How Follicare® Works

Follicare® is a unique, patented solution that attacks all the major causes of hair loss from both the inside and outside.

Follicare® was designed specifically to reduce hair loss and regrow lost hair. It’s products are based on clinically-proven research. Here is how Follicare® works…

Follicare® Stimulates Blood Flow
to the Scalp

To get blood moving in the right places, Follicare® uses several different ingredients. One of the most potent is 5% Extra Strength Minoxidil. This was the first substance approved by the FDA to grow hair and the dosage in Follicare is the maximum strength allowed by law.

Many research studies have shown minoxidil increases blood flow in the scalp. For example, research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco found that 5% Minoxodil increased scalp blood flow by 200% within 15 minutes of application (the effect lasted for an hour).

Other research has indicated that minoxodil also may promote hair loss by stimulating production of proteins in cells – but this hasn’t been proven definitively. About 40%-50% of those using 5% minoxdil alone experience some hair growth benefit.

But for most men and women, 5% minoxdil alone is not enough because it only targets one cause of hair loss. And many of those who get a benefit only grow “peach fuzz”, not the thick, healthy hair you can grow by addressing all the reasons for hair loss at once.

In order to further stimulate blood flow, Follicare’s Topical Spray contains a unique ingredient called Kapilarine. It is a unique blend of botanical and fruit extracts such as kigelia fruit, ginkgo biloba, clary, and cinnamon and is clinically proven to protect against hair loss by increasing blood flow to the skin.

In clinical testing, Kapilarine was shown to increase blood flow in the skin by an average of 18%, which allows the hair follicle to receive oxygen and key nutrients needed to grow strong and thick hair.

Follicare® Topical Spray also uses benzyl nicotinate to stimulate blood flow. Benzyl nicotinate is a proven vasodilator (promotes blood flow by widening blood vessels).

A new study conducted in Germany and published in the Archives of Dermatological Research found that applying benzyl nicotinate topically to the scalp (in this study the forehead region) increased blood flow by 120%. The effect took just minutes and lasted for a couple of hours after application of the benzyl nicotinate.

In addition, the Follicare® nutritional supplement contains ginkgo biloba extract which has been shown to improve blood flow and is used to improve blood flow in patients with heart disease and glaucoma.

To support the 5% Minoxodil, benzyl nicotinate and ginkgo biloba, Follicare® is formulated with a number of other natural vasodilators, proven to help stimulate blood flow including niacin.

Follicare® Helps Reduce the Production of DHT and its Binding to Hair Follicles

Follicare® is formulated with numerous nutrients that have been shown to reduce harmful DHT in your body. They all work a little differently, which gives you several ways to stop DHT from shrinking your hair follicles. Here are some specifics:

Saw Palmetto

The first line of defense is saw palmetto extract, which Follicare® provides both topically and for ingestion in a nutritional supplement. Saw palmetto is rich in fatty acids and phytosterols that block the formation of DHT by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpa reductase (5-AR). You recall that 5-AR is needed to convert testosterone to DHT.

A nice feature of saw palmetto is it blocks the two types of 5-AR – simply called Type-1 and Type-2. Both types of 5-AR can be found lurking near hair follicles (whereas the prostate gland, also susceptible to damage by DHT, contains only Type-2).

To test the effectiveness of saw palmetto on hair loss, researchers at the University of Naples in Italy conducted a clinical study on 34 men and 28 women. After three months, they found that users of saw palmetto both topically and as a nutritional supplement on average had a 35% hair increase (measured both in number of hairs and hair mass). The group using saw palmetto just topically recorded a 20% hair increase after three months. The placebo group, using products containing no saw palmetto, had no results.

Similarly, another study published in the Journal of Complementary Medicine showed that saw palmetto use (combined with beta sitosterol, also part of Follicare®) grew hair on 60% of participants over three months.

Procapil®

Another ingredient that we use to help reduce the production of DHT is Procapil®. Procapil® is a mixture of botanical extracts and key nutrients that has been clinically shown to help reduce premature hair loss and thinning of hair in several different ways. One way that Procapil® helps is by counteracting the negative effects of follicle killing DHT.

Beta Sitosterol

Beta sitosterol is a “phytosterol” or plant fat that has many benefits to your body, such as helping to decrease bad cholesterol levels. It also has been shown to reduce the effects of DHT. Researchers at the University of Rome found that beta sitosterol lowers DHT by reducing the binding of DHT to tissue receptors, as opposed to inhibiting DHT’s production. This makes it a good complement to saw palmetto and other ingredients in Follicare®.

Zinc

Follicare® also contains zinc and zinc PCA, which blocks DHT by inhibiting 5-AR. In clinical testing, zinc PCA reduced the activity of the enzyme 5 alpha reductase by up to 65% This was evidenced by researchers in the United Kingdom. They performed a clinical study on subjects who had a zinc deficiency and were experiencing hair loss. In the study, 100% of the subjects were able to reverse their hair loss by taking a zinc nutritional supplement.

Butyl Avocadate

Follicare® Topical Spray contains an ingredient called Avocutine, which is a brand name for butyl avocadate. As the name implies, butyl avocadate is from avocado pear oil. It curbs the production of excess DHT by stemming the activity of the enzyme 5 alpha reductase. In a 2004 clinical test, Avocutine inhibited the activity of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase by 49%.

