“Hair growth developed within three to six weeks after administration of the tablets. It was first noticed in the temple area, between the eyebrows, between the hairline and eyebrows or in the area of the upper lateral cheek. Later it was found to extend to the back, arms, legs or scalp.”

Obviously no one wants to look like a wookie with a furry face, but the potential was realised with the concept of a topical treatment that could be applied to specific areas i.e. your balding scalp. And so Rogaine was born…

How Does It Work?

Although the exact mechanism of how minoxidil works is unclear it’s thought that it helps in a number of ways. Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener that causes vasodilation. In plain English this means it is opens up capillaries in your scalp bring more blood into the hair follicle. This could well explain how Rogaine triggers and sustains hair growth. But…

…there have been numerous attempts to stimulate re-growth with many other vasolidators – without results. Another theory is that minoxidil, as a potassium channel opener sparks the production of something called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor). VEGF is thought to help new blood vessels form which help sustain healthy hair follicles.

How Effective is Rogaine?

The studies on Rogaine indicate that it works best for people who have been balding from 2 to 10 years. If you’ve been balding for greater than 10 years then it could be less effective. Also it appears the effects of minoxidil work best on the top of scalp but not quite so well on the temples and front of the hairline. So if you’ve been balding for less than 10 years and mainly on the top of your scalp then Rogaine could be a strong option to consider.

After reading various hair loss forums it appears the feedback on minoxidil is more than positive with many people seeing new hair growth and maintaining their hair using Rogaine, particularly those people who stuck with the treatment for at least 6 to 12 months. Studies back this up…

“Use of topical minoxidil in the treatment of male pattern baldness.
Savin RC. This 12-month, double-blind, randomized study evaluated the safety and efficacy of topical minoxidil in the treatment of male pattern baldness. Three formulations were compared: 2% minoxidil solution, 3% minoxidil solution, and placebo. After 4 months all placebo patients crossed over to treatment with the 3% solution. Of the 96 patients randomized into the study, 79 were evaluable at month 12; 25 of these were in the 2% minoxidil group, 24 were in the 3% minoxidil group, and 29 were in the placebo-to-3% solution switchover group … At the end of 4 months there was significant regrowth of nonvellus (terminal and indeterminate) hairs in the patients using the 2% and 3% solutions (p = 0.0001). The mean nonvellus hair count at month 4 was 162.8 in the 2% minoxidil group, 155.4 in the 3% minoxidil group, and 107.1 in the placebo group. The mean increase in the 2% and 3% treatment groups was 58.2 and 48.8, respectively, whereas the mean increase in the placebo group was 4.0. Total hair counts at month 4 demonstrated significantly more growth of hair in the 2% minoxidil group than in the placebo group (p = 0.013), with no significant difference between the 3% minoxidil group and the other two treatment groups.( PMID: 3549804 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE])

It also seems that the liquid form of Rogaine is considerably more effective than the foam versions. I imagine this is simply because it far better absorbed in liquid than foam.

Are there any Side Effects?

One of the side effects with Rogaine is that on occasions it can cause unwanted hair growth around the eyebrows. This happens if you are not careful with its application, it can be systemically absorbed into the body so that it doesn’t just act on the scalp. In order to minimise this you should: only apply it to the problem areas, ensure that you wash your hands fully after application, make sure that there are no open wounds on your scalp (e.g. open spots or pimples) and don’t over use the treatment.

Other side effects, which are fairly rare, can include heart palpitations, water retention and light headedness. For the vast majority of people there minoxidil is well tolerated…

“Minoxidil is a remarkably potent hypotensive with relatively few side effects” (Long-term treatment of severe hypertension with minoxidil. Can Med Assoc J. 1977 November 19; 117(10): 1178–1182.)

When you first start using Rogaine you may initially experience some shedding of hair, however, this fairly run of the mill…

“Recently, some studies using a digital phototrichogram (Trichoscan, Marburg, Germany) proved that there was indeed a quantifiable increase in shedding and a corresponding loss of hair density in the first 3 months of minoxidil use. However, by the 6 month stage the subjects were shown to have re-grown the lost hair and had increased hair density compared to that recorded at the start of treatment. By 12 months after starting minoxidil use their hair density was much improved and the diameter of the hair fibers was thicker than at the start of treatment and as compared to controls who did not receive treatment.” (Source Dr. Kevin McElwee – HairLossTalk)

So if you want to pursue the use of Rogaine you’ll need to give it time. Another issue with Rogaine is that once start treatment you’ll need to continue with its use to maintain results. Stopping use means you’ll go back to square one – sadly Rogaine is treatment NOT a cure. But if you are willing to continually use it then there’s a fair chance you may be able to stave of hair loss.

Am I going to use it?

For now I’ve decided against using Rogaine – I am going to exhaust natural remedies before I take this route. However, if in future I’m getting nowhere then I may well reconsider adding Rogaine to my regime. We’ll see.

If you do start taking Rogaine in all probability you’ll see results if you stick with it for at least a few months. But you have to balance this up against the fact you’ll need to continue treatment to sustain that progress…

Read More About and Buy Rogaine Here.

Sadly no massive regrowth on my thinning crown. However, it does seem that hair loss has halted. I’m no worse or better than before, which isn’t bad thing. Whether this is down to the Beta Sis or just coincidence I have no idea. It’s taken WidowsPeak three years to see good all round growth, so I’ll probably stick out for another year or so, whilst monitoring progress. I’ve treated myself to a snazzy new camera, so in future I may well post pics to the site, if they’re worth seeing.

Just a quick note… this year I’ve decided to make it a solid goal to REGROW hair (without using drugs). I already have a plan of attack for the forthcoming months with various diet changes and techniques. I’m also going to be trying a very exciting new topical treatment that I hold great hopes for.

Keep ‘em peeled, there’s going to be an avalanche of new articles.

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

The first thing that I noticed when I first started takinig beta-sis was that my scalp got oilier within the 1st month. This dissipated and then I noticed an itching in the areas where I got regrowth, so if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s a good sign.

Apparently the itching is caused by tiny baby hairs called velous hairs starting to grow, with follicles that were once dieing off slowly coming back to life. To me this is very good news, especially as the itching is mainly on my baldy bits, which to me is another indication that the beta sitosterol is having some effect. Eventually the velous hairs will be replaced with thicker normal hair, that’s the theory at least. My hair loss is mainly on the top of my head, my hair line is is intact so it’s hard to visibly track the progress. In 4 to 6 months time my before and after photos will be more revealing.

One last thing, with a bit of luck there’s interview with WidowsPeak coming up soon on this site, he’s revealed some interesting info about his dosage with Beta Sitosterol and he’s got some new updated photos showing continued hair regrowth, so keep ‘em peeled.

Further reading…

Fight Hair Loss with Beta Sitosterol
Growing my Hair Experiment with Beta Sitosterol – Update 1
Beta Sitosterol Supplement

Sixty four ounces (roughly eight glasses) is the recommended amount of daily water intake, but this can vary if you exercise more or live in a hotter climate you will need more. If you feel even slightly thirsty then chances are your body isn’t getting adequate water. If you drink a lot of coffee or alcohol then you will probably be peeing out more water than you take in, so it may be an idea to try and cut down. It’s not rocket science — simply keep a glass or bottle of water handy at all times and sip on it through out the day, your hair will thank you.

I’ve been studying the mechanisms of exactly how beta sitosterol works and made a few tweaks based on that. Beta sitosterol is commonly sold as a cholesterol reducing supplement. It works by locking onto the cholesterol before it gets digested which stops it being absorbed and is then excreted out. But my goal is for hair growth so if the beta sistosterol is being flushed out of your body with cholesterol it means it isn’t being absorbed, not good.

The trick is to avoid taking beta sitosterol before or with fatty meals. What I’ve started doing is taking it first thing in the morning with just a banana, and let that digest for half an hour before I have my low fat breakfast (oats and skimmed milk). Failing that just taking beta sitosterol with at least an hour and a half either side of meals should be fine too.

Further reading…

Fight Hair Loss with Beta Sitosterol
Beta Sitosterol Supplement

Judging by hair loss forums and chat rooms saw palmetto appears to be one of the most popular “natural” hair loss remedies. Freeze dried saw palmetto berries are one option, another is to buy the extracted form in pills from your local health store. But before you rush out and stock up let me introduce you to…

…Saw Palmetto’s Big Brother, Beta Sitosterol

The main active ingredient in saw palmetto that is thought to stop hair loss is beta sitosterol (beta sitosterol hair loss article here which also explains the mechanisms how both substances work). And then consider that a typical serving of beta sitosterol has more active ingredient than 3000 capsules of dried saw palmetto berries…

One capsule of beta sitosterol usually contains 300 mg of pure beta-sitosterol. You would have to eat 2 lbs. of saw palmetto to get the same amount of beta-sitosterol one 300 mg capsule. This is 3000 times more potent than saw palmetto.

So Should I Forget About Saw Palmetto?

The logical solution seems to supplement with beta sitosterol rather than saw palmetto. There are substances in saw palmetto other than beta sitosterol including stigmasterol and campesterol, but nearly every beta sitosterol supplement I’ve seen also includes these anyway.

But, (there’s always a “but” isn’t there!) some people actually report good results with saw palmetto – and hey, if it works, it works. Saw palmetto might be strong enough to have the desired hair saving effect for certain people. On the other hand beta sitosterol might be too strong, with some people their scalp becomes unbearably oily and itchy. Again saw palmetto may be good enough in cases like this.

Also there may be other ingredients in saw palmetto that may also be beneficial for hair loss, that aren’t in a beta sitosterol supplement. It’s really a case of suck it and see. Some people like to combine the two, which might not be a bad idea. A study reported the results of men suffering from hair loss after using 50mg of beta sitosterol and 200mg of saw palmetto berry extract (standardized 85% to 95% liposterolic content) — sixty percent of them reported new hair growth with the rest reporting that hair loss had at least ceased. Whilst the placebo group many of them had continual hair loss.

If you do decide to try saw palmetto then read the label carefully, just because it says 200mg doesn’t mean there that’s much in there, you need to check the “standardized” percentage. If it’s standardized 1% then you can be sure your not getting very much.

Personally I’m giving saw palmetto a miss for a while as I’ve just started supplementing with beta sitosterol and want to see how that goes for a few months. I may well chuck it into the mix a bit later though. If you’ve tried saw palmetto, what have been your experiences…? Post a comment below. Go on!

All Natural Goodness

Beta sitosterol belongs to a group of plant extracts called phytosterols. Chances are you eat it every day already as it’s found in rice, wheat germ, avocado, various oils and other plant based foods. An old study showed that unless we get fresh beta sitosterol daily our body will become depleted of it. The study concluded that beta sitosterol should to be taken daily for “optimal functioning” (Metabolism of beta-sitosterol in man. J. Clin. Invest., 49, 952-967, 1970).

Commonly beta sitosterol is sold as supplement for a wide range of health benefits in particular to help reduce cholesterol levels and for prostate health, but it has been shown to have anti cancer effects and it also gives the immune system a helping hand. Sounds like good stuff, but how will this help re-grow hair?

Beta Sitosterol To The Rescue

Exactly how beta sitosterol helps prevent hair loss is not totally clear. Studies seem to indicate that it works by stopping the enzyme 5 alpha reductase dead in it’s tracks (J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Apr;8(2):143-52.). This enzyme converts testosterone into another hormone called DHT, and if you didn’t know DHT is bad news for hair. So if beta sitosterol can stamp out the action of 5 alpha reductase then a major cause of male pattern hair loss can be fended off.

*UPDATE* Just found a study, perhaps the only study, looking at the effect of beta sitosterol on androgenic alopecia (male balding). The study tested 26 males aged between 23 and 65 with mild to moderate hair loss. They were given 50mg of beta sitosterol a day for four months. The outcome…

On the basis of the investigative staff assessment of change in the patient’s scalp hair growth from baseline, treatment with the active study formula demonstrated 60% of the subjects rated as “improved” at the final visit as compared to baseline. In contrast, only 11% in the placebo group were rated as improved. Further, the Subject Assessment analysis of the appearance of the bald spot at the final visit compared to baseline showed that in the treatment group, no subjects deteriorated. In contrast however, the placebo group reported three subjects as deteriorated.

