Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces when you are in darkness, signaling to your body that it’s time to sleep. It plays a crucial role in regulating your circadian rhythms (your body’s internal 24-hour clock) and promoting sleep. Conversely, exposure to light reduces melatonin production and signals to your body that it should be awake.

Generally, melatonin is primarily used to address sleep-related issues, such as insomnia and jet lag during travel. However, this hormone may also have potential benefits in improving sleep quality and addressing certain conditions like depression, chronic pain, and dementia.

In the context of alopecia, melatonin is not widely recognized or utilized. It is not typically found in supplements, elixirs, or shampoos designed for hair health.

Is it effective against hair loss?

If you have some familiarity with melatonin, it may seem unlikely that there is a connection between this hormone and hair. Surprisingly, there are indeed several potential connections.

Melatonin appears to be involved in the pigmentation and growth cycle of our hair, possibly due to the presence of melatonin receptors near our hair follicles. However, it’s important to note that the precise mechanisms and the full extent of melatonin’s role in hair health have not been completely understood to date (source) (source).

Lack of sleep is associated with androgenetic alopecia.

A lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can worsen hair loss. Sleep is crucial for the body’s proper functioning, and its disruption can lead to various issues like stress, physical and mental fatigue, and memory loss. Hair loss is also on the list of potential problems.

Improving your sleep quality can be beneficial if your hair loss is caused or exacerbated by poor sleep.

A 2022 study found that individuals with poor sleep quality were more likely to experience hereditary hair loss.

Now, it’s essential to understand the connection between poor sleep quality and melatonin. Melatonin is the primary hormone that regulates our sleep. Sleep disorders often occur due to melatonin imbalances. In such cases, oral melatonin supplementation is usually effective in addressing these problems for most people.

Therefore, if we consider poor sleep as a contributing factor to hair loss, it is entirely logical to assume that a lack of melatonin may be one of the major causes of hair loss associated with sleep disorders.

Quercetin possesses strong antioxidant properties.

One of the contributing factors to hair loss is oxidative stress. This occurs when there is an excessive presence of free radicals in the body compared to the antioxidants. These free radicals can be generated in excess due to various factors like stress, poor diet, or exposure to pollution.

Oxidative stress can lead to significant health problems, including hair loss, inflammation, premature aging, heart diseases, and certain types of cancer (source).

According to some studies, the intake of antioxidants such as vitamin E has been shown to reduce the occurrence of certain diseases and hair loss (source) (source).

Numerous studies suggest that melatonin is also a potent antioxidant, helping to reduce oxidative stress and apoptosis, which is the self-destruction of cells (source) (source) (source) (source) (source) (source) (source).

Topical melatonin reduces hair loss.

According to several scientific studies, melatonin has shown the potential to decrease hair loss, including hereditary hair loss, or androgenetic alopecia.

In a review of studies, Fischer and their team examined research on the impact of melatonin on hair loss. Five scientific studies revealed positive effects in treating androgenetic alopecia in both men and women while also indicating good tolerance.

Fischer also led a study on melatonin. In this research, 40 women with either diffuse or androgenetic alopecia were split into two groups and treated for six months. One group received a 0.1% melatonin solution, while the other received a placebo solution.

The results were highly promising, as all the women treated with the 0.1% melatonin solution experienced hair growth. This held true for both androgenetic alopecia and diffuse alopecia, with nearly identical results.

In another study conducted by Hasanain H. Ali and their colleagues, melatonin was found to stimulate hair growth in mice.

In this study, the mice were divided into four groups, each receiving different solutions once a day for three weeks:

• Group 1: Ethanol (placebo)
• Group 2: Minoxidil (MX)
• Group 3: Melatonin (MT)
• Group 4: Melatonin + Minoxidil (MT plus MX)

The results revealed:

Number of hairs after 3 weeks (calculated through histograms):

Hair diameters after 3 weeks:

Closing thoughts and verdict

Topical melatonin can serve as an effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia, diffuse alopecia, and hair loss caused by oxidative stress. You can use it as a nightly elixir in addition to minoxidil or various plant and essential oils. When used in conjunction with a comprehensive treatment plan, I am confident it will yield excellent results.

However, you’ll need to either create a melatonin solution or find an elixir that contains it. There are several such products available in the market.

For individuals experiencing sleep disturbances, oral melatonin is more likely to be effective. However, it should be used on a short-term basis due to potential long-term liver damage.

Precautions & side effects

• Possibility of allergic reactions in some individuals.
• May cause certain side effects, including headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea.
• Do not drive or operate industrial machinery for 4 to 5 hours after taking melatonin.
• Not recommended for pregnant women at high doses.
• Caution: Avoid long-term use, as it can harm the liver, especially in children.
• Melatonin can worsen bleeding in individuals with coagulation disorders.
• Melatonin can raise blood pressure in people taking certain medications to control blood pressure.
• The use of melatonin may increase the risk of an epileptic seizure.

• Melatonin can interact with many medications; consult your doctor if you are taking any medications. Caffeine also interferes with melatonin.