sci-fi author, beatmaker

Natural Hair Regrowth 2019 Update

Some of the more popular posts on this site are those that discuss how I regrew a lot of my hair by massaging my scalp for two twenty minute sessions a day, twice a day, for eight months. I started the experiment in June 2014, over five years ago, and first wrote about it in April of 2015. For me, daily scalp massage was an effective natural hair regrowth method.

I learned about the scalp massage program from Rob English, who runs the site Perfect Hair Health. (Recently Rob offered me an affiliate deal, which I accepted, so I receive a commission from subscriptions via links on my site.)

People still write to me asking about the experiment. Here’s what I tell them:

  1. Yes, I still have all (or nearly all — it’s hard to tell) of the hair I regrew.
  2. I still do the scalp massage, but only for a few minutes each day.
  3. I never managed to fully regrow all of my lost hair, I still have a “receding” hairline (though it has stopped receding and thinning, as far as I can tell).
2014 “Before” Picture

Here’s a picture I took in 2014, right before starting the hair regrowth experiment:

2019 Hair Pictures

Here are pictures of my hair from a couple months ago:

When I’ve slacked off on the scalp massage, I notice that after a few months my hair looks a little thinner. But if I’m consistent about the massage it thickens up again after a couple months. Here are some pictures from yesterday, right after a haircut:

I’d estimate that the “minimum effective dose” for scalp massage, for myself, is pretty small: 3-5 minutes a day, ~5 days a week. I doubt I would have made much progress if I’d started with that little scalp massage, but it appears to be enough to maintain scalp looseness and prevent recalcification and sebum buildup.

During the initial experiment, I massaged my scalp for twenty minutes a day, each morning and each evening. I didn’t really know what I was doing when I started, and it took a long time (five months) to see significant results.

Scalp Massage Method

I use a combination of three techniques:

  1. With one hand, pinch and release a small section of my scalp with a “claw” grip, using the nails (which I keep short) to get a good grip. I’m not scratching my scalp; my scalp is moving with the motion of my hand (which is true for all the techniques).
  2. Using my palms, press and squeeze my scalp in circular motions, using a fair amount of pressure.
  3. With both hands, with a more open “claw” grip, stretch, pull, and compress my scalp in various directions.

After a few minutes I can feel the blood flow increase, and overall the effect is relaxing and revitalizing. At this point I might even do the scalp massage if it didn’t help my hair;Ā  it’s therapeutic.

I focus mostly on the top and front of my head (the areas where I have the most hair loss).

I use a fair amount of force, really digging my fingers deep into my scalp, and manipulating the deepest layers of tissue. But I don’t scratch or abrade my skin, and it doesn’t hurt.

Why Does It Work?

The idea is that daily, deep scalp massage breaks up and loosens calcified scalp tissue, releases trapped sebum, improves blood flow, and nourishes hair follicles. It takes a long time to work, but nearly all of Rob’s clients who were willing to put in the time saw significant hair regrowth.

Experimental Evidence

Rob English originally learned about the scalp massage technique from this paper published by Henry Choy. After years of working with his own clients, Rob is now pretty skeptical of Choy’s astounding results. Rob has begun to publish some of his own work in peer-reviewed scientific journals. You can read both of his papers, in full, here.

While Rob goes into an incredible amount of detail on his own site, some of his top level findings include:

  1. Consistent scalp massage helps regrow at least some hair for most people, but it takes at least several months to see results.
  2. Increased initial “shedding” within a few weeks of starting the intense scalp massage program is fairly common.
  3. Longer daily scalp massage and longer overall duration of scalp massage (number of weeks/months) is associated with greater hair regrowth.
  4. The scalp massage is effective for both men and women with hair loss (though Rob has more male clients).
  5. Nutrition can make a difference, but generally only if there are nutritional deficiencies in the diet. Rob has several clients who responded well to greater daily protein intake and/or improved iron intake/absorption (the easiest way to increase iron absorption is to have vitamin C with every meal). In people with adequate diets, typical “hair regrowth” vitamins (such as additional vitamin A or biotin) make no difference.
What About DHT?

