Her Discussions by Dr Faye - Stop Hair Loss, Reverse Greys and Grow Hair | Dermatologist Tips

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

Have you ever wondered what’s causing your hair loss, how to stop it, which blood tests to do, or the best way to care for and wash your hair?If you’re looking for simple, science-backed, and easy ways to look after your hair, this episode is for you!Dr Adel is a Consultant Dermatologist specialising in hair loss for both children and adults. She earned her MBBS with distinction from St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the London School of Medicine in 2014, and a PgCert in Medical Education with distinction in 2018. She also completed her dermatology specialist training at the renowned Oxford University Hospitals.What you’ll learn: 💊 How PCOS could contribute to hair loss 👵🏼 How to reverse or slow down greys 💨 Is air drying your hair better than blow drying?🧴 How often to wash your hair 💗 What blood tests to check for hair loss 🫧 2 holy-grail products for greasy hair 🌱 5 products to help with hair loss and growth 💗 2 ingredients to look for on labels to boost scalp health🧴 Which everyday products to buy or avoid Resources & links mentioned:Dr Adel: @dermatologist_adelRhute: @rhutehair or https://rhutehair.com/Links to subscribe / follow:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/her-discussions-by-dr-faye/id1835829612Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5viLYizHD4Zy6J42iqtPRoCan I ask you a BIG favour? 💙Please leave a review or rating. It helps us grow the podcast and bring you more amazing guests. Share with someone who needs this; it might help them live a happier, healthier life. Follow us on social media or join the broadcast channel to send us your questions for our guests. I'll leave the link here: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbY4liwxlLnewx4H/?igsh=MWhuaXFweGtucTB3cA== https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbY4liwxlLnewx4H/?igsh=MWhuaXFweGtucTB3cA==🛑 Disclaimers & legal:This podcast is for educational / informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. All opinions are those of the speaker(s).

Just so many people I don't think realize your hair is like the weakest and most fragile one. Dr Amna is one of the most recognizable dermatologists dedicated to helping women with hair loss after facing her own struggles. So would you buy this product in the shop or would you say goodbye to it? First up. That's a buy. Bye bye. Buy a hundred times. If you've ever seen chunks of hair in the shower drain, watch your hair get thinner and thinner but not known why.

Or felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of hair. hair care products available. Today you'll learn practical science-based ways to look after it properly. A lot of people don't talk about is actually nutritional deficiencies. Anything you're going to be doing to your hair during that time is going to be causing proportionally more damage. It is very much real that you can have hijab associated hair loss. There's a couple of different reasons why. Let's talk about rosemary oil. Okay. Does rosemary oil actually work? But first, do not forget to subscribe or leave a five-star review. It helps us. Continue this podcast so we can bring you discussions that can help you live a happier, healthier life.

It will only take you like two seconds. Please just do it now. Thank you. This is such a personal episode for me because I spent many, many years struggling with my own hair loss. And what makes it even more personal is I was such a victim to misinformation about hair loss online, which is why I think it's so important that we have voices like you on social media.

But before I get into all the incredible knowledge that you, you have to share on hair loss. I want to go back to the beginning. Dr. Amno, what made you in the first place want to be a doctor? Oh my gosh. Big question. That is a big question. You know what?

For me, this is probably going to sound quite crazy, but I feel like I knew quite young that I wanted to be a doctor. Like by 13, I was like 100%. I want to be a medic. Like my mind may have been infiltrated by my parents. I'm not going to lie. Like that idea was kind of in the end. But I think there wasn't even like at that point, I feel like a specific reason almost.

It was just like I just knew that that was the only kind of career I saw myself in. Like everything about it just was so appealing to me. And I felt like, you know, it's a very well respected job. You get to like work with people, give back to like the community. And that's kind of like where it starts from. And I'm sure, like I said, I'm sure my parents probably had some underlying influence into me, wanting to be a doctor but yeah and then that was just that was just it I made it that decision like when I was 13 and then I just like had a clear goal to work towards because I feel like that is

very much my personality I have to kind of know where I'm going otherwise I feel I feel really lost and the end point for me was definitely medicine and then there was no stuff in you I love that yeah exactly as I mentioned I've struggled with hair loss myself I and I know first time how much it impacts your confidence when I was experiencing hair loss I can count on one hand hand how many times I would wear my hair down. I had it scraped back in a burn every single day, fell for a lot of misinformation, specifically how often you should be washing your hair, which I'm so excited to clear up with you later on. But you also experienced some hair loss yourself. Could you tell us a little bit about that and how that led to you wanting to share hair health

tips? For sure. And I think, you know, I think it's such an important topic that needs to be spoken about more openly because I think even when I go back to my own experience of hair loss, like you, I think I just hid it for a really long time. I felt really embarrassed about it. And like you were talking about how I styled my hair, I went to like wearing buns, like always like checking in like my phone, like taking pictures from the back to make sure like there wasn't any patches of like sort of like hair loss and just being so super self-conscious about it. And I really hope, and I think I'm seeing now that there's a lot less stigma, like, attached to hair loss, hair thinning, especially for women. And I hope that continues to change because I think it's such an important topic that affects so, so many people that we need to have, like, more open discussion about it and not feel like embarrassed or ashamed to be experiencing that because it's so common.

Like everyone goes through it at some point, like, whether that is like after you've had a baby, you're perimenopausal, maybe you just had a lot of stress. I think for me, like a little bit of background, I was always that person that had really great hair. Like, it was my personality. It was like... I'm so jealous. And honestly, there's that saying where people are like, oh, you know, the outfit is the hair.

That was me. I was that girl. So I think I just always took my hair like so for granted. I just always had good hair. And then I think for me, it was sort of like five years ago, really unexpected that I had a couple of days where I just felt like my scalp.

felt really sore and I just wasn't sure. I didn't think that much of it. I thought, like, I've got ex-ma. I thought maybe I'm just having like a little bit of a flare of that. Felt in those areas, like I couldn't feel anything. And then one day, like a few days after feeling like that tenderness to my scalp, I just woke up and I found like I had huge patches of hair missing all over my scalp. And my immediate, like, I couldn't believe it.

