Word is Bond: Harklinikken + Nutrafol, The Fountain of Youth For Hair Loss and Aging Hair

Remember your hair as a child? Wasn’t it shiny, abundant, lustrous, bouncy and resilient? What happened? If you’re noticing hair loss, or that your hair has gotten more fine, limp, flat, frizzy, dull, gnarled, and less manageable than it was when you were a kid, there’s a clear reason for that. And no one tells you this when you’re young, but the fact of the matter is that your hair ages, just like your face does. Yes, you read it here first. Your hair actually ages.

Hormones, stress and your own intrinsic aging all take a toll on your scalp and hair. As you age, there is a structural breakdown of collagen and elastin on the scalp, resulting in a process aptly named “miniaturization,” and here’s how it works. In its simplest terms, miniaturization is when the hair follicle, as it ages, literally shrinks or actually closes. This is accompanied with a thinner hair shaft and more and more shedding. The hair appears finer and becomes shorter, more fragile and less pigmented, or in a word: Old. It’s more prone to snapping, breaking, tangling and fallout, and in general looks, you know, pathetic.

In fact, few things make you look more unkempt and nothing but nothing ages you faster than a mangy mop of sparse, scuzzy hair or a deeply-receded hairline. I remember having a conversation with a young girl once. She asked me, “Why do old women always chop off their hair?” She was wondering why mature women always have short hair, certainly on average, shorter than their younger counterparts. It’s almost like a rite of passage into old age, come to think of it, cutting off your swinging, girlish locks into a tidy, practical, no-maintenance ‘do. Trust me, there’s nothing glamorous about this. And although I didn’t think much about it at the time, my little friend raised a profound dilemma.

But up until a few years ago, there really were not any scientific, results-driven methods of treating aging hair and hair loss. Cutting lackluster tresses and “going short” was the best, most dignified response. Minoxidil can offer some respite from hair loss; but task-oriented supplements, such as Nutrafol, have emerged in recent years to revolutionize the hair care game.

I wrote about the fabulous all-natural Nutrafol supplement two years ago and have noticed an incredible amount of new growth, also known as vellus, which has in my estimation doubled the density of my hair. In other words, my ponytail has doubled. Plus my hairline has grown lower. In other words, my receded hairline is no mas, gracias. 😉

In addition, the quality of each hair strand seems more youthful and shiny, the cuticle seems radically smoother, each individual hair seems thicker and more substantial. Stronger. Coarser. This upward trajectory has only heightened since I added the Harklinikken topical extract into my regime. You see, now there’s also a liquid solution by Danish beauty brand Harklinikken, which literally translates to “hair clinic.” You can now address the challenge of miniaturization from a topical standpoint as well.

Hair became instantly smoother, thicker, strong, glistening and lustrous, in other words, young again. When I brush my hair it’s disarmingly effortless — the Mason Pearson glides right through my mane, and I do mean mane — as opposed to resulting in a gnarly, painful, self-defeating chore.

This is my preferred method to treat aging hair and hair loss: through the two-pronged, combined approach of internal, or nutrition…and external, or topical. But you might want to consult with a dermatologist before you embark on your hair gain journey, to make sure that you are addressing the concern appropriately. This is what works for me, and I do not receive any discounts or paid endorsements for my statement.

Harklinikken sells an entire line for your crowning glory, but I opted to start by introducing only one product at a time. This just makes sense to me. It’s easier to assess progress and determine what I’m liking. Therefore, I began with the magical Extract, of Ricki Lake fame, and omitted the shampoos, conditioners, and styling products in lieu of my own, preferred brands, for the time being anyway.

The Extract requires two applications about an hour apart, you choose morning or night. The thin liquid is pulled out of the bottle via plastic syringe, with a soft malleable tip, which you use to dose the entire scalp and massage gently after. I suggest you review the Harklinikken website which is quite comprehensive and informative, including application tips and frequently asked questions about types of baldness and the Harklinikken way.

And can I just say that not only is the Extract spiked with a proprietary blend of natural ingredients and extract of cow’s milk, then fermented, then custom-blended for you and you alone. Sound expensive? Well….no one said beauty came cheap. As a quick aside, however, I absolutely must praise this miraculous product! I think it’s worth its weight in gold! So if you’re sick of having bad hair days, or if you suffer from alopecia or postpartum hair loss, COVID hair loss, female pattern baldness or just plain miniaturization, like I did, then head on over to Harklinikken. And tell them Shannon sent you. 😉