Hair Regrowth with Beta Sitosterol: Interview with WidowsPeak
Here it is, what you’ve all been waiting for, the interview with WidowsPeak. If you haven’t heard of this fella, he’s experienced remarkable hair re-growth from primarily using beta sitosterol. Without further a do…
How do you think beta-sitoserol has helped you to regrow your hair?
I believe that beta-sis works by blocking the binding of 5ar to testosterone to make DHT. This process still happens, so the body gets some DHT (which it needs), but not enough to kill hair follicles. This allows the hair to regrow.
How long was it before you started seeing significant regrowth?
I started to see hairs regrowing within a few weeks of taking beta-sis. It took about 6 months before I could see that I had hair regrowing about 1/2 inch below where my hairline was. Many of the hairs had no pigmentation, so I dyed them black and was able to capture hair regrowing about 1/4 inch down on film.
That’s how it’s been for over 2 years. I get 1/2 inch of regrowth in the temples, the 1/4 inch nearest the hairline shows up in photos and the other 1/4 inch shows up on film 6 months later.
So, everytime I post pics there is actually more hair regrowing than what you’re seeing, which is how I’m able to predict more regrowth every 6 months. That will stop, once I get back to a straight hairline, or however close I can get to that. I think I’ve always had a slight widows peak, but time will tell.
Did you get any side effects (positive or negative) from taking beta-sitoserol?
I noticed an increased libido almost immediately. I also noticed that when I first started taking beta-sis, my scalp got really oily. A week later, I noticed that my temples were starting to itch like crazy.
The oily scalp went away within about 3 weeks. The itching continues to this day, but is a lot more mild. Since the itching happens before an area regrows, I actually panic if I don’t feel at least a little itching everyday.
Do you think beta-sitoserol will work for everyone?
I don’t honestly know. I think that 60% of users responding positively is a fair number. Propecia, which works in a similar way, but is much more powerful, has about an 80% success rate.
The thing that I will never understand is….I’ve read accounts from at least 3 diferent people who were using beta-sis and had hair regrowing, but then quit because of fears about this or that. Beta-sis is in fruits, vegetables and grains. Have you ever been to the doctor and had him tell you that you were eating too many fruits and vegetables? Of course not.
What is your supplement regime (quantities / timing / brands / cycling)?
My regimen:
Twinlabs Cholesterol Success, 450 mg of beta sitosterol a day for 3 weeks, then 225 mg a day for a week, every month
Now Foods, Eco-Green Multi Vitamin
Now Foods, Spirulina, 500 mg
Now Foods, Grape Seed Standardized Extract, 100 mg
Now Foods, Glucosamine Sulfate, 1,100 mg
Now Foods, MSM, 1000mg
Now Foods, Zinc Supplements, 50mg
I take my supplements on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and then exercise for an hour.
A big part of my regimen is the following:
No shampoo
No sex
No junk food
No meat
No alcohol or drugs
No caffeine
Please understand that you don’t need to take the same brands of supplements that I do. My local health food store just happens to carry the NOW brand.
Also, if you’re a carnivore, you’re probably getting enough zinc in your diet and over-supplementing with zinc can block your bodys’ absorption of copper.
Lastly, the spirulina is for the B12 that I don’t get from veggies and the glucosamine is for my back.
What sorts of foods does your typical daily diet involve?
I eat 3 small avacados for luch almost everyday. They are high in beta-sis (75mg beta-sis per 100 grams of avacado) and glutathione (an essential amino acid that has anti-aging properties).
Alot of my diet is geared towards my 18 years as a vegetarian, so I eat things like the grain quinoa (keen-wah) to get all my proteins, I eat some soy, beans, fruits, veggies, brazil nuts (another complete protein). Lately I’ve been eating goji berries (another complete protein with 18 amino acids), as they have a polysaccharide in them that naturally boosts the bodys’ Growth Hormone levels.
I try not to eat after 8pm at night, as that can cause your IGF levels to spike, making you obese.
How often do you wash you hair and what with? Do you use hot, cold or warm water?
My hair is essentially self-cleaning, so I only rinse it about once every 2 weeks with cold water. Cold water forces toxins out of your body.
Do you exercise — if so what exercise for how long and how frequently?
I ride my bike for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour at night, as it is my only means of transportation to and from work. I ride up and down some very steep hills, so I think that’s as much exercise as I really need, although I do kung fu a few nights a week.
What are your sleep patterns?
I’m up at 6:30 am and in bed by 11pm on weekdays. On the weekends, I tend to stay up later and sleep in until 11am.
Do you do any scalp exercises?
I tried them for 6 months and got nothing except for increased wrinkles in my forehead. More power to ya, if they work for you, but nothing regrew hair for me until I found beta-sis.
Do you use any topicals?
No.I have used Apple Cider Vinegar and beer to wash my hair when I first quit using shampoo, almost 2 years ago.
Any other advice or tips for wanna-be regrowth folks out there?
Taking beta-sis regrew my hair in the temples, but I was still losing hair in the crown. This didn’t stop until I gave up using shampoo. Not using shampoo, or “going grunge” not only stopped the fallout in my crown, but I regrew a bunch of hair.
Ok. Thank you very much Mr Widows Peak for you time. I’m sure this info will be of great use to many. Cheers!
Fight Hair Loss with Beta Sitosterol
Growing my Hair Experiment with Beta Sitosterol – Update 1
Growing my Hair Experiment with Beta Sitosterol – Update 2
Beta Sitosterol Supplement
Responses to This Article
-
said on December 11, 2006
What do you mean no SEX! Mr Widow Peak that is the essence if life. Are you saying that sex will cause your hair to not regrow?? I know you produce more testosterone with sex but paleaseee tell me this is not neccessary!
-
said on March 4, 2007
Sounds like you need more than just the Beta-Sitosterol. Maybe rogaine 5% also–and non SLS shampoo. My other two points of question are :::::1.You said the propecia had a 80% positive effect. I wonder why it is still outrageously expensive after 14 years on the market—still needs a yearly or bi-yearly script. 2. AS far as the regimen goes—are you planning an audition for “Taxi Driver 2″????
-
said on August 6, 2009
let me write about my regimen for those that beta sis does not work for
-
said on August 6, 2009
starting in the morning i take
nutrition house: multi vitamin and minerals including some herbs such as saw palmetto and nettle root (these both decrease the production of DHT)
nutrition house: whey protein shake (just cause)
2 tbl spoons of 100% organic aloe vera
then i eat my breakfast including veggies, cereal, oat meal, eggs, toast (you get the deal anything healthly) and also yop yogurt (gimmie yop me mama)
for lunch i eat protein rich foods such as chicken or fish and cant forget my veggies and after for a snak or dessert fruits any type i feel like and salad
for dinner its basically the same deal as lunch except biggernow my shower routine:
half hour before i shower:
mix 1 tbl spoon of olive oil with one tbl spoon mayonaise both preferable organic, massage in scalp for about 5 minutes leave in for half hour then i shower
1)rinse hair with organic shampoo all natural they arent hard to find
2) put a whole beat egg in my hair then massage(eggs r high in protein and your hair is made up of it doing this in time will make your hair strands thick)
3)as the egg is on my head i wash my body with soap
4) rinse the egg out with milder water
5) 4tbl spoons on apple cider vinager in a bottle of water regular hand held bottle i pour that in my hair slowly while massaging it(the acv strips all gunk build up anything on ur scalp and hair including silicone from bad shampoos and also gives nutrients to your scalp and hair it smells bad but when u rinse it out its all good)
6) fully rinse my whole body and get out
i towel dry very gentle to not damage my hair
7) last but not least after my hair is dry i take a tbl spoon of aloe vera and massage in my head and leave in untill next shower( the aloe is rish in vitimin e for your scalp prevents dandruff and also it is an anti oxidant/inflamitory so it kills off bacteria you may have on your head that may be causeing ur balding, might i add it works good for gel as well)
now i shower everyday but i dont wash my hair everyday i wash 3 times a week monday wednsday friday not weekends, i put egg in my hair 2 times a week other than that everything else i follow every other day for my shower routine, after 3 weeks of doing this i noticed no more hair fall out i was losing about 70 to 80 hairs every time i massage my head now i lose maybe about 10 hairs a day from what i know off and no hair falls out when i massage 3 months into this routine ive noticed thicker hair my strands are thick but no regrowth yet i am now on the 5th month and i notice my hair is thick even people coment on it and also hair regrowth on my receiding hair line not much but there are hairs ive never seen there before including some dark thick hairs and also tiny black thin hairs and tiny blond thin hairs so no doubt this is working for me and hopefully this works for anyone reading if you must know i am 22 years old in 6 months ill be 23 and im receiding to the point where i look like this m like the mc donalds logo i started receiding when i was 20 so in 2 years i lost a straight hair line and alot of hair on top they say the younger you are the faster your body will cure and the older the slower so maybe i have a good chance to get it back and if you are the older crowd dont give up it may take longer but in the end youl have your hair back so just stay committed to this for the rest of your life never stop a routine even if u have your hair back because your most likely to lose it again if you dont maintain it also wearing hats is just a myth that youl go bald any way i hope i helped dont use those scams out there that claim to do the job they might work but theyre expensive and they dont work fully doing it natural will work 100 percent thank you
Robert! -
Chris said on August 6, 2009
Interesting regime Robert, thanks for sharing.
