Get Rid Of Your Dandruff And Hold Onto Your Hair

1st March 2010

Every day I hear a of new ‘miracle cure’, be it pill or potion that will miraculously stop your hair from falling out, and nearly always it’s a complete load of rubbish! Quite frankly, the idea that a shampoo can stop hair loss seems completely absurd.

That being said, Head & Shoulders may in fact be onto something with its hair endurance shampoo and conditioner.

Now whilst the brand by no means claims that the products are a cure for baldness – although the adverts could be accused of giving some men a little false hope – it does, and quite rightly so, point out that dandruff can lead to hair loss.

Research has already proven that there is an association between dandruff and losing your hair. This is due to the breakage caused when hair is damaged by scratching; usually triggered by irritation, such as dandruff.

What is more interesting is that Head & Shoulders is one of several brands on the high street that now contain the active ingredient, Pyrithione Zinc, in its shampoo formula. Recent studies of various antidandruff shampoos including Nizoral, Ketoconazole and Head & Shoulders – all of which contain Pyrithione Zinc – produced effects suggestive of a potential hair growth benefit.

Thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties, Pyrithione Zinc has many medical uses and is used to treat such ailments as athlete’s foot and psoriasis.  It is these properties that make it the ideal substance to be added to an anti-dandruff shampoo.

Research has shown that if frequently used, shampoo formulas containing the ingredient do in fact lead to a sustained increase in hair count, when compared to a typical shampoo without Pyrithione Zinc.
However, promising as these findings are, the research also showed that the relative increase in hair count was slightly less than half that of the increase found by using a Minoxidil topical solution – a much more trusted treatment for hair loss.

So, whilst washing your hair with an anti-dandruff shampoo won’t stop it from falling out completely – and it certainly won’t help those who’ve already lost their hair – it does have some, limited benefits. Plus it will make hair more resilient and therefore less prone to breakage and ultimately, hair loss.