Follicare® Provides Key Nutrients You NEED to Grow Healthy Hair

You just read how important the mineral zinc can be to your hair growth, being deficient in other key nutrients can be just as damaging. For example, if you are not getting enough protein, your body will “conserve” protein by shifting hairs from the “growing” phase to the “resting” phase. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, this can result in hair loss after two to three months.

Key B Vitamins

Another key nutrient is the B vitamin biotin - it is an essential part your natural hair growing process. Biotin is required to metabolize amino acids and proteins needed to grow healthy hair. Biotin helps thicken the hair shaft resulting in hair with a fuller appearance. It also increases the elasticity of the hair’s cortex, reducing hair breakage.

Follicare® also contains other B vitamins needed to grow healthy hair such as niacin, folic acid, vitamin B5 (panthothenic acid) and vitamin B6. These vitamins are necessary to ensure the hair follicles get a constant supply of blood and oxygen. A deficiency of these vitamins can lead to increased hair loss, damaged hair or slow regrowth. In particular, folic acid is required for new cells to grow in the hair follicle.

Key Minerals

Iodine and copper are two other trace minerals you need to grow hair naturally – and reduce hair loss. Iodine helps to prevent hair from drying out. Copper helps prevent defects in hair structure and works to provide hair color. Of course, these critical minerals are found in the Follicare® Nutritional Supplement.

Follicare® Tackles Oil Build-up, Scalp Inflammation and Harmful Free Radicals

Anyone suffering from hair loss must cleanse their scalp every day to remove DHT containing scalp oils, dead skin cells and hair-care product residues. In addition to clogging pores and follicles, bacteria thrive on these deposits, further damaging your scalp health and causing inflammation.

Follicare®’s shampoo is formulated with deep cleansing ingredients that remove the bad stuff without stripping your hair of necessary oils. To replace removed sebum oil (which helps keep your hair moisturized) the Follicare® shampoo and topical spray is fortified with moisturizing ingredients such as Aloe vera, chamomile and rosemary.

As discussed above, Follicare®’s Topical Spray contains a unique ingredient called Kapilarine, a unique blend of botanical and fruit extracts. Kapilarine is clinically proven to protect against hair loss by increasing blood flow to the skin.

In a clinical study, researchers found that women using 5% Kapilarine for three months had decreased sebum accumulation by an average of 32%. Furthermore, afterwards the hair on Kapilarine users was shinier and softer than hair of those using a placebo.

Follicare® Topcial Spray also contains Silanol, as discussed above. Silanol is a biologically useful form of silicon and has been proven to aid in reducing hair loss and supporting healthy hair growth. In a clinical study of 45 participants over a 5 month period, researchers found that silanol helped reduce hair loss, stimulated new hair growth and decreased inflammation causing seborrhea.

To reduce scalp inflammation, the shampoo contains Aloe vera. A study conducted by Dr. Robert Davis showed that Aloe vera applied topically can reduce skin inflammation up to 47%. Plus, the amino acids in Aloe vera provide building blocks for keratin, the principal protein in hair (a healthy hair is almost 90% protein).

Your body’s natural defense against damaging “pro-oxidant” free radicals is antioxidants. Follicare® is formulated with numerous antioxidants that squash free radicals from the inside and outside.

The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays damages your hair just like it damages your skin. Follicare®’s Revitalizing Shampoo now contains a powerful ingredient called Solamer® GR8 that uniquely shields your hair from both UV-A and UV-B rays. Solamer® is proven to help hair maintain its tensile strength, protect the hair fiber structure and reduces your hair’s color fading by about 50%.

Follicare® Helps Strengthen the Bond Between Hair and Scalp

One of the key goals for anyone trying to slow or stop their hair loss should be to strengthen the bond between the hair follicle and the scalp.

Your hair is anchored to the scalp through the strength and stability of bonds at the base of where the follicle attaches to the scalp. These bonds are between the amino acids lysine and glutamine that are found in hair proteins. Those amino acids are formed by the enzyme transglutaminase. Therefore transglutaminase is imperative in creating the amino acids that form the bond between the hair and scalp. The stronger the bond, the less likely that hair will fall out.

GluPeptate™

Follicare®’s Topical Spray contains GluPeptate™ a blend of octylbutyrate and glutaminpeptides, that help your body create transglutaminase. The unique and powerful blend of glutaminpeptides and octyl butyrate prevents hair loss in two distinct ways

Inducing the synthesis of the enzyme transglutaminase
Providing a platform upon which the transglutaminase can form bonds between the amino acids lycine and glutamine found in hair proteins, increasing the strength of the hair.

In a recent clinical trial, 20 individuals used either a 3% GluPeptate™ solution or a placebo for 90 days. After the 90 days, 89% of those using the GluPeptate™ experienced a significant decrease in their hair loss.

In fact, those using GluPeptate™ on average increased their percentage of hairs in the anagen growth phase from 77% to 84% (85% - 90% is normal for a healthy scalp – this percentage decreases with hair loss). This was determined using a computerized image analysis system. Those using the placebo did not get a significant benefit.

Caffeine

Follicare® Topical Spray also contains caffeine. Research shows that using caffeine topically (not through food and drink!) may be an emerging weapon against hair loss and also help to stimulate hair growth.

In clinical testing, caffeine has been shown to stimulate the production of cells in hair follicles. As a result, hair follicles treated with caffeine exhibited up to 46% more growth than untreated follicles.

Caffeine also has a positive effect on the vitality of hair roots. In testing, hair follicles exposed to caffeine had a 37% longer lifetime than untreated follicles.