Like, I was just like, I think I had like, I took so many photos like when that happened. also one of the things about like hair is you can't see your entire scalp so it's like I was trying to feel like where is it actually happening like like what's actually the extent of it so taking like loads of pictures I was phoning like my mum and my friends like trying to like get in touch with like a derm because I was just so and at that point I was obviously I was a I was a doctor hadn't quite started my term training per se at that bit but I think and I don't know if you'll agree but I think in some ways I don't think doctors make the best patients and it's like as soon as something affects you, it was like, all my knowledge just went out the window. I was just

like, oh my God, I don't know what's happening, like what's going on? And I think one element of hair loss that a lot of people don't talk about. It's not just how you feel right then and there in that time. There's a lot of, for me, there was a lot of thought about the future. It was like, is the hair going to regrow? Is this going to happen again? Like, that's where my mind was going. Like, is this like a forever thing rather than like, what can I do right now to try to make things better. It was all these anxieties that came from thinking about, you know, is this forever? But I think for me, one of the real positives, I guess, that came out of that situation and that experience was I really got to understand what it's like for people that are

experiencing that. It's very different to, because I feel like, this might sound a bit strange, but it's like you see and you treat people that have got diabetes, got a heart disease. It's, it's, you know, you know how to treat them as a doctor, but you can never really. really be in their shoes to understand what day-to-day impact it has on them. But I think really being on that other side, it was just like such a wake-up call to understand like how desperate actually you feel in that situation. Like I would have done anything at that point to like have a diagnosis, be on the right treatment for the hair to kind of grow back and like just kind of like sets off almost like

this frenzy of wanting to find solutions. And I think for me, really at that time as well, like when I was trying to do my own research and look at the information that was available, it's just like, like you said, I just think it was so hard to come across like valuable, reliable, resources, know what it is that he should be doing. And obviously, like being in a space where I feel like there's so many products on the market and just not knowing what it is that you should go for and just spending so much money on all these things, which, of course, don't work. And that I think really was for me a reason why within Durham, I wanted to sub-specialise within hair. It's just an area that I feel so passionate about because actually there's not a huge amount of research within that area. There's so much more that we need to know and understand about scalp and hair disorders. So that kind of like kickstarted this journey and then has landed me now also here with launching my own hair care brand, Root. Devent Tortures developed hair science.

I cannot wait to speak to you about Root because I think it's, as you say, as you said, said when people are in such a vulnerable desperate position it is the wild wild west with the claims companies can make and just take these women's money for products that just do not work and you say oh you were wasting your money as a doctor i was a medical student and i you're so so so desperate i would have believed anything just because i wanted to improve my hair health so we're going to debunk a a lot of misinformation shortly, but first of all, I want to go through some community questions. Yes. So the first community question, most importantly, what are some of the reasons for hair loss?

I mean, I feel like we would be here all day. I went into all of them. I think one of the key things that I would love more people to understand is that hair loss is actually so complex and complicated and it's just so not black and white. There's so many different things that can. cause people to lose hair. Some of those things are, you know, just transient and, you know, hair will come back.

In other cases, it can be more permanent where actually like the hair follicles become scarred. But of course, like common things are common. And for a lot of people that are experiencing hair loss and hair shedding, which definitely I would say now we're seeing way more of that. And I think that's probably for like lots of different reasons. Like, you know, stress, the weight loss injections, been seeing so much like Manjaro related, like hair loss.

But also I think. hormonal changes that a lot of women are experiencing, whether that's related to like PCOS or like medication that they're on, but also perimenopause, postmenopause. So I think hair loss in itself is just such a huge, huge topic. But the most common reason for hair loss, which kind of affects like 80% of men and 60% of women, is actually antigenetic alopecia.

So also known as male and female pattern, hair loss, which is really a combination of what the name suggests. So it's really related to your genetics. and the andro part of it is related to your hormones. So that by far worldwide is like the commonest cause of hair loss that I tend to see in clinic and what most people will experience at some point. If I'm correct, the type of hair loss you normally see with women with PCOS.

Correct? Yes. So it presents in a very similar way to that. Okay. Yeah. Should we try and narrow it down so that because one of, I'll try and make it a little bit easier to answer. A lot of the questions were related to.

PCOS. So why do women with PCOS lose hair? So really it all comes down to hormones. So that's a big part of PCOS is the changes which are happening with your hormones, specifically related to the male hormones, which are your androgen. So like your testosterone and your DHD. And actually those hormones play a really big role in what happens to your hair. So often women who have PCOS will have higher levels of those androgens. And specifically, when we look at a hormone called dhth which some people may or may not have heard of but it's also seen in issues related to sort of female pattern hair loss or male pattern hair loss what that hormone does is it actually attaches to the hair follicles so androgen receptors on the hair

follicle and it causes those hairs to become thinner and actually so it's not a case that you're losing hair follicles it just means that the hairs that you already have just become thinner finer fragile and they fall out before they've got a chance to mature so So what does that present as? It basically means that people end up noticing that the overall volume and thickness of their hair is a lot of thinner, but they also have certain patterns of hair loss. So that might look like widening of the hair parting. It might look like the temples are thinner and not as filled out as they used to be. So really it all comes down to hormones and how that impacts your hair follicles themselves.

But also your hair growth cycle as well. So you tend to have less hairs within the growth phase and more hairs moving into sort of the resting or shedding. there is another big question that we got asked is how much hair is too much to lose because it's quite normal if you brush your hair for some hair to come out or shower in some hair to come out how would you recommend women approach that in a quantifiable way yeah and that's such a great question because I think it's such a worry for people when hair is falling out like is it too much is it normal and in general what I would say is that some element of hair showing like you said every single day is completely normal.

And what that looks like is between 30 to 150 hairs on your head. And it's always, no one's going to sit there and count how many hairs are falling out of her head. So it's also difficult to kind of like say visually what that looks like because if you've got a fine hair, that's not going to look like as much. But if you're somebody that's got like really coarse, thick hair, actually like 100 hairs might look like you're losing so, so much hair. So I think a good way to look at it is actually to understand what your own baseline is.

and then think about whether it feels like it is more than what would be considered normal for you. And that seems like a bit of an open-ended question. But I promise most people will recognise when they're losing more hair than what is probably normal for them. And common places where people tend to shed, like you said, is actually when you're washing your hair in the shower, when you're brushing your hair, maybe on your pillow. That's when you'll see it. So that's what you basically want to look at. I think that's such an incredible take-home point just for anyone, for most medical issues, most doctors will say, know what your normal is, because normal is different for everyone. And the best way to notice if something is wrong is by noticing whether something deviates from that normal.

But in this world where we're all so busy, we don't take a moment to be mindful and take note of these things. That's when it gets missed. So anyone taking more notice of these markers of health is really, really, really important. One more question that I would like to ask you before we come on to a surprise section where we're going to go through some products and see what you think of them. Is my hijab contributing to my hair loss and what can I do? I think that's such a great question. And I feel like it's one that probably isn't spoken about so much. But it affects so, so many people.

I feel like I see so much of it in clinic. And the short answer is yes. Women who wear hijab often experience hair loss, but maybe in a slightly different way to what somebody who doesn't wear it does, if that makes sense. You get what I mean. So yeah, I mean, I guess what I'm trying to say

is that it is very much real that you can have hijab associated hair loss. And I feel like there's a couple of different reasons why. Some of them are a bit more obvious and some of them are less obvious. One, I would say for sure, sort of the practices that come with wearing a hijab.

So often women will put their hair back quite tightly into buns or into like a tight ponytail. And just from that, there's an element of sort of traction pulling on the hair follicle, which makes it a bit weaker and it could lead to an element of sort of traction in alopecia. And that's one type of hair thinning that women might see. Another thing that I would say is sort of the scalp issues that might come related to having your hair covered all of the time. So, you know, when you include anything, like it's the same as like when you know, when, you know, in any situation where you're covering something, you kind of get a bit more sweat generating in that area.

