High-Frequency Wand is a well-known tool, loved by many self-care enthusiasts. It is portable, easy to operate, and affordable.
What makes High Frequency so great is that it can address different skincare concerns. With one device it is possible to combat skin aging, hair loss, and even help to reduce stubborn cellulite. That is... if you know how to use it correctly.
Why High Frequency Wand is Good For Your Hair? - How it Can Help With Hair Loss
To understand how High Frequency Wand can help with hair loss we need to look at the science behind it.
This part is a bit boring, but it is essential to know the difference between infomercial promises and the real thing.
The device produces a train of static electrical charges. You can feel them as tiny sensations when you touch the electrode. Unlike surface-accumulated static electricity, which can zap you pretty strong, the static produced by the wand is very mild. It is delivered to the skin in small, regulated portions.
When the static goes through the skin it "boost" the circulation, “waking up” the hair bulbs.
To stay healthy and strong each hair needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients. It is delivered from within by our bloodstream. Tiny vessels are working constantly distributing the “fuel” to cells.
It is not uncommon that they lose their agility over time, due to different reasons.
No matter how much hair product you apply to your strands, it will not help if poor circulation is the cause of the problem.
The hair stays shiny and strong only if the follicles are healthy. Imagine a garden. How well will it grow if the soil is dry and depleted of nutrients?
With a High Frequency Wand, tiny static electricity charges are delivered to the hair bulb. The capillary system starts to pump the blood faster, increasing the nutrition of the follicle. It becomes stronger and can produce lustrous, healthy hair.
If applying static electricity stimulates the hair on the head, does it stimulate unwanted hair as well?
For men, High Frequency Wand may help to obtain a thicker beard. Which may be just what they want.
But how about us, girls? Should we stop High Frequency treatments in fear that we will get more unwanted facial hair?
The answer is “yes” and “no”.
“Yes” – the device will stimulate all hair bulbs, but only locally, on the area where it applied. For example, if you comb your scalp hair, it will not stimulate the hair on the chin.
And “No” - High Frequency will neither increase the quantity nor change the type of the hair. If you are a woman, you will not grow a dark beard because of HF application.
The human body is programmed to produce different types of hair. The peach-fuzz hair, so common on female faces, is called vellus hair. Normally it stays that way and even when plucked or shaved (like during derma planning) it grows back the same.
Under hormonal changes, the vellus hair can turn into a terminal hair - a darker one. This happens because all types of hair grow from a little organ, called a follicle.
The follicle that produces peach-fuzz hair is not much different than the one that sprouts a darker strand.
Our hormones tell a hair bulb what type of hair to produce. Hormones are little chemical messengers that deliver the commands issued by a "managing system" of our body.
Can High Frequency re-program hormone messages? Or directly affect the hair follicle, mimicking the hormone signal? No, it cannot.
However, if you already have a problem in that department, the device is not for you. The static electricity will stimulate all hair in the areas where it was applied.
If you are a woman and started to notice a few darker hairs here and there, this is a telltale sign of hormonal changes. Sometimes it is expected such as during puberty, pregnancy, or menopause.
Darker facial hair in women is a sign of hormonal imbalance and this condition is called Hirsutism. The hair often changes back after the hormone’s level is stabilized. If you happen to notice that your body fuzz (including the hair on your arms and legs became darker, consider talking to your doctor about it.
To summarize: no, the High Frequency treatment will not change the peach-fuzz hair into a dark one.
But if you have darker hair in places where it has no business to be, it will be "improved" as well.
There are two types of hair loss: the actual accelerated hair loss and the change in the hair structure and follicle dystrophy.
Accelerated hair loss is pretty straightforward. The hair simply falls out sooner than it should. When the new hair growth cannot keep up with the fallout it causes the hairline to look dramatically receded.
The change in the hair quality is more treacherous. It can go unnoticed for months. The new hair becomes weaker and shorter with each growing cycle.
In a year or two, there may be the same number of strands, but they will be limp, mousy, and dull. Often, we blame it on hair styling or coloring. When those treatments indeed contribute to the problem, it gets even worse as the hair itself becomes less strong and damages easily.
We are born with the total amount of hair follicles we will ever have over our lifetime. There may be about 5 million on our body, but our head has about 100,000 follicles.
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/grow-hair-faster
Telogen Effluvium Hair Loss - this is the scariest one, but it is usually fully reversible.
That is when hair comes out in handfuls.
It happens when the hair in the resting phase (called telogen) gets pushed out prematurely. It is the body's response to a shock. For example, a severe illness, childbirth, crash diet, or medication intake.
This type of hair loss is upsetting but temporary. We lost hair would shed anyway and a new one will grow in its place. It does not affect live, growing hair.
Thinning of the hair - literally, it happens when a new hair grows thinner. It is a very slow process and can go unnoticeable for a very long time.
It is more dangerous than the previous type of hair loss, and it may indicate the beginning of Androgenic Alopecia.
The follicle starts to produce finer and shorter hair with each growth cycle. The decline can be age-related or due to underlying health problems.
One of the early signs of Androgenic Alopecia is when the hair becomes very frizzy.
It happens because the new generations of strands grow smaller in diameter and live shorter. They are not able to grow as long as before. Eventually, all hair will be substituted with thinner and shorter strands.
When we talk about Alopecia, we usually think about male badness. But a lot of women experience it too. Women very rarely go bald, but they experience the dramatic thinning of the hair. It is noticeable along the growth line or on the hair part line.
Follicle mainourishment and death - that happens when a follicle stops producing hair for whatever reason. The little bulb dies and eventually, the hair shaft gets overgrown by new skin.
This process is also slow and it usually takes years for the follicle to stop producing completely.
One of the underlying causes of such hair loss is poor circulation. Remember, that hair receives its nutrients with blood, and without sufficient supply, it simply starves.
It becomes smaller and weaker and eventually dies.
It sounds like a no-brainer: the comb is for combing! That is where most people make mistakes.
Most High Frequency Wands come witheither a Comb or Rake electrode.
Those look like combs with glass teeth, but they are not designed to comb hair. Remember that the aim is a hair follicle. That is why it is important to make sure to “comb” the skin on the scalp, not the hair.
For short hair, it is relatively easy to do, but for owners of a long hair, it may pose some challenge.
Here are a few tips on how to massage the scalp with the comb electrode and not having all hair tangled:
That’s it. The whole process would take about 5 minutes. You can do it daily or every other day. Be consistent and massage daily for 2-3 months to give your hair a good boost.
Then you can reduce the sessions to once per week. Keep up with weekly treatments for 3-4 months, then repeat daily treatments.
Setting realistic expectations is important. Depending on the type of hair loss it will require different approaches and most notably - time.
High Frequency stimulation will not make any difference for those who experience hormonal hair loss.
It is a great supportive treatment to help with circulation, but it will not be able to stop hair loss by itself.
Unless you remove the underlying cause, the problem will not be solved.
To restore weakened, malnourished hair will take some effort. The nature of the hair is such, that it goes through its life phases slowly.
For example, the head hair grows for 3-5 years until it sheds off and a new hair sprouts from the same bulb.
With High Frequency Wand it is not possible to become Rapunzel overnight.
Expect to see the difference in 3-6 months of regular use.
That is the minimum time needed for the hair that was waiting to shed off to be gone and the new hair to start sprouting. Since it is a constant process, the improvement will be slow but constant.
High Frequency stimulation will ensure the health of hair for years to come and and will help you to maintain a full mane.
by XVIVO Scientific Animation partnered with Johnson & Johnson to produce an educational video on androgenetic alopecia. It was created for men, but the hair grows cycles are the same for all genders.
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not substitute a professional advise on any subject matter. You should consult your healthcare professional if you are seeking a medical or medical related advise, or itend to use and act upon any information provided in this article.
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