Tricotain FAQ’s
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Q: I am using Minoxidil - can I use Tricotain as well?
A: Yes, you can use Minoxidil and the Tricotain shampoo and conditioner. Our research shows that there is often a synergistic effect when used together, giving more benefits than would be expected if using the two products separately.
In clinical studies, Piroctone Olamine, one of our active ingredients, has been shown to prolong the hair-growing phase, increase its diameter, and support the optimum uptake and performance of topical Minoxidil.
Before applying Minoxidil, ensure that your hair and scalp are dry after washing your hair with Tricotain shampoo and conditioner. Always apply Minoxidil to a dry scalp to prevent dilution and improve efficacy.
Q: I have menopausal hair loss - what will Tricotain do for me?
Recent research has shown that oxidative stress and free radicals destroy tissues within the hair follicles, just as they do with aging skin. However, in hair follicles, the result is the miniaturisation of the hair. Hairs become finer (and cannot grow as long as before), and the growth cycle shortens, leading to hair thinning.
It is common practice to look after our skin with anti-ageing products that fight free radical damage, but we forget the hair and scalp. Tricotain acts like an anti-ageing care regime for the hair and scalp.
Tricotain shampoo contains high levels of antioxidants and free radical scavengers that enter the hair follicles to prevent oxidative stress from destroying the tissues and harming hair growth, allowing the hair to grow as it should.
As Trichologists, we would also advise that good general health is always important. Hair thinning is more likely if a woman is ill or run down. Gentle exercise and a healthy, well-balanced diet can help.
Do not be afraid of washing your hair frequently, especially with the Tricotain shampoo and conditioner. It is a myth that washing your hair will make it fall out more. If hair is going to fall out, it will fall out whether you wash it or not, and it is more likely to fall out if you do not clean it. As a rule, the cleaner and healthier your hair and scalp, the better.
An increase in hair shedding is a common problem with perimenopause and menopause. – multiple factors cause this, and using Tricotain helps retain hair in the growing phase longer as it fights free radical damage and scalp ageing.
Q: Why is there no separate Tricotain shampoo for men and women?
Q: What evidence do you have that this works?
A: Extensive academic research in the fields of dermatology and biochemistry over many years showed the effects of oxidative stress on hair follicles and reduced hair growth. This research led to the five-year development and clinical testing of Tricotain shampoo and conditioner and the excellent results it is now having on so many people.
PM Labs – clinical studies on oxidative stress
Q: Why should I use Tricotain conditioner rather than an ordinary one?
A: Tricotain conditioner is not only formulated with high levels of natural oils and other excellent conditioning ingredients but also, like Tricotain shampoo, a wide variety of highly effective antioxidants.
One such ingredient is Sea Buckthorn, renowned for its incredible anti-aging properties. The Tricotain conditioner neutralises the harmful effects of oxidative stress on the hair caused by UV radiation from the sun and environmental pollutants. These can cause the hair to become brittle and break, resulting in shorter, broken, finer hair.
Q: Why is it necessary to leave Tricotain shampoo on the scalp for 2 minutes or longer?
A: The active ingredients in Tricotain shampoo need to penetrate the hair follicle to reach and destroy the free radicles that cause hair loss. On the side of the hair follicles are oil glands that produce sebum – the skin’s natural oil. This oil is secreted at the entrance to the hair follicles, creating a barrier to letting anything in. But when you apply Tricotain shampoo and leave it for 2 minutes or longer, this oil barrier is temporarily broken, allowing the active ingredients in Tricotain to reach its target site of the dermal papilla (hair root) at the base of the hair follicle.
Q: What is the best way to use Tricotain conditioner?
A: A little, but frequently. Tricotain conditioner will increase the moisture content, elasticity, and hair strength, but you don’t need to use much each time you wash your hair. Apply the conditioner to the mid-section and ends of your hair, not too near the scalp. This is because your hair will naturally be in good condition near the scalp so doesn’t need conditioning.
Never apply a hair conditioner to your scalp, it’s not needed, even if you think your scalp is dry, it’s almost certainly not. It may be a little scaly, but that’s not dryness, so a conditioner will do no good. But using the Tricotain shampoo frequently will clear any scale on your scalp.
Q: I live quite a stressful life - can that cause hair loss?
A: Yes, stress can cause or exacerbate hair loss. If you do not have a genetic tendency towards androgenic (common) hair loss, any hair thinning due to stress may be temporary and reversible. But if you do have hereditary hair thinning, stress may exacerbate the hair loss.