(Nelson Prager, Effectiveness of Botanically Derived Inhibitors of 5AR in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, Volume 8, Number 2, April 2002)

Not the biggest study ever done, but one certainly gives me more confidence in beta sitosterol. And then consider the best results with beta sitosterol comes from over 12 months of use, yet 60% of the test subjects noticed an improvement after just 4 months. At the worst it may be enough to stop any more hair shed at the best I may be able to spark new life into hair follicles that were nearly dead.

The study also makes some interesting points comparing natural substances like beta sitosterol with synthetic ones like Rogaine and Propecia…

These botanicals have not been linked with the spectrum of negative side effects, adverse reactions, or teratogenicity, associated with the pharmaceutically derived alternatives.

Not only does it appear that beta sitosterol may prevent new DHT being made, it may also prevent hair loss by stopping any existing DHT binding to androgen receptors, but I couldn’t find any studies to confirm this. And that’s not all…

It is thought that beta sitosterol has estrogen blocking effects. High estrogen levels in men are strongly linked with balding and a whole host of other nasties (prostate problems and man boobs!).

Another study revealed that beta-sitosterol may possess anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is also a significant factor in hair loss, so if this can be limited too then there may be protection against hair loss from several different angles.

And finally beta sitosterol has been shown in numerous studies to have a variety of anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal actions. Having micro creepy crawlies on your scalp is certainly not good for you hair. All in all beta sitosterol sounds like a potent hair loss supplement.

What to expect, are there any side effects?

WidowsPeak used 350mg a day of the product, this seems a safe level, especially when you consider some Doctors recommend up 5000mg a day. Roger Mason author of the book “The Natural Prostate Cure” states 300mg supplement is more than safe.

As for side effects, the odd beta sitosterol user has reported a decrease in libido, if this happens to me I will cease using the product – hair is good, but not THAT good. Generally people have reported an increase in libido. Also, for the first couple of weeks you may experience an oily itchy scalp, apparently this is a “pre-cursor to regrowth”.

Another possible problem with beta sitosterol is that it can interfere with how the body absorbs beta-carotene and vitamin E and, but taking a decent multi-vitamin should balance that out.

I’ll need to stick with it for an extended period, WidowsPeak reported new small baby like hair initially, but it took months to see thick new hairs…

5 months is nothing, took me 12-18 months to really start seeing overall thickening, takes a LONG time for velous hairs to turn terminal, but the fact that they are there means the follicles are not dead. I think some of the terminal new hairs you saw were hairs on the way to dying but the sprang back to life. They were not so far gone that the first thing to sprout is peach fuzz. Be patient, just stopping the fallout etc is great. Regrowth takes time.

This would indicate that beta sitosterol would probably work better on people who have only just started losing hair, rather than those who have been bald for years who’s follicles are more likely to be dead.

I’m giving beta sitosterol 18 months use at 375mg every day. I’ve been on it for 7 days, no side effects to mention as yet. I’ll be taking some “before” pictures soon so I can make an accurate comparison. I brought my supply of it from vitacost, it’s fairly cheap… Beta Sitosterol Supplement

On a final note, if your wondering why this supplement isn’t more popular for hair loss you have to consider that it is inexpensive and a natural substance so the big drug companies cannot claim exclusive rights to it which means very small profits.

I’ll be writing updates and posting pictures every few months, hopefully I’ll be reporting back with a few more hairs on my head.

Further Reading…

Update 1: Growing my Hair Experiment with Beta Sitosterol

Zinc and Hair Loss

Zinc plays many roles in the body: helping build cells, keeping hormones in check, assisting with the absorption of various other vitamins and giving the body a helping hand with protein use. All of these actions are essential for hair growth and maintenance.

Yet, many people fear zinc will raise levels of the hair munching hormone DHT. Yes, zinc does boost testosterone levels, which is often linked with increases in DHT levels, but it actually appears to limit DHT production (1). Sadly zinc will have a limited effect if you intend to used it as DHT blocker. The real hair benefit is by regulating hormone levels:

“We conclude that zinc may play an important role in modulating serum testosterone levels in normal men.” (2)

If you can keep hormones balanced then you can reduce the chances of hair loss and keep DHT levels in check.

