Rating:
8/10
WIRED
Simple device with only one button and charging port. Bluetooth-enabled so you can listen to your own tunes. Comes with a stand for easy storage. Could see actual new hair growth on the scalp after 12-ish weeks.
TIRED
Need to wear it every single day for at least four months to achieve results, and use regularly (nearly every day) to maintain results. Even the smallest helmet size is large. Buffer cups snag and pull hair during helmet removal. Ear cups can be somewhat difficult to adjust while worn.
Pretty much everyone I know is unhappy with their hair in some way. All of my straight-haired friends want curly, and all of my curly-haired friends want straight. I’m so jealous of people who have thick hair, as someone with fine, thin hair that tangles easily.
My hair also grows famously slow. I got a pixie cut in spring of 2011, and my hair did not touch my shoulders until the end of 2013. Plus, because my hair is super thin, when I pull it back, it separates, and you can see my scalp underneath. Because it’s so fine, it tangles and often breaks off, resulting in chronically dry split ends.
Overall, I’m unhappy with my hair and its lack of growth or fullness, so I wanted to see if CurrentBody’s cord-free, Bluetooth-enabled LED Hair Growth Helmet would work for my slew of hair issues. Red-light-therapy devices for hair are similar to red-light therapy masks for your face, using red lights to increase hair growth and promote a healthy scalp. You need to use the device for only 10 minutes a day, and CurrentBody claims you’ll see results within 12 weeks. While my results weren’t super visually dramatic, I noticed my hair feeling thicker while shampooing, and I saw a lot more “baby hairs” spring up on my hairline after about three months of testing.
Splitting Hairs
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Unmore discreet red-light hair growth devices, the HigherDose Red Light Hat (see our full review here), CurrentBody’s entry is a full-on helmet, lined with 10 strips of 12 red lights each on a spectrum of 620 to 660 nm (nanometers, the unit of measure for the wavelength of visible light). This works similarly to red-light-therapy face masks, which aim to improve skin conditions and spur new cell growth using red-light therapy in the mid-600-nm range. The 620-nm red light helps to improve scalp health by promoting circulation, and the 660-nm red light goes deeper, reaching through the epidermis and dermis to the hypodermis, where it stimulates growth and repair at the follicle root.
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
Red-light wavelengths are clinically proven to energize hair follicles; improve scalp blood flow; reduce inflammation; lower dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, a hormone that causes hair loss and thinning; and support production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which helps to store and release energy in cells. This wavelength of red light triggers follicles to stay in the hair growth phase by providing oxygen and blood flow to the scalp.
Rinse, Red Light, Repeat
The helmet is FDA-cleared (meaning it’s been determined to be equivalent to a similar, legally marketed device) and is FSA (flexible spending account) or HSA (health spending account) eligible with a letter of medical necessity. It comes in two sizes: medium, for a skull circumference of 21.3 to 23.2 inches, or large, for 23.3 to 25 inches. (I opted for medium, and it was still too large for my head.) The device sits on a base and is charged via a USB-C cord. It takes about three hours to fully charge the helmet, and it lasts about a week on a single charge. (The white light on the side flashes while charging and turns solid white when the battery is full.) The device is powered on by pressing the single button located under the charging port.
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Photograph: Molly Higgins
The ear cups keep sensitive ears protected with plush, removable faux leather and can be moved several inches up or down to ensure a comfortable fit. The screen on the right ear cup displays the remaining time in the session, and the display turns off when the 10 minutes are up. You can also connect the device to Bluetooth and play any type of music or video through the ear cups, because God forbid I be left alone with my thoughts for 10 minutes a day.
You’ll need to make sure your hair is clean and dry before using. Plus, consistent use is essential to achieve the most accurate results, which was probably the biggest issue for me. Although it’s convenient and super easy to use (and allows me to listen to Bad Bunny while wearing!), I tend to wash my hair only about three times a week. The helmet can’t be worn when hair is dirty or wet (after showering), so the window for ideal wear was small. You’ll see best results when worn every day for the first three months, and it’s advised to continue use at least five times a week to maintain growth results after.
You know that feeling when someone plays with your hair and you get tingles on your scalp? That’s the sensation I had while wearing the device. During each session, I felt super-faint tingles that meant that blood flow was circulating to my scalp and my follicles were getting aroused. I could definitely feel the red light targeting my scalp and increasing blood flow; it was interesting to be able to physically feel effects before seeing the results.
Grow Light
After 12 weeks, I didn’t notice a huge difference in actual length growth (although I got a haircut halfway through testing), but I did notice that my hair seemed to be sprouting new follicles along my scalp and sideburn area in particular. The biggest change was that I started to see small baby hairs along my hairline that I had never seen before. As someone with very thin, fine hair, my scalp tends to be finely filled out with flat hair. Although it was only a quarter-inch high or so, there was definitely new hair growth around the crown of my head.
My stylist commented that my hair felt thicker during my appointment, and I noticed less breakage and hair caught in bristles when brushing. Neither of us noticed major improvements in the actual length growth of my hair, but it did feel stronger. In the shower, I noticed less hair loss while shampooing and conditioning, which was a major improvement. My balding roommate also tested it (though not daily as I do) and noted that his hair felt thicker and showed new growth around his scalp.
My only complaints with the LED helmet are that the ear cups aren’t easy to adjust while wearing them, and the little cups that provide separation between the scalp and device often pulled my hair while I remove or adjust the helmet.
However, those are small complaints. Although progress didn’t happen overnight, I’m hopeful that with continued use over the year, I’ll be able to see more dramatic results. I’m super excited to keep testing this product to improve the health of my scalp and get more new growth for fuller hair. Just you wait—I’ll look Fabio on the cover of a romance novel by next year.
Sumber Artikel:
Wired.com
