Topical Anti-inflammatories And Anti-microbials

[Dimitri001]

Reading this study

https://www.researchgate.net/profil...y-a-pilot-study.pdf?origin=publication_detail

and others got me the idea that I should find some kind of topical anti-inflammatories and anti-microbials.

In the above study, they made their own mixture of Minoxidil, tea tree oil (anti-microbial) and diclofenac (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent) and got better results than Minoxidil alone.

The idea is that hair loss involves several factors including inflammation and microorganisms, so fighting that will help.

Now, I'm hesitant to go with tea tree oil because of concerns about toxicity, so I'm wondering whether anyone knows of a safe anti-microbial alternative.

Diclofenac, on the other hand, I haven't looked into, but I have the impression that this is gonna be some kind of expensive synthetic compound only available in bulk for sale to labs and not something a regular fellow could get inexpensively and in a form ready to be applied to his head. So, any ideas on side-effects free, nonsteroidal, ideally, but not necessarily, natural anti-inflammatories?

 

[StudyHacks]

I use https://hairlossdhtshampoo.com's shampoo+conditioner set and they contain a lot of anti-inflammatories, not just dht-blockers

 

[Dimitri001]

(Shorter version: I've more or less dismissed essential oils, hydrosols and coconut oils as candidates for the anti-microbial job and am now looking into honey, which seems to have both anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. If you know anything about using honey for bactericidal (as opposed to inhibitory) purposes, please let me know.)


An update on this:

I've been having trouble finding a suitable anti-microbial. Essential oils seemed like a good candidate as they have broad anti-microbial effects, but they're so dangerous that I decided to nix them as a candidate.

Someone then suggested hydrosols. I'm having trouble determining whether hydrosols are BACTERICIDAL or merely INHIBIT colonization. Most papers I read on them talk about INHIBITION. But the jury is still out on these.

Someone suggested coconut oil. There are two types coconut oil and virgin coconut oil. It seems that VCO has anti-microbial effects only when ingested, not when applied topically, because of some reactions that need to happen and do happen in digestion, but not topically. Don't know about CO, but I assume the same.

So after spending literally all day yesterday researching this and getting nowhere, I got the idea of two other candidates:

1) honey
2) hydrogen peroxide

Honey seems to be the really promising one here. It seems to have BACTERICIDAL, not just inhibitory properties (tho I still want to do a bit of research to confirm this). It is used to dress wounds and burns, so PRESUMABLY, it can safely be applied to the scalp (I mean, hell, we eat the stuff, so...).

And here's the kicker: Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties!

So, honey seems like a really good candidate, but I still have to research:

1) Does it indeed have broad BACTERICIDAL, rather than just INHIBITORY effects
2) What kind of honey - they differ in their anti-microbial properties
3) Confirm that it is safe to apply to scalp - it seems 99% that it should be

 

[Scoobysnack]

Honey is a great idea. I use it for injuries because it seems to heal better than something like neosporin. Not sure how you'd be able to find the specific anti-microb properties or strengths of different types of honey. I remember reading about (I'm going to spell it wrong) "Manuka" honey and how it has super amazing healing properties. Its on the more expensive side but easily obtainable on amazon. Ha, I bought it once... tiny little tub. It tasted so good I ended up eating one night.

How would you handle the sticky hair problem?

 

[Dimitri001]

Some questions I still need to answer regarding the honey use:

1. How to dilute it

All studies use diluted honey, but don't mention how they dilute it. Water is needed for honey to generate hydrogen peroxide, which gives it some of it's anti-microbial power. There are some safety concerns with hydrogen peroxide, but I THINK honey doesn't generate a lot of it.

2. What honey is best?

The question is which variety has the best anti inflammatory and anti microbial properties. Here's what I read somewhere:

"Thus, the antibacterial activity of honey comprises multiple factors that depend on diverse influences, and the therapeutic potential of a honey sample cannot be assumed by simply identifying its botanical origin."

On top of this, different honeys have different effect on different types of germs. For this reason, I thought I might rotate what honey I use.

3. How often do I need to apply this?

If the idea is to kill the germs, then it shouldn't need to be applied daily, but if inflammation needs to be controlled, then how often? Applying honey to your hair every day is untenable anyway.

4. Should the honey be pasteurized or not?

Honey is a great idea. I use it for injuries because it seems to heal better than something like neosporin. Not sure how you'd be able to find the specific anti-microb properties or strengths of different types of honey.

There are a lot of papers out there on antimicrobial properties of honey, but yeah, a lot of them don't specify what kind of honey is being talked about. I think if it's not specified in all likelihood it's either Manuka or some medical grade honey.

There ARE some studies that test different types of honey tho. Doing the research is a pain in the ***, tho, and I don't have time to keep going, so I'll start with some type of honey provisionally and then later try to determine which type to use.

I remember reading about (I'm going to spell it wrong) "Manuka" honey and how it has super amazing healing properties. Its on the more expensive side but easily obtainable on amazon. Ha, I bought it once... tiny little tub. It tasted so good I ended up eating one night.

Yeah, Manuka is frequently used in studies and is one of the best ones, but like you say, it's quite expensive. I'm on the fence, but I'm leaning towards a little too expensive for a speculative treatment.

How would you handle the sticky hair problem?

I'll just have to brave it. Biggest problem is I wear glasses, so I'll have to protect the arms somehow.

My plan is to do it on days when I don't leave the house and just cover my head first thing in the morning and keep it on all day (Manuka takes 24 hrs to kill some bacteria).

 

[Dimitri001]

UPDATE!

We got a new candidate: olive oil

Like honey, it supposedly has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it's cheaper than Manuka honey and, like honey, presumably, it is safe.

Now, if anyone knows anything about olive oil, please do speak now, because I spent literally all last day reading papers about anti-microbials properties of honey and I'd really like to not do that again. I got a life to get back to