You kind of get a bit more inflammation within that area. So related to that, you might see sort of a rise in the natural yeast that's found on the scalp, which is called melliseia. That can lead to things like dandruff, but it could also impact hair thinning in some people. So that's another thing that I would kind of say. So really it's about using more breathable materials

rather than sort of like a polyester undercap, thinking about maybe something like silk. I know it slips, girls. I know I'm trying to think of them in a solution. But even cotton is better, right? It's just a bit more breathable. So that's like a practical tip that I would say. And then something I think a lot of people don't talk about is actually nutritional deficiencies that are potentially seen in women who wear more modest clothing, specifically related to things like vitamin D. So and also I think an element of that is like ethnicity as well. So, you know, if you're from a South Asian background,

you generally tend to be a bit more prone to having vitamin D deficiency. And if you're somebody that dresses more modestly, maybe you're not getting. as much sun and therefore vitamin D. And we know that vitamin D is a is a big reason for experiencing sort of hair shedding, but also having thinner hair. I didn't even think about that, the vitamin side of being South Asian and then dressing more modestly. One more question then before we go on to the next section.

If a woman is experiencing hair loss, she goes to a GP. What blood tests is it important that she might get checked? Yeah, I mean, I always do like a whole screen specifically for hair loss. But I think a really good place to start is just your full blood count to make sure that you're not anemic. So, I mean, in young women, maybe they're having more heavy periods or if you just had a baby, iron deficiency is really common. So iron in itself is another marker, I would say, in addition to like checking your full blood count that you really want to make sure is in a good range. I think a lot of what I tend to hear is that when it comes to sort of iron, maybe sometimes the GP will say, but your iron level was within normal range.

But actually when you're thinking about hair thinning, hair shedding or hair loss, you actually want to keep your ferretin levels higher than would be considered the normal range. So sort of like 60 to 80 is what I always sort of advise. But other things I would definitely look at in terms of blood tests would be things like your vitamin B12, folate, your thyroid, because thyroid can definitely throw off your hair as well. Zinc, sometimes we don't tend to do that as much. It's quite uncommon to have a low zinc level. but that would be if I was really thinking about doing like a whole sort of screen where have I got to with four blood count, the full blood count, iron, ferretin, vitamin B12, folates, oh, vitamin D, super important.

So especially in this country because we just don't have as much UV. So I feel like vitamin D deficiency is so common. And everyone should be taking a vitamin D replacement between sort of like autumn till, to like early spring. I don't know how many people do, but you should be. Yeah. Perfect. that was that was brilliant now i would like to come on to a new section which is buy or buy i'm excited for this one yeah so would you buy this product in the shop or would you say goodbye to it so

first up we have biotin supplements that's going to have to be a bye bye bye bye it's a bye bye what is your opinion on biasing supplements tell me more so i think a lot of people take them for hair, but actually they're doing nothing for your hair. So yeah, I mean, unless you have a biotin deficiency, which is actually incredibly rare, taking a biotin supplement isn't going to help your hair to grow or strengthen your hair in any way. And actually, what we know about it is it can actually impact some of your other blood test results. So things like your tropon, which is like a heart marker can be something that can be impacted with biotin. So it's never usually something that I recommend in clinic to take. So I would say save your money.

And I also think these are gummies And I would just gummies guys Just never, I don't know if you disagree I just would never recommend a gummy It's just all sugar or sweetener Rather than the actual vitamin anyway I'm not a gummy ban either Next up we have Deercos

Anti-Dandruff shampoo That's a buy Bye Yeah I would spend my money on that I think it's a great shampoo If you're somebody that's got off dry, flaky scalp or you were experiencing dandruff. Yeah, it's got sort of like an antifungal ingredient in there

and it's one I actually recommend quite a lot in clinic. So that one's a yes. Nice. That was from my personal stash. So I'm glad to hear that. Next we have just regular, schmegular dry shampoo. I mean, I'm not mad at it. It's not a, it could be either.

I don't think there's anything wrong with using dry shampoo. If you're doing it, you're using it in the right way. Like it's not a substitute for skipping hair wash. It's probably the most important thing to say. But if you're in a pinch, he has a little bit greasy, you want a bit of a fresh up. I think it's fine here and there. You have posted some absolutely revolutionary tips for greasy haired girls

because I'm a greasy head girl. And some of your, and I cannot wait to come on for your top tips because genuinely I was a huge dry shampoo user before I implemented a lot of the things that you recommend. So we'll come on to that. Yeah, we'll come on to that. Yeah, we'll come on to that. Okay, next we have E-4-5 dry scalp shampoo.

I would say bye. Bye. Yeah, I mean, you can't go wrong with that. I think especially if you're somebody that's got like a sensitive scalp, you've got X-Men or psoriasis. It's just such a good affordable drugstore option. So I would say bye. So good for the sensitive dryer.

Yeah, dry, sensitive scalp. It doesn't have fragrance in there. So it's a good one. Perfect. Okay. next we have coconut miracle oil the OGX by a hundred times and what's why I think it's it's honestly a really great formulation because I think coconut oil like obviously you can buy a sort of raw coconut oil and you can melt it down you can put it into your hair but it's like

it's such a fath to use but I just think this particular formulation is so nice on the hair like if you're somebody that has like dry hair you want to improve sort of like the hydration of your hair, like the silkeness of it, coconut oil has just got so much evidence behind it for the hair shaft. So you can use it as like a pre-washed treatment or you could apply a tiny bit after you've washed your hair. So I think it's a really great product. I also didn't realize there's some research for coconut oil on your scalp for yeast. Yes. It can be helpful. It can be helpful. And actually it's interesting because coconut oil, I mean, we don't, in clinic, we probably don't recommend the banded.

stuff like as often, but for somebody that's got psoriasis, we always say if you've got a thick, you know, scale on your scalp, you do like an overnight coconut oil hair mask. So like literally focusing on your scalp, cupboard with coconut oil, it softens all that scale down and you can, you can then come it out. And it means that when you then kind of go in with like your psoriasis scalp treatment, like the next day, it's going to be able to get in there because you don't then have all of that scale. So that's like a top. Seriysis tip if anyone has scalp surreisers. Brilliant. Last one, Nisaral, the Keizconazole, Keith Connozal champagne.