It’s well established that the accumulation of the male hormone DHT is responsible for miniaturization of the hair follicle, and resulting hair loss. Drugs like finasteride that block DHT can prevent male hair loss and in some cases help regrow hair. But finasteride can come with sexual and psychological side effects, some of which may not resolve even after stopping the drug.

According to Rob, the scalp massage program improves blood flow, and prevents the accumulation of DHT in and around the hair follicle. Obviously this is much safer than a drug regimen, and it appears to be just as effective.

Rob goes into much more detail into the relationship between DHT and hair regrowth in this paper. He also explores some interesting ideas and research in regards to skull shape and hair loss (hair regrowth potential is probably more limited in men with thicker, bonier skulls). Personally I’ve noticed that the parts of my scalp that refuse to regrow hair correspond with the thickest parts of my skull (upper forehead).

Is Perfect Hair Health Legit? Is Rob English Legit?

Yes. I know Rob personally, and at this point consider him a friend. I’ve met up with him a number of times, and we exchange feedback on fiction and screen writing projects. Rob has put an enormous amount of work into his site, and has already helped hundreds of people with hair loss (myself included). He’s not peddling snake oil or trying to make a quick buck. Rob is a kind, thoughtful, intelligent guy running a legitimate business that provides enormous value. He’s not running a charity; he does charge for his program and support (he has to make a living — running the site takes up a great deal of his time).

Comments and Questions

I’ll leave comments open on this post for at least a couple weeks, and try to answer any questions. But do me a favor and read my initial post, as well as the comments, before you ask a question, as I may have already answered it. Also, I did the experiment five years ago, so my answers from back then are probably more accurate than what I remember now.

In general, I think scalp massage is a safe, inexpensive alternative to drugs, expensive scalp oils, hair transplants, and other options for men who want more hair on their heads. You can just follow the instructions in this post for free, or you can subscribe to Rob’s site. He’ll be able to offer guidance throughout the process, which I definitely cannot.

Good luck, and good health to you!

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43 Comments

  1. fascinating! thanks for sharing your experience!

    • You’re welcome!

      • Anonymous

        Would it be possible for you to post a video showing the techniques?

        • I’m not a video guy — I can barely take a decent picture of my head. Also I’m not even sure what “proper” massage technique is, I just made up some methods that worked for me. So I would entirely defer to Rob for that level of instruction. I know he has a ton of material on his site (including instructional videos), much of it free and some of it that he sells as a service.

  2. Ann

    Thanks for this, very interesting!

  3. Nate

    Thanks for the update JD. Quick question, do know why the massages were marginally less effective for diffuse thinners? Iā€™m a young (26) diffuse thinner so Iā€™m wondering what I might expect. And how much improvement did you see with hair thickness on top?

    • Hi Nate. Rob could answer that better than me, but I seem to remember him saying that some of his diffuse thinning clients turned out to have nutritional deficiencies (iron and/or protein, possibly zinc). Don’t take iron without getting your levels checked (excess iron can be harmful), but it might be worth analyzing your diet and getting some nutrient blood tests. Best of luck and good health to you.

  4. Zach

    Thanks for the update. I’ve got a question. I’ve got the one of those massage wands with a “scalp” tip that has rubber points on it. I set this thing on high and let my girlfriend go to town on my bald for 5 minutes. The point is to increase blood flow and loosen the skin, right? We’ve done this intermittently, but I suppose I can keep up with it daily if it could take months or up to a whole year see results. If you’ve reversed a lot of miniaturization, then why couldn’t someone like me do so with some mechanical help? It only hurts a lot.

    • Hi Zach,
      I’ve never used a massage wand but my guess is that it would be too superficial. The idea is to get to the deeper layers of the scalp and break up calcification, and for me that required using a lot of hand strength and pressure. It might work, but in terms of investing a lot of time, I think you’re better off with using techniques that have been demonstrated to work consistently.

  5. Anonymous

    Good progress overall…however, why not take the ‘after photo’ in the same position as the before one? We can clearly see your eyebrows, nose, etc in the before pic, while none of that is visible in the after one (the head is tilted more).

