Explaining complex concepts is hard, that's why every day we receive questions from people who just aren't sure if Scalp Juice is worth trying, or maybe they just want to understand the science better. This article is for you; we hope to break down everything we know about hair loss and the role GHK-Cu copper peptide plays in it. But always remember, the proof is in the pudding; perhaps the most compelling evidence is the results people have achieved. That being said, since it is still a very new solution to hair loss, most people are unaware or skeptical. Rightfully so, science has largely ignored this incredible solution.
First of all, what is GHK-Cu copper peptide? It's a peptide, yes, but what does that mean? Peptides are simply chains of amino acids that already exist within our bodies. GHK-Cu copper peptide was discovered in 1973 by Dr. Loren Pickart, who introduced its wide variety of benefits to the public. Over four decades of research demonstrate its profound effect on wound healing, skin regeneration, immune system regulation, and much more. But how does it relate to hair loss?
In order to answer this, you have to first understand what we know about hair loss. The media and Western medicine seem to think the only factor that contributes to hair loss is DHT, which is not inherently wrong. Testosterone converts into many different enzymes in the body, one of them being DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is responsible for many different functions in the body: libido, hair growth, cognition, and bone mineral density, to name a few. The problem is that just as DHT is responsible for hair growth everywhere on the body, it is also responsible for hair loss on the head. DHT binds to the hair follicle via 5ar and begins to degrade and shrink the hair follicle for reasons unknown to science.
That is why the only FDA-approved medicine for hair loss is Finasteride. Finasteride blocks 5ar from occurring, in turn lowering the amount of DHT in the scalp drastically; however, it lowers the total amount of DHT in the body equally as much, about 70%. Now here's where it gets tricky: since DHT is responsible for many other things, lots of people experience horrible reactions to this lowered amount of DHT. Loss of libido, mood swings, anxiety, depression, loss of memory, loss of energy, and more can occur. Some people experience such severe side effects that they even commit suicide. In fact, there is a post-Finasteride syndrome support group with thousands of men who have experienced this severe reaction to using finasteride. This is not to scare people away from Finasteride but to educate them. Understand that when you begin altering your hormones, this can lead to a cascade of effects that become extremely nuanced and hard to comprehend.
Recovering from Finasteride is not impossible, but it is extremely expensive and requires a level of knowledge about endocrinology that most people don't have, including doctors. In fact, there is currently a class-action lawsuit against Merck and Co., suing them for not warning men about these side effects that continue long after you stop taking the drug.
If you do decide to go the Finasteride route, we strongly urge you to work with an endocrinologist who can monitor your bloodwork and hormonal health and make sure you are even a good candidate to start taking Finasteride. Men who experience Finasteride side effects will often begin TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) and other ancillary drugs such as neurosteroids which can balance the hormones and replace some of the functions missing from the body since DHT has been taken out of the equation.
If you can't find a good endocrinologist to work with, we strongly recommend getting a full hormonal panel blood test done before you start taking Finasteride in order to assess your hormonal markers, which you can then compare to after you start taking finasteride. This will keep you much healthier in the long run, and when you do begin experiencing side effects, you have real data to look at and understand what is going on inside your body.
The peculiar thing about DHT causing hair loss is that one would assume that since DHT is the primary thing responsible for hair loss, then any man with high amounts of testosterone would experience hair loss. This is clearly not the case and has been well-documented in numerous studies. So what is at play here? This is why many scientists argue that science and doctors have done a poor job of truly understanding hair loss and why it happens, and that finasteride is a band aid fix.
We do know that there are many other contributing factors to hair loss in combination with DHT. Chronic inflammation, cellular dysfunction and cellular senescence, hypoxia, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, lack of blood flow, genetics, and oxidative stress are all factors that we know contribute to hair loss. Now without extensive genetic testing done, it is impossible to know which one of these underlying factors is causing or accelerating your hair loss. This is where GHK-Cu comes into play.
The main components that GHK-Cu combats are lack of blood flow, chronic inflammation, and cellular dysfunction.
GHK-Cu has been well-documented to be extremely effective at increasing blood flow and building new blood vessels through the process of angiogenesis. This process is crucial for the hair follicle; many people even theorize that the reason we only lose hair on the top of the head and not the sides is because of the shape of the head, which causes our skin to tighten and blood flow to become constricted in these areas. Blood flow is crucial in delivering nutrients and oxygen to the cells and, in turn, the hair follicle; without this, the hair follicle begins to shrink and degrade, leaving it much more susceptible to things like DHT and cellular senescence. By increasing blood flow, we are ensuring that the hair follicle is much less sensitive to these things.
GHK-Cu is also extremely effective at healing chronic inflammation, which is another core factor of hair loss. Micro inflammations cause hair loss and hair shedding as they degrade the follicle roots and make them smaller. Micro inflammation also causes dandruff and itchiness in the scalp. Another downstream effect of micro inflammation is elevated DHT as the body's natural inflammatory response, which drastically accelerates hair loss as we already explained above.
GHK-Cu also cleans up cellular dysfunction of the scalp, improving mitochondrial function, and promoting "systemic healing." This, in turn, allows more oxidation and nutrient delivery, similar to increased blood flow.
Similar to Minoxidil, studies also show that GHK-Cu turns on Anagen (our hair's natural growth phase). It also extends the life of Anagen longer than it normally would, increasing the amount of time your hair is growing and decreasing the amount of time your hair is shedding.
It is also important to note that using Scalp Juice, or any form of GHK-Cu on the scalp, will not cause any adverse side effects and is completely non-toxic since it is naturally occurring. It won't cause a massive "shock loss" shed if you decide to stop using it, unlike Minoxidil. It can also be used solo or in conjunction with any existing hair loss protocol you see fit.
So if GHK-CU the magic solution to hair loss? No, but we have never seen a compound like GHK-CU that is able to treat multiple underlying causes of hair loss while in turn making the hair follicle less susceptible to DHT degradation. And we have seen first hand the anecdotal evidence behind GHK-CU: Increased hair growth.