When you’re experiencing hair loss due to breakage, dry and irritated scalp, and overall damaged hair, then your hair needs a reboot. Luckily our Tip to Root Hair Reboots contains caffeine! Why should you be interested in caffeine in your hair care routine? Read through to find out how it improves the efficacy of our reboots in treating and protecting damaged hair.
It literally gets under your skin
Caffeine is one of the best ingredients for penetrating your skin! According to Herman and Herman in their study about caffeine in cosmetic use, when caffeine is added to a topical substance, it works effectively as an antioxidant.1 Taking in caffeine through the skin is a much more effective way to use it to benefit your hair and scalp, at least say researchers in a very insightful 2006 study.2 In other words, drinking a Diet Coke once a day just doesn’t cut it. As it is applied to your scalp, you get the benefit of antioxidant activity, anti-cellulite properties, microcirculation of blood vessels, and inhibiting the process of hair thinning.1 A study in Korea (2001) exhibited similar results in that ingested caffeine had a low efficiency in entering the skin- in our interest, the scalp- but when topically applied, caffeine had a high efficiency in permeating the cells to work its magic!3
Antioxidant activity
We get a lot of health advice from people about eating and using antioxidant rich foods and substances in our diet and healthcare. But do we really know why we need to eat and use antioxidant foods and products? When our skin and hair cells are exposed to the sun, it becomes vulnerable to the effect and increased production of free radicals (aka pollution). This kind of cell damage speeds up the aging process. Caffeine, according to Herman and Herman (2006) to effectively and positively lower the exposure and formation of free radicals in the cells, which slows down that aging process in your scalp.1 And as we like to say, a healthy scalp produces healthy hair! Using our reboots as a hair mask will effectively help with split ends, but the caffeine in them is part of what makes them a great scalp treatment!
Improves hydration for male skin
In a German study by Brandner et al. (2006), caffeine was tested as a barrier for water loss in the skin. Transepidermal water loss was measured before and after a gel preparation containing caffeine was applied to the skin. For men, the measurement of water loss was significantly lower when compared to the placebo control group. How does this work? Due to the process of osmosis, hydration on the surface of the skin is improved. The researchers concluded that caffeine can be used as a barrier ingredient to hydrate men’s skin.2 What we love about this factor is that this can greatly benefit people who suffer from a dry scalp! Not only that, but this same enzyme is well known to be behind issues with oily skin and acne- therefore an oily scalp.
So, we were excited to see this research as it not only helps with dry scalp, but can also balance hydration for those who suffer from greasy or oily hair, as well.
Hair thickener and more
As you age and your hair and scalp are exposed to more and more environmental stresses, your body starts to produce an enzyme referred to as 5-a-reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT, the substance that contributes to hair growth. Over time, your hair eventually stops growing completely, and you might suffer from baldness! Herman and Herman (2006) report that caffeine does an excellent job of reducing this process, slowing the hair thinning and potential baldness. Not only that, but caffeine’s stimulant properties improve blood flow to your scalp, which creates a healthy environment for hair growth.1
Outside-in is best
One particularly helpful study showed that when caffeine is applied to the hair follicle, the effects are much quicker than if it enters through the inside. For example, some hair vitamins might use caffeine to create the benefits that we’ve discussed, but the amount of time and the process through which it goes to even enter the hair follicle is extensive and weak. When it is applied directly to your hair and scalp, it will penetrate the hair and scalp effectively in under two minutes and will show continued activity even hours afterwards. This study showed that even 24 hours after application, high levels of caffeine were detected in the hair follicles and blood stream. This improves the concentration of the amount of caffeine, which then also improves the amount of benefit you receive from it.4
Better Circulation
Your hair needs a healthy scalp in order to grow strong. A strong hair strand contains many vital nutrients, which can be basically eliminated during the processes of hair damage. Since caffeine improves the circulation of the scalp due to increased blood flow1, the environment for the growing hair is healthier. This helps bring nourishment to the hair through the blood vessels in the scalp and replenish it with those vital nutrients from tip to root.
SAVE ME FROM knows women aren’t going to stop coloring, bleaching, styling, and playing with their hair (and definitely can’t stop aging!) With our advanced hair science ingredients, we can maintain your hair’s health. We’ve included caffeine in each and every product alongside our tip to root Fenugen technology.
So, skip the salon treatment for damaged hair and have your own salon treatment at home! Don’t start your hair repair process with your hands tied behind your back! Let us help you figure out which products would be best for your lifestyle.
References
- Herman A, Herman A. Caffeine’s Mechanisms of Action and Its Cosmetic Use. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. 2013;26(1):8-14. doi:10.1159/000343174.
- Brandner JM, Behne MJ, Huesing B, Moll I. Caffeine improves barrier function in male skin. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2006;28(5):343-347. doi:10.1111/j.1467-2494.2006.00346.x.
- Kim C, Shim J, Han S, Chang I. The skin-permeation-enhancing effect of phosphatidylcholine: Caffeine as a model active ingredient. Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2002:363-374.
- Otberg N, Teichmann A, Rasuljev U, Sinkgraven R, Sterry W, Lademann J. Follicular Penetration of Topically Applied Caffeine via a Shampoo Formulation. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. 2007;20(4):195-198. doi:10.1159/000101389.
