Hair me out

The last time I was in France, I couldn’t help noticing that on every street corner, practically every pharmacy sold Phyto hair care. Must be a really popular brand, I thought, and felt vindicated, because I’ve always liked Phyto products. The brand seems to have a product to address every kind of hair problem, whether cosmetic ones like dull or devitalized hair or more serious concerns like hair loss, dandruff, and oily or sensitive scalps.

The French also seem to have a fondness for natural, botanical ingredients — Phyto is one of the few hair-care brands that derive its benefits from plant extracts. Founder Patrick Ales’s twin passion for plants and hair is what drives him to develop pioneering hair treatments that respect both nature and hair. 

Since Ales’s Phytosolba Laboratories were created, Phyto (pronounced “fee-toe”) has been deeply committed to providing gentle products that really work. Each and every product is subjected to numerous tests and clinical studies. In Phyto’s laboratory are around 20 scientists who identify active plant ingredients, choose the most pertinent ones and select the best methods of extraction. The company’s R&D department works closely with independent laboratories, pharmacy schools, hospital doctors and dermatologists, engineers who specialize in plants, as well as other researchers from the CNRS, or French National Research Center.

As age encroaches and the beauty-obsessed among us get their hair colored, curled and straightened, the most common hair problems today (among both men and women) are dry and thinning hair. Here are some ways to get over-the-counter help:

Problem: Thinning hair in women

This type of thinning hair is characterized by a diffuse reduction in hair volume. It is often reactive and temporary.

Causes: Reactive hair thinning results from a temporarily deregulated hair life cycle due to internal or external factors: lifestyle (stress, pollution, weight loss due to diet), hormonal changes, biological clock (seasonal changes, aging), the use of unsuitable hair care products, the intake of medicine, etc.

Solution:

• Phytocyane revitalizing thinning hair treatment — This combines the benefits of an anti-hair loss fortifying treatment to stimulate hair re-growth with the beautifying properties of a professional shampoo. Amino acids, vitamin B and botanical active ingredients like gingko biloba and viburnum bark extracts help boost hair growth, while grapeseed procyanidins, which capture free radicals, protect the hair bulb and surrounding tissue. Your hair will regain volume, strength and shine.

• Phytocyane revitalizing shampoo — This also contains grapeseed procyanidins and gingko biloba to complement the Phytocyane thinning hair treatment, but it also has 40 percent cinchona bark extract to restore hair vitality. The result? Denser, shinier hair.

Problem: Thinning hair in men

Male-pattern hair thinning occurs on certain parts of the scalp (temples, the top of the head). It is characterized by a reduction in hair diameter and an increase in the percentage of very fine hair, which looks like fuzz. Little by little, a bald spot appears. This is known as androgenetic baldness. Moreover, the lag phase between hair falling out and new hair growing in becomes longer.

Causes: Androgenetic thinning hair is genetically programmed and has several causes: one is an unfavorable environment for tissue surrounding the hair bulb, which leads to the use of “hair capital,” i.e., the possibility of replacing hair 25 times throughout your lifetime. Your hair lives for a shorter period (six months instead of three years); another is the impact of an enzyme (5-reductase) that creates the hypertrophy of the sebaceous glands and a regression of the hair bulb.

Solution:

• Trichovital Intense restorative hair treatment — This patented plant complex for thinning hair has essential oils of sage, cajuput, rosemary, lemon and cypress, which were selected for their stimulating, antiseptic properties.  Trichovital contains two main patented active ingredients that work simultaneously on the hair bulb to curb hair loss, promote growth and preserve the hair’s overall health. Their protective and soothing properties counteract peribulbar inflammation and regenerate and strengthen the scalp.

A clinical study carried out by a videotrichogram proved that Trichovital has 86-percent-positive results in restoring hair.

• Trichovital Energizing shampoo - An ideal complement to the treatment, this shampoo contains ginseng extract, sage, vitamin PP and zinc to help strengthen the scalp and give hair added vitality.

Problem: Dry hair

Causes: Excessive washing and blow-drying, chemical hair treatments, chlorinated water (in swimming pools and spas), harsh shampoos, environmental dryness.

Solution:

• Phyto Huile d’Ales — Named after the founder, you know this must be a hero product, and it is. It’s a pre-shampoo oil treatment with essential oils of lemon, sage, rosemary, juniper, etc., which gives it a pleasing herbal smell. I tried this at a salon where the hairstylist wielded this very scientific-looking glass vial that he broke off at the ends before steeping my hair in the oil. After it was washed off with the complementary Phytojoba shampoo, my hair went from straw to shiny, smooth and lustrous.

• Phytojoba shampoo — Jojoba oil is a natural wonder, a non-greasy and odorless oil that acts like your scalp’s natural sebum with its moisturizing, conditioning and antibacterial properties. This intense hydrating shampoo has scads of it, plus 40-percent cornflower and mallow extracts. It softens the most recalcitrant hair, bringing back texture, glow and luster.

• Phyto 7 — Beautistas rave about this product, the first daily hydrating botanical cream for hair, with good reason. It has seven plant extracts (hence the name): calendula, sage, burdock, willow, soybean, rosemary and althea. It would be too long to go into each one; suffice it to say that when I’m having a bad hair day, this is my go-to product. I love putting it on the ends of my hair to protect it before blow-drying. If my blowout looks dodgy, I use it to tame frizz. It doesn’t weigh my hair down, keeps it supple and looking glossy. Love.

* * *

Phyto is available at Rustan’s Essenses.