Saw palmetto and hair loss

Amy12 · ‎03-11-2014

 I am curious to hear what some of the rest of you think. I am taking a supplement to try and slow down my hair loss, or reverse it, hopefully. One of the key ingredients in the supplement is saw palmetto. There are a lot of other things in it, but I am most curious about this one.

 I know saw palmetto is often used in Europe, and some in the USA, for helping with prostate issues, but I had never heard about it helping hair growth. I have found a few mentions of it as an area being studied, like the brief mention on this NYU Medical Center page, http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=21865, but am not having much luck finding much else.

 I read on several sites that saw palmetto works by restoring natural balance, which might contribute to hair growth. I bought the supplement I am taking on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Vibrance-Vitamins-Vegetarian-Capsules-Formula/dp/B00G6U4ZI6/, and if you take a look, you can see it has a bunch of other vitamins and herbal items, which all are supposed to contribute to hair regrowth and strengthening.

 I guess my big question is this. Have any of you used saw palmetto for hair growth, or other purposes, and seen good results? Or, does it require having the other vitamins and herbs to work properly?

 I thought about trying Rogaine or Propecia, but prefer staying natural when possible. I did find it interesting that Propecia is a prostate treatment and has the side effect of regrowing hair, which sound remarkably like the claims for saw palmetto, too.

Harpa · ‎03-10-2010

I've only ever known this herb to be for males. If you ingest this, you may get more than you bargained for. I don't know it as a topical herb, but perhaps one can reason that if you do use it topically, you can control its effect to local use...?

I, myself would be reticent in using it at all. Rogaine - whatever's in there, (minoxidil) is usually recommended for men.

gazelle77 · ‎03-01-2013

I have been taking a product that is for thinning hair that is made for both men and women. It has DHT blockers from Saw Palmetto. I have been taking it for about 5 years. I started to get thin at the temples after menopause. I think it has helped and will continue to take it just to insure that my hair stays thick and healthy. I also take other hair vitamins, and have a laser light appliance that I use a few times a week just as back up. I am by no means balding but just want to be very proactive.

Raider Fan · ‎03-11-2010

gazelle, do you see that what you are doing is helping? I was warned off of Saw Palmetto and now I can't remember why. lol What kinds of hair vitamins do you take? I'd love to take them too. ${#emotions_dlg.blush}$

Luvtoshopathome · ‎03-09-2010

I am very familiar with vitamins and herbs as I take them myself every day and I have a friend who has been a nutritionist for over 30 years. She is on the radio, writes articles and is educated in Chinese and holistic medicine. Saw palmetto is for prostrate problems in men. What you should be taking is something called biotin. Do not take a combination, just take biotin capsules alone. It is what you take for hair growth. I hope it helps. Good luck!

voyager1980 · ‎09-14-2013

On 3/19/2014 luvtoshopathome said: I am very familiar with vitamins and herbs as I take them myself every day and I have a friend who has been a nutritionist for over 30 years. She is on the radio, writes articles and is educated in Chinese and holistic medicine. Saw palmetto is for prostrate problems in men. What you should be taking is something called biotin. Do not take a combination, just take biotin capsules alone. It is what you take for hair growth. I hope it helps. Good luck!

My doctor recommended biotin for my hair & nails (: