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Some shampoos contain ingredients such as Biotin with the expectation that it will promote hair growth. Presumably the ingredient is in a format that can be taken up by the skin (or the hair follicles), or the shampoo contains some additional agent to support absorption.

With this question I am assuming that the absorption process would take some minimum amount of time (seconds or minutes), and that the shampoo would need stay on the scalp during that time in order for the ingredient to be absorbed.

However the labels on some of these shampoos do not provide any indication on how long the shampoo would need to stay on the scalp before rinsing it off.

The question I would like to ask:

Are there any guidelines how long this kind of shampoo should be left on the scalp before rinsing it off?

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    It is a good question, @ravn, but unfortunately there isn't a good answer because there isn't good evidence that they work at all. Many of those shampoos just help puff up each strand so it looks thicker. It depends on the type of hair loss, mind you, but the only treatment for male pattern hair loss I am aware of that has actual scientific evidence behind efficacy is Minoxidil - and even that not always. If you're aware of evidence for other treatments that has come out recently, please let me know!
    – DoctorWhom
    Sep 20, 2017 at 1:07

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Typically those kind of shampoos you need to leave on your scalp for about 10 minutes for maximum absorption. However, if you are experiencing hair loss, there is a procedure that is done by dermatologists called PRP. PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma is a procedure where a Dermatologist would draw about 100cc of blood from your arm, then run it through a centrifuge for about 15 minutes. The blood separates into 4 different levels. The Top layer is the Plasma, which is the layer that the dermatologist takes (About 50-70cc) and injects it back into the scalp, stimulating hair follicle growth. Many of my patients are very happy with the results, however the procedure is never covered by any insurance, and costs around $500. Worth it though. Also be ready for quite a bit of pain, since dermatologists use about a 27GA needle to inject your scalp.

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    Welcome to Health.SE. Since health is an important topic, the site has a strict policy that all answers should be backed up with reliable references, in order to provide the community with the means to assess the merit of the answer, regardless of the reader's background. See this list of reliable sources. If you still have trouble with this, feel free to visit the help center.
    – Narusan
    Aug 20, 2017 at 20:19
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    And evidence for its effectiveness?
    – DoctorWhom
    Aug 22, 2017 at 7:24
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    Your answer would be a lot better if it didn't contain advertisement of products and a bit more sources for the claims.
    – Narusan
    Sep 19, 2017 at 18:30
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    @Narusan-in-coma - I don't see any advertisement of a product. He is describing a fringe treatment, that is offered by many dermatologists. His only self reference is "Many of my patients are happy", but there is no link. I do find it interesting that at least 3 people agree with the lack of references and lack of evidence for the efficacy, yet nobody downvoted the answer.
    – JohnP
    Sep 19, 2017 at 19:41
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    @DoctorWhom ^^^
    – JohnP
    Sep 19, 2017 at 19:41

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