Phenylalanine Benefits For Treating Hair Loss

Hair loss is an issue affecting many men and women. At Divi, we know how distressing hair loss and hair thinning conditions can be, which is why we have formulated hair and scalp products to help to address this problem.

Among the many ingredients in Divi’s Scalp Serum, Shampoo, and Conditioner is phenylalanine, an amino acid that’s essential for keeping your hair and scalp healthy. In this piece, we'll take a closer look at phenylalanine and explore how and why it works.

Overview of Phenylalanine

The first question in your mind might be, “What is phenylalanine?” The next is likely how this ingredient helps treat hair loss and why our team pinpointed this amino acid as a must-have in Divi’s hair products. Let’s answer these questions and more.

What is phenylalanine?

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid, which means the human body is unable to produce it naturally and must instead get it from food or supplements.

Phenylalanine can normally be found in protein-rich foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs, as well as various dietary supplements. It comes in two different forms, which are L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. They are nearly identical but differ slightly in their molecular structure.

How can phenylalanine help with hair loss?

While the amino acid phenylalanine will not directly affect hair growth, it is a pivotal precursor for the amino acid tyrosine, which has been shown to improve symptoms of stress-related hair loss.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a top medical institution in the United States, hair loss can be caused by a few different factors, such as certain diseases, genetics and stress. The essential amino acid phenylalanine has been shown to encourage hair regrowth if it has been lost due to a stress-induced condition.

Phenylalanine produces tyrosine, which is vital in helping the human body cope with stress. Tyrosine is a precursor to epinephrine and norepinephrine.

When a person experiences high levels of stress, their body can experience a dip in the production of tyrosine, which reduces the number of stress hormones available to help deal with stress-related symptoms, such as hair loss.

Conditions Phenylalanine Can Help With

There are a few types of hair loss conditions caused by stress, which phenylalanine supplementation can help treat:

Telogen Effluvium

Telogen effluvium is the second most common type of hair loss. It occurs when there is a change in the number of hair follicles that actively grow hair.

If the number of hair follicles actively growing hair lowers significantly during the telogen hair growth phase, then the number of dormant hair follicles increases.

Telogen effluvium can cause hair to thin, but thankfully the hair loss it causes isn't often permanent, and your hair may begin to regrow if you treat the underlying causes.

Trauma can cause this hair loss condition to appear. For example, if you experience a traumatic injury and then require surgery, the shock of this trauma can cause your hair follicles to enter a resting phase. This resting phase prevents them from growing as they normally would, leading to hair thinning.

While stress is the most common cause of telogen effluvium, it can also be caused by the hormones released after childbirth, some medications or a diet lacking certain nutrients.

Tyrosine, which is produced by phenylalanine, helps make epinephrine and norepinephrine, both of which can help the body deal with stress-related symptoms.

Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata causes hair to fall out in patches all over the body and occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Your hair can regrow in these patches, but the level of regrowth and possibility of this occurring will differ from person to person.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that’s either caused by genetics or a vitamin D deficiency.

While the condition cannot be cured completely, it will not always be present in some cases. There are specific triggers that can cause the condition to flare up, such as severe stress.

As mentioned, phenylalanine helps produce tyrosine, which produces epinephrine and norepinephrine – two hormones/neurotransmitters that decrease stress. This can reduce the possibility of you experiencing alopecia areata flare-ups.

Is Phenylalanine Safe for the Scalp?

Oral and topical phenylalanine supplements and amino acid products are safe for most people to consume or apply to their skin. However, there are a few exceptions to this, as some health conditions could make phenylalanine supplements harmful.

Thankfully, Divi’s Scalp Serum, Shampoo and Conditioner contain a controlled, safe amount of this amino acid, allowing consumers to apply it topically to the scalp. That said, we always recommend spot testing new products and if any irritation arises, consult your doctor about ingredient sensitivities.

Does Phenylalanine Treat Hair Loss?

Phenylalanine does not directly affect hair growth, but it is a vehicle to produce tyrosine, which has been shown to improve the symptoms of stress-related hair loss.

Stress-induced hair loss differs from other types of hair loss, as it will not cause your hair to thin straight away. Instead, your hair will begin to fall out in clumps when you wash your hair, comb your hair, or run your fingers through it.

Phenylalanine is also only one ingredient used in Divi’s products, which contains many different ingredients that have been shown to encourage hair regrowth by revitalizing scalp health.

Why Should You Use Divi?

If you suffer from hair loss, you should consider using Divi’s Scalp Serum or one of our other hair care products, such as Divi’s Shampoo & Conditioner.

We use clean, science-backed ingredients in our products, which are proven to improve the environment for hair to grow and prosper.

Other Divi Ingredients That Can Help Promote Hair Growth or Prevent Hair Loss?

Below are some of the other ingredients Divi includes in our hair and scalp care products, as they can also offer many potential benefits:

Menthol
Tea tree oil
Copper tripeptide-1
Rosemary leaf extract
Caffeine
Coconut oil
Black pepper seed extract (Viphyllin)
Biotin
Jojoba seed oil
Ascorbic acid

Losing Hair? Divi Can Help

Hair loss is something many people experience in their lives – either as they age or due to a condition. Despite the feeling of inevitability, hair loss or hair thinning is not any easier to cope with due to the loss of confidence and self-esteem than can often accompany it. That’s why we at Divi have spent years researching science-backed ingredients to use in our Scalp Serum, Shampoo, and Conditioner. All of our amazing products are vegan, cruelty-free, synthetic fragrance-free, paraben-free, and absolutely guilt-free to use. Divi’s lineup of hair products is specifically formulated to create an environment that promotes scalp conditions for healthy, strong and vibrant hair.