sh-Polypeptide-71 for Hair Regrowth - Quick Reference Sheet
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sh-Polypeptide-71 for Hair Regrowth

Created on 08/25/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Grok 4.5 – Audit

sh-Polypeptide-71 is a cosmetic copy of a nerve-signaling protein that widens vessels and can quiet follicle immune activity. No controlled human trial has counted hairs or measured scalp density. Benefits remain theoretical. The original protein, when infused, brings flushing, faster pulse, headache, watery stools, and lower blood pressure. Darker hair may fade if lab hair-color loss holds on living scalp. (Full Review)

Protocol

Leave-on serum versus microneedling blend
Daily leave-on scalp serum
Conventional cosmetic use; microneedling-plus-growth-factor series do not isolate this ingredient
Time of day
Evening
No chronobiology data exist; commonly applied to a dry scalp in the evening so the film is not washed off
Half-life and splitting
Once daily
Free peptide does not justify split systemic dosing; topical films are usually once daily, with liposomes in some patents
Time to effect
Hair density or anagen extension
No timed density curve
Proven hair drugs are scored at 3–6 months; judging at two weeks confuses ordinary shedding variation with outcome

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Known hypersensitivity to recombinant peptides or to other ingredients in the finished serum
  • Uncontrolled hypotension (sitting systolic pressure below 90 mmHg), or current use of stacked systemic vasodilators, until topical bioavailability is known
  • People whose primary goal is to keep existing hair pigment
  • Broken scalp, active infection, or same-day deep microneedling unless the protocol is designed around that delivery route
    •
Key Interactions
  • Minoxidil and other topical vasodilators
  • Nitrates and antihypertensives (nitroglycerin, amlodipine, lisinopril)
  • Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (tofacitinib, baricitinib)
  • Copper peptides and other leave-on hair peptides (GHK-Cu / copper tripeptide-1)
  • DPP-4 inhibitors (sitagliptin) and neprilysin inhibitors (sacubitril)
    •

Risk & Side Effects

  • High:
  • Medium:
  • Low:
  • Speculative: Reduced follicle melanin; Flushing or hypotension; Increased heart rate; Headache; Watery diarrhea; Local redness, itch, or contact dermatitis; Immunogenicity of a recombinant peptide
    •

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Trichoscopic hair density Change from the person's own baseline; no established functional target for this analog Only direct hair endpoint available
Ferritin 70–150 ng/mL Low iron drives shedding that can mimic peptide failure
TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) 0.5–2.5 mIU/L Hypo- or hyperthyroid shedding confounds density
25-hydroxyvitamin D 40–60 ng/mL Low vitamin D is common in shedding work-ups
Sitting systolic/diastolic blood pressure Keep at the person's usual treated target Catch additive vasodilatation

Cadence: Baseline photos and trichoscopy of the same scalp sites; repeat at 8–12 weeks, 6 months, then every 6–12 months if use continues. Sitting blood pressure in the first week if minoxidil or antihypertensives are in use. Ferritin, TSH, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D at 6 months if low, and at any new shedding episode.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Daily shed count on a pillow or drain versus the person's own pre-serum week
  • Shaft feel (breakage, shine) on the same lighting and wash schedule
  • Scalp redness, itch, or flushing after application
  • New headache or diarrhea in the first week of use
  • Subjective density at the temples and crown on standardized photos
  • Hair-color change at the same sites, given organ-culture melanin data
Not medical advice. Educational distillation of a single evidence review. Confirm any decision with a qualified clinician, especially in the presence of prescription drugs or chronic conditions.