Yeah, definite buy. Not just the hair, I would say. I mean, I really feel like she's the girl that can do it all. I feel like she's got so many benefits. When it comes to sort of hair, Nisraal does have D.HT blocking properties. So, and there's research behind that and studies as well. So as part of like an overall routine for having a healthy scalp. And if you're worried about thinning hair, it's one that I would definitely include in my

routine sort of like twice a week but it's also good for like a tinia vasicolor fungal infections fungal acne like i mean the list goes on so definite buy a lot of the time i have to use this in summer when i'm in a bikini and my skin is moist and i just get those patches right like would show up like when you've got a tan and you get those light patches yeah that is that is amazing for that perfect that was also from my personal stash good one for PCOS girlies who are experiencing hair loss yes yeah i'm so glad we got to talk about coconut oil because we are going to come on to Rosemary oil as well, which I'm very excited for. But first, I was wondering if you have any advice for girls navigating this space where there is so much misinformation. How do they

navigate what is fact and what is fiction? Sure. I think it's really hard online because everybody is entitled to share information and not for this to like move onto like another topic but I think misinformation online is just such a big issue at the moment, isn't it? What I would say is that if you are looking to try to find more factual information, it's really about understanding the credentials of the people that are providing that information and what their qualifications are and what it is that they do. So, I mean, and that's not to say that it's only experts that you can go to. I think there's so much value from listening to people that have also had that lived experience

because I think there's the element of knowing like the why, the science, what you should be doing. But I think there's also tons and tons of value of listening to people who have been through that, being there, done that, and have learned and found what's worked and what hasn't worked, but also what they've learned out of that process. So what I would say is like definitely when it comes to finding out more about like the science, the learning points, what, you know, products and stuff to use, I thought can be mixed between experts and people. with the lived experience, but I would say it's really hard to find good quality information online. And I think it's really important to always question who's providing you with that information.

Like, what is their level of expertise? But I would say it's not the be all end all, because I think there's so many people online, content creators and people that have got lived experience that bring so much value to the space. But I think it's just about recognizing who those people are and also just sound checking what it is that people are saying because let's just also be real. Like if someone's telling you that something can grow your hair overnight, like that's never going to be the case. So it's also about understanding like, does it sound like it could be right

or does it just sound too good to be true? Because if it's too good to be true, it's probably not factual. I think something that I often tend to like guide a lot of my audience and my patience towards is like some of these amazing charities and organisations that offer like a wealth of information like Alopecia UK. I think people get put off by the name Alopecia. UK, but it doesn't mean that you need to have extensive hair loss to be able to benefit from the support and the advice that they provide.

Like you could just be going through, you know, hair shedding because you've had a baby. There's so many valuable resources on those websites that you can tap into, but also like get in contact with other people who've experienced the same thing. And I think that's why like sometimes that terminology like alopecia really freaks people out because actually any type of hair loss is an alopecia, I would say. And then I would always recommend the BAD, obviously. So the British Association of Dermatologists have so many great patient information leaflets on there, on almost anything that you can think about related to your scalp and your hair health.

And also the AAD, which is the American Academy of Dermatology. So wealth of resources have actually specifically been created for the general public. So I feel like those are reliable resources to look at. That's amazing. I never would have thought of going to a charity like Alopecia UK. Yeah. So that's so, so useful. And I would also say, I think, not that if someone is trying to sell something, it invalidates it completely.

But I think accounts like yourself, obviously you have a business now, but for years and years before that, you were giving advice just completely for free on such a wide variety of products. I think, yeah, I would also say following Dr. Amna, because the content you post, it's helped me personally, you know. So I think, and you have content on literally everything, so anything you could possibly want to know. So if there's any questions that we don't answer in this podcast, I guarantee you, you will find it on your page. So we're going to come on to hair washing and whether it's better to blow dry your hair or air dry your hair.

But first, let's talk about rosemary oil. Okay. Does rosemary oil actually work? And how should natural oils be applied? Yeah, I mean, does it work? to some extent but I think it's probably really blown out of proportion

in terms of what it can do so I don't think it's the miracle hair oil that everyone thinks it is and I think it definitely had its moment on socials and online where it was like oh my God like this is what you need to be getting in on like everyone should be using rose cream oil it's going to like you know take you from like

thinning to like full thick hair and I think the reality is in terms of like what we know with the studies there's not been that many studies and they've been really quite small scale looking at the benefit of rosemary oil versus like the best treatment that we have which is monocidol and also they were looking at like 2% monocidyl which isn't the it's not that's not the best version that I would normally like recommend to people I would normally say 5% and they found that it might be comparable in a in a small

group of people who are using it twice a day which I mean I don't know about anyone else I don't think anyone's going to be applying rose mout or twice a day over an extended period of time and then your hair is just greasy. You can't apply oil to your scalp twice a day. I mean, practically, like, who would be able to do that? So if you want to see the results that some of these studies were saying, which I think there's really only two small scale studies that were saying that, it's like, is that actually transferable to real life for you to be able to see those results?

So I think I would say, like, take it with a pinch of salt. Like, I always say that when it comes to hair care and what you were doing, it's so much part of being like a routine. There's not one magic bullet. It's always going to be what are you doing? in terms of how are you looking after you or how, what's happening with your nutrition, but actually what does that routine look like? And I always see the best results in people that are doing a combination of things.

And that doesn't mean that each individual thing doesn't work, but like it's that part of like bringing those things together that it's really going to give you the best results. So I mean, Rosebill is not my favourite. I think that, you know, if you, if you're using it, you feel like it's worked really well for you. You can continue using it. But it's not one that I would kind of like run.

out to buy if that makes sense like for me i think pumpkin seed oil has a lot better research behind it it's got bigger randomized control studies around it as well and i think there's just more efficacy especially for people that are experiencing more of that hormonal related hair loss if someone did want to incorporate a hair oil into their routine my advice would kind of be there's some things that i would definitely say are better practice and you're and are going to make it easier for you to use, which is that, you know, just do it a few times a week as part of your pre-wash hair routine. You don't need loads and loads of hair. You don't need to absolutely saturate your scalp and your hair. Like, you probably need a lot less than you think. And it's a good time to use

that as an opportunity to massage your hair because massage can be so good for stimulating blood flow and circulation. And then really, you want to wash it out after no longer than four hours, I would say, because of course, when you put anything occlusive on your scalp, that's not the best environment for your scalp to be in. But it's also like, you know, you're going to be attracting like dust and dirt and everything else onto your scalp. So like I absolutely would say not like sleep with hair or in your hair overnight. But you can leave it on for a couple of hours and then just rinse it out. And I think that there's so many people who use hair or including myself and actually notice a really positive benefit from doing that. Even though there's maybe

not specifically so, so many scientific studies to like sort of like back that up, if that makes sense. But I think like lived experience and other things. people's experience with it also counts for a lot. Harry is a lot of value. And I think it's really important when it comes to scientific studies is to recognise that when it comes to these, you know, very low risk interventions like pumpkin seed oil or where there's a relatively low risk, it's more useful for other treatments that might have a higher risk to be researched more thoroughly.

You know, so I think sometimes when the research, it makes sense for there to be maybe a little bit less research, but if the research is pointing in a positive way, then that's good. Yeah, I agree. And I think. And I agree. And I think like there's a lot to be said also that, you know, there are lots of people that don't want to be on certain medicated treatment

and people are looking for more alternative options. And like you said, if they're so low risk and there's not harm in using them, And then I'm just, I kind of like you said, I don't think everything necessarily needs a study behind it per se. Obviously it's great to have that. It gives like validation, especially I think more when we're thinking about medical treatments. But I think with things that people are kind of doing like in their lifestyle, whether it's things like hair oiling, like if it's working for you, I'm like, go for it. So you mentioned monoxidil. We have to come on to minoxidil. But first, I would love to know if someone is experiencing hair thinning, your top. three products that you would recommend that they buy. If you're struggling for top three,

I'll give you five. Well, that's a really good question. Of course, you know what I'm going to say, which is like it does depend on like the cause. As much as possible, you want to try to identify the underlying cause. But I would say probably my number one top would have to be monoxide. Of course, it has to be, it's like the goat when it comes to hair growth. And it's probably the most researched and scientifically backed product that we've got. And you can buy it over the counter. it's relatively cheap. So I think that's a great top product for me, one that I recommend in clinic all of the time.

