Green Tea, Does It Stop Hair Loss, Or Does It Actually Cause Hair Loss?

Recently several studies have shown that drinking green tea or taking a green tea pill extract may be effective in reversing hair loss or balding and facilitate re-growth. If this is indeed true, this could be a  safe, non-toxic way to treat a condition that affects millions of men and women nationwide.

How does Green Tea Stop Hair Loss?

It is now widely accepted that the main culprit in the hair loss of 95% of us is DHT. Therefore, the principal aspect of the strategy to stop hair loss is to block DHT.

Green Tea is an excellent herbal DHT blocker, and it is an extremely powerful anti-oxidant. Green Tea reduces DHT and cholesterol. Green tea contains flavonoids and catechins, substances that have been found to have significant antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

In addition, green tea contains substances called polyphenol catechins. Evidence indicates that these polyphenols may block the action of dihydrotestosterone that sparks male hair loss.

Because Green tea maintains much of its antioxidant properties, the resulting health benefits are great. Green tea has proven cancer-fighting abilities and is known to boost the immune system, helping to fight viruses and infection-causing bacteria. Studies have also shown that fluoride-rich Green teas help prevent tooth decay.

What is the scientific evidence that green tea stops hair loss?

A study was done to examine the effects of polyphenolic compounds, present in non-commercially available green tea, on hair loss among rodents.

In a study of mice stricken with hair loss, research showed that hair loss was halted in all mice which received green tea in their drinking water and even triggered new hair growth in some of the mice. As for the mice who were not invited to the tea party, their hair loss continued.

“There is abundant evidence that polyphenolic sub-stances are considered as anti-inflammatory and have stress inhibitory characteristics, and there is evidence that stress inhibits hair growth,” the study said.

In the study researchers randomly assigned 60 female black mice, which had developed spontaneous hair loss on the head, neck and dorsal areas into two equal groups; A (experimental) and B (control). Group A received 50% fraction of polyphenol extract from dehydrated green tea in their drinking water for six months. Group B received regular drinking water. Both groups were fed regular rodent diets (Purina Rodent Chow 5001) and housed individually in polycarbonate cages. The results showed that 33% of the mice in experimental Group A, who received polyphenol extract in their drinking water, had significant hair regrowth during six months of treatment (p = 0.014). No hair growth was observed among mice in the control group, which received regular water.

On the other hand….

Some animal studies have found that green tea increases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), LH, DHT and testosterone levels, all of which implies that green tea may actually cause baldness.

The problem – Fluoride in green tea

Green tea is healthy-largely because it’s a rich source of catechin polyphenols, namely epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a potent antioxidant-except for one glaring issue: both green tea and black tea can actually increase hair-loss due to tea’s naturally high concentration of fluoride.

Green tea contains large amounts of fluoride. Black tea also contains fluoride, but the amount in green tea is about double that in black tea. The tea plant is known to accumulate fluoride from the soil and water.

Studies have shown that most green teas have more fluoride than the EPA’s safe limit for drinking water, which is 4 parts per million (ppm).

How does fluoride cause hair loss?

Fluoride poisoning produces hair loss by affecting the thyroid. Fluoride slows down the thyroid function which leads to  Hypothyroidism – Underactive Thyroid. 

Specifically, fluoride suppresses thyroid function, leading to hypothyroidism. This is a well-known fact, as, ironically, the amount of fluoride in a typical cup of tea is actually much higher than amounts that were used decades ago as medication for hyperthyroidism, to reduce thyroid activity.

Both an over-active thyroid and an under-active thyroid can cause hair loss. Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment thyroid disease.

This becomes a real problem if your water supply happens to be fluoridated as well.  Fluoride also interferes with iodine and produces hypothyroidism which can also contribute to hair loss. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is notoriously high among the British for that very reason; they are heavy tea drinkers. Tea also interferes with the absorption of iron, and low iron levels are an often overlooked cause of hair loss, particularly in young men.

Practical advice

Drink high grade loose green tea made from young tea buds

Fluoride accumulation in tea leaves is strongest in the older leaves. The younger the leaves, the less fluoride it contains. According to some sources, mature, old leaves can contain 10 to 20 times more fluoride than the young tea shoots from the same tea plant.

The catechin content of green tea decreases with leaf age. Young tea buds picked early in the season have the highest concentration of catechins and thiamine. They are the richest in catechins, which contains all the antioxidants, and the sweet and fresh tasting thiamine, which calms and soothes the mind.

Drink white tea 

White tea is made from the newest leaves and buds from the plant and contains virtually no fluoride. In addition, from all types of tea, white tea is the richest in polyphenols.

White tea is made from buds and young leaves, which are steamed or fired to inactivate polyphenol oxidase, and then dried. Thus, due to minimal oxidation, white tea retains the high concentrations of catechins present in fresh tea leaves.

Whereas green tea comes from more matured parts of the tea plant, white tea is made from new growth buds and young leaves and is steamed and processed more quickly. As a result white tea has the most polyphenols of all types of tea — as much a three times the amount compared to green tea. So if you’re looking best bang for you buck with regards polyhpenol levels from natural sources, white tea is the best choice.

White teas come from the Camellia Sinensis plant, just like green tea, oolong tea and black tea. But white tea is picked early in Spring when all the leaves are still in a bud and covered with fine white hair, hence the name, white tea. Production of white tea is similar to green tea with no fermentation but is even more subtle – the finest white teas are dried in the natural environment and always hand selected. The flavor of white tea can vary from light, sweet, savory or velvety.

White tea also has the smallest amount of caffeine compared to black and green tea. It contains fifteen milligrams of caffeine, while the black tea has forty and the green tea twenty milligrams of caffeine.

In conclusion:

Make your tea from white tea leaves and bottled water that doesn’t contain fluoride. The fluoride content of tea that’s prepared this way should be practically nonexistent.

Avoid decaffeinated green teas

A 1996 study conducted by University of Texas found that decaffeinated tea contains an average of 3.2 parts per million of fluoride, twice the level found in regular tea, which contains 1.5. The authors suggested this is due to the use of high fluoride mineral water during the decaffeination process.

Avoid instant teas

Instant tea, one of the most popular drinks in the United States, may be a source of harmful levels of fluoride.

A study in the January 2005 issue of the Journal of American Medicine also found that instant teas appear to contain excessive levels of fluoride.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that some regular strength preparations contain as much as 6.5 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride, well over the 4 ppm maximum allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency and 2.4 ppm permitted in bottled water and beverages by the Food and Drug Administration

This led the researchers to test the fluoride content of instant tea available on the supermarket shelves. They found that these instant teas contained 1.0 to 6.5 part per million of fluoride!

Lipton’s Instant tea tested 6.5, well above the maximum level of 4 permitted by the US Regulation!

Rub green or white tea extract on your scalp

You don’t have to drink green and white tea to benefit from it. The same antioxidants that help your body fight the free radicals that attack your cells also help your scalp when you use tea extract. It protects your scalp from infections and gets rid of the impurities.

Topical green or white tea extract (in an ethanol solution) has been shown to grow hair both in cultured hair follicles and in human scalps.

A highly recommended organic white tea extract product is Organic Wu-long White Tea Extract, available at Amazon.com.

If you are looking for an organic and chemical-free white tea extract to use as a tea or to rub on your scalp, this is the product you want to use. This potent extract is made from Royal Organic Baihao Yinzhen Leaves, Organic Grain alcohol and distilled water with NO other added ingredients. As far as I am aware, this is the only organic white tea extract product currently available.

Click here to order this product from Amazon.com.

Click here to read an in depth report on topical green tea and hair growth.

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