Hello all,

Recently I have heard from several people that addition of MSM to the daily diet helps improve the hair condition. I have done some research to conclude if MSM is good supplement for me. I have read great things about MSM and it's affects on general helth. Now I am considering adding this supplement (1000 mg) to my daily diet. Before I do that, I was wondering if anybody in this forum takes MSM and how it has affected or benefited them.

Also, MSM stands for Methyl Sulfony Methane. Now the word Methane bothered me a little as it is a type of gasoline, and I am not sure if MSM contains any kinds of chemicals. Also, it is not recommended for people who are alergic to cell fish. Did anybody experience that side effect?

Please share your knowledge ang experience with me about MSM.

Thanks,

KG

kg007,

The popularity of MSM on hair loss forums has been astounding and very misleading. While taking MSM *can* speed hair and nail growth (It has for me) and *can* help joint pain (I find that it helps me to recover from exceptionally hard workouts) its' effects pretty much end there in terms of hair.

It will not help to regrow hair.

It will not thicken hair shaft diameter.

It will not do much of anything else.

Like I said, I take MSM for my post-workout regimen and also because I believe that it *may* help the regrowth that I get from Minoxidil come in faster. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but I'm taking it anyway, so what's the hurt?

Taking it before and after a hair transplant can possibly help the transplanted hair grow in faster. Thats. About. It.

There are fantastic claims all over the internet about MSM. Here is a bit of reality for most of them:

Quack Watch: MSM

On the lighter side, MSM is pretty much harmless that I know of (I am not a physician so do your own research) and taking it should not have any detrimental effect. However, the positives are certainly overblown.

-Robert

I've been taking MSM for about a year since my hair transplant. I haven't noticed any difference in growing hair or thickening my hair. I still take it because it helps grow my nails faster and makes them look more healthier and also helps my joints recover faster from intense workouts.

I took MSM for about 6 months and found that my hair grew a lot faster.

I didn't notice any difference in speed of hair growth using MSM. I'm not saying it won't work for you, but it might not work for everybody. Or maybe it was just an improvement that I couldn't notice.

It doesn't prevent hair loss, as Robert said. And like him, I don't really know why it seems to be a trend to take it.

You might remember that the first one to ever mention MSM on HT forums was Futzy, and everyone started "copying" him. Since I started taking both MSM and Finasteride the same week I had my HT, I can't really say what part MSM has played in my "transformation". But one thing's for sure, it can't hurt.

I really believe that the MSM craze may have also stemmed from the health and fitness genre as well. There are a few physicians that really push the element as a treatment for all number of ailments. Since hair loss is always a hot spot with men and women, MSM is inevitably seen as a "treatment" when it caused an increased rate of growth in some that took it.

Like you said, Hairworthy, MSM probably won't hurt. There are better, more pure versions of it available than others so like anything it is something to research.

For what it's worth I still maintain that it helps promote healthy joints for an active athelete and/or anyone that is on a weight-training regimen.

-Robert