Then I would kind of say in terms of other products, I do think Nizer or Shampu is a really good one because it's kind of got the science evidence base behind it. I don't expect miracle results on its own, but I think as part of like a routine, I think it's really great. Then I would kind of, I'm probably going to be a bit controversial and say as my third.

That's not controversial. So well, you know, you've put a lot of effort into designing such an incredible product. Say that with your chest. Do you know what? I feel like that's the medic in me. I feel like it's the medic in me. We're just, we're just, we're not. And as women, we don't, we don't take ownership.

Take ownership. That is an incredible, you know, achievement that you've developed a product that fills such a huge gap in the market. So number three. Number three is the root dentistry more fair scalp serum. And for me, I think the reason why it's such a great product is, I mean, it took such a long time to formulate, but it was like where it all started from. And when I was thinking about what do I want this product to do,

like, what is the gap? And I think, you know, we've touched on a couple of times in this podcast. Like it's really thinking about like, what is like the cause of why somebody is experiencing hair shedding and what are the elements that are so super important when it comes to actually promoting or stimulating hair growth. And for me, like when I was right at the beginning like pen and paper,

I was thinking, well, actually, we need to be thinking about different parts of the hair growth style. cycle. We need to thinking about how we're boosting circulation to hair molecules. How are we thinking about DHT blockers, which are implicated in, you know, DHTs implicated in so many different types of hair loss, but also how we're thinking about the scalp barrier, which I feel like is such a topic that's just so neglected. I think, I don't know if, like, you know, I think a lot of, not talking about other brands, but I feel like it is just something that maybe is not spoken about enough or people don't understand the importance of your scalp barrier when it comes

to having a healthy scalp, which then ultimately means healthy hair. So that was kind of my thought process when I was creating root and the fast scalp serum and really looking at ingredients that we're going to address all of those things, but of course being science and evidence-based. So yeah. Same with my chest, root density of my hair. The results have been amazing, amazing so far. And the studies that we've had behind it have just been so incredibly positive.

So I'm like a proud mum of root serum, yeah. And what else would I kind of recommend? I mean, maybe some of these things aren't necessarily like cosmetics per se. But I think when we're talking about evidence, I always say dermostamp is like something that there's definitely a lot of evidence behind. It stimulates collagen, which can help to like support the base of the hair follicles, which is great for hair growth. It can also help to stimulate growth factors in the area, which again is great. So, I mean, it's really easy to overdo it and to do it wrong. And that's what you don't want to be doing because it can actually scar hair follicles.

but yeah twice a week dermistamping is definitely another one that I kind of add and then a freebie scalp massage because everyone can do that at home for like 10 to 20 minutes a day you know there's no risk to doing that it's a bit of actually self-care I think at the same time and you're just sort of boosting blood flow into the area and there's studies to show that it can actually help with her growth and a budget friendly budget friendly yeah use your fingers nice nice you mentioned the scalp barrier for anyone for those listening who don't know what the scalp barrier is, would you mind explaining briefly what it is? Of course. I mean, I think a lot of people who have probably heard of the skin barrier and it's very similar, if not the same. So your

scalp is actually an extension of the skin on the rest of your body. And of course, there are slight differences. But essentially, your skin barrier or your scalp barrier is almost like your body's armour or like your protective layer. It keeps the good things in and it stops the bad, it keeps the good things in and it keeps the bad things out. So it is so important for sort of maintaining like hydration and for stopping infections, bacteria, all the things that you don't want kind of coming, passing that and causing like, I guess like damage. And when it comes to like your barrier, there's lots of things that can impact it and it can make it weaker over time. As a result of that and your scout barrier becoming impaired, which predominantly might be related to the type

products that you're using. So using things which are quite harsh on the scalp, you know, overusing exfoliating acids or overusing sulfate shampoes, although I'm not antithate at all. I should probably clarify that. I think sulfates are so important. But if you're somebody that's washing you out every single day and every time that shampoo is sulfate, like it is stripping your scalp to some degree. But then also it's like temperature. Like when it's cold weather and you've got the heating on, that also affects like your scalp barrier. it's weakened, that's just not the optimal environment for having healthy hair growth. So you really want to protect it and strengthen it and really look for ingredients like seramides, panthenol,

that are all going to be working to help strengthen your scalp bar and ultimately give you healthier hair. I had never even thought about the heating being on or I'm going to wash my hair daily or once every two days now. I have not even thought about whether I'm washing my hair every day with a sulphate shampoo. So that is so, so, so interesting. I'm going to go home and check. And you're going to check your champions and be out, which ones are these possible?

Yeah, yeah. That's really, really useful. Finally, we're going to get on to monoxidil. Yes. And I would love, so if you're a girl and you've looked into getting monoxidil, you'll walk into a shop and you will see a 2% version that is often marketed towards women. And then you will see a 5% version that is marketed towards men.

Dr. Amna, which one should the girlies be going for? I have to say like it is crazy in 2026 that we still have this issue with pink tax. If you are a woman, it is completely safe for you to use the 5% monocidal, which is for men. That is like my preferred one. That's the one that's going to give you better results. And I think even the packaging says not safe for you some women, which I just think is crazy. and the women's version is actually more expensive, which also, again, is crazy.

But yeah, if you walk into a shop and you don't know which one to go for, absolutely the one that you should be going for is the 5% men's version, like, without doubt. Just forget about the women's 2% monoxide and save yourself for money at the same time. And do you know where that comes from? Why it was, why it's marketed that way?

I really don't know. I mean, this probably won't make it into the podcast. But like, I think, because monoxone, still or regain. It's actually owned, I think, by Kenview. It's like the same founders who have like Nutriena and stuff. And like I don't know if it's just like marketing or what it is and why they've done that. But it's like, it can ask the same question when it comes to like so many different female

hygiene products and why are they so much more expensive? And it's because ultimately they know that women will pay more money, you know. Because it's pink. Yeah, because it's pink. And because, well, they're being told, like, with the men's version, it says not safe for use in females. So obviously anyone that's going to see that is going to be like, oh, well, I don't have a choice. The only one I should be using is the 2% monoxidil, which specifically says for women. Yeah.

