If you're looking to reduce symptoms of hair loss, soothe your scalp, or promote hair growth, using the right ingredients is essential. One ingredient you may want to add to your hair care regimen is copper tripeptide-1.
Copper tripeptide-1 can produce a wide range of benefits for your scalp health. At Divi, we thoroughly researched the efficacy of this ingredient before adding it to our Scalp Serum formula.
What Is Copper Tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu)?
Copper peptide GHK-Cu — sometimes known as copper tripeptide-1 — is a naturally occurring complex found in human plasma, saliva and other bodily fluids. Your body produces GHK-CU naturally — by age 20, most people have a GHK-Cu concentration of about 200 ng/ml in their plasma.
GHK-Cu tends to have regenerative, protective actions within the body. One study notes that all of the peptide's actions appear to be health-positive.
However, your GHK-Cu concentration tends to decline with age. As a result, many people use external copper tripeptide-1 as studies suggest it can replenish the previously high levels of this complex and produce more noticeable benefits.
When you see "copper tripeptide-1" in cosmetics and hair care products, you are seeing a synthetic version of the copper peptide GHK-Cu. As a result, many researchers use the terms "copper tripeptide-1" and "copper peptide GHK-Cu" interchangeably, and you will see both terms in this article.
Supplementing your body's natural GHK-Cu production with synthetic copper tripeptide-1 can help you obtain more noticeable benefits from this peptide.
Copper Tripeptide-1 and its Effects on the Body
Copper tripeptide-1 acts on several pathways within the human body, leading to various effects and benefits. This human peptide:
- Stimulates blood vessels
- Increases collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis
- Stimulates nerve outgrowth
- Supports dermal fibroblasts
- Improve tissue repair
GHK-Cu produces numerous effects specifically for the skin and hair. Research suggests that this peptide:
- Tightens loose skin
- Stimulates wound healing
- Smooths rough skin
- Improves skin firmness
- Protects skin from UV radiation
- Repairs protective skin proteins
- Reduces hyperpigmentation
- Increases hair growth and thickness
- Can enlarge follicles
Researchers have long known the benefits and effects of GHK-Cu. However, only recently have they determined why this peptide is so powerful – especially for making your scalp healthier.
One of the main ways GHK affects biological pathways is through its ability to bind to copper (II) ions. GHK-Cu is relatively small and can bind to copper well, leading researchers to believe it plays an essential role in copper metabolism. Copper also plays several roles in the body apart from the functions of GHK-Cu.
However, researchers recently determined another important effect of copper tripeptide-1 within the body: gene expression. GHK-Cu appears to stimulate specific genes and suppress others within the body. Some of these genes relate to hair growth and skin regeneration, which is how this peptide benefits the hair and scalp.
When you use Divi's Scalp Serum, copper tripeptide-1 is absorbed via your scalp and hair follicles, eventually entering your bloodstream. Once the GHK-Cu is in the bloodstream, it can travel to the various pathways above and exert its actions within the body.
The Benefits of Copper Tripeptide-1 for Your Hair and Scalp
Copper tripeptide-1 can stimulate blood vessels and nerve growth. It also increases collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis in the dermis.
As a result, many cosmetic companies — ours included — have begun incorporating copper tripeptide-1 into their formulas. Here are the benefits of copper tripeptide-1 for your hair and scalp.
Stimulate and Prolong the Hair Growth Phase
Your hair follicles go through three main phases during their growth cycle:
- Anagen – The active phase of hair growth, during which the hair grows about one centimeter every 28 days. Hair remains in this phase for two to six years.
- Catagen – The transitional phase in which hair growth stops and the outer root sheath shrinks
- Telogen – The resting stage in which hair stops growing for about 100 days
The hair on your head does not enter each hair growth phase all at the same time. Instead, at any given time, a small portion of your hair is in the catagen and telogen phases, while the rest is in the anagen phase.
If you have trouble growing your hair long, you may naturally have a shorter anagen phase. Some people even have a condition called short anagen syndrome (SAS) that causes them to enter the catagen and telogen phases faster, leading to shorter hair growth and increased shedding.
Thankfully, research suggests that copper peptides may increase your hair's time in the anagen phase. Using Divi's Scalp Serum, which contains copper tripeptide-1, may help your hair grow longer and encourage faster hair growth.