There are other theories knocking around, such as zinc deficiency causes the increase in a chemical messenger called Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-a). TNF-a causes the immune system to attack healthy tissues throughout the body, including hair. Some studies suggest that it is more deadly to hair than DHT. I could go on with other possible theories, but one thing is clear — zinc is a significant piece of the hair loss puzzle.

So, take a load of zinc everyday and there’s no need to worry, right? If only. I was surprised to learn that…

High doses of oral zinc significantly inhibit hair growth by retardation of anagen development. However, oral zinc also significantly retards and prolongs spontaneous, apoptosis-driven HF regression (catagen). Oral zinc can also retard, but not prevent, the onset of CIA in mice. Interestingly, Zn(2+) treatment of cyclophosphamide-damaged HFs also significantly accelerates the re-growth of normally pigmented hair shafts, which reflects a promotion of HF recovery. However, if given for a more extended time period, zinc actually retards hair re-growth. (3)

What’s more is excess zinc can lead to a deficiency in other vital minerals most notably copper, magnesium, iron and manganese. This too could be detrimental to your hair. For example, a lack of copper can prevent new blood vessels being formed, this will cause damage the scalp and limit hair growth.

The bottom line is too little zinc and you lose hair, too much zinc and …you guessed it… you lose hair. Although, you could probably get by on minimal zinc intake without it affecting you hair too much:

There is no evidence to support the popular view that low serum zinc concentrations cause hair loss. (4)

But I would much prefer to get optimal amounts of all nutrients — they are need for more than just hair growth. The key, as with most things in life, is getting the balance.

O Zinc, Where Art Thou?

The food sources richest in zinc include: oysters, red meats, poultry, liver, dried brewers yeast, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, mussels, shrimps, egg yolks, nuts and various soy products. But even with the best food sources the body only absorbs around thirty percent of the zinc present. So how do you make sure you get ample zinc?

Supplementation is the obvious solution. There are lots of types of zinc, the most popular being zinc sulfate, which ironically is not very easily absorbed either. Smarter choices include zinc acetate, zinc gluconate, zinc arginate, zinc picolinate, zinc aspartate, zinc citrate and last but not least, my personal choice ZMA. ZMA is a combination of zinc monomethionine, magnesium aspartate and vitamin b-6 and is the most easily absorbed type of zinc that I know of.

Enough is Enough

The Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) of zinc is 11mg. Whilst RDA’s often err on the side of caution, for zinc levels at least I believe this amount is spot on for the average person. Dr. Paul Clayton in his excellent “Health Defence” book recommends 10mg a day of zinc, and this is for maximal “slow ageing and optimum health” benefits. There are generally no benefits, health or hair wise of going above this level. But, if you drink or smoke a lot, are suffering from stress, or do rigorous exercise then you will increase you body’s demand for zinc. During times like these you can quite happily double this amount to 20mg for a few weeks (Dr. Clayton states a safe upper limit of 25mg a day).

The Battle for Zinc Absorption

Zinc battles with calcium for absorption which means taking both at the same time isn’t the brightest idea as calcium will hinder the uptake of zinc (5). I was baffled when I wondered into the health shop last month, I noticed a bottle of a zinc supplement with calcium in it — check the label! Of course this also means you shouldn’t take zinc with foods high in calcium, such as milk or cheese. Also don’t take zinc (or any other mineral for that matter) with fibrous food, else it will bind to the fibre and you will end up flushing you supplements down the toilet. Avoiding tea or coffee for an hour or two prior to taking any zinc supplement is a good idea too as this can also stop absorption.

The best time to take zinc is right before bed time with just water. I’ve found that taking zinc before bed makes sleep deeper and dreams more vivid, which is a nice side effect. Granted you won’t wake up with fresh hair suddenly flooding your scalp but it will help keep what hair you do have left as healthy as possible.

References

1. Stamatiadis D, Bulteau-Portois MC, Mowszowicz I. Inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase activity in human skin by zinc and azalaic acid. Br J Dermat; 119:627632,1988

5. J Nutr Biochem. 2001 Feb;12(2):66-72.