My Deep Dive into the Scientific Scepticism (and Ignoring the Hype) Led to My Hair Growth Secret.
For a very long time, I had very short hair; I like to think of it as a pixie hairstyle, but it was more of a crew cut. It all started one day while sitting on a beach lounger at the Point Yacht Club in Durban. In this lovely spot, I spent many leisurely Sundays inhaling chocolate milkshakes with my kids, one for the three of us, so it was literally who sucked the fastest if you wanted any. Anyway, back to the point, I started scratching my head like a loon, and
asked Sue, who was sitting next to me, to look at what was going on. The shriek that follows says it all. I had a lice colony that was exponentially growing on my head. My shriek was even louder, I can assure you. It turns out that both Richard and I, and the kids, were all infested; it was even in Richard's eyebrows. I decided the only person's hair I was prepared to save was Rachel's; the rest of us were getting shaved. Trust me when I say AYA Balm saves you from any razor burn you will ever experience.
Even after shaving our heads to get rid of the lice, we had to go to a clinic to get the infestation thermally dehydrated and professionally removed—a process that uses controlled heat to kill the nits and lice. The fact that there is a clinic is what fascinates me. The lice epidemic is real, and no one talks about it because of all the rubbish people say about it. Popular opinion is a problem, and it prevents people from talking about and exploring what we need to. That is what we are here to do today. I kept my hair short because it was easier, and it was a mission to grow it back. When I
decided it was finally time, some ten years later, I found that my hair actually grew very slowly. So, being the founder of AYA Natural Skin, I had to explore it all. I started with my own hair oil formulation, which, even if I say so myself, is amazing, but the real thing that makes my hair grow like a steam engine is collagen!
It took me a long time to try collagen, simply because when it first became a thing, I had a conversation with a formulator who was quite adamant that it was all a marketing hype and we were being conned. Knowing the health and wellness industry well, and the nuanced issues around natural skin care. But I finally succumbed and went on a deep dive into Collagen, to find out what I thought about it, was it just marketing hype, or was Collagen worth investing in? I came to the conclusion that I needed to give it a try, and I have not looked back for a minute. That is why unequivocally buying into popular opinion is always tricky; check it out for yourself, research it and come to your own opinion that meets your values. Today, we are breaking down the collagen debate and outlining the best approach to finding your own way.
Ingestible vs. Topical: Framing the Collagen Question
To get a clear grip on the dynamics of the Collagen question, it makes sense to separate the debate into Collagen that you ingest and Collagen that you apply. It shouldn't surprise anyone that I only use ingestible collagen, because at AYA Natural Skincare, we
are all about our seed-to-skin philosophy, which means minimal processing. Having said that, I am not ready to altogether discount topical skincare that uses highly processed ingredients, provided the brand wholly epitomises the ethics and transparency I admire. Take OSEA, for instance: their commitment to certified organic seaweed and their inspiring four-generation founder story is just lovely. While they may not use animal-derived marine collagen, their overall philosophy and honest approach to natural ingredients give me confidence that they work towards minimising the nuance in their claims.
The Stinky Story: Ethics and History
But to get back to Collagen, it's been around a long time, and context always fascinates me, especially when it is layered with scepticism. Saying collagen is just a fabrication created by marketing forces is not wholly correct. In fact, consumption of collagen-rich substances dates back centuries. Ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin, or cooked collagen) has been used in Ancient China and is believed to be a cure for many ailments, as well as to counteract the ageing process. But this is a really stinky story, and so typical of our worldwide consumer demand-driven culture. The high demand for Ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin) created a massive ethical and economic crisis. The unsustainable annual demand for up to six million donkey hides. Causing donkey populations to plummet across Africa, Asia, and South America. This crisis has driven illegal trade and compromised animal welfare, rendering the entire demand unacceptable.
A far more acceptable approach is a nose-to-tail approach, historically utilised by many cultures. Cooking and consuming animal bones, skin, and connective tissues (like bone broth or aspic/gelatin), which naturally provide large amounts of collagen. Clearly, this offends the vegans; my position on this is complex, having been a vegetarian and at times a vegan, I now stand with the nose-to-tail of ethically sourced meat.
The Rise of Collagen Peptides
Collagen—the soluble powder known as hydrolysed collagen or collagen peptides as we know it today—was developed through a multi-stage industrial and scientific process. It was first industrially manufactured primarily as a water binder in the meat industry and later as a protein source in early sports bars. Subsequently, Polish scientists, through breakthrough research, developed methods to extract and hydrolyse collagen from fish skin. This was done to create a smaller, more easily absorbed form of the protein. In the mid-2010s, collagen peptides exploded, moving from a speciality ingredient to a mainstream supplement. This boom was mainly to capitalise on the wellness trend and create a convenient, tasteless product for anti-ageing (skin, hair) and joint health.
The Scepticism Debate
So, where does the scepticism come into it all? Mostly from viewing the massive market as driven primarily by marketing hype. The main point of the argument is that Collagen is a protein, and the body cannot absorb a whole protein. It then gets broken down into individual amino acids (the building blocks of protein) in the digestive tract. The amino acids are then absorbed and sent to wherever the body needs protein most, which could be for muscle repair, enzyme production, or other vital functions. They are not necessarily directed straight to the skin, hair, or joints. On the basis of this, the argument is that taking collagen powder is no different from eating any other protein source (like chicken, eggs, or beans) and is instead just a very expensive way to get amino acids.
Critics take this a step further, highlighting a lack of high-quality, independent research, and that the many positive findings, which only show modest improvements in hydration or joint pain, come from studies funded by the supplement manufacturers themselves. This is an old, familiar story we know about, where regulatory bodies are financed by the industries they are supposed to regulate. Another concern is the minimal regulatory oversight in the US, where the FDA does not regulate supplements as rigorously as pharmaceuticals, adding fuel to the fire, that very lucrative collagen market is driven more by unverified marketing claims than by established scientific proof.
The Pro-Supplement Argument (Nuance)
When you look at the pro-supplement argument, it rests on the nature of hydrolysed collagen (or collagen peptides), which are proteins that have been prebroken down into smaller, more digestible pieces. The argument is that smaller peptides are not just easier to absorb, but also contain specific amino acid sequences that act as signals to the body, boosting its own collagen synthesis. There has, in fact, been relevant and respected research, but for the purposes of transparency, they are funded by one of the world's largest suppliers of collagen protein and collagen peptides.
All of this took me on a long and wonderful journey when I finally learned about bio-individuality, a core concept in nutrition, health, and wellness. Basically, it means that there is no single diet or lifestyle plan that works for everyone. Each of us is genetically and biochemically unique. Therefore, the foods, supplements, exercise routines, and environmental factors that lead to optimal health for one person may not work for another and could even be detrimental to someone else. What that means is that everyone has their own right way, and how our bodies function optimally is something we need to find out for ourselves.
The AYA Approach to Collagen Support
The truth is that the collagen debate isn't about black and white; it's about bio-individuality and, like everything else, nuance. The scientific scepticism is valid, but so are the results that people like myself experience.
Ultimately, achieving skin and hair health is not about a single powder; it’s about a holistic approach. We need to support our collagen production internally with the right nutrients (like Vitamin C), while protecting our existing collagen externally with natural antioxidants. At AYA Natural Skin, we focus on providing the external support that honours the inherent natural wisdom of your body.
And where does that leave us with AYA Natural Skin? It’s always about listening to all the different parts of ourselves, from our inner being to the skins that encompass us all. Whatever we choose to do for our skin, or in my case, our hair, it needs to meet our values and what’s important to us. Doing the research definitely goes a long way, but in the end of the day, only you know what’s best for you.