Month 0
Home›Women's Health›PCOS & Hair
An expert column · PCOS & hair
Dermatologist RevealsWhy Black Women With PCOS Are Growing Their Hair Like Grass With Pumpkin Seed Oil
By Dr. Patricia Sullivan, MD · Seventeen years in practice
Why So Many Women With PCOS Keep Treating the Wrong End of the Problem
Most weeks, I speak to women with PCOS who are convinced they have somehow caused their hair to thin.
They describe the same pattern: a wider part, a smaller ponytail, short hairs around the crