Thinning hair can plague us at any age, but I've found that, at 41, it's bothering me more than ever. It could be my age (it's a common thing for women over 40), post-partum effect (I don't know any fellow mum who hasn't lost some) or hormonal (perimenopause and hair loss are, unfortunately, intertwined) - whatever's causing it, I've been buying hair loss treatments as if they're going out of fashion.
Along with a hair loss oil, shampoos for hair growth and generally trying to be kinder to my fine hair, I've given into to the Instagram ads and bought an LED hair growth massage tool, costing £18.99 / $21.99 Amazon to see if that's the miracle hair loss cure I've been searching for – could it really help my hair from falling out so much?
I’m already an LED therapy fangirl, I was intrigued to try it for hair loss, where the same principles are said to apply. I opted for Amazon’s £19 / $22 hair oil massager tool, a rechargeable head massager which uses the combination of red light therapy with gentle micro-current massage to stimulate the hair’s follicles, all while distributing an oil to the scalp. It’s a lot to take in, but as someone who uses a hair growth oil most nights (Fable & Mane at the moment) – but rarely massages the oil into my scalp properly, despite knowing that's what you're meant to do – this seemed like a winner. Read on for my review.
Amazon LED hair loss treatment tool - first thoughts
I was quite surprised at how flimsy it looked, when I first opened the parcel. It’s definitely not going to win any awards for being a stylish beauty device, but for ease of use? Top marks. It’s self-explanatory; you pour your hair oil into the spout, pop the cover back on and remove the secondary cover, protecting the massage prongs.
© Carla ChallisThere’s a soft button to press for three seconds to turn the tool on, and three settings; the first uses massage and light therapy, the second just massage and the third just light therapy, all of which distribute the oil while you move it across your scalp.
I opted for the first setting, wanting to use both massage and light therapy to give my hair some loving. I poured in around 5ml of hair oil, which the instructions suggested, and it took a good 5-6 minutes to use the oil up.
The massage itself is quite firm, and you soon get used to the firmer pressure on your scalp. It actually becomes pretty relaxing after a minute or two, and I can imagine the massage would feel amazing to relieve a headache or hangover.
I definitely used too much oil the first few times, and started following the instructions on the hair oil I was using (two pipettes worth of oil) rather than trying to fill the oil chamber on the device. You can pour out any excess oil afterwards, but it’s worth experimenting with amounts to minimise waste. I'd recommend you empty it after each use, as I didn't and found hair oil spilled over my bedside table. Oops.
I moved the device over my hair throughout the use, changing from making small circles with it on the scalp to almost 'combing' it through my hair. It never became tangled in my hair (possibly because of my finer hair) nor got too hot, or too intense to handle. The charge holds for quite a while. I’ve used it around 15 times now, and not had to recharge it yet.
Amazon LED hair loss treatment tool – final thoughts
Less hair loss, and more hair growth, were my hopes and dreams for this tool. Can I say it’s delivered? I can’t not, but it’s hard to pinpoint whether it’s down to the device alone.
I’ve seen less hair fall since using this to apply my usual hair oil. It’s forced me take the time to massage the oil in, rather than just dropping drops onto my scalp and giving it a cursory 5 second massage.
It’s silkier, less dry and does feel thicker, especially around my scalp. It’s helped me to form good hair habits, and now my nightly head massage with it is just as part of my nightly beauty routine as it is removing my makeup and applying a night serum.
I think the key to making this work is consistency (isn’t everything with beauty?) and a good hair oil; I’ve not yet tried it with the viral rosemary hair oil my colleague Sophie swears by, but that’ll be next on my list.
What is light therapy?
Light therapy, for the uninitiated, has been a beauty buzzword for the past five years or so and comes in the form of LED face masks, light therapy beds and LED wands; the technology, founded by NASA who studied the effect of LED in promoting wound healing, uses low-level lights of differing colours to target areas of the skin. In terms of beauty, red light therapy is lauded for its anti-aging effects, helping to brighten the skin, reduce wrinkles, redness and help the skin glow.
I’ve been a fan of LED face masks for the past four years, having treated myself to one from The Light Salon after visiting the salon in person every week for a few months to heal acne wounds. It also helped that the likes of Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian advocate for them!
Now, I can’t be without it and wear it 3-4 times a week. I’ve found it really does help my skin to stay glowing, but it’s the redness and inflammation it’s really helped with.