    Thanks!

    • I find it remarkably hard to take pictures of my own head from consistent angles. But there are many pictures in my previous posts, both before, after, and during, from many angles — have a look.

  6. alexXx

    I am disappointed by these pictures, it is clear you have that strand of hair in your temples combed forward to hide the recession, angles are different and you were balding only in the temples, so you posted multiple pictures of your non balding spots and just one pics with the hair combed forward in your weak point, why don’t you comb your hair as you had in the first pics?!

    I already know why… of course because you earn more money by showing that you have had some results, tricking people with this combover is just an illusion, i am sure you had some results, and it’s remarkable what massage can do, i just find it’s unfair to show these pics with that evident combover to make people believing you had greater results than the reality, it would be very easy to comb the hair as you did in the first before pics, even without the same angle.

    P.S. i already bought Rob’s book and i’m in his forum

    • Hi Alex,
      The second set of pictures are from the same day I cut my hair. I did this so as to minimize any “combover” effect. I don’t use a comb or style my hair in any way — the cut is the style. It’s only 1-2″ long at the most. There are dozens more pictures in my other posts from all angles and stages of regrowth. Maybe you are just convinced I’m trying to scam people, but the pictures are there if you want to look at them. My original post is open access. Some of the follow-up posts require Patreon membership but I’m happy to refund your $3 if you want to check them out.

  7. Wayne

    Dear JD,
    many thanks for keeping us updated on this (and this awesome blog in general)!
    As far as I can tell, you are among Rob’s best responders. Given this, I was always wondering why, despite your great commitment, parts of the front remained completely uncovered (don’t get me wrong, the success rate is still very impressive; I am only concerned with the difference here). Solving this paradox might get us a lot closer to finding the underlying mechanism. Apart from your observation that the cranium seems thicker underneath these areas – did you notice any other difference to the places in which regrowth was successful? For instance: is the skin less loose and pliable, is it thicker or thinner, and so forth? And did you massage these area specifically or could it be that the technique you applied was not as effective there, given angles, directions, etc.? Did you also target the frontalis muscle (e.g. by massaging the forehead), whose location coincides with the bald spots?
    Thank you!

    All the best and happy growing,
    Wayne

    • Hi Wayne — thanks for your comment, I appreciate the positive energy. As I mention in this post I think Rob is onto something with his hypothesis about skull thickness limiting hair regrowth. There may be mechanical limits re: blood flow for men with thick, bony foreheads, such as myself. Complete hair recovery in some cases of male-to-female transitions (with hormones) may have to do with the reshaping and narrowing of the skull. Since I plan to stay male and retain my thick skull, I will likely never have complete regrowth. Rob can go into much more detail but that’s my basic understanding.

      In regards to my scalp in areas where I don’t have much regrowth (temples/front), it does still feel slightly tighter in those areas, despite consistent massage, and sometimes focusing on those areas in particular.

  8. Anonymous

    Hi JD,
    Thanks for your insipiring article. How long did take to make your scalp looser? Is it possible to make your scalp as loose as skin on your face for example?

  9. Andre

    Hey, JD! Thanks a lot for posting an update! I have a few questions that you might be able to help me out:

    1 – How long it took you to notice hair thickening where you already had hair before?
    2 – Do you think a brushing the scalp vigorously (making it move like jelly) in adittion to the fingertip massage can make the blood flow even more at the scalp?

    I still have plenty of hair, but I already have receded a lot at the temples. I’m at the Vegeta look from “Dragon Ball” hahaha But I noticed my hair (although pretty thick) is getting thinner slowly, and I’m doing it to prevent further thinning and maybe regain some hair.

    It’s a patience exercise, for sure.

    Thanks a lot again, man. And keep up the good work!

    • Hi Andre, please check out my original post where I get into a lot more detail about the regrowth process. It took about 5 months before I noticed significant regrowth. It’s a slow process, but it works for most people who commit to the long term practice.

      I never tried brushing but I do remember Rob discussing that in his book.