Improves the Condition of Aging Skin and Hair
GHK-Cu may also reverse the effects of aging on the skin and hair. As you probably know, hair typically becomes gray with age. Aging can slow hair growth and cause hair strands to become smaller, both of which can contribute to the appearance of hair loss and thinning.
GHK-Cu can help regulate copper levels in the body and may modify the expression of several antioxidant genes. These effects can improve the condition of aging skin, your scalp, and hair, which may in turn help restore hair to its previous colors and densities.
Stimulate Collagen, Elastin and Glycosaminoglycan Production
Studies show how copper tripeptide-1 can help increase three compounds that contribute to healthy, thick, full hair: collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan.
You've probably heard of collagen, which plays a role in the structure of your skin, bones, connective tissue and cartilage. Collagen may promote several benefits for your hair, such as:
- Helping produce the amino acids that makeup keratin, the main protein in your hair
- Helping reverse damage to hair follicles caused by free radicals
- Preventing hair thinning associated with aging
Next, elastin is a protein making up elastic connective tissue. This protein contributes to the strength and elasticity of many tissues and organs throughout your body. It also impacts the health and function of your hair follicles.
Finally, glycosaminoglycan (GAGs) are compounds that promote hair growth. One study found that GAGs can inhibit the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – one of the most prevalent causes of hair loss – even more effectively than minoxidil, a standard DHT treatment.
All three of these compounds play significant roles in hair growth and health. As a result, using Divi's Scalp Serum, which contains copper tripeptide-1, has the potential to benefit hair growth in several ways.
Increase Blood Flow to Hair Follicles
Your blood circulation plays a role in the health and strength of your hair follicles. The more oxygen-rich blood your follicles have access to, the healthier they will be.
Copper peptides may increase blood circulation to the skin, including the scalp. Additionally, the mineral form of copper may help enhance the tissues within the blood flow. This extra blood flow can stimulate the hair follicles, helping them receive the nutrients necessary to produce healthy hair growth.
Inhibit Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)
Research suggests GHK-Cu may inhibit dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT, a sex hormone, is one of the leading causes of male-pattern baldness. Men who produce too much DHT often experience thinner shorter hair.
5-alpha reductase is the enzyme involved in DHT production. As a result, most treatments for excess DHT inhibit or block this enzyme.
Loren Pickart, the researcher who originally isolated the copper peptide GHK-Cu from human plasma in 1973, published a paper about the effects of GHK-Cu and other copper peptides on DHT. Her research shows how increasing the copper ions in the skin inhibits 5-alpha reductase, limiting the development of DHT.
Using Divi's Scalp Serum
Copper tripeptide-1 is the synthetic version of the copper peptide GHK-Cu. Applying this ingredient directly to the scalp can allow your skin to absorb and transport it through the bloodstream, which may produce the benefits above for your hair and scalp health.
Divi's Scalp Serum contains the optimal amount of copper tripeptide-1 alongside a proprietary blend of clean ingredients all shown to benefit scalp and hair health.
Here's how to apply Divi's Scalp Serum:
- Use it once daily, either in the morning or at night.
- Shake the serum bottle well before use.
- Apply about 3/4 of the dropper directly to your scalp, focusing on problem areas if you have them.
- Massage our Scalp Serum into your scalp — you may feel a pleasant tingling sensation.
- Leave it in during the day or overnight. There’s no need to rinse it out.
Divi's Scalp Serum works best on dry or towel-dried hair. Once you apply the serum, its ingredients will absorb through the scalp.
Side Effects of Copper Tripeptide-1 For Hair
Because copper peptide GHK-Cu naturally occurs within the body, it is considered safe for topical application. When you use Divi's Scalp Serum, you can feel confident you’ll receive just the right amount of copper tripeptide-1 to produce only positive effects.
Copper Tripeptide-1 in Divi's Scalp Serum
Copper tripeptide-1 offers several properties capable of aiding your scalp and promoting an environment for hair to grow and flourish. This ingredient has the capability of preventing hair loss by inhibiting DHT, reversing signs of aging, increasing collagen production, and more. If you're looking for a way to strengthen your hair and promote scalp health, Divi's use of copper tripeptide-1 in our Scalp Serum targets multiple causes of hair thinning.
