Nioxin's wide range of hair care products are marketed to women with thinning hair. According to the manufacturer, Nioxin products cleanse your scalp of excess oil, reduce hair breakage and make your hair appear stronger and thicker, with enhanced volume. However, Nioxin products are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for hair loss.
About the Company
Nioxin was originally founded by Eva Graham in 1987 with an eye toward providing consumers a solution for fine and thin-looking hair. Nioxin products were sold in the United States, as well as 42 other countries as of July 2009. In 2008, the family-owned Nioxin was purchased by Proctor & Gamble Co. for $300 million. Nioxin was headquartered in Lithia Springs, Georgia, until Proctor & Gamble moved its corporate offices to Woodland Hills, California, in 2009. Most Nioxin products are made in Mexico. According to GlobalAtlanta.Com, Nioxin is particularly popular in Asia and Latin America.
Nioxin Products
The cornerstone of Nioxin is the company's three-part system, of which there are eight tailored for specific hair types. The system includes a cleanser (shampoo), rinse-out Nioxin Scalp Therapy and leave-in Nioxin Scalp Treatment. Nioxin makes three-part systems for women with fine or medium/coarse hair; natural or chemically treated hair; and normal to thin-looking hair or hair that's visibly thinning. However, Nioxin also produces a line of products for consumers with dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis, as well as conditioning hair masques, various other scalp treatments and a line of styling products for both thin and medium/coarse hair.
Using Nioxin
According to the manufacturer's website, Nioxin helps women with thinning hair by removing dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, from the scalp. The manufacturer recommends using the three-part system every day to get the best results from the products and suggests first shampooing your hair using the cleanser; applying the Scalp Therapy; towel-drying your hair; and applying Nioxin Follicle Booster, followed by Nioxin Scalp Treatment, two topical leave-in products. Nioxin's cleansers, Scalp Therapy, hair masques and styling products can be used in conjunction with topical minoxidil, an over-the-counter topical approved by the FDA to treat hair loss in women and men. However, the manufacturer does not recommend using minoxidil along with Nioxin Scalp Treatment or Nioxin Follicle Booster.
About Hair Loss
Almost half of all women experience thinning hair, according to a January 2009 article in "Time" magazine. According to William Rassman, M.D., hair-transplant surgeon and co-author of "Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies," the type of hair loss that most affects women is androgenetic alopecia, a genetic form of hair loss. Blocking the production of DHT is the only way to stop hair loss, says Rassman. An oral medication called finasteride can prevent thinning hair, but this drug is only for men. According to Rassman, the only medication for women is topical minoxidil; no other remedies are particularly effective, he says. GreyHairLoss.Com, a website devoted to providing product information to consumers, states: "The Nioxin range of products is not presented and should not be considered as a hair loss therapy. It can at best be used as a complementary treatment to one of the more powerful hair loss therapies."
Other Information
Nioxin products are sold in professional salons and can also be purchased from brick-and-mortar beauty stores and etailers such as Folica.com. In November 2010, the three-part system could be purchased as part of a starter kit for around $40. Individually priced, a full-sized Nioxin Cleanser cost around $17; Scalp Therapy cost $18; and Scalp Treatment cost $24. Nioxin Intensive Therapy Follicle Booster was priced at around $20.
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