-
said on November 9, 2009
In this post you said 450 mg / 3 weeks then 250 mg / week of beta sis over a month
I just recently read an article (2 users blogging as you) where the intakes were different, 900 mg/3 week then 450/week of beta sis over a month
Have you increased dosage?
-
said on November 14, 2009
Dear all
This may sound unusual to you but if it worked for me it might work for all in this forum! Ok I admit that I didn’t follow Robert’s routine of things but basically we were on similar grounds….
This might sound funny but I have to try and explain this ok… here we go…. First of all I made regular use of minoxidil + anti bacterial shampoos (Dermatil etc) and this thing basically was stressing me out because I was never seeing miraculous regrowrth of hair as people claim. I used this regularly for a year until 1 fine morning I gave up on using it. And didnt use it anymore. By then I was really stressed out almost no hair at the top.
Giving up on the whole idea of having hair on my head, I reasoned out that after all Vinn Diesel looks just as attractive irrespective of the baldness that he sports. So I started going to the gym. So at least I won’t look like some bald weak guy in the corner…..shaved hair + muscles means business
Stress had led me to a lack of sleep/ disordered diet / skipping meals on a regular basis / drinking alcohol / no sex and even though I didnt smoke, I was a passive smoker none the less.
Then I started going to gym and I got a bit obsessed about getting my muscles stronger. I could barely lift up 10 kgs for 30 times (dumbles) when I started, It was impossible!. 4 months down the line, I started lifting 20kg dumbles for 60 times. This was significantly stronger, an impressive weight but muscles still looked quite normal and not as strong as they ought to look (for what they lifted)
People told me that basically its because of my diet and how much I rest. So then I decided to change that as well by doing the following.
– Quit alcohol completely
– No soft drinks.
– No passive smoking
– Both multi vitamins ( I have one of each every morning) (Multi Centrum Green and Purple)
– Started eating 6 – 7 small meals a day (2 hour gap and loads of water)
– I included food and serial as one of the above mentioned meals
– Started to eat nothing up to 2 hours before I sleep
– I gave myself a minimum of 8 hours sleep per day
– Led a calm life and didnt stress out for things anymore by answering ” so what?” to many things
– Doing my exercise properly 4-6 times a week and 2 body parts per session
– Started taking a 100% Whey protein supplement 2 mins after workout. (this is NOT an advert)One fine morning. My anti bacterial shampoo had finished. I was shaving my hair anyway so I quit using it and didn’t buy another one. I was now just rinsing my head with pure cold water ( you can’t go wrong with that one!) once a week and I used to do it to wake up in the morning! I cannot believe this but its happening. After 4 months of gym and 3 weeks of putting myself into the above routine I already have 1 cm long hair over my scalp (at the top where I almost had nothing). So in my case, no fancy eggs n stuff or vinegar etc on my head so not as Rob is doing. HOWEVER, there are some common things in what Rob is doing. I decided to look this up and see why it was happening and i bumped into this forum so after reading the above I decided to share with you.
