Tried the Soy

Controversial & Unproven Methods Nonprescription Topical Preparations
#1

OK, y’all had to know that somebody on this list would be desperate enough to do this. :smile: But I just had to try it.

OK … I have to tell you all … it was pretty darned good!

I know it sounds ridiculous to sit there and splash soy milk on one’s skin. And it’s true there was something of a sticky result. But … at least there was no burn or redness like I got with the hairaway products. It was just basically what you’d expect from splashing a milk-like substance on yourself. No sensation at all, except a little stickiness.

But here’s the really amazing part. OK … I’ve been SHAVING the area … so that’s not ideal. But here’s what happened.

Normally, after shaving it takes about four hours for sharp unsightly stubble to grow in. (Yes, I’m unfortunate that way!) The first time I splashed on soy milk after shaving, it seemed to take more like 8 hours for the return - but I thought it could be the placebo effect, or it could be a hormonal cycle issue or whatever. So I waited before concluding anything.

After two weeks of shaving and splashing soy milk, I am absolutely positive - it’s now taking an entire 24 hours for regrowth. From 4 hours to 24! I kid you not! That’s a real change for me.

So I thought I would report!

#2

Thanks for the report, anonymous!

I’m not encouraging readers to try this until there have been some published studies done with humans and some treatment parameters and dosages established.

Hair growth is extremely difficult to assess, especially doing short-term observations on individuals in uncontrolled conditions.

Those who are seeking a reliable result should stick with established products, but I know some of you like to do your own thing! :smile:

As for me, I’ll stick to drinking it for now-- I have a half gallon of chocolate soymilk a week. Yum! :grin:

#3

Andrea is right of course!

Definitely - I’ll update everyone in a few months to see whether I still feel I’m getting results. And also - what works for one may not work for another.

But if anyone else is weird enough to wanna try something like that :smile: - thought I’d just let you know that one person at least is kinda impressed. Not that one person’s experience counts for much!

#4

Annonymous–I too am desprate enough to splash around in some soy milk…can you tell me your application technique? Compresses? A quick rinse with it? Soaking somehow? Thanks; will let you know my results.

#5

Yeah, that would be neat. I’d be really interested to see what someone else thought. (Whether I’m just crazy or whether it’s actually helping :smile: )

I did NOT rinse off because I figured it really has to soak down in there. (I don’t know - I’m just guessing.) So I’ve just been splashing some on a cotton pad and rubbing it in generously before bed.

If you try it, please let us know!

(But I’ll do Andrea’s bit for her: :smile:

#6

I started today by doing an after-shower application. I would be happy if ALL the hair, except for that on my head, went away. I dried off, then rubbed it in like an after bath splash. I let it soak in for a while, then rinsed off. It was not unplesant and seemed to leave my skin soft. Tonight I will try the leave-it-on method. Will see if there is any effect. I have monitored growth in all areas of my bod for some time, so hopefully it will be apparent and fast. I wonder if Tofu would have a more concentrated amount of the active (?) ingredient? Somewhere in a reply here I read of someone used soy oil on their legs with some success. Thanks for your reply and the unofficial warning. I will ask some of my more scientific pals if they think there would be any ill effect to using soy this way…it seems pretty begnin, especially since it can be taken internally. Perhaps we should spearhead a research project with the soymilk manufacturers!

#7

I have to agree that if nothing else, it seems pretty harmless! I tried those HairAway-type products (Can’t remember off the top of my head which ones I tried) - but they kinda felt like they were burning or something. PLUS as an added bonus - they didn’t do squat. :smile: That was just a fringe benefit. The pinkness and slight stinging were the highlights. But the soy milk really feels like nothing, doesn’t it? It feels like … milk.

#8

Anonymous, I couldn’t have done the disclaimer better myself! I love hairtell readers! :relaxed:

Thanks for the updates-- sounds like you get soft skin out of the deal at the very least!

For those of you shopping for soymilk to drink or apply, the item to look for on the label is the amount of soy isoflavones. For instance, the soymilk I’m drinking right now has 31 milligrams of soy isoflavones per serving. Researchers believe this is the ingredient that may affect hair growth.

As always, there is no published data that this will work on human hair, blah blah blah… :stuck_out_tongue:

#9

Giving an update as it’s now been two months:

I definitely wouldn’t describe my experience with the soy milk as a “solution” to the problem as the hair still grows back and I’m still looking for a decent method of removal. However …

I still feel it is buying me time.

I’ve been doing this lately: Washing my face, zipping off the sideburn area hair(the bane of my existence) with an electric razor, applying the soy milk, letting it dry, then applying my makeup. Yeah, I know - seems messy not to rinse it! But it really doesn’t feel bad. It’s actually kind of softening.

Then it seems I’m able to get through the entire day without regrowth. (It regrows by the next morning). But in the meantime … I’m able to stay out all day and even into the night without worrying about stubble. This is a change for me.

I had an accidental comparison test. I went on a one-week vacation and brought no soy milk with me. Within a couple of days, I found that if I used the electric razor in the morning … by NOON I had sharp stubble that had to be removed immediately. And then again around five o’clock, and then again before bed etc.

When I got home and started applying the soy milk under my makeup after shaving, I was able to return to the routine of just one hair removal in the morning and nothing else. I’m feeling very good about that.

So … not a solution to the problem! But for this one person, it seems to be providing a tiny bit of help. I’m definitely appreciating it.

Hope the update is helpful! I shall try to remember to drop another note in six months or so. Anyone else have a different experience? Or the same?

#10

Anonymous, did you notice a diffrence in the appearance of the hair?

#11

I’m afraid I can’t answer that because I always remove the hair at the first sign of ANYTHING - I mean, I don’t give it the chance to see the light of day. So I can’t really tell what the consistency would be if I let it obtain any kind of existence. Sorry! I know that would be helpful information if I had it.

