Question to Wookster about Garlic

» It is funny how I have searched on garlic + hair and came across many
» different websites with the SAME “recipe” for the garlic hair treatment. I
» truly believe that the ONLY ingredient that is useful is the garlic. I am
» not sure why they would add honey, chamomile, aloe, etc. to the mix -
» probably for show. They all sound like good, natural things, but probably
» have little, if any, benefit. I would not waste my time with the other
» ingredients and just apply the raw garlic.

I was surprised about that too…probably the only herbal/natural treatment which seems to work. Another thing I noticed was that most of the people mention regrowth with it and not just stopping of hair loss.

King Garlic and Noni Hair Oil

Ingredients: Commercial Garlic Dietary Supplement-Noni Extract-Cocoa Butter-Shea Butter-Coconut Oil-Wheat Germ Oil (Vitamin E)-Vegetable Petrolatum-Beeswax. Fragrance: Patchouli-Menthol Rose. No Animal Ingredients-Preservatives-Artificial Colors-Perfumes.

King Garlic Noni & Coffee Shampoo

"This amazing shampoo provide you with a cocktail of sulfur compounds, vitamins, minerals, enzymes antioxidants and essential nutrients from King Garlic, coffee and Noni (Morinda Citrifolia). Designed to cleans, help strengthens hair especially weakened by thermal heat, chemicals, bleached and tinted hair to grow back healthy and strong naturally. Help conditions restores elasticity, manageability and shine all in one step. Combat hair loss, stop breakage and shedding in most cases. Noni blended with natural conditioner help controls frizz.

The caffeine in brewed coffee helps neutralize and preserve hair natural color. King Garlic Coffee & Noni Shampoo is brewed in organic coffee beans to provide your hair and scalp with polyphenols. The natural acids in caffeine also have a neutral pH for the hair and scalp. The sulfur cleansing agents in King Garlic helps remove excess oils, surface dirt, dead skin cells and unclogged pores. Leave hair smelling refresh, silky-soft and condition."

Hmmmmm…tempting

This one also contains minoxidil: http://store.sickbay.biz/algash8oz.html

I know there’s another topical based around garlic…if the posts here wouldn’t have been lost in cyberspace…

Another shampoo: Amazon.com

And another: http://www.beautyofnewyork.com/shopping/product_view.php?itemCode=ZU4S270107KL1254

Well, sure. There are a lot of garlic-containing shampoos and treatments, but the active ingredient Allicin degrades quickly (within a few days). It is MY opinion only that Allicin is the ingredient in garlic that produces the positive effects on hair.

» Well, sure. There are a lot of garlic-containing shampoos and treatments,
» but the active ingredient Allicin degrades quickly (within a few days). It
» is MY opinion only that Allicin is the ingredient in garlic that produces
» the positive effects on hair.

Well of course there are :wink:

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a way to preserve the Allicin content, besides putting it in a capsule. But then again maybe it’s the other things found in garlic, including Cysteine. There are, after all, testimonials out there on these products.

In fact…there are Allicin containing skin products out there: Welcome to Allimax International Limited - Naturally sourced Allicin for health, Made in the UK

“Allimax® Cream contains 100 parts per million Allisure® AC-23 stabilized allicin”

Link

See the pdf’s on the other products here: http://www.allimax.us/products.php
The liquid obviously would be more “potent” than the cream above.

And their Allimed even more potent(?): http://www.robprince.net/MRSA/forum-usa.asp?action=replys&forumID=5987

http://www.allimed.us/pdf/article/April2005[9].pdf

» Imor:
»
» I am interested in the garlic thing, but see that it may be troublesome to
» pulverize the garlic fine enough to apply. What is your method?

Jtelecom,

Unfortunately, I have not found yet a way to efficiently apply the garlic on the skin. I am working on it though.

The last time I applied garlic, I used a blender to cut it into small pieces so I could bring it into a cream form. Once again I failed and I observed that I had lost the garlic oil.

Through my observation, I saw that garlic once crushed releases oil.
This oil seems to be carrying the allicin ingredient which is the product converted from Allium sativum (plus ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and flavonoids).

