A major contributing factor in Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) is the conversion of Testosterone to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the enzyme 5-α Reductase (5AR).

Formula 82S hair loss shampoo contains the active ingredient Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmetto), a natural, botanically-derived 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that has been shown in studies to help reduce DHT production and prevent hair loss.

We understand, it is hard when shopping to tell the difference in the source and quality of components in shampoos. It doesn’t help that many compounds found in nature have names that are not easily pronounced (and have several names in some cases). We try to make it easier on our users by using only high quality, naturally-sourced components in our shampoos. And have worked hard to avoid adding any manufactured or synthetic ingredients to them. The difference is that 82S’ natural ingredients and eco-certified cleansers are better for the Earth (and your hair too). The surfactants and conditioning agents used in 82S Hair Loss Shampoo are 100% eco-certified and biodegradable. Not many shampoos can say that. We have the lab certification to prove it.

82S contains specially formulated cleansers and conditioners that remove dead skin and build-up and replace vital moisture and oils—in a way that mimics skin and hair’s naturally healthiest state. First, 82S’s pH (~5.2) is very close to that of healthy hair’s mantle. Second, the surfactants in 82S are much gentler than the sulfate-based wetting agents found in the majority of shampoos worldwide. The Glutamic Amino Acid-derived & Coconut Fatty Acid-based cleansers found in 82S offer far more balanced cleansing—and remove surface sebum without affecting hair’s intercellular lipids—compared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), and other sulfate-based cleansers prevalently used in shampoos (due to their high availability and low costs).

A lot of thought and specialized ingredients go into making a quality shampoo (let alone an all natural, hair loss shampoo). On one hand, you have little choice but to remove naturally occurring surface lipids that protect the skin and hair if you want to wash your hair. And for the most part it is much better to remove dead skin and built-up oils from hair so that it doesn’t result in clogged pores and greasy, tangled, limp hair. But the simple truth is shampoos (through the surfactants they contain that cleans the hair) all strip components that the hair and scalp produce on their own, and need to a large extent, in order to remain healthy. Namely, naturally produced oils and moisture. Unless you condition at the same time or immediately after cleaning your hair, you will end up with dry, damaged hair. It’s a fact that most shampoos don’t mention on their labels.

The key aspects of hair health, related to hair loss and hair condition, involve the strength and health of the hair’s roots and the promotion of smooth texture of the hair’s shaft. Aside from Androgenic Alopecia (or genetically-predisposed male and female pattern balding), the single greatest cause of hair loss is physical/mechanical damage—specifically, subjecting hair to forces that exceed its natural tensile strength, causing it to break, or exerting forces on hair follicles that over time lead to damage to the roots of hair.

Let’s examine two common issues:

1) You know that flat irons, bleaching, and blow dryers cause physical damage to hair, but did you know that aside from those things, the force on hair’s roots from styling hair in buns, braids and ponytails over time can cause damage to hair—resulting in hair loss? Women who consistently part their hair or wear their hair in ponytails are among the most treated patients at hair loss clinics. You may not think about it, but by putting force on the roots of your hair, you are actively damaging your hair’s follicles (your hair’s life source and anchor).

2) The simple act of combing your hair in the morning is one of the potentially most damaging things you do to your hair all day. The reason to emphasize ‘potentially’ is because if your hair is properly conditioned—so that it adsorbs sufficient moisture and fatty-acids shortly following cleansing—it becomes more combable. And combability (or the ease with which hair can be detangled and styled) is at the heart of what you want in a hair care product. A high-quality shampoo with conditioning agents (or a separate conditioner) should do one thing well: leave your hair untangled, moist and smooth enough that you can style it without causing damage to your hair’s shaft and roots.

Given that most shampoos and conditioners you find on the shelf at stores will leave your hair feeling somewhat smooth, that bar may seem to be a low one, but patients who have already experienced an appreciable degree of hair loss stand to benefit tremendously from the scientifically-proven increased combability and tensile strength from the use of 82S. In laboratory studies involving both colored (treated) and uncolored (untreated) hair, key components of 82S were shown to increase both the tensile strength and wet combability of hair. To fully appreciate what that means to hair’s health, see what the benefit of these ingredients looks like in terms of smoothness and strength of a single shaft of hair at a molecular level, after extensive simulated styling below:

Amino Acids, when interactive and bioavailable can strengthen the structure of hair.