#12

Jergens Shave Minimizing Moisturizer now as soy protein added to it. It will be interesting to see if it has any effect. I wouldn’t hold my breath though.

RJC2001

#13

As much as I would love to see a Soy product be the solution to our problems with Hair, I can’t help wondering if the longer period of ‘no-stubble’ is not based on something like the soy milk actually changing the skin, perhaps making it puffier or so in reality the hair shaft is longer to the surface of the skin, and the hair has to grow that much more to actually stick out and be noticed…

I drink Soy milk, eat lots of tofu and even eat soy cheese - because I am a vegetarian. It does not work from the inside out, believe me…

What I don’t understand is that there are billions of dollars at stake with the right product, and yet scientists don’t seem to be able to come up with something that can turn the mechanism off permanently. I wish I had done biological science when I left school… this would be my research focus… Excess hair and lack of Hair and being overweight are the big money industries today… we have sound scientific principle for dieting and exercise, we want ways to stop hair growing… is that too much to ask?

David

#14

IHH, hair growth is extremely complicated, and still poorly understood. The next ten years should be very interesting though, as more is learned about stem cells (which hair follicles contain) and the effects of certain chemicals as end-organ targets.

There are indications that a diet rich in soy has certain mild antiandrogenic properties, based on rates of cancers and other conditions affected by androgens and their by-products in areas where soy is consumed. However, its topical uses, as you note are far from conclusive and could be causing any number of false positives.

#15

It’d be nice to know if Anonymous is still out there using the soy milk, and whether it’s continued to have any effect.

Short-term stuff doesn’t help much, but it seems like long-term info on anything is hard to come by.

#16

hey everybody, have been away from the forum for a while, and am a little disappointed that there is not some new miracle product that everyone is talking about. Well, after reading the article on soy a few months ago, i decided, because i didn’t want to apply soymilk to my body, to use a powdered soy protein isolate. I put this in my body wash and it seemed to work, atleast making the hair lighter and thinner. however, i seem to have peeked. im going to try the milk method. Anonymous, are there any changes in the number of hairs? ill let everyone know how my findings go. Andrea, i have been reading, and would like to commend you on your insightful and caring advice.

#17

This is a very interesting thread! I know I’m about 6 years late, but has anyone continued to use soy milk? What have the results been like? And when you say ‘soy milk’ do you mean home made? or store bought? I was thinking of trying it out with a home made soy mask - soak soy beans in water then blend then sieve the mixture then apply. How long should I leave it on for? If anyone has any tips or info, please do let me know!! :slight_smile:

#18

APPLY SOY? TO WHAT OR WHERE? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STORE BOUGHT SOY AND HOME MADE SOY? DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW OR IS IT “THEY” AGAIN?

#19

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “PEAKED”. WHAT DO YOU THINK SOY CAN DO? NOTHING WILL PASS THROUGH THE SKIN WHEN IT IS “NORMAL”. THAT IS THE JOB SKIN WAS DESIGNED TO DO. SKIN KEEPS CERTAIN JUICES IN AND OTHER JUICES OUT. WHEN THE SKIN IS NORMAL IT IS A BARRIER TO KEEP BACTERIA AND OTHER POSSIBLY TOXIC SUBSTANCES OUT. WHEN SKIN IS INFLAMED, MEDICINE CAN PASS THROUGH, LIKE TOPICAL MEDICATIONS. CORTISONE, ANTIHISTAMINES, ANTIBIOTICS, ETC. RARELY WILL YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL PASS THROUGH NORMAL SKIN TO GET TO THE INSIDE.

THE EASIEST WAY TO SELL ANYTHING IS TO CALL IT “NEW”, OR “IMPROVED”, BUT IF YOU CALL IT “NEW IMPROVED” IT WILL SELL BETTER. IT WORKS. NOT THE PRODUCT BUT THE SALE.

#20

BY NOW YOU KNOW SOY IS A USEFUL VEGETARIAN PRODUCT THAT HAS NO FLAVOR OF ITS OWN BUT PICKS UP THE FLAVOR OF ANY PRODUCT IT IS MIXED WITH, THEREFORE, IT IS EXCELLENT FOR DIETERS AND POORER PEOPLE WHO CAN USE SOY AS THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF PROTEIN IN CASE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD MEAT.

THE DOC WHO INVENTED VANIQA (IS MY DOC) SHOWED ME BALD RATS AND RATS WITH MORE HAIR THAN YOU WOULD EVER BELIEVE, ALL BECAUSE OF SOMETHING HE INVENTED. SOME COSMETIC COMPANIES WANT TO PUT BOTH OF HIS DISCOVERIES IN THEIR PRODUCTS AND A BIG LEGAL BATTLE HAS COME UP. HE TOLD ME THEY WILL BE FIGHTING IN COURT OVER THIS FOR YEARS. DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING FOR YEARS. IN THE INTERIM HE MAKES NOTHING. VANIQA IS PRICED SO HIGH THAT IT DOES NOT SELL, THEREFORE, THEY CAN NOT MAKE ANYTHING ON IT. IT IS PROBABLY USED MOSTLY BY PATIENTS WITH ALOPECIA AREATA. THAT IS SMALL LOCALIZED PATCHES OF BALDNESS IN HAIRY AREAS. THERE IS ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS DISEASE CALLED ALOPECIA TOTALIS UNIVERSALIS. THIS MEANS NO HAIR ANYPLACE ON THE BODY. TOTAL BALDNESS ALL OVER THE BODY, NO EYEBROWS, NO BEARD, NO PUBIC HAIR, NO EYELASHES, ETC. AND NO TREATMENT.