And for monoxide, I saw a really interesting video by Tinks, I think, where she was talking about how, obviously, if you take monoxidil, if you stop, then your head goes back to you. how it was before. And she said, she said something interesting where she said, that's like saying if I stopped brushing my teeth tomorrow, my teeth would fall out. Like you, you have to just keep doing it for the results. What are your thoughts on the having to keep using monoxideil? Yeah, I mean, I think you made a really good point. It's like, it's exactly the same theory as like having a six-pack. This is what I say. The patient's going to call the time. If you've got a six-pack and you stop going to the gym, like what do you think is going to happen to your six-pack? It's It's unlikely.

Well, it's not even unlikely. You're not going to be able to maintain it. And it's exactly the same thing when it comes to monocidal, really to retain the benefit that you've achieved. You have to continue using it long term. And I think part of understanding that process is really understanding what it is that you're treating because actually like monocidal for the most part, it's the best treatment when it comes to antigenetic alopecia

or male or female pattern hair loss. And I think accepting that that is a chronic. issue. It's not something that you can reverse. It's not something that's just going to stop overnight. It's one of those things that as you continue to age and you're still having those hormones that are impacting your hair follicles, it's almost a forever problem. And it's not a problem. It's just something that you have to learn to manage. And we know there's good treatments. And once you're on them, it's just about continuing those to have that benefit. Because I'm sure it's like I also always always say like if you were diabetic, you wouldn't question not having to carry on with your

diabetic medication. It's just like a no-brainer. And I think it's just those small nuances of understanding the why you're doing it. I find in clinic is really helpful. And people then don't feel so like, oh, but I'm going to have to take it forever because actually with a lot of stuff in life, even if that's like sunscreen or whatever it might be to see, ultimately see those benefits, you have to continue using it. Something I really love about your content is you really openly acknowledge the genetic component of hair. And, you know, I don't think you're trying to sell anyone an illusion that if you're someone like myself who I'm naturally quite genetically quite thin hair. All the women in my family have thin hair.

And I know that I'm just going to continue taking monoxide because I know otherwise I will, I have genetically, you know, thin hair. It's a fact. Yeah, so just face it up to those facts, I think is really, really important. finally we are going to come on to how often should you wash your hair? This is the golden question. Yeah. And I think the answer is probably going to surprise a lot of people, but most people are not washing their hair nearly as much as they should be.

So obviously it depends on your scalp type and your hair type. But for most people, my recommendation would be to be washing your hair every single day, if not every other day. And I think people are shocked. they're like, you know, gobsmack. They were like, oh, but we're always told, like, you shouldn't overwash your hair. It's like, it's damaging your hair. It's like damaging your scalp.

It's drying everything out and it can lead to hair loss. But actually the reverse is true. And I think it's really helpful to understand like why it's so important. And that's because it's what it's doing. It's essentially removing that excess oil, that dirt, the natural yeast that is on your scalp, not to mention any hair care products that you do. using which when they're left on your scalp over an extended period of time they cause inflammation and that inflammation is what then can lead to hair thinning but also lots of other issues as well

like dandruff having like a tender scalp or having an itchy scalp so it's actually super important for keeping your scalp healthy but also reducing the the chances of things like dandruff and hair thinning and i will caveat and say that there are some people who don't need to wash the hair every single day so if you're somebody that has more curly hair or you've got after textured hair, then actually washing your hair a few times a week or twice a week might be absolutely fine. And I think that's like that's the nuance of really understanding that there's not every scalp and hair type is exactly the same. And things do you have to be adjusted slightly when you're giving this type of advice. So I know because there will be some people in the

comment saying, I absolutely cannot wash my hair every single day. And it's like there are some people that it's okay if you can't wash your hair every single day. Yeah. But I think I think back to when I was struggling with hair loss. So when I was struggling with hair loss, I decided, right, I'm going to follow the advice of people on the internet and try and hair train. Or because my hair was quite naturally greasy, the answer on social media was to try and extend how far, extend the gaps between when I was washing my hair. And it will make you feel like a little bit violently ill just to think about it. But I would go to the library when it was like my finals. I would wash my hair once a week and I'm a greasy head girl. Yeah, greasy head girl. I would wash my hair

once a week. Sometimes I remember pushing it to 10 days and I would sit in the library with my coconut oil hair mask on with my hair in this really, really, really, really tight, low burn, not having any idea the damage that I was doing to my hair. I was making the issue so much worse by following information I thought that was going to make it better. And I guess you're, I'd imagine your social media feed is probably quite similar to mine. Yeah. So I kind of thought that we had got over this hair training thing. We'd debunked it.

You shouldn't be leaving your hair too long without washing it. And literally last week I saw an influencer talking about trying to not wash your hair too often. Hair training. Oh my gosh. It's still here. So if there's one thing I want to take away from this, anyone listening from this podcast, wash your hair because my hair improved so, so, so much. Everybody says that to me.

Like, if there is one thing to take away from this podcast is, guys, wash your hair more. I think it comes from maybe when we shower. When we shower, that is often the time when we notice losing hair. So people have this negative association with it. It's not the showering that is causing their hair loss. No, I mean, that's hair that was going to fall out anyway. But I think it's exactly like you said. I think when you shower, you're naturally always going to lose hair.

And I think it just freaks people out to think like, oh, then if I wash my hair every single day, then that must mean that I'm losing this much hair every single day. But actually it's like there's nothing wrong with that. Now time for the greasy head girls. Yes. What advice would you give for the greasy head girls who they wash their hair in the morning,

it's greasy by the evening because that was me about a year, year and a half ago? Okay. Well, first thing I would say is really think about the type of shampoo that you're using. And I think there's so many great products on the market now, but looking for things that are actually going to help to regulate oil production is super helpful. So something which has got like salicylic acid in it is a great option.

I think I always talk about like the nutrient and salicylic acid shampoo because I just think it's such a great drugstore option. And really that is a great time to be using something that is going to reduce oil production. So yes, definitely starting off with your shampoo. And I'd say on that same note, using clarifying shampoo, I think is so important. So clarifying shampoes are different to your regular shampoo. they're not intended to be used every single day. They tend to have different ingredients in them to really remove excess oil, but also product

builder and excess dead skin cells. So get yourself a good clarifying shampoo and use that a few times a week. You don't need to use it every single day. And then when it comes to how you're drying your hair, which we might come onto later, but air drying is not the one if you've got greasy hair. And like I feel like a lot of people fight me on this. But actually there was, there's evidence to say that if you blow dry your hair, that or stop your hair from getting greasy as quickly.

So that's another top tip. And then I would also say like when you're thinking about things like a conditioner, it's always mid-lense and ends. Like it is not intended for your roots at all. So if you're taking your conditioner up towards your roots, that could definitely be contributing towards your hair getting greasier quicker. That's really, really, really useful.

And I honestly think that those tips are what has now enabled me to just, I never use dry shampoo. Like I have. That's so good. Yeah, it literally went from having to, I would put dry shampoo, if I washed my hair in the morning, I would put dry shampoo on preemptively because I knew that if I didn't, my hair would be greasy by the afternoon in work. And I didn't want, like, I would literally go to the toilet midway through the day.

And I would look at my hair and it would be greasy. That is how bad it was. And those tips literally mean that I have my dry shampoo and it's never gets used. I think I go through a bottle of dry shampoo maybe once every six months. And it's an emergency bottle of dry shampoo. So I cannot. That's amazing. No, it's, and it's so, so incredible.

