Reversal of hair loss in Mice with “sugar gel”
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Update :
I had a weird reaction to Propylene glycol. After I added it the formula it gave me estrogenic symptoms like anxiety and puffy
face and nipples. I could not find any studies on it being estrogenic , quite the contrary actually . There are some studies showing it might be progestogenic.
I have removed it anyways from the formula.I have since then slightly increased ethanol to 35%, to make up for propylene and to increase polyphenols absorption, since they don't dissolve completely.
I also noticed that adding sugar makes my hair a little sticky. So I have created a new batch without the sugar as well, only containing NMN, apple polyphenols and ethanol. I can leave this formula in my hair and it looks good, not even a need to rinse it.
So it's very practical for every day life .I think I'll make a separate batch including the sugar for maximum effects that I'll use when I don't have to leave the house.
I'm thinking about adding biotin to the formula for increased local glyocgen synthesis.
Current formula:
35% ethanol
1% NMN
1% Apple polyphenols
(1% of dextrose)
Rest: Wateradd taurine ,caffeine,... to your liking
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@Mauritio
This is great work.
About apple polyphenols:
What about using Elderberry extract instead (which I happen to have), which is high in polyphenols like Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), which seems to help with hair loss.
https://lowtoxinforum.com/threads/cyanidin-3-o-glucoside-c3g-the-next-polyphenolic-star.52555/#post-983384 -
@AinmBeo I don't know, wouldn't count on it.
Apple polyphenols have humans studies showing their effectiveness, that's why I'm going with them. -
@Mauritio
If NMN is Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, wasn't that banned 3 years ago?
I think haidut has said that niacinamide is just as effective as NMN as a NAD precursor. -
I've been wondering whether BHB or butyrate would be better energy substrates to hair follices rather than dextrose. I'm thinking preferrably as potassium or magnesium salts.
But alpha-ketoglutaric acid /glutarate may be the energy substrate to prefer (LeeLemonoil had discovered that paper):Highlights • mTOR and AMPK modulation by rapamycin, metformin, and a-KG induces anagen hair growth • Autophagy induction is necessary and sufficient for anagen entry and hair growth • Autophagy is increased during anagen phase of the natural hair follicle cycle • Aged mice fed the autophagy-inducing metabolite a-KB are protected from hair lossStimulation of Hair Growth by Small Molecules that Activate Autophagy
It's widely and cheaply available as arginine aKG. I know there are many shampoos etc. with arginine "to promote skin circulation" but not sure if the arginine is a good part. Calcium aKG is difficult and expensive to get and I reckon the calcium is disadvantageous in the skin.
Pure aKG (free acid) is even more difficult to get thatn Ca-aKG. So perhaps the AAKG is good.
a-KB is alpha-ketobutyrate. Which I can't find listed for sale anywhere but it surely looks great for hair.
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@AinmBeo you can still buy the exact same stuff. It's just labeled as research chemical. Similarly to idealabs.
Somebody else posted a study (I reposted it somewhere too) that Niacinamide did NOT have beneficial effects on hair health.
Based on other studies Im starting to think that they're not interchangable when it comes to all effects. I think they both have benefits though . -
@Mauritio I do not see NMN for sale anywhere on amazon. We do not have access to the labs that only sell to folks like Haidut.
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@AinmBeo These "labs" don't tend sell on amazon, even though some do.
They aren't really "labs", they are just resellers of "research" wink, wink chemicals
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@CrumblingCookie
Great points !Butyrate could indeed feed the TCA cycle and increase scalp ATP.
It's a small molecule and very water soluble so it should be possible to add it to my formula.I found an in vitro study that directly corroborates what you said :
- Butyrate delays catagen phase in hair follicles
- Increases autophagy
- "...may be exploited to promote human HF growth, metabolism, pigmentation and/or antimicrobial defences."
https://www.morressier.com/o/event/62d558b38a1a1f00195adc16/article/62fa00a7cf455b001a73dd1e
Here's another study showing sodium butyrate increases autophagy and inhibits mTOR.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37686278/Since these beneficial effects seem to depend on the AMPK-mTOR-autophagy axis that might explain biotin's strong anecdotal evidence for helping hair.
Biotin increases AMPK and thus inhibits mTOR and induces autophagy. -
@Mauritio said:
"...may be exploited to promote human HF growth, metabolism, pigmentation and/or antimicrobial defences."
https://www.morressier.com/o/event/62d558b38a1a1f00195adc16/article/62fa00a7cf455b001a73dd1eDid you notice the c. x250 increase in dermcidin? I hadn't known about this antimicrobial peptide before but may now start regularly washing or rubbing my face with butyrate solution. Interesting that the But is a metabolite of S. epidermis and is to both feed the hair follice and to thwart skin and follicle infections. The ex vivo nutrient solution was a mere 11mg But per 100ml (0.01%). I'm going to use 500mg per 100ml (.5%).
The skin surface may be just as out of whack as the intestines after any (early life) antibiotic insults. Will add But + S. epidermis body spray to my imaginary list of product innovations. -
I've seen some stuff about how potassium may be a key to reversing hair loss.
https://www.hairloss-research.org/carnitine-and-hairloss/
This patent pending oral minoxidil mimetic, (TRX2) developed by Dr. Whitfield, has had encouraging results in phase 2 trials (18 month point), released in October of 2011.
There were 59 participants, men and women affected by Androgenetic Alopecia.
Hair counts increased an average of 49.2%
Hair thickness increased 38.7%
Terminal hair change, (vellus to terminal) 36.4%
In all, 87% have reported cessation of hair loss.
Dr. Whitfield’s TRX2 formula is comprised of Carnitine, Branched Chain Amino Acids, Niacin, and potassium chloride. This formula can also be readily replicated at a higher potency by simply obtaining these ingredients separately, and even enhanced by using more advanced forms of Carnitine.
Our recommendation for Potassium Ion Channel restoration for hair growth consist of :
Optimized Carnitine with GlycoCarn: 1-2 capsules a day
Branched Chain Amino Acids-: 2-4 capsules a day
Niacin: 1 capsule a day
Potassium Citrate: 1 capsule a day
Thanks to the painstaking research conducted by Dr. Whitfield, the systemic stimulation of Potassium Ion Channel Function (minoxidil mimetic) can now be used as a sole intervention, or integrated into an existing hair loss treatment regime of natural DHT inhibitors and anti-inflammation agents. Although it is likely through the mechanisms identified by Dr. Whitfield, that both Carnitine and Branched Chain Amino Acids offer some benefit to hair loss on their own, it is the combination of the above mentioned compounds that would appear offer optimal benefit for both health and sustained hair growth.
This guy claims that potassium bicarbonate is the cure: https://medium.com/@baldnesscure14/the-actual-cure-for-male-pattern-baldness-c937879b872c
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@CrumblingCookie yeah good point. That is an aspect of hair loss I've almost never come across.
I'm wondering what I've been doing to my scalp biome by applying 35% alcohol everyday . But from the looks of it, it seems to work. My hair looks better. Even though I was worried that the alcohol might make it dry.
I think I'll use between 0.5-1% of NaB to be sure.
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@Hearthfire very interesting, thanks for sharing.
I didn't find anything on potassium bicarbonate and hair loss directly. But at the very least the bicarbonate should increase local CO2, which is helpful.
But the fungal connection is quite remarkable!
In this study, People with hair loss almost had a 10x higher prevalence of a fungal scalp infection called Malassezia. That correlation is so strong that it seems likely that there's causality as well."The prevalence of positive smears was significantly higher among subjects with hair shedding than among normal subjects (89.92% vs 9.52%, p<0.001).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16901187/In this study the difference was only 20% .
But they found that Malassezia, is higher on the top scalp in balding people than in the occipital region, which doesn't bald. So again there seems to be a connection between Malassezia and balding. Making potassium bicarbonate an intriguing option .
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31240449/"The scalp commensal organism, Malassezia, has been recognized to be a source of oxidative damage. "
This might be one of the reasons why anti-oxidants help with hair loss.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6369642/Sodium butyrate is anti fungal, making it an even better candidate .
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21911344/ -
@Mauritio i wrote about this months ago
https://bioenergetic.forum/topic/2492/what-is-the-link-between-potassium-and-baldness/9
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@wester130 Yeah your thread might be where I found that medium article, or I was searching on the other forum.
Welp, time to order some potassium lol. This has renewed my interest in it and moved it to the top of the list of things to try.
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Malassezia + demodex mites is what I think might be causing baldness in a large portion of balding people. Causing constant inflammation and damage, feeding on the sebum, and causing your scalp to over-produce sebum. Maybe its this constant attack that causes DHT to raise. Normal DHT levels would cause hair to grow, but balance gets out of whack when these parasites have overrun your scalp.
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@CrumblingCookie Are you aware of this potassium BHB product?
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@Mauritio I had tried the potassium bicarbonate (orally as well as externally as well as with the other things as described in that medium article) years ago for a very long time (more than half a year) and it did nothing in my case. I even tried those TRX2 capsules years ago for a year with no results (really expensive). Theoretically it sounds good, but in practice, at least for me, it did nothing.
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@Hearthfire regarding mites - This is why I use essential oils, they kill most mites
I mix essential oils into everclear to make a non-greasy topical
Most people don't use essential oils because they are greasy when mixed into a carrier oil
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@Hearthfire I think they are certainly a factor of many.
Anecdotally I can say that I've noticed for years that anti-fungals like boron, MSM, etc. have decreased hair loss .
