Arginine and Hair Loss: Debunking the Myths

While most of the amino acids are produced by our body, there are a few amino acids that need to be supplemented through food. Among amino acids, Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that is naturally found in our body and is considered to be essential for hair growth.

Arginine is one of the most important amino acids in keratin. It helps strengthen the hair, decrease hair breakage, minimise hair loss, moisturise, and helps protect from the damaging effects of bleach for those who colour their hair.

Arginine has been shown to help curb three types of damage:

Styling, in which excessive combing & brushing lift the cuticles & break individual fibres, resulting in duller, frizzier hair.

Chemical, in which dying, bleaching, relaxing, or perming increase the porosity of the cuticle and weaken the hair fibre, making it appear dull, lifeless, brittle, and prone to breakage.

Heat, in which UV rays and heat-generating products release reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the hair and scalp, weakening the fibres and speeding up the ageing process of the hair and scalp.

Arginine has a sort of conditioning and moisturising effect on your skin and hair. Due to its vasodilating effect, Arginine is considered to be good for hair growth. The intense moisturisation of Arginine for hair loss can be attributed to its ability to bind more water to the hair, which helps prevent brittleness and breakage caused by dry and damaged hair.

Arginine HCL, which is the hydrochloride salt of Arginine, has proven to be very effective in promoting hair growth.

It releases nitric oxide in abundance, which helps to open up the potassium channels of the cells, thereby boosting blood supply to the hair follicles, which results in the growth of healthy hair. The salt dilates the blood vessels, thereby ensuring proper blood supply to your scalp and fortifies the hair follicles by nourishing the roots of the hair, thereby stimulating hair growth and preventing excessive hair loss. Hence, Arginine HCL is extensively used in many hair care products and hair growth serums.

There are multiple oral Arginine supplements that are now available in the market which claim to promote hair growth.

Generally, Arginine for hair loss is considered to be safe for topical application, and thus you may try OTC hair care products for your hair.

Arginine, when taken orally as a supplement, can have some side effects in some individuals, such as diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, low blood pressure and allergies etc. It is therefore recommended to not take Arginine supplements without consulting your doctor.

Visit the HairMD dermatologist today to learn more about this nutrient and its use for hair.