And the last thing that I was going to say that, I think a lot of people don't realize that they do is like touching their hair. I feel guilty. I think like, and it's just so many people I don't think realize that, especially if you've got like a fringe or hair that kind of falls in your hair or you're like running your hands through your hair. Like the natural oils just from from your hands are just like transferring to your hair. So like I know there are some people who would never be able to give that up. But I think like just trying to be conscious of actually how often are you touching your hair, even if that's like tucking it behind your ears or running your hands for it and consciously trying to reduce how much you do that will probably make quite a big difference as well. A big tip that I also took from you was the headband when you're doing your nighttime skincare because that's...

What were you using before then? I was just like tucking it behind my ears and putting my moisturise, even in the morning actually, I would just tuck it behind my ears and put my moisturiser on. Yeah. you know your moisturiser is greasy probably yeah yeah like it's gonna get into your hair you need you know having that barrier there

does make a huge huge difference for sure yeah I'm really impressed by that yeah yeah I'm just talking about I'm like put like in a ponytail yeah yeah I feel like I'm so like I felt sensory

yeah I feel so triggered if there's like even a it has to be so like back for me like when I'm doing my skincare but also I'm trying to get into like my hair airline, making sure I'm getting all of it off. But yeah, no, that's a really good hack to make sure you're using like a headband or something. And now I'm like that. If I go to someone else's house and I haven't got my headband, I'm lost.

Yeah, lost. Whereas before I think you don't know what you're missing. Yeah, yeah. Until you start doing it. Yeah. Okay, so we've cleared up that blow drying is probably better than air drying if you're a greasy head girl. But what about just damage in general?

Yeah. I mean, definitely your hair is. like the weakest and most fragile when it is wet and damp versus like when when it's dry. So anything you're going to be doing to your hair during that time is going to be causing proportionally more damage. So brushing your hair, anything like rubbing your hair with like a towel. So what you really ultimately want to do is to reduce the amount of time that your hair is spending in that state where it can become more damage. So you really want to blow dry it as as soon as you can. Obviously low setting, using a heat protect.

and because, you know, heat damage and all of that. So you want to try and limit that. But then the other thing I would kind of say, that's a major issue if you are not blow drying your hair, is that you're actually leaving a very damp environment. And we spoke about that your scalp naturally has yeast that lives on that. But that yeast loves anything, which is warm, humid, damp. So you'll often see that if you are not blow drying your hair

and your air drying your hair, you're probably more likely to be experiencing sort of flake. and dandruff. So all fungal scalp infections, which nobody wants. So that's another good reason for making sure that you're blow drying your hair and not air drying your hair. I feel violently ill every time I think of times when I went to bed with wet hair because now what I know about fungus. Yeah, yeah. I was just going to bed with wet hair inviting all the fungus to the party and wondering why my hair was bad. I was honestly guilty of that for like a really long time. Like I think like it was just for the longest time,

especially when I was at uni and just like not bothered to dry my hair before I went to bed. I was just like yeah, like it's washed and it's fine. And it's only like, you know, after learning about like how terrible it is for your hair, I'm like, no. Like even if I am like knackered, we're going to have to do a blow out. Really, really quick. Yeah, really quick. Yeah.

Even the when, you know, you said like your hair is so, so, so weak when it's wet, even thinking about my weak, weak, weak, weak hair just being rubbed all over my pin. I know, I know. You know, creating that breakage. I think when you learn how to look after your hair properly, now I look back at some of the tips that I was doing. And like, I've got bleached hair. I have to be so, so, so strict with myself when it comes to hair care.

Looking after your hair, yeah. Yeah. And there's just so many habits that I don't think people realize are really, really, really, really bad. What inspired you to create root? And what gap do you feel like it fills in the hair care market? Yeah, I mean, Root for me has honestly been such a passion project, like truthfully. And it was something that I have been thinking about for a long time and started working on maybe about three years ago now, which is crazy because like it's now out and it's only been out for a month. But I feel like I've spent a lifetime working on this brand.

And I think for me, like one of the main, main drivers for wanting to create Root was the other. loads of things. I want definitely my own personal experience with hair loss and just understanding like the lack of options that are on the market was like a big driver for wanting to bring something into this space which is really science and evidence back. But actually it's more, it's way, way more than just products. And I think it's something that I maybe with the brand being like so new that I haven't had a chance to like touch on so much. But Root is really about at the core of it, it's obviously science and evidence based. Like that's behind everything.

It's not, I'm not created it to sort of like saturate the hair care space. Like it, everything is very intentional. It's trying to resolve an issue or a problem that people are experiencing, whether that's something that I know from my own audience online or what it is that I see in clinic. So it's really about creating things that are intentional and very much needed. But it's also just as much about improving education and access to topics that, are super, super important. So within Root, we actually have a team of doctors that contribute towards blogs, education and what it is that we're doing and how we're trying to give back as a brand

to really empower people with knowledge and information that is so desperately needed and does not exist within this space. Root is also so much about community because I think that the hair care space and like just to say that, I mean, Root's not just a hair thinning or hair loss brand. It's much more than that. It'll expand much more. more than that. But I think in times of community within the hair space, I think it's really lacking. And what I wanted to do was to bring a brand that really creates a space where people can talk really openly about what it is that they're experiencing. They can connect with other people who are in that same place. They can attend masterclasses. They can really have

this all inclusive experience wherever they are in their hair journey. And also, I think for me, it was really about creating a space where there is inclusivity. Like for me as a dad, I just, you know, I really didn't like it that there were certain brands or brands that didn't cater to different hair types or different scalp concerns. I think it was just like a very... Eurocentric? Yeah, it was just, and I just think it's like crazy in 2026

that we've not been able to advance. And I say that, but at the same time, like when I think about dermatology, we only really had skin of colour incorporated into our curriculum like a year ago. I actually, there's a lot of. of creators who bring a lot of attention to this and I saw a creator bringing attention to this. And I looked back at the little guidebook that we were given when we had our dermatology block, like common dermatology conditions. So that was

2021 maybe and it was just yeah, all of them white, dermatological conditions on white skin. And call me naive but I was so shocked that they could have handed those books with their chest when so much of my year in medical school, we're not white. Like that's, how can you not feel so much shame? I know. That you think that that is acceptable.

And I absolutely, I really, really love that you've, like, incorporated that into the brand. And, you know, I think it's so important because it's like a true reflection of what I see in my practice every day. Like, I would treat people that have all different hair types, whether that's textured afro hair or straight, silky hair, or what, what, whatever that might look like. And I think there's so many nuances to understanding how much culture also impacts the type of issues that people experience with their scalp and hair health. Like we were touched on people who wear hijab, but also people who wear braids, for example, or carry out certain practices specifically related to their scalp and hair. And it's across like different religions, different cultural backgrounds, but all those things really have a significant

an impact on people. And I think that I really wanted to bring an extension of what it is that I do in clinic to the brand. And inclusivity is a huge amount of that. And I think there needs to be more progression for people feeling included and considered, I think in brands that are emerging. And I think for me, it would never have been right as a dermatologist and as a doctor, as you know, there's never discrimination against who it is that we're treating.

And actually we lead by knowing that there are. things that present slightly differently in different people and demographics can really impact that and it's important that we we recognize that and we talk about it openly i think that was also really other like super important part of like creating route for me so really an all-inclusive brand which is very science forward it's intentional it's innovative and i think the space that it's really tackling at the moment amongst like you know brands that are either very very very science focused but really lack the, I guess like the clinical experience that comes to actually creating products that are working on people because I think that that's, in my opinion,

one of the major things that a lot of brands lack, they don't have that clinical experience. Like I'm not a formulator by any means, but I think what I understand and know from treating people and seeing it really in real life on the ground, I think has really impacted the first product that I launched and definitely the other product launches that we have got coming up. I can't say what they are. Oh, no.

I can't give an exclusive. It's too early. It's too early for the exclusive. But I think, you know, all of that has just been really considered and I feel like that's what makes the brand different for me. That was going to be my next question.

So you shut that down quickly. What I can tell you, what I can tell. I mean, one of the things like me you were talking about this brief few before, it's just like, our business is like not straight forward. It's like I can't even give you an exact time. I'm hoping that there's going to be something coming.

End of January, beginning of February. Fingers crossed. But there's regulations and stuff in terms of what we're doing at the moment to try to get it across the line. But I think everyone's going to be super excited. And I think, you know, for me, it has like, I am so excited about every single product that is going to be launched. Because it has been so much work has gone into each and every single one. I knew this brand was never just going to be like, oh, let's just roll this out because we have to have a range to roll it out.

Oh no, but we have to have this type of a product because it's a hair hair brand. Like, nope. Like I don't have any investors or have any stakeholders. Like, final decision is me, which I feel like is actually a good thing because I get to have all the final say in terms of like what happens with that. Like feeling like, oh, no, I need to run it past this past. And oh, we're allowed to do this. I'm just like, one day I'll just be like, yeah, let's just do it. I know probably yourself as well as doctors on social media.

There are so many brands that come to us. I bet you turn down a lot. Oh, yeah. Because brands come to you and they say, oh, can you promote this thing? And can you say this thing? And my response every single time is, can you send me the research papers? Save me some time and doing the research. And suddenly these brands either back away or they say, oh, they get a bit waffly.

And they don't have the research. They're asking you to make these big, big, big claims that they don't have the research to back it up. There's an awful lot of brands who are trying to push narratives that aren't backed up by science. And it must be so, so empowering being able to build your own brand that is backed by research. And yeah, have that final say. And for a lot of these businesses, that's not important for them. The most important thing is to sell. Whereas for you, the most important thing is answering the needs of your patients that you see every single day,

which I think is so, so, so incredible. and I personally will be very, very excited to see what you come out with. Are you still sold out of the serum? We are now back in stock. We were stocked last week. So we are currently in stock and hopefully in a better situation because I think there was like three stockouts, like three sellouts, which is so, so exciting.

It's been so much hard work in the background to try to get everything back in stock and we are there now, which is good news. One final community question before we, come on to the final question that we've been asking all the guests. Can greys be stopped or reversed? What's realistic to expect? That's a great question. What I would say is that the two biggest reasons for grey hair is age and genetics. The two things that you can't reverse, but saying that if you have premature growing, so you're somebody that's getting grey hairs in your 20s or your early 30s, there are some things that you could do that can either stop

more grey hairs or reverse your existing grey hairs. So first thing is like nutritional deficiencies. So things like vitamin B12, copper, even your thyroid, have been shown to be linked to having early premature greying. So like if there's, you know, you suspect that, you know, you're going grey much earlier than like your parents did. And you don't know why it's kind of like happening. It is worth getting a blood test and correcting those things.

And actually we know that when you correct them, you can actually reverse that graying, which is like a really positive sign. Other things I would say is stress is like a huge cause of grey hair. And, you know, your mum was right. Like, stress is going to turn you quick. And it really is. And what's interesting is that you can actually repigment hair that has turned white from stress.

Wow. Yeah. I mean, it's not going to happen for everybody. But I think there's a good evidence and a good sign to say to people, even though it's hard, think about how you can be managing your stress levels. trying to bring them down if you can and hopefully you might see some repigmenting of your hair and then other things that i think you know lifestyle factors wise things like smoking but also sun basically can affect the the cells that produce pigment in your hair through a process

called oxidation so you know if you smoke trying to quit smoking and trying to protect your hair and your scalp from UV is another thing that i would say and i would say in terms of is there a miracle product that can reverse your greys. Not at the moment. I think the person who creates it, which we're going to end up being like a multi-billionaire. However, I think there's a lot of research being done into it at the moment to see, like, can you stop grey hairs and can you reverse them? And there's some interesting things coming out.

So I would say kind of like watch this space and see what happens. My boyfriend is young. Yeah. And he is like, he's going way, way, way, way more grey than me. So I'll let him know. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm stressing him out. The recent prose grey hair.

Yeah, you see, he's got so many grey eyes, but that's, that's brilliant for him. Dr. Amna, that brings us on to the final question that we've been asking all of our guests. What do you wish every woman knew by the age of 25? It's interesting because I'm not sure if it would necessarily be like health related. Yeah, oh my God, do anything, like life, philosophical, whatever, whatever you think. Honestly, why I would say is that, I mean, obviously I feel like, even in medicine, as you'll know, I think, and just in life, doing anything is much harder, I think, as a woman than it is compared to being a man, which, you know, some people might find controversial, but I think that's the truth.

And I think it's the reality, whether that's business, whether that's medicine, career progression, or whatever it is. But what I would just say is that keeping going is probably one of the most important things that I think has, like, driven everything that I've done in life. And I think that there are so many times where everybody will kind of feel like, you know, I just like this is it. Like I want to quit. I'm not done with this situation.

And I think it's at that time when you're feeling like that, that's probably the time when things are just about to change and to turn. So I would say like when you feel like that, know that just around the corner, things are going to get better. So just keep going. Have you seen the analogy or have you seen the image of the person digging and then they turn back? And it's like they're really near like. They're really, really, yeah.

And it's so true, though. It's so, so true. Like, you'll probably just, like, you've invested so much, like, time and energy into it. I just think that definitely one of the things that I've learned is that if you have worked really hard at something, you will see the benefit of that. You just need to give it time. Completely agree.

And also what you said about being a woman, it's sometimes being a woman trying to succeed, trying to make a difference. It can feel like you are swimming against, the tide or you're and you're fighting a losing battle but having that determination that caught in a strength to keep going is such a valuable lesson for everyone's listening to take away thank you so so so much for coming on the podcast that was absolutely incredible and we will leave the link for route in their description if anyone would like to thank you so much for having me I honestly had such a great time and it's been like such an interesting chat so thank you so much

Yay! Yay! Brilliant. Woo!