“Garlic contains some very volatile oils that are released when it’s crushed or pressed. As garlic’s cell walls are smashed, its oils react with its natural enzymes, and the smell and taste become exceedingly strong. If used immediately in raw preparations, the pungent pulp and extracted juices from pressed or pureed garlic give your dish a pronounced spicy flavour. Unfortunately, these oils don’t last but turn rancid quickly and linger on hands, breath, and cutting surfaces. Pressed garlic doesn’t hold up well when heated, either. It turns bitter and quickly loses its characteristic garlic flavour.”
http://www.theepicentre.com/tip/smash.html

So basically I am left with one option which is a garlic press made out of porcelain. It is the same press they use in pharmacies to smash pills.

Garlic smell from hands is removed by rubbing hands with stainless steel material (spoon…) . Salt or baking soda rubbed on the hands also remove the smell from the hands.

May be this can be tried for the smell in the scalp too.

»
» So basically I am left with one option which is a garlic press made out of
» porcelain. It is the same press they use in pharmacies to smash pills.

Or you could try a product already out there that contains the Allicin :wink:

My point is that anyone can say that their products contain Allicin, but it is common knowledge that Allicin, once produced by crushing or cutting the garlic, degrades to nothing in the matter of a few days. It seems a little suspect that a company can stabilize it for long periods of time, e.g. Allimax.

But it’s common knowledge that there are ways to preserve the Allicin content. There are so many other things where at one time it couldn’t be done, but now it can.

Enzymatic Therapy also makes such a product in tablet form.

Here’s some quotes from them, to save you some time:

"Garlic oil supplements do not contain allicin, only allicin-derived compounds that have little beneficial effects at normal levels of garlic consumption.6,7 Softgel or hard shell capsulated garlic powder supplements that contain alliin and allinase are destroyed by gastric acid before they can create allicin and have minimal health supportive activity.8-10

Aged garlic extract products purposefully do not contain allicin. Disregarding the abundance of evidence that demonstrates the significance of allicin, the manufacturers of AGE supplements claim that other compounds are responsible for garlic’s health supportive properties.11 Some studies have demonstrated that AGE supplements may have limited benefit. However, because AGE manufacturers sponsored these studies and their findings have yet to be replicated, leading garlic researchers question the validity of these findings. To date, the scientific consensus contends that allicin obtained from enteric-coated garlic tablets provides the most significant health supportive benefit.12 "

“The patented Swiss process makes Garlinase 4000® truly unique among garlic supplements. When Garlinase 4000® tablets are swallowed, the enteric coating resists disintegration until it reaches the alkaline environment of the small intestine. There the Garlinase 4000® tablet dissolves releasing alliin and allinase to form allicin, which is slowly released over a long period of time and absorbed into the bloodstream.26 The slow release of Garlinase 4000® in the small intestine also provides the superior health benefits of fresh garlic, but without garlic’s distinct, and sometimes offensive, odor”

To begin with I would like to mention that the 90% of the publications I have red about Allicin until now states that Allicin is unstable, and soon breaks down into a variety of other substances.
“When garlic is ground up and encapsulated, the effect is similar to cutting the bulb, thus garlic powder won’t have any alliin or allicin left by the time it is purchased.”
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21729

But even if we agree that Allicin can be found and used via other products, it won’t have the same affect as topically applied garlic.

Through my experience, I have observed that topically applied garlic does not increases the scalp’s blood flow only when applied, but restores scalp’s blood flow in generally. To be more precise:
Before I start applying topically garlic and while combing my hair, the skin was remaining “white” (No Blood flow was generated).
After applying topically garlic and while combing my hair, the skin is turning into “red” (Blood flow is generated).

The above fact indicates that topically applied garlic revives the scalp’s skin.

Below are my observations until now (4 times applied garlic, 2nd week)

  1. Hair Loss reduced approximately by 90%
  2. Better hair texture - volume (healthier hairs)
  3. Increase in Hair length
  4. Increased scalp oil
  5. New hairs formation (probably from resting phase)

What I describe above are my observations. That means that I might be wrong – might be right.