  10. Anonymous

    I’m a little skeptical about this. You say you dont earn anything from it but yet there is a affiliate link? https://my.perfecthairhealth.com/?aff=jdmoyer

    • Hi Anon. I updated my original 2015 post the same day I added the affiliate link:

      I donā€™t currently have any kind of business or financial arrangement with Rob. If you buy the eBook I get $0. [Update as of May 2019 ā€” Rob is launching version 3 of his Hair Regrowth program and eBook, and has offered me an affiliate relationship, which I have accepted. Going forward I will receive a portion of any sales that occur via the links in this post.] I wish him all the success in the world, because the technique works, heā€™s making it available at a reasonable price, and people experiencing hair loss deserve an alternative to expensive chemicals with potentially health-damaging side effects.

      • Also, in the 2nd paragraph of this post which you just commented on, I include the following:

        (Recently Rob offered me an affiliate deal, which I accepted, so I receive a commission from subscriptions via links on my site.)

  11. Anonymous

    Is soreness normal is the beginning stages? feels like a sunburn for a couple of hours after

  12. Dawe

    Hi JD, Thanks for article. Ive been into massagges for 1.5 months and my scalp definetely got looser but its still quite thick. Have you experienced that your scalp got thinner ? I am also loosing bit of hair from sides and back did you have it same ? Do you think this might be related more to shedding than MPB ? Thank you.

    • Hi Dawe. I do feel that my scalp got thinner after many months of massage, especially on top. Re: losing hair from sides and the back it could be normal shedding, especially if you hair doesn’t seem thin in those areas. Hope your regrowth process goes well!
      JD

  13. Amar

    Hi JD Moyer Just Read this 2019 update and wow really perfect read just when I’m about ready to start my hair journey!!! I sent you a short question via patreon I would be perfectly happy for a response

    Amar

  14. Levent MERAL

    Did you massage all three head areas at the same time or at different times? For example, the forehead in the morning, the vertex in the evening

    • Hi Levant — I massaged my whole scalp each massage session, focusing most on the top and front of my head (areas of most hair loss and thinning).

  15. I’m 55. I gave up the fight and shaved my head 20 years ago. I’ve been scalp massaging with a cheap hand held vibrating thingy every morning and using bay rum afterwards now for about 4-5 months. I’ve also been using a derma roller. I was completely bald on top with just a tiny bit on front. So now I’m astonished that my scalp is now a lot looser and it is almost entirely covered in new soft very small hairs. I am greatly encouraged by this as before my scalp was shiny and kinda sticky. I’m hoping that these small hairs eventually get darker and stronger…I’m in for the long haul. Has anyone else here had a similar experience?

  16. psansonetti79

    It sounds like dude stole alot of his info from Danny Roddy, who is the number one hair loss guru( ps I’m not him, my name’s Paul), I’m saying that based on when Danny Roddy appeared vs when this guy did.
    Maybe stole is too harsh but if you just regurgitate info and don’t even relay it as well, and with absolutely no proprietary spin, it’s not morally upstanding behavior.

    Dannyroddy.com

    His book is called hair like a fox , you can even find it free if you look and are that cheap.

    There used to be a website called hairloss-research.com if memory serves that was great.

    LLLT therapy can be effective, Google it and see how many conditions it’s been proven to help.

    Some people swear by ecklonia kava extract for hairloss.

    Im interested in hairloss from the theoretical angle, not a pragmatic one( I’m 40 with very alright hairloss, but I personally think having a hairline if a 20 year old looks kind of childish/ unmasculine) .
    Men wanting to look twenty in their 50s speaks to the feminization of modern men.
    Looking older comes with a certain measure if respect if you are a man
    That being said hairloss us mainly a hypothyroid issue.( How do you know you have never had a thyroid issue?)

    If my slight hairloss did bother me, I would slather my head in coconut oil and then don a swim cap every night before bed.

    • psansonetti79

      https://hypothyroidmom.com/13-things-helped-this-hypothyroid-man-beat-chronic-mental-illness/

      The scalp thickening you are describing is called fibrosis, one of the near infinite uses the body has for dietary iodine is preventing/ breaking down fibroids. ( There’s much more literature around iodine and reversing / preventing fibrocystic breast disease in women/Google it) but the principle is the same.