If stress is a major part of your life, try to neutralise its potentially harmful effects by using Tricotain shampoo and conditioner every day or every other day. These are excellent at reducing or stopping oxidative stress within the hair follicles and reducing hair loss. Also, getting plenty of exercise can help greatly with stress. Training and working out are also excellent for your hair (as they are for all your body). But even gentle, regular exercise such as walking is of enormous benefit.
Q: Can Tricotain bottles be recycled?
A: Yes, we always encourage recycling! The Tricotain bottles are made from PET plastic and can be recycled.
Q: How should I dry my hair?
A: Let your hair dry naturally when possible. If you must use a blow-dryer, keep it 6-8 inches from your hair, as intense heat damages it if held too close. Using a heat protection spray is always advised.
A: Q: I am using a DHT blocker (Finasteride, Propecia) - how does Tricotain work with this?
A: Usually very well. The approach is different as Finasteride is a systemic drug usually taken by mouth, and Tricotain is a shampoo topically applied to the scalp. Finasteride is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and can do a pretty good job, but it cannot completely block all of the oxidative stress around the dermal papilla and hair follicles.
Using Tricotain will counter the harmful effects of the free radical damage that Finasteride fails to prevent. By penetrating to the root of the hair follicle, Tricotain scavenges damaging free radicals and supports the retention and growth of hair.
Finasteride can now also be applied topically, and like with Minoxidil, Tricotain allows topical scalp solutions to work much more effectively.
Q: I am a 17-year-old male experiencing hair loss - will Tricotain work for me?
A: Tricotain is a supportive care regime in slowing the progression of all male pattern hair loss. In our experience, Tricotain is most effective in men in their late twenties and older. If a young man starts to lose his hair in his teens, it generally means he has a strong genetic predisposition towards androgenic alopecia (common hair loss). This strong reaction to the inherited 5-alpha reductase enzyme is much harder to neutralise. Although we cannot be as confident of success in young men as we can with slightly older men – occasionally, men in their early twenties have been able to stop their hair from thinning.
Q: I have been diagnosed with autoimmune hair loss - will Tricotain help me?
A: There are two types of autoimmune hair loss conditions – scarring and non-scarring.
Alopecia areata, universalis, and totalis are non-scarring, while Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia and Lichen Planopilaris are scarring.
In all of these conditions, excessive inflammation and oxidative stress play a major role when the conditions are active.
Tricotain will not cure these conditions but supports an overall treatment plan to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, keeping the scalp and hair as healthy as possible.
Q: Is Tricotain shampoo made with caffeine?
A: Tricotain shampoo does contain caffeine but not as one of our key active ingredients. Some supposed hair loss treatments rely on caffeine as the active ingredient – we do not. Some studies have shown caffeine to stimulate hair follicle growth in vitro (in a petri dish under lab conditions). However, applying it to the scalp topically has shown limited clinical results.
Although hair-stimulant properties are possible – we predominantly use caffeine for its antioxidant properties. Tricotain also contains far more powerful natural antioxidants like Vitamins A, B, C, E, and F, alongside green tea and natural oils with antioxidant properties. Tricotain also utilises a strong cosmetic antioxidant, with recent studies illustrating incredible hair retention results.
Q: I have tried many hair loss products - what is different about this?
The active ingredients in Tricotain are unique in their action and penetration and it has taken 5 years of development, research, and testing to get the results we now see today. Our goal is to retain the hair you have, prevent the free radical damage that causes hair loss, and allow hair to grow as it should. We feel that prevention is as important as treatment as the more we retain the better any additional treatments will work.
Q: How often should I wash my hair with Tricotain shampoo?
This frequency is important, particularly at the start of treatment, to ensure that the antioxidants in the shampoo get the optimum exposure to the damaging free radicals that are having a destructive effect on the hair follicles.
Q: Does washing my hair too much make it dry?
Remember, when you wash your hair, it is a good opportunity to use a conditioner that is designed to increase the natural moisture content of your hair, so use the Tricotain conditioner every time you wash your hair.
Q: Will my diet affect my hair?
Q: How natural are Tricotain products?
A: Tricotain shampoo contains 96% of ingredients that are either completely natural or made from a natural source. Tricotain conditioner contains 97.8% natural or naturally sourced ingredients.
Q: Why is it called Tricotain?
A: ‘Trico’ because we make clinically developed, Trichological grade products. ‘Trico’ comes from the Latin word for hair ‘Tricho’. All our products are formulated and tested by two of the UK’s most renowned Trichologists.
And ‘tain’ because our products retain hair.