In a few days I will purchase I photo camera so I can post pictures and discuss – observe the results.

I would also like to thank everybody for your support and resourceful ideas.

» Through my experience, I have observed that topically applied garlic [turns my scalp red].

The “redness” could mean a lot of things, including irritation (i.e. inflammation).

» Below are my observations until now (4 times applied garlic, 2nd week)
»
» 1. Hair Loss reduced approximately by 90%
» 2. Better hair texture - volume (healthier hairs)
» 3. Increase in Hair length
» 4. Increased scalp oil
» 5. New hairs formation (probably from resting phase)

After only four applications, no one (in their right mind) makes these kind of claims.

» The “redness” could mean a lot of things, including irritation (i.e.
» inflammation).
»
»
» After only four applications, no one (in their right mind) makes these
» kind of claims.

I agree with TheNatural…the results seem way to fast + the redness of the scalp IS inflammation/irritation.

» After only four applications, no one (in their right mind) makes these
» kind of claims.

The Natural

If you have not seen I have made a statement above indicating that:

“What I describe above are my observations. That means that I might be wrong – might be right.”

My purpose in this forum is to discuss - research our main problem which is losing our hair. I don’t post to create false clarifications - impressions about garlic or anything else I might come up with.

Since you have posted that I might be “out of my mind” a phrase which disrespects me, I would like to suggest you not to follow my research and not post your opinion in this threat again.

On the other side, if you want to discuss my observations into details I would expect no disrespectful phrases.

» » The “redness” could mean a lot of things, including irritation (i.e.
» » inflammation).
» »
» »
» » After only four applications, no one (in their right mind) makes these
» » kind of claims.
»
» I agree with TheNatural…the results seem way to fast + the redness of
» the scalp IS inflammation/irritation.

I will agree that redness could mean a lot of things, including irritation and so on…

In this case I believe that the redness (which occurs when combing or massaging my scalp) has no negative meaning.
My scalp’s skin is clean, that is no dandruff - scurf, no skin irritation, no itching.

I would like to mention once again that the skin becomes red when and only when combing hair or massaging scalp. It does not remain red.

Before topical garlic I had to press hard (massage) my scalp in order to create this redness (blood flow).
After topical garlic I can create blood flow easily (including combing - massaging).

What I describe above are my observations. That means that I might be wrong – might be right.

Imor, pardon me if you were offended. But I do not believe that after four applications of ANYTHING, you observed:

  1. Hair Loss reduced approximately by 90%
  2. Better hair texture - volume (healthier hairs)
  3. Increase in Hair length
  4. Increased scalp oil
  5. New hairs formation (probably from resting phase)

There is no “gray area” here, where you might be right or you might be wrong. YOU ARE WRONG. And frankly, I find you and your posts to be quite irresponsible, whether this is your intention or not.

Come back in five months with before and after photos, and a detailed journal of “your observations.” And then maybe, just maybe…

"And then maybe, just maybe… "

Then what, he will get a gold star from you? I don’t see that some of his observations are beyond the realm of possibilities. The package insert on Rogaine says to DISCONTINUE use if results are not observed in two months, as a comparison. Please re-read his post:

http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/forum_entry-id-16421-page-0-category-4-order-last_answer.html

“Once a week for 15 min.” And he did this for 5-6 months? I see.

I am confused by the following, however:

"Below are my observations until now (4 times applied garlic, 2nd week)

  1. Hair Loss reduced approximately by 90%
  2. Better hair texture - volume (healthier hairs)
  3. Increase in Hair length
  4. Increased scalp oil
  5. New hairs formation (probably from resting phase)"

Is this guy performing a clinical study here? For example, how does he get the 90%? Where, pretell, does that figure come from?

Anyone?

» "And then maybe, just maybe… "
»
» Then what, he will get a gold star from you? I don’t see that some of his
» observations are beyond the realm of possibilities. The package insert on
» Rogaine says to DISCONTINUE use if results are not observed in two months,
» as a comparison. Please re-read his post:
»
» http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/forum_entry-id-16421-page-0-category-4-order-last_answer.html

JT

What topicals are using these days?

Regards
Pete