new thread
I copied and pasted this from a report they once had at fda.gov. I'm sure with some browsing around the site you'll find it there. It was once brand new and prominently featured.
Here's the text....
With longer hair desired by many women (and even some men), many new "wonder pills" are being offered up these days with the claim of an ability to stimulate hair growth. Publicity about the prescription drug minoxodil and its link to hair growth has laid just enough ground work for many quacks to capitalize on. There remains no product available that will grow new hair or make existing hair grow faster or make it thicker, despite quack ads to the contrary.
The FDA has extensively tested products claiming to grow existing hair at a faster rate, grow new hair, or prevent baldness. It has taken action against companies that continue to sell such products for claiming they could promote hair growth and prevent hair loss. The FDA conducted an experiment recently using four control groups. The four groups used PowerPlus, UltraNourishhair, Nourishhair, and a group using a placebo. The six month experiment produced the following results: Growth of hair was identical in all four groups.
Advertisements for "hair farming" products and others that hint they can regrow hair are still plentiful. But if you're desperate, keep one thing in mind - there will be never be a secret ingredient that works for hair loss, faster hair growth, or better hair. Should this amazing discovery be made, it will be on the cover of Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times. It will be on the nightly news. When this happens, you're not going to need an advertisement or even the FDA to tell you the name of the drug.
Claims of faster hair growth, thicker hair, and growing new hair all fall into the category of quackery. The FDA suggests using the following means to recognize quackery in regards to hair care:
Be wary if immediate, effortless or guaranteed results are promised.
Look for telltale words and phrases such as "breakthrough," "miracle," "secret remedy," "exclusive," and "clinical studies prove that..."
Don't forget that, unlike scientists and health professionals, quacks do not subject their products to the scrutiny of scientific research. The quack simply thrusts a product onto the market in order to get your money.
If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.
If you have questions about a product or company, get answers before you make a purchase, For information, contact the Better Business Bureau, the nearest Food and Drug Administration office, your local consumer office or state attorney general's office, or your doctor.
All these hair growth products do one thing and one thing only.
They seperate mens money from their wallets. And if you want to throw
your money away, I know of a bridge for sale. It's even made of gold. Any takers ?
Rokker, I don't know what pleassure you get on posts like this, but I bet many are upset and/or discouraged by them. I think you are another longhair like me, but you have no ears whatsoever to READ and undertand the basics of this. I have reported a lot of benefits from the pills, specially hair formula 37, like many others have!
You need to undertand the point. You are right, there's no way to grow hair faster, there's no way to make new hair appear with pills, however, the part of making hair grow faster is very important. You can't grow your hair faster, unless you are not currently growing what you are genetically programmed to.
If you have an olimpic sized pool, you probably will need more water to swim on than when you have a small one. Many have reported to grow an inch per month, like Headnbanger, I believe him, I have managed to get 3/4 per month, I grew 8 inches in 12 months, and I didn't take the pills all the time.
I BEG you, if this is your stand and you won't change your mind... be free to. But stop posting such things here, ok! We have to learn to keep debate to a minimum, we are here to support each other, not to make our path more difficult with internal struggles.-
My only intent is to inform people about these products. May I remind you and everyone here that NO PRODUCT has ever been proven by anyone to make hair grow faster.
If someone chooses to waste a bundle of money on these pills, that's fine. My only intent here is to educate people and try to get them to NOT waste their money. The only thing you accomplish by buying this crap is making someone else rich.
The fact is that studies have been conducted over and over again for many yeras and every study has had the exact same conclusion...using Nourishhair or any other product does absolutelyu NOTHING but cost you money.
I didn't start this, but I will not ignore it either. If anyone ever posts what I know to be total and complete b*ll$hit, you better believe I'll let everyone know it's complete nonsense. To not reply would be wrong. If you post a ridiculous claim, you'll hear from me every time.
We all know that many people who THINK something is working will believe it is even when it isn't. It's all in the power of suggestion.
I have come here and posted many times so that people will know the truth. I only speak the truth. I'm here to help, not to be divisive. I speak from many years of being a longhair and having done a lot of research regarding men's hair. When I say something, you can bank on it. If I express an opinion, I'll let you know it's an opinion.
Read with attention, ok...
Nature gives us limits... we can't fly... we can't breathe under water, some people can't grow beyond 5 feet heigth, and that's the sad truth. Some of us have very long terminal stages, some can't grow past shoulderblades. Some of cus can grow 3/4 of an inch per month, some others can't go beyond 1/4. And that's the harsh truth. That I must grant it. Nothing can change yourr natural limits.
What I argue is this... MOST OF US don't have a balanced dietary intake, personally.. smoking hurts my growth rate a lot. I sleep 6 hours a day and don't get to eat very healthy during the week. All that stops my body from completing what it CAN. Just like if a kid gets AIDS, he won't grow what he was supposed to. In many cases the supplements, fill in for those flaws in our diets, lifestyles, and so forth, so that's why.... With no pills I barely get 1/2 inch, with pills I get 3/4 and its really good, a lot of people CAN SURELY achieve that. ok...
because of poor diet...
Maybe we can all agree that GROWING HAIR...
takes a LONG TIME and...
we all need some HOPEFUL things to keep us going...
How does this make Rokker a big meanie for supplying responsible information? People come to this board for real hair information.
If people's wishes and dreams are based on trendy hair products then they are going down the wrong path.
If you can't afford to eat a reasonable diet then you shouldn't be spending your $ on expensive products with big claims. If you don't have a chance to eat a proper diet then now would be a good time to reorganize your day to day life because you HAVE to take time to eat but a little planning ahead and learning what to buy when at the grocery store is easy and will make a sizeable difference.
