Customer Reviews

Grow Hair Fast: 7 Steps to a New Head of Hair in 90 Days

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was foolish enough to pay way too much money (prepaid by credit card, what an idiot) for a 'consultation' with Ms Riquette Hofstein in Beverly Hills. I was desperate, seeing my hair fall out in clumps from one day to the next for apparently no reason, and a friend of mine had read her book and thought she sounded interesting. Make no bones about it, this woman is a charlatan. She handed me a long list of supplements I needed to buy from her as soon as i walked in, before even looking at me. She then read in my 'aura' that i had had hair extensions in the past. (i have big gaps in my hair where they pulled it out, difficult not to notice!) She told me all about how famous she was, about her television appearances (in the 1980s), her ' 9,000 celebrity clients', and how she heals people's karmas with hypnotherapy and iridology (just two in a long list) in order to cure their hair loss issues. (I, apparently, was depressed and overworked) Eventually she took a hair from my head and looked at it under a dusty microscope on top of a dresser. She pronounced it dead, overloaded with natural oil and grease. (It looked fine. Anyway, isn't all hair dead?) She said the only way to bring it back to life I would have to do a series of 12 weekly 'super serum treatments' that she would personally mix up for me at a cost of $900 per treatment. When I told her there was no way in hell I could afford even one treatment at $900 she informed me she could make a 'weak' version for me for $100, but it wouldn't be as effective and I would have to do more than 12 of them to see any improvement at all in my hair.

I was somewhat surprised. From what I'd read, Ms Hofstein's book was all about natural remedies using fruit and essential oils and things you might use in cooking (her wall is full of pics of models applying half tomatoes to their forheads and cucumbers on their eyes.) So I asked her if I couldnt use something containing alcohol instead. She shook her head in shock and said that alcohol would 'completely dry the root out and kill the hair. You would lose ALL your hair.'

Now isn't her book all about how you can stimulate your hair root using vodka and cayenne pepper? I don't know why I didn't mention this, but I didn't have the courage in the moment. Plus I was creeped out and just wanted to leave. When I tried to go she stopped me, saying ' Don't leave! You will never get your hair back. Believe me this is the only way! Everyone who comes to me gets their hair back!' (debatable, she showed me many before and after pics. While some showed a healthier head of hair and slightly more downy bald patches, the ones with really bad hair loss looked just about the same after "2 years intensive treatment" (at $900 a week?)

So I left, poorer and angrier, without even taking her 'incredible Riquette' shampoo. 'It wont work without my serum' she had said earlier. 'Nothing works without my serum.' Good to know.

So I wanted to post this to say that although I haven't personally tried any of the hair recipes in her book, SHE personally doesn't endorse them, as she only endorses her gold dust priced serum. She is a charlatan, a vacuous, rambling self publicist and con artist who makes a quick buck telling follically challenged people like me she can bring their precious hair back. She can't.

I've been steadily losing hair since my twenties (I'm a woman in my early thirties). I attribute the loss mainly to stress and periods of extreme dieting which are, thankfully, behind me (the dieting, not the stress). I've tried seeing trichologists who mainly prescribed massage, expensive hair treatments and iron supplements, but without much improvement. Most of the thinning has occurred around my hairline -- if I pull my hair back into a pony tail I see areas of bare scalp. All in all I have a pretty healthy lifestyle with exercise, good diet, etc. I decided to give this book a try as a last resort, and because I'm on a limited budget. I Now that I've given you some background, on to the review:

I started Riquette Hofstein's treatment about a week ago and will report back on further developments. My impressions so far: some of the ingredients for the home made products are quite pricey (especially the essential oils) and are only available at specialized health food stores. However, the products last a long time although I find I use more than a teaspoon or tablespoon, which is what she recommends. Also, they aren't as time consuming to make as I thought. I didn't make every product to the letter (for example, I left one herb out of the daily hair shampoo because I didn't have it on hand and I haven't yet gotten the "magic haircut" she advocates). The routine seems as if it's very laborious to follow but, again, it's quite easy to get used to.

So far everything is working well. The hair and scalp shampoos looked thin but they do the trick and my hair feels clean and soft. I also tried one of the conditioning recipes, which definitely made my hair shine. It's too early for me to have seen any new hair growth but the clumps of hair falling out are noticeably smaller. Also, the scalp stimulators are pretty good: the slougher cocktail (with vodka and alka seltzer amongst other ingredients) got rid of the persistent itching and flaking and really made my scalp tingle. I'm not being super strict about adhering to ever single step (I skipped some of the once-a-week treatments she advocates) but I would say that the daily shampoos, conditioners and scalp stimulators are essential.

My one criticism of the book would be that some of the ingredients are not described in enough detail. For example, when lemon, lavender and rosemary oils are called for, does she mean pure essential oils, or essential oils diluted in a carrier oil?

On the whole I think this is a good program for someone with mild to severely thinning hair, and I'm a firm believer that the chemicals in commercial hair care products are bad, so perhaps anyone could benefit.

I'll update my progress in a couple of months.

I was very excited when I saw this book. There is a lot of great information in it and it makes a lot of sense. But now, after trying some of the recipes, I'm not so sure about it. The shampoo recipe made my hair so oily and heavy that I had to rewash my hair with my regular store bought brand. It does say to use only 1 teaspoon per washing and I used more, but I had to use a lot to get all of my hair lathered. The second recipe I tried was the flaxseed volumizer gel, and it was impossible to strain so I ended up just throwing the whole mess away. My third disaster, which I recommend that you DO NOT try, was the flour and water conditioner. Maybe I did something wrong, but when I tried to rinse it out of my hair it turned into something resembling rubber cement. I thought I was going to have to cut it out. My boyfriend spent 1 1/2 hours slowing working it out of my hair using a comb, water, and half a bottle of conditioner to soften it a little bit. Now I'm a little skeptical about trying any other of the recipes. I will make sure next time to only try a small portion of my hair first and not my whole head. Also, the cost to buy all of the initial ingredients is considerable. However, they will last for quite a while.

Honestly, I don't think I really would have needed this book. When I first picked it up, I had beautiful waist-length black hair. I, striving for perfection, read it through and eventually bought it. I was completely hooked by the time I read about shampoo companies and the dangerous chemicals leading to hairloss. After easing into it slowly by making the essential shampoo and using the apple vinegar based rinse, I realized that my scalp stopped being so itchy and my hair stopped being so greasy. Flakes disappeared, and after I started using the cayenne based solution every week, my acne even started to clear up. This book has served me well. I don't think I shall ever go to store-bought shampoo ever again. This book should appeal to more than the balding demographic that it already does - everyone should take advantage of this.

This book focuses on removing residues that may be impacting your hair's growth. Much of it focuses on VERY involved processes and ingredients for creating home-made hair care products. Expect to spend many hours a week preparing the concoctions. It may help for general hair loss.

I am a 31-yr-old female experiencing androgenic alopecia and was disappointed to find no reference to treating the hormonal causes of this problem.

I went to the library first after reading the mixed reviews. I'm glad I did not invest any money. I found the book somewhat difficult to understand. I have no idea when I am supposed to use the Vodka and cayenne tonic. The book doesn't say to leave it in or rinse it out. Was I supposed to apply in the morning or after a shampoo? I read the book three times and found a lot of it confusing. The recipes I was able to make but took most of a day making a shampoo, rinse and tonic.
Oddly enough after using her regimen my hair started falling out. I had beautiful hair before I began! I was just looking for a healthy shampoo. Before you buy this book go to your library and decide for yourself if you should own it.

i had never heard of riquette hofstein , but thought i would check out the book. i noticed that her shampoos use a base of castille soap. i went to the healthfood store and bought an already mixed liquid soap for under 10 bucks containing hemp oil , jojoba, vitamin e, and peppermint oil. ( made by a certain " doctor " whose last name starts with b and ends with r ) i saved myself alot of time and money by doing this. i feel it's almost impossible to follow every step in this book. i've just been using a daily vitamin b complex, cayenne pepper for scalp stimulation, and dr. b all in one magic soap. total cost about 16 bucks. and yes my hair/scalp has improved. as for the book, its so so.

This book was excellent, Riquette Hofstein goes into great detail about how you need to use the right products and techniques in order to grow your hair longer, or to just get your hair growing again. She describes how conventional shampoos and conditioners are actually bad for your hair and damage it more than make it better.

This book is a guide and step program book to get your hair to grow more or grow again in 90 days, based on what I know already about hair growth this sounded promising and then after trying out the methods myself they worked for me. I am a female trying to grow my hair out longer and I also dye my hair so it's been easy seeing how much my hair has grown in a given amount of time and lets just say it's FAST just like the title says.

I plan or referencing this book and recommending it in my book that I'm writing that should soon be on shelves.

it has not been the three months that ittakes, but i am pretty confident, that putting the information in this book, to use, and doing exactly as the books says, even for a month, that it will, help to preserve, and perhaps restore, scalp and hair health. Like any other health program, you have to stick to it, and apply what the book instructs, daily, as it says. Half hearted efforts, wont even get you, a quarter of improvement. i'm glad i found this book, and hating everybody i know, for not telling me these thngs.

Riquette Hofstein not only gave me hope that I could take control of my hair's destiny, but also cracked me up with her anecdotes and candid approach to explaining the science behind growing hair. Before reading this book, I believed what I read on miracle prescriptions that "regrow" hair--Now, I know the facts, am noticing the difference, and saving tons of money.

I am so grateful that Riquette is sharing her expertise with me. I felt like she was my personal stylist and was there with me throughout the treatment!