Do athletes experience more hair loss?

• People who exercise regularly shower and wash their hair more often.
• The problem: With every hair wash, valuable thiocyanate is washed out of the scalp.
• Thiocyanate, an important functional substance for cell metabolism, is then missing in the hair root.
• The result: Hair growth is more prone to disruption and hair loss occurs more frequently.
• It would be highly recommended to compensate for the thiocyanate deficiency.

Exercising regularly, going to the gym, jogging, swimming, cycling, or playing soccer – many do it simply because they enjoy it. Many also do it to improve their health and appearance. For many, an attractive appearance also includes full, healthy hair. Do athletes experience more hair loss ? Myth? Legend? Or actually a risk?

Crime scene shower

The reasons for hair loss in athletes are generally no different from those of people who don't exercise. In men, it's hereditary in 80% of cases and begins in the mid-20s. In women, hormonal changes after pregnancy or during menopause are also responsible for hair loss. Added to this are stressful environmental influences and pollutants, including lack of sleep. However, what sets athletes apart from other people and why athletes experience more hair loss is that they shower more often—and therefore wash their hair more often.

“Problem” hair washing

Hair experts have always warned about the damage to hair caused by foaming surfactants in shampoo. While they do cleanse the scalp and hair of skin particles and salts produced by perspiration, surfactants also attack the hair structure and open the cuticle. This creates straw-like hair. Damaged, straw-like hair may not look so healthy, but it is not a direct cause of hair loss. As a rule, it is not the surfactants that can be harmful to hair - what is more important is what happens at the hair root, where hair growth takes place. There, a molecule produced by the body that is important for many of the body's processes - including healthy growth of the hair roots - is washed out with every hair wash. This molecule is called thiocyanate .

What is thiocyanate and what does it have to do with washing hair?

Thiocyanate is a natural molecule that has accompanied the development of life from the very beginning and is therefore of great importance to the human organism. Thiocyanate activates and regulates the body's own processes, such as cellular metabolism – including that in the hair roots – and ultimately hair growth. If thiocyanate, which is water-soluble, is washed out of the scalp and hair roots through repeated shampooing, it cannot exert its full effect.

How does thiocyanate work?

Thiocyanate acts as a stabilizer of the cell membrane and normalizes existing imbalances in the cell balance. Thiocyanate strengthens the hair root and protects it against growth-disrupting influences. Thiocyanate is also It is able to neutralize radicals that inhibit hair regeneration. Given the numerous adverse influences on our hair follicles, thiocyanate is therefore of great importance for stabilizing the hair cycle and preventing premature and excessive hair loss*. But only if we don't regularly rinse it off our hair.

Never wash your hair again?

Thiocyanate expert Prof. Dr. Axel Kramer explains how frequent hair washing affects the thiocyanate content in the hair roots: "The body needs at least a week to replenish the washed-out thiocyanate in the scalp and hair roots." This raises the question of whether athletes should avoid washing their hair. "No," says Prof. Kramer, "that's obviously not an option. But we should compensate for the thiocyanate deficiency."

Compensate for missing thiocyanate

Normally, 60 to 70% of the thiocyanate present in the body is produced by the body itself. The rest is absorbed through diet. However, the thiocyanate deficiency resulting from hair washing can hardly be compensated for through diet alone. Therefore, supplemental thiocyanate intake from the outside is necessary. Especially if athletes experience increased hair loss*, this can be a warning sign that they are deficient in thiocyanate.

Thiocyn Hair Serum with Thiocyanate

Prof. Dr. Kramer has conducted decades of fundamental research on thiocyanate. Building on this knowledge, the Thiocyn Research Laboratory has developed a remedy for hair loss*: Thiocyn Hair Serum, with its patented thiocyanate active formula, is recommended for anyone who regularly exercises. One application daily is sufficient to quickly and easily prevent thiocyanate deficiency – and protect hair roots.

No side effects, very good tolerability, scalp soothing

Since thiocyanate is a naturally occurring active ingredient, no side effects or interactions are known. Its high tolerability has been clinically and dermatologically tested and rated very good. ^³ Thiocyn Hair Serum is not only well tolerated, but can even soothe and regenerate irritated, reddened or itchy scalp.

“Training for healthy hair roots” – Start using now

If just two to three hair washes a week can lead to a sustained loss of thiocyanate on the scalp, the deficiency is even more dramatic for those who exercise heavily and sometimes wash their hair several times a day. In terms of hair loss, (recreational) athletes are therefore in a "high-risk group" – and should take action. If athletes experience increased hair loss*, they have a thiocyanate deficiency.