If you really know that nature gives us our limits then as long as you have a job that gives you money to eat regular meals (not considered starving) regardless of the quality of food you consume, then your hair will do it's thing. I don't see that you are making your case for using these extra hair growth products. Rather it's your mis-perception that Rokker is here to spoil everyone's fun.
He's not, he has some damn good information along with a good strong pro-longhair opinion.
This board isn't here to cheerlead everyone who posts anything about hair. I've seen some absurd posts about hair here (several lately) because anyone can post just about anything they want here. Some of it reflects mis-conceptions about hair. These need to be dealt with for the benefit of everyone reading these threads because those of us with long hair are supposed to know a little something about long hair and we don't help those trying to grow it if we let mis-conceptions and other junk go by unchallenged.
Ever hear about that guy who was like 90 or so and still fit as a fiddle? He claimed that it was because all he ever ate every day was hotdogs for like the past 70 years. What the hell do you say to that?
Is he right? Should everyone do it? Are hotdogs really that good for you? Could he have done the same with other foods?
Ah yes, the power of suggestion?! Because we live in a free country and a society that is so damn naive about everything & anything...this is the perfect breeding ground for scam after scam after scam! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAGIC PILL!!! Try flipping around your cable channels one night when you are bored...or real early one Saturday morning, and you'll see all of the !@#$%^&* infomecials claiming to have products to do whatever it is your life might be missing! It's all a scam...and there are plenty of naive people out there to get suckered in...all the while making these infomercial people filthy rich. It's the simple rule of supply and demand...if there were no suckers out there, then you would never see another infomercial on air for the rest of your natural life...Oh yes, it is true! Hair growth is genetic and nothing more than that. Your job as a long hair trying to maintain a healthy head of hair is to do things within your own power...have a good well balanced diet, have good hygiene, have an active lifestyle of plenty of excercise, take nothing more than a good multi-vitamin, etc. If indeed you find something that seems to be working for you, then by all means keep doing it...but just always remember that there is no magic pills out there! Where's Hair Religion on this subject...he strikes me as being a long hair guru and he always seems to be so informative with his posts.
Not that I really care but I thought I would add that I have known people who have gotten slightly faster hair growth from similar pills so while it may not work for some it does work for others.
I've never tried any of these products, but known people who have. Some told me their hair growth rate was awesome, yet they never seemed to grow hair any faster than anyone else we knew.
If you aren't getting enough essential vitamins in your diet, maybe these pills will help a little. But it's an expensive way to make up for a poor diet, and correcting a poor diet is a helluva lot cheaper!
If you aren't getting enough essential vitamins in your diet, maybe these pills will help a little. But it's an expensive way to make up for a poor diet, and correcting a poor diet is a helluva lot cheaper!
Doing that is impossible for many people that work like hell, have very little time, are stressed out, which also hurts, and need to use their time in better ways. Even eating at home, 70 % of the food is processed or has artificial flavorings, even some fruits are treated to look nicer. Its not easy in today's world to sleep 8 hours, live in a place with no pollution and eat fresh fruits and vegetables with very fresh beef from our "backyard farm"!
Unless you're Ted Nugent!
I don't disagree with you here. My only point is that even with processed food and preservatives (which in my opinion are the main reason for the increase in cancer rates) you can still get enough of the basic vitamins you need. Some stuff, like Nourishhair, is way overpriced. A cheap daily multivitamin is all you need.
Here is a link to the Men's Ultra NourishHair product on the GNC website (they don't make it particularly easy to find).
What is in Men's Ultra NourishHair? Well the first half of the contents is a nice selection of basic vitamins and minerals. The second half of the contents is this list:
Silica
Boron
L-Cysteine
Choline
Inositol
Hydrolyzed Gelatin
Natural Amino Acid Complex
Cayenne Pepper
Silica is derived from quartz and is better known as "sand" (though I'm sure they mean "silica extract" which would be better known as "extra finely ground sand". It seems to be featured in many hair and nail formulas. Boron is a basic element, but I don't know what it does in humans. Gelatin is the main ingredient in Jello. Cayenne Pepper? To make it spicy? Obviously I have some more research ahead of me.
I am curious to learn GNC's theory on how those extra ingredients will help me grow hair (and nails) and I will ask GNC. One problem with some herbal/dietary remedies is that they use the scientifically weak "grind up items with qualities that that we want to acquire" approach. This explains why a lot of ground up bear testicles are being eaten around the world. Sometimes the idea is quite sound. If gelatin is essential for nail and hair growth, making sure plenty of it is lying around our systems could work, assuming that is can be used by the body in the form that it is taken in the tablet.
As for the FDA, I believe they are referring to baldness cures (I couldn't find that specific page). They are saying that no pill will make thinning hair thicker, which is probably true. In my opinion is reasonable to believe that a suitable mixture of suplements could optimize hair growth. However, it is entirely possible that a given individual's current nutrition and supplement plan already offers optimal hair growth in which case a hair supplement would give no additional benefit. Furthermore, before investing in supplements I would advise anyone interested in healthy hair to make sure they are taking care of their basic health. In my opinion the three cornerstones of good health are quality sleep, quality food, and quality exercise. Personally I take a multivitamin (GNC Mega Man, to be specific) just to cover any holes in my food intake (ideally I would get everything I need from my food). If it turns out that GNC has a convincing story on the other ingredients in their hair supplement AND if my ongoing research shows the ingredients are not harmful I will be tempted to test this formula instead of my current vitamin (with GNCs Gold Card discount the price of trying it out would be minimal).
(I hope the link will show up somewhere in this message).