Could This Hair Tool Be The Secret To Hair Growth & Restoring Hair Loss?

One of my most nagging, irrational fears is waking up one day to realize the decline of my hairline has begun.

While I’ve always had healthy tresses, strong, full edges just weren’t in the genetic cards for me. Since I was a young girl, I’ve kept my hair in some sort of protective style. From box braids to kinky twists and intricately designed cornrows — I couldn't get away from high-tension styles if I tried.

After growing out my perm and starting my loc journey in high school, I soon realized that frequent retwist and tightly wound styles would be the demise of my loc journey if I didn’t make an adjustment. I began to see my edges thinning between each retwist and knew something had to change, so by year five, I decided to limit my retwists from every 3 weeks to every 2 months and only wear hairstyles that required little to no manipulation.

The pivot paid off as I began to see my edges slowly but surely recover from irreversible damage.

But as most Black women would understand, when it comes to our hair, we’re going to change our minds as many times as our hearts desire. And after nine years, I chopped off my locs and restarted my loose natural journey once again.

It wasn’t long before I realized that me and the awkward TWA phase weren’t going to mesh, and as soon as my hair was long enough to grip, I got my first set of box braids in over a decade and never looked back.

Since then, my knotless braids and I have been locked in, and it’s become a signature style that I’ve grown to love for its look, low tension, and convenience. Still, I’ve had my fair share of concerns about what that could mean for the longevity of my edges, hairline, and maturing baby hairs.

Fortunately, there’s a hair tool that could be the solution to soothing my fears of hair loss and stimulating the growth I (desperately) desire.

“Scalp dermarollers are clinically proven to accelerate hair growth,” Helen Reavey, founder of Act+Acre, tells xoNecole. “They typically utilize needles to create micro-channels on the scalp that stimulate blood flow and collagen production to the affected area and hair follicle to stimulate hair growth while increasing topical product absorption.”

Dermarolling is a practice/tool best for larger areas of hair loss, typically around the hairline, due to traction alopecia, postnatal hair loss, alopecia areata, and androgenic alopecia.

The trichologist shares that the science behind the accelerated hair growth is based on the dermaroller’s ability to help stimulate hair growth on its own. That, coupled with applying Act+Acre’s Stem Cell Serum — which promotes and extends the growth phase of those hairs that just won’t grow — “allows for the best possible absorption of the product.”

According to Helen, the process of seeing results from dermarolling takes consistency and patience, as results won’t come overnight. “When used 1-2 times a week, you will typically see a shift in growth within 6-8 weeks, including less visible thinning and hair shedding,” she says. “After 12 weeks, you should expect to see stronger, fuller, and visibility thicker-looking hair growth at the roots.”

But to help us truly get to the root of hair loss and prevention, Helen Reavey is shedding light on the types of hair loss that commonly affect Black women, ways to reserve shedding, tips to maintain healthy regrowth, and more.

Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images