- For starters it is clear that unlike what many “scientists” lead us to think out there hair DOES regrow irrespective of hair follicle situation. I used all sorts of chemical treatmens out there! And these chemicals were just posining my system (Anti bacterial stuff … minoxidil etc). I was stressing out myself so it led me to intoxicate myself even more with junk food / smoke and alcohol and lack of sleep (this meant even more poison). Then what should have I expected from such a scenario?
The solution is in how strict we are with ourselves at leading a healthy life. The body is truly an amazing machine! Just like it heals itself when it gets cut burnt etc! It regenerates itself when you nourish it properly just like a biological plant does! A healthy body yields a healthy mind … a healthy mind yields a healthy body remember that!
After looking up this on the internet its clear that in some way i stimulated my GH (Growth Hormone) to regenerate properly. This only happens through leading a healthy life (the NATURAL way) or by taking some HGH steroid (the ARTIFICAL way which I DONT suggest due to side effects). Results were visible after 4 months if you do it seriously. I disagree with Rob’s accound on one thing. While i agree that hair is made of protein and other nutrients. I cannot see how nutrients could be any useful on the outside. Protein and nutrients are not for topical use (the century old gimmick), and that is why Minoxidil doesn’t work so well, why? Because health has to begin from the inside. We are what we do, what we eat and what we sleep end of.
I hope that some of you out there take this approach and try something all natural for a change. If it worked for me (desparate guy who tried out anything on the market with no visible results or very minimal results), it will work for anyone!
Chill out
-
Chris said on November 14, 2009
Nice comments Zisco, thanks.
And I agree; people vastly underestimate life style factors on hair loss.
All these things have a massive effect on the balance of your hormones, blood flow, levels of nutrients etc.
And all these things in turn affect your hair health.
Your multi-pronged approach is excellent. More people wishing to look after their hair (and health) should start here.
Cheers,
Chris -
said on March 7, 2010
@Zisco: great story and approach. I agree that holistically approaching the hair issue as an extention of overall physical + mental health is the optimal way to go.
I’m 21 yrs old and have significantly changed my lifestyle to be conducive to overall health, which should result in thicker growth. I’ve always had thin, straight, blond hair, but in recent months I’ve had significant thinning and fall-out which I attribute to either MPB or chronic telogen effluvium (caused by malnutrition, stress and recent depression). I have some slight recession at the temples that has happened rather quickly, though seeing as I’m shedding all over I have a strong hunch that it is a combination of MPB, stress, and not eating enough (My work situation is very bad, I’ve moved back in with my parents because I couldn’t afford rent in NYC anymore, can barely get my 2000 calories a day, have eaten very badly and inconsistently until the past 2 months). After a check-up with my doctor, I had a protein deficiency, a vitamin D deficiency, low cholesterol, high cortisol levels, bad circulation, and was general underweight and malnourished. Hair loss was basically no surprise. I’m in my junior year in college and have a large, constant workload, travel fatigue from 4+ hours on buses/at terminals/on the subway each day. In addition, my home situation is often very tense (my parents are stressed out as well, there are constant screaming arguments and my folks are generally on my ass about every little thing every day, almost nonstop). Again, hair loss, no surprise. I also quit my rigorous 2-year weight training + cardio routine (5 days a week, 30 mins cardio/30 mins weights) 4 days a week, which used to be my main form of stress relief but now I think that all the hardcore exhaustion probably added more androgens + stress hormones, so I stopped it. And to top it all off, I went through a rather painful break-up somewhere in between.
In addition to stress hormones, I’m pretty concerned about androgens being at work here. I’m sure the two are connected in more ways than I know about. Plus there is the whole deal of WORRYING ABOUT OUR HAIR, which does not really help…So. Lifestyle changes I’ve made are:
1. Meditation each morning, 30 to 45 minutes (either a basic calming practice like focusing on the breath, or Zen meditation which is training yourself to just sit without investing your attention in anything in particular. It’s truly the best thing you could do for your mind.)
2. Will probably start running/biking again soon, though I am still not so sure if all the sweating is good for the scalp or not… With cardio, the circulation is phenomenal, but I’m not sure that being drenched with sweat over a long period of time is any good for the hair and scalp. However, I’ve been doing one to two running + biking workouts per week. Cardio has good effects on SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin, in moderation). I considered taking up swimming as a total-body workout, but the chlorine and head caps are bad news.
