Hair Regrowth Journey: Polysorbate 80 Scalp Treatment

While searching the internet for ways to safely remove a hot oil treatment from the hair, It came to my attention that Polysorbate 80 is good for thinning hair. People say to spread a teaspoon of the stuff on your scalp and let it sit 10 or 15 minutes before shampooing. This should be done daily in order to work most efficiently. It's supposed to loosen any buildup on your scalp, remove sebum plugs, and reduce DHT in the dermal papilla.

It was marketed in the 80s as the Helsinki Formula for baldness.

The FDA does not recognize Polysorbate 80 as a cure for hair loss, but permits it to be marketed as a scalp and hair treatment. I have not come across any recent studies supporting claims either way. 

What is Polysorbate 80?

Polysorbate 80 is a widely used emulsifying agent (enables water and oil to mix together) consisting of sorbitol, ethylene oxide & oleic acid (polyoxyethylene-20 sorbitan monooleate). The oleic acid is derived from vegetable (usually olive) oil. 

According to Dr. Ralph Cinque:

The use of Polysorbate for hair restoration was pioneered by the Finnish doctor, Dr. Illona Purola.

Polysorbate for hair loss first came to the public's attention in the United States thanks to Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, who popularized the use of polysorbate 80 for alopecia (hair loss) in their best-selling book, Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach. In that book, Pearson and Shaw reported that that the use of polysorbate 80 in studies has resulted in an average of 60 percent hair regrowth after just six months of daily use.

Two theories have been proposed by Dr. Purola and others to explain how polysorbate aids hair regrowth. First, Polysorbate, a known cleanser, emulsifier, and surfactant, helps rid the hair follices of the hormone, dihydrotestosterone or DHT. DHT is the testosterone fraction that is believed to trigger male pattern baldness in men. Second, Polysorbate is known to trigger histamine release, which increases blood flow and nutrition to the hair follicles. Although histamine is usually considered the culprit behind seasonal allergies, in actuality this substance is essential for cell growth and reproduction. In fact, since histamine is a growth factor, applying to the scalp a substance that triggers histamine release may also promote hair growth. In animals, administration of polysorbate 80 triggers the production of histamine in mast cells and plasma histamine concentrations rise after administration of polysorbate 80. In humans, the administration of polysorbate 80 causes effects in the body similar to the body’s response after histamine administration. One way polysorbate 80 may result in hair regrowth may be through its ability to trigger histamine release in the scalp, stimulating cell growth.

Either or both of these theories may be correct, but the first one relating to DHT removal has received the most attention.

What is DHT?

From Medical News Today:

DHT, which stands for Dihydrotestosterone (5α-Dihydrotestosterone), is a male sex hormone, an androgen. 5α-reductase, an enzyme, synthesizes DHT in the adrenal glands, hair follicles, testes and prostate. Male and female adults can lose hair as a consequence of changes in the metabolism of androgen in the body - men more commonly than women. DHT plays a major role in hair loss.

Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia or androgenetic alopecia, is caused by the hair follicle's sensitivity to DHT. The follicles miniaturize (shrink), resulting in a shorter lifespan and the abnormal production of hair.

The most important part of the hair follicle is the dermal papilla (papilla of hair), which is responsible for the growth of hair. The dermal papilla cells divide and differentiate to form new hair follicles. The papilla is in direct contact with the skin's blood capillaries, from which it gets its essential nutrients for proper hair follicle growth. The dermal papilla has a large number of androgen receptors (more in males than females).

When DHT gets to the dermal papilla, it undermines the absorption of vital nutrients required for healthy hair follicles. Hair follicles have resting and growing phases - without proper nutrition, their resting stages get longer while their growing phases get shorter.

Pros:

Maybe it will help!

1. It's supposed to clear sebum plugs and disperse oily/fatty buildup on the scalp.

2.  It's supposed to be non-comedogenic.

3. It is supposed to reduce DHT activity in the follicle.

4. It will facilitate an easier removal of my hemp oil treatments.

5. It triggers a histamine release in the scalp, allegedly stimulating cell growth.

Cons:

I'm reluctant to use Polysorbate 80 for several reasons.

1. It's SO high in oleic acid (up to 70%), which I have decided is a very bad thing for me. A high oleic acid content in sebum indicates a linoleic acid deficiency. Linoleic acid is what makes sebum fluid enough to flow properly. When there is a deficiency, the sebum is high in oleic acid and becomes too dry and hard to flow as it should. However, by all accounts, Polysorbate 80 has a comedogenicity rating of 0. I don't understand how this could be true, but there you go.

2. I'm not convinced that DHT is the cause of my thinning hair. I've been operating under the assumption that my sebum is too thick and waxy and is clogging the follicles, preventing them from operating normally. Polysorbate 80 is supposed to help clear the clogs away, but I believe its primary function in hair loss circles is to minimize DHT.

3. I want to keep my routine as simple as possible so I can get to the core of the problem. If I add another element to my regimen, I may be confusing the issue.

4. There are some health concerns associated with Polysorbate 80.

My Conclusion

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Polysorbate 80 may not be the best choice for me and others who already have problems with linoleic acid deficiency. There is just too much evidence that high oleic acid content in a substance makes it unsuitable for us to use topically. I don't want to undo all the good work I feel I'm doing with the hemp oil and salicylic acid applications. 

I think I will use the Polysorbate 80 only to remove my monthly hot hemp oil treatments. That way, I can get the benefit of its emulsifying properties and hopefully avoid its possible clogging issues!

read more about hair care for thinning hair.

MIRI