[ryan82]

Melatonin also has antioxidant properties, which may explain why there is some evidence it could help regrow, or perhaps just slow, hair loss when used topically on the scalp.

Hair Growth

There are three phases of hair growth. The growth stage is called the anagen phase, and it can last from two to five years. A transitional phase, called the catagen phase, lasts for a few days. Hair is shed in the telogen phase, and then the cycle starts all over again when your hair follicles sprout new hairs. If the follicles don't spout new hairs, thinning and baldness follow. Some theorize that melatonin, with its antioxidant properties, can fight free radicals and heal damage to hair follicles.

Research

The study cited most frequently in support of melatonin as a hair growth supplement was conducted in 2004 at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany. The research subjects who rubbed melatonin into their scalps during the trial period increased the rate of hair growth during the anagen phase when compared to a group who used placebos. In their finding, the researchers stated "This pilot study is the first to show that topically applied melatonin might influence hair growth."