      The two main pathologies if aging are excess iron accumulation ( especially in men( we don’t menstruate), only two ways to really remove it , sweating and bleeding, we do very little of the first and and even less of the second,it’s why blood letting persisted so long, to this day donating blood is one of the very best things you can do for your health., and excess calcification ( pick up the book : the calcium lie)

      The excess calcification is whatainly causes the fibrosis if the scalp.

      The best agonist of the excess iron is high dose vitamin c( the higher the better) oral works well, liposomal is better and iv is the best.

      The two best agonists of excess calcium are magnesium and vit k2( oral is fine)

      Magnesium oil works very well while not being super convenient, oral is better than nothing( Google which forms have the best bioavailability) and i.v. is the best.
      Myers cocktails have both iv magnesium and vitamin c.

      • Fireheart27

        Agonist? Didn’t you mean antagonist? Or maybe I’m not understanding properly.

        ‘AnĀ agonistĀ is a chemical that binds to aĀ receptorĀ and activates the receptor to produce a biological response. Whereas an agonist causes an action, anĀ antagonistblocks the action of the agonist, and anĀ inverse agonistĀ causes an action opposite to that of the agonist’ from wikipedia

        So, for excess iron, shouldn’t we look for an antagonist to that?

        • Hi Fireheart27. psansonetti79 is misinformed on a few counts. Vitamin C increases iron absorption by up to 300%, so vitamin C should be consumed separately from iron if you’re worried about excess iron. Vitamin K2 is neither an antagonist nor an agonist of calcium, but may prevent certain calcification processes while at the same time strengthening bones and teeth, and potentially lower blood pressure.

  17. Ben

    Hi JD,
    Thanks for your site. I lurked here last summer, learned about it from you, then ended up joining Rob’s site in Oct. Without your work it is not something I ever would have considered. I’ve been at this for 5+ months and have got a pretty good result. I turned a weak unsightly NW4 into a solid NW3 that looks OK, and am pretty happy about it. Just want to say Thanks! (+ give you some relief from the trolls). Best regards.

  18. Imran

    Hi JD, very interesting article and itā€™s good to see your hair progression with great result. Very inspiring! I just need a confirmation from you that reactivating dormant follicles is possible from consistent massaging? Because there is a belief that your follicle is ā€˜deadā€™ and canā€™t be revived. But the others says the follicle is dormant which can be revived? Itā€™s very conflicting can you please clarify?

    • Hi Imran — I couldn’t tell you for sure. It’s possible the hair growth I experienced was from semi-dormant follicles brought back to full health via increased blood supply. Rob could probably answer that question definitively if you get in touch with him.

      • Imran

        My crown area is numb so could this be a calcification or fibrosis?

        I have been messaging my crown area aggressively by following the instructions from your article; as I massaged for around 10 minutes my scalp became looser and slightly wet. It seems there’s to be moist coming out of the crown scalp from aggressive massaging. What could this be?

        Have you experienced the same?

  19. Pankaj Gehloach

    Just a simple question, why are your images do small in size? I mean why they are compressed?

  20. I avoid high-res images on my blog to speed up page loading, but if you right-click and choose View Image you can see a somewhat larger version (on a Mac — I’m sure there’s some equivalent on a PC or phone).

  21. James

    Just to also add something to this. Iā€™ve been using a massage brush for on and off one year, and although my hair always looks slightly thicker after, it also looks brittle from all the brushing and pulling, itā€™s hard say if iā€™ve halted hair loss.

    Now Iā€™ve been doing this scalp exercise with my fingers for five days, and I must say my hair looks amazing afterwards. Like thicker, fuller and without the brittleness from the massage brush. Iā€™m currently doing 20 minutes in the morning and 20 in the evening. Letā€™s see what happens, but already I can say that my hair structure looks 75% better.

    • That seems unusual to get results so quickly, but good for you if it appears to be working! For reference it took me about five months of daily massage before I saw significant regrowth.

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