3. Various types of yoga. I do basic postures for overall flexibility, ** blood circulation (very important for the hair thing! lots of postures increasing circulation to the head). I’m experimenting with yogic breathing practices (I do Anulom vilom pranayam, kapalbhati pranayam, and the basic yogic breath).
I also put focus on strength postures, as I’ve stopped lifting weights but like the toned, not bulky, look of a yoga body. I generally feel much better doing yoga than I did afters a few years of weightlifting.
I will experiment with Qi Gong and Tantric yoga in the future, but for now, the basic yoga plus meditation have been amazing exercise and stress-reducing (I’m sure that yoga has a good effect on hormones, including cortisol and free testosterone).4. Diet in accordance with Ayurveda recommendations for hair growth. Increasing my protein intake.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal or cold cereal with milk/soymilk + raisins, nuts, etc.
Sometimes a cup of hot milk with spices and a little butter (ayurvedic recipe)
2-3 egg whites (whole eggs once a week)
or toast with peanut butter
Sweet, ripe fruits (Apple, pear, pomegranate, grapes, etc…)
Sunflower seeds + pumpkin seeds, sometimes almonds or cashewsLunch/Linner: Usually the biggest meal.
Protein drink
Fish/soy/veggie protein/poultry (I avoid red meat and try not to eat factory-farmed meats)
Raw veggies (One or more of: Broccoli, green pepper, avocado, kale, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots…)
Grain (White/brown rice/barley/buckwheat/etc.)
Herb tea (mint/nettle leaf/calming herbs)Dinner: Similar to lunch
Raw/cooked veggies (usually greens plus another avocado)
Fish/soy/veggie protein/protein drink (I try to avoid meat for dinner, usually can’t when I’m at home)
Grains
Sometimes a thick vegetable soup, if I have time to cook.
Herb tea (mint/nettle leaf/calming herbs)5. Supplements: Usually taken in the morning with or before breakfast.
Saw palmetto (320 mg daily)
Multivitamin (general wellbeing)
Vitamin D3 (1000 – 2000 IU daily, plus sunlight exposure)
Zinc (40-60 mg per daily)
* Biotin (still experimenting — 2.5 to 3.5 mg daily [2500 to 3500 micrograms(mcg)])
Cod liver oil (1 tbsp daily, might increase dosage)QUESTIONS:
1. I used Beta-sitosterol for a little while this past summer, and definitely got the itching + oily effects, though I stopped using it after about 2 months because I figured I’m not really having serious, noticeable hair loss, just some all-over thinning.
But I’m convinced to try it again more consistently.
What dosage do you guys recommend?
Is any brand in particular more or less potent?2. I’m sure some of you have heard of the rather iffy practice of Balayam (fingernail rubbing which stimulates nerves in the fingers apparently connected to the scalp, to regrow hair; comes from Yoga but is also found in reflexology). Just wondering, does anyone here practice it? I’ve been doing it for a few weeks and have been consistently getting some scalp tingling and slightly increased blood flow whenever I do it, thought I think it may be placebo effect. I try to do it for 10-15 minutes, two or three times a day usually while at a lecture or on the bus. Will continue for a few months (it’s become almost an unconscious habit already), to see what happens. I’m much less skeptical about yoga/reflexology/acupressure/Chinese traditional medicine/meditation, and other such things, lately. I’ve benefited too much from various practices to dismiss them or be overly skeptical…
So, if anyone has some suggestions to the various scattered questions in here, and any other lifestyle/supplement/dietary sugestions, that would be very much appreciated.
Thanks, and good luck to everyone! -
said on March 12, 2010
I just wanted to let people know that this actually does work. I tried all sorts of stuff including $90/mo “treatment” and the best anything did was slow down the loss.
UNTIL I stopped washing my hair and started taking beta-sis and saw palmetto! I am seeing massive regrowth after only about 2 months of this.
I’m not selling anything except for hope here, just try it, what do you have to lose? The money you save on shampoo will more than make up for the $0.25 a day or so these common supplements will cost you.
Just a happy camper hoping to see more people freed from this affliction.
-
said on July 15, 2010
so so beta will wiol work
Say Something About This Article, Go On
This article was written on September 20, 2006 was posted in these categories DHT Blockers, Hair Nutrition, Hair Products .