Hair growth is probably something you don’t think a lot about… I mean, who has time? You’ve got enough to think about with work and family and friends.
That’s where we come in. You see, we’ve thought a LOT about hair growth.
Things like, “How does your hair grow?” and “What prevents it from growing?”…And other things like, “Why do we shed hair?” and “Is hair loss reversible?”
These thoughts sometimes keep us up at night and sometimes lead to amazing discoveries.
Like Ginseng.
Did you know that Ginseng has the ability to decrease the levels of an inflammatory substance, known as TGF-81, that leads to hair loss?
How Does Your Hair Grow?
Before we dive in and tell you how amazing ginseng is, let’s take a look at how your hair grows.
Your hair grows in three stages, called Anagen, Catagen, and Telogen. These phases last for different lengths of time and control how long your hair actually grows. They’re broken down below for you.
The Anagen Phase
The first stage of hair growth is the Anagen Phase. In this phase, your hair grows approximately 1cm per month. Your genetics determine how long your hair stays in this phase. For most people, this phase can last from 3-5 years. The time your hair is in this phase also determines how long it will grow. About 85%-90% of your hair is in this growth phase at any given moment.
The Catagen Phase
The second stage of hair growth is called the Catagen phase. This is a rapid transition phase and only lasts about 2 weeks. In this phase, the hair follicle prepares to grow a new hair. It shrinks to around 1/6th its original size, cutting the existing hair off from nourishing blood supply. This is the phase where your hair follicle “dies.” Don’t stress about it – hair follicle death is actually a natural part of the hair growth cycle, and you can still regrow hair if a follicle dies.
The Telogen Phase
The last stage of hair growth, called the Telogen phase, is when your hair follicle is resting. The Telogen phase lasts from 1–4 months and approximately 10-15% of your hair follicles are in this phase at any given time. At the end of the Telogen phase, your hair follicle starts to grow a new hair. This new hair pushes out the old hair, causing it to shed. So, shedding hair is normal and part of the process of hair growth. Most people shed between 50 and 100 strands per day.
Bad News / Good News
There are a lot of factors — like hormones, harsh ingredients in your hair products, stress, and diet — that can interfere with these phases. This can cause things like your hair follicles to spend more time resting and less time growing. Eventually, the anagen phase can become so short that your hair follicles end up in a semi-permanent state of the telogen phase. This is also known as baldness, and can affect both men and women.
The good news is there are also a lot of factors — like ingredients that nourish your hair and scalp, your diet, and lifestyle — that can help these phases. If, for example, you can extend the anagen phase, and decrease the telogen phase, you would have more hair growth, and hair that grows for a longer time. (Thicker, longer hair, anyone?)
Like Ginseng.
What is Ginseng?
Ginseng has been one of the most popular herbal remedies in Asia for centuries. In modern times its popularity has grown, expanding through the health, nutrition, and beauty industries.
Ginseng is a plant in the genus Panax, including Korean ginseng, South China ginseng, and American ginseng.
These plants are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. It’s commonly called “man-root” because the root is shaped like a person. The root and root hairs are the parts of this plant used for herbal and medicinal reasons.
Ginseng benefits your whole body.
Does Ginseng Cause Hair Growth?
Ginseng has lots of benefits for your hair.
Ginseng’s herbal properties have the ability to regulate and decrease the levels of an inflammatory substance that leads to hair loss. This inflammatory substance, called TGF-β1, induces the telogen phase. Ginseng does the opposite by increasing the length of the anagen phase. In general, it promotes healthy hair growth by making sure the telogen phase is not longer than the anagen phase.
Ginseng is formed by active components called ginsenosides that have a positive effect on hair growth and its cycle. Ginsenosides have an anti-oxidation effect that alters the hair growth cycle. These active components can help reverse conditions that cause hair weakening and loss, like UV-ray exposure. Plus the nutritional elements of ginseng, like saponin and phytosterols, contribute to the maintenance of a healthy scalp. Saponin is an antibacterial compound that fights infections effectively and phytosterols are believed to minimize premature greying of your hair.
It is well known that Panax ginseng has various pharmacological effects such as anti-aging and anti-inflammation. In a scientific study, Panax ginseng extract was shown to induce hair growth by increasing the size of hair follicles, which promoted the growth of thicker, stronger hairs. It also shortens the telogen (resting) phase of hair growth, which means your hair stays in the anagen (growth) phase longer.
How do you use it?
The easiest way to use ginseng for hair growth is to use products that contain it, like shampoos and conditioners. It would be helpful if you make sure those products do not also contain harsh ingredients, like sulfates and formaldehyde, that may cause hair fall. Otherwise, your ginseng will not be of much use.
You do not need to do anything out of the ordinary — just shampoo and condition!
Lucky for you, we’ve thought about this. Our Biotin Shampoo and Conditioner were created to give you the benefit of ginseng, along with a lot of other ingredients that support healthy hair and scalp. We’ve selected Ingredients that nourish hair in the anagen phase so that it grows healthy and strong, and left out anything that might lengthen the telogen phase or cause irritation to your scalp.
We believe that quality ingredients, not harsh chemicals, are the path to beautiful hair, and we want you to feel good about using them, too.
And ladies, share this with everyone, including your guy. We all struggle with hair issues. Could his hair maybe use a little boost from ginseng? It’s never too late to help make your hair follicles healthy, so you can grow stronger, longer, thicker hair.
Like What You Just Read?
In case you were wondering, the following products were mentioned in this blog post.
Biotin Shampoo & Conditioner Set