Our specially formulated amino acid complex specifically targets mechanisms shown in studies to lead to increased tensile strength in hair, elasticity, moisture affinity, color retention, and damage prevention. The composition of our Amino Acids complex is modeled after the constituent amino acids of protein in the Cell Membrane Complex (CMC), and is known to provide beneficial protection and improve the health of hair. Formula 82S contains a specially formulated complex of amino acids (including Histidine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Alanine, Serine, Glycine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, and Phytokeratine).

At Hair Science, we understand that the average person undertakes some form of normal daily hair management. We specifically formulated 82S to address the realities of typical-use routines—including combing, styling, and drying your hair. We began the formulation of 82S with the inclusion of Saw Palmetto to reduce DHT, to prevent follicle shrinkage and promote healthy development of hair’s roots. We then added natural conditioning agents to restore moisture and oils to hair’s shaft. And finally, we added a series of Amino Acids to strengthen and improve the combability of hair and protect it from environmental damage.

Amino acids applied externally are known to interact with the hair to produce various cosmetic effects, such as moisturizing, strengthening, color-protection and repair of surface damage (Oshimura).

Alanine is a hydrophobic molecule. It is ambivalent, meaning that it can exist inside or outside of the protein molecule. Hair surface hydrophobicity prevents “frizzy” hair. And restoring this natural characteristic of hair indicates the effectiveness of Alanine in promoting the absorption of nourishing oils to the hair shaft—sealing and protecting them.

Use of 82S would significantly reduce the effects of physical damage of combing hair in just a few months if it contained only the amino acids: Histidine, Phenylalanine, and Arginine. But we also added a number of other nourishing conditioners, amino acids, including the thermal protectant, Phytokeratine, to protect hair from thermal damage encountered from drying as well as from daily environmental exposure to UV.

The use of curling irons and other heat sources, as well as excessive application of hair products such as perms and hair coloring strip the protective layering off the outside of the hair's shaft and weaken the hair, making it prone to split ends. Imbalances in the pH of hair and mechanical stresses—including pulling a comb forcefully through tangled hair, repeated combing, and the use of elastics and other hair retention methods cause damage to hair’s shaft and ends.

In addition to the primary focus of the ingredients found in 82S on hair’s roots and shaft, the inclusion of Phytokeratine and other conditioning agents was made to address Trichoptilosis, or split ends, which result from thermal, chemical and mechanical stresses to hair.

Many commonly used hair products contain inexpensive surfactants, known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (also known as sulfates). Sulfates are effective surfactants, but they are not generally considered to be particularly well-balanced and they cause irritation of the skin and scalp in many people. Sulfate-based products rely on the near complete removal of build-up of your skin’s naturally occurring lipids, which leads to dryness, and creates a cycle in which your skin begins to overproduce sebum as a result.

82S starts out by using surfactants that are as balanced and gentle as possible (more so than essentially every commercially-available shampoo on the market). To counteract the depletion of healthy oils in hair, we include ingredients that help restore the hair’s ability to attract and retain moisture, and condition and coat hair in order to replace natural fatty acids. 82S’s natural conditioners and nourishing agents closely mimic the naturally-occurring oils found in healthy hair and leave hair feeling soft and manageable.

Surfactants and conditioners that are mildly acidic have been found to provide longer life to the color of hair that has been dyed. Specifically, the addition of Sodium PCA / Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid (which is found in many shampoos that state “For Colored or Treated Hair”) has been shown to improve color retention of dyed hair.

In the above study, color development of red semi-permanent hair dye was shown to be improved by over 80% through the use of post-dye treatment with hair conditioner containing Sodium PCA.

Hair Science is first and foremost a research and development company. Our formulas combine well-established ingredients—known to benefit hair and scalp health—with novel formulations and methods that increase their efficacy, stability, and usability. We work with some of the world’s top compounding pharmacies, chemists, and hair experts to ensure that our products are among the safest, most balanced, and most effective on the market.

And unlike many other shampoos and products, we have the certifications, lab tests, and science to back our formulas’ effectiveness claims. Be it 82S’ eco-certification, component tensile strength tests, “color-fast” or wet combability studies, we are happy to match up against other shampoos and providers. As we have complete confidence in the fact that we offer some of the best hair care products available in the world today.