash the hair down the drain with the shower head, vexed by the impulsive idea of whether I am better off going bald. Imagining that, however, gives me a chill and drops me into a pit of despair that seems interminable.

About 10 million Koreans, or one-fifth of the population, are estimated to be suffering from hair loss. The size of the domestic market for drugs and supplements for hair loss treatment has reportedly reached 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion).

A Korea Gallup survey of over 1,500 adults conducted three years ago showed that one in four men and one in five women were losing their hair.

The majority of them in 2013 were men in their 40s to 60s. But that has now shifted to younger men and women in their 20s to 30s, who make up more than 40 percent of hair loss victims nationwide. The younger age group is increasingly exposed to relentless academic education, distress at work and irregular eating habits.

Despite these signs, however, many Koreans don’t consider hair loss a serious issue. The survey found that 43 percent of respondents with hair loss didn’t do anything about it.

They were mostly unsure how to treat the condition properly.

Instead of paying for a costly medical operation such as a hair transplant or hair tattoo, I wanted to learn about solutions that were readily available and apply them at home for myself to sprout some new hair or at least prevent me losing the hair I have.

So I gleaned data and found the 10 most popular edibles that people on- and offline say are effective in treating hair loss: onions, jukyeom (sea salt stuffed into a bamboo tube and roasted), cucumbers, black sesame seeds, green tea leaves, a fishy-smelling herb known as houttuynia cordata, ginger, chestnuts, gourd stem and hot pepper.

I then took the list to four medical experts specializing in hair loss treatments and asked them if they would verify whether each edible was as effective as people say.

The experts all agreed that it is important to cultivate an environment where hair follicles can grow well. And hair loss, which occurs when certain nutritives are absent from our bodies, can often be treated effectively when such nutritives are replenished.

Putting aside that, however, the experts differed about the efficacy of each edible in treating hair loss.

With experts not reaching a consensus on any effective solutions for those going bald, the most rational conclusion out of this inquiry was that none of the rumored edibles were a guaranteed effective treatment of hair loss.

What to eat

Doctor Choi Dong-gi from Thebom Korean Medicine Clinic’s Bundang Branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said that onions, black sesame seeds, ginger and hot peppers could be effective in blood circulation of the scalp and thus may treat hair loss.

The benefit of eating them, however, cannot be generalized because it varies widely from person to person.

But their effectiveness in preventing vascular disease and obesity may help treat hair loss indirectly. Black sesame seeds’ superb antioxidizing effect can strengthen the scalp, but patients with weak digestive organs or sensitive intestines should be careful taking them.

Ginger is naturally hot according to Oriental medicine, so those with sensitive scalps must avoid eating too much of it. Choi cited a medical report stating that capsaicin in hot peppers helps repair genes linked to hair growth. But the food’s “extremely strong” nature could worsen hair loss in some cases.

Jukyeom, green tea leaves, houttuynia cordata and gourd stem can help soothe or “cool down” the scalp and mitigate inflammation.

Choi affirmed jukyeom’s potential effect in curing hair loss caused by seborrheic dermatitis when massaging the scalp with it.

But he warned that as a food it will worsen a scalp that is dry or sensitive. Houttuynia cordata is helpful in detoxification and lowering body heat after storing it in soju for over one year and then massaging the scalp with the soju.

Choi said many cases of hair loss are caused by poor dietary habits like the frequent intake of instant foods, too much liquor or eating late at night, which frustrates digestive organs. Cucumber and other green-and-yellow vegetables soothe the organs, helping treat the condition.

Doctor Moon Sang-hyun from Cheum & Bium Korean Medicine Clinic in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, said onions, green tea leaves and houttuynia cordata are useful in improving blood circulation.

Onion skin is rich with the antioxidant called quercetin which is good for vascular health. Quercetin can be effectively taken by boiling onions without peeling off the skin for an hour and then drinking the water.

Moon warned that some food is bad for those with warm bodies and for hair loss caused by body heat. Catechin, a type of antioxidant in green tea, restrains production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that causes hair loss.

Massaging the scalp with houttuynia cordata stored in soju expands the capillaries and thus improves skin and strengthens hair roots. The plant was traditionally used for detoxification.

Cucumbers are helpful for hair loss caused by body heat. Massaging the scalp with jukyeom is effective in treating hair loss caused by seborrheic dermatitis but is not good for a dry or inflamed scalp.

Effects and misunderstandings

Black sesame seeds were traditionally used to replenish vigor and blood. Ingesting of black sesame seed oil or massaging the scalp with it is effective in treating hair loss for those undergoing weight loss or menopause or women who recently gave birth.

Shogaol in ginger is a good antioxidant, making the food effective in anticancer treatment as well as preventing inflammation and lowering fever. Steamed or boiled ginger is effective because shogaol production increases when it’s heated.

Capsaicin in hot peppers stimulates production of a calcitonin gene-related peptide, which increases insulin-like growth factors that are critical for hair growth. But capsaicin is as poisonous as it is effective so should be used carefully.

Doctor Park Sung-ik from Pibro Korean Medicine Clinic’s Gangnam Branch in Seoul said sulfur-rich onions can help remove scalp keratin.

Massaging the scalp with jukyeom is effective in removing sebum and preventing inflammation. Cucumbers’ alkalinity can prevent the scalp from becoming acidified. Keratin and tocopherol in black sesame seeds supply protein to the scalp.

Tannic acid in green tea cleanses hair follicles. Those who often use hairstyling products can feel extra refreshment after massaging the scalp with the tea. Houttuynia cordata is rich with minerals that promote hair growth and mitigate seborrheic dermatitis. Massaging the scalp with ginger extract balances scalp moisture by controlling sebum secretions.

Doctor Noh Yoon-woo from Maxwell Hair Clinic in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, warned that massaging the scalp with onions must be avoided because it may sting the scalp.

“I was dumbfounded to watch on TV a person who washes his hair with salt mixed in his shampoo to treat his hair loss,” he said. “Jukyeom’s rumored effect of cleansing the scalp has nothing to do with hair follicles becoming weak. Massaging the scalp with it will only cause inflammation.”

Noh, unlike the other experts, affirmed none of the foods were effective in treating hair loss. He said that hair loss has countless different causes, each requiring a different treatment. Using any of the rumored edibles to treat the condition “lacks logical and medical evidence” and will only worsen the condition.

“It’s like drinking seawater to catch an anchovy,” he said. “Components medically proven to be effective in preventing hair loss are pantothenic acid, folate and biotin but they can hardly be absorbed through food because most of them will be excreted. Food massaged on the scalp will also mostly evaporate or be washed away. The most proper way to treat the condition is to receive a proper diagnosis and take prescribed nutrition.”