How Panthenol can Improve the Health of Your Hair

Panthenol is also known as Pro-vitamin B5. It is a common addition to beauty products, including moisturisers, because it is a humectant that helps to reduce moisture loss, providing soothing relief to dry, damaged skin.

So, it helps the skin, but can panthenol also improve the health of your hair?

The answer is, probably yes. Under normal conditions it can make hair stronger and softer. It also seems to provide protection against styling, environmental and medication-induced damage to the hair. In fact, when used in combination with other products (caffeine, niacinamide, dimethicone and an acrylate polymer) it has been shown to mitigate the effects of thinning hair. It seemed to do this by increasing the diameter of existing hair fibres.

This means that haircare products containing panthenol are ideal for patients who are suffering from weakened hair due to chemotherapy. Hair loss is one of the better known and, in a lot of cases, most dreaded side effects to chemotherapy. Difficult to deal with from both an emotional and physical perspective, using products designed specifically for during and after chemotherapy can help. The Cancer Pack helps to moisturise the scalp and provide nutrients to encourage new hair growth. It contains a cocktail of moisturising ingredients, including panthenol, which ensure that as well as providing immediate relief, the longer term health of the hair is taken care of.

Sources:

• Davies, M G, et al. “A Novel Cosmetic Approach to Treat Thinning Hair.” The British Journal of Dermatology, vol. 165, no. Suppl 3, Dec. 2011, pp. 24–30., doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2011.10633.x.
• Pedroja, C. “Why Is Panthenol Used in Cosmetics?” Healthline, www.healthline.com/health/panthenol. Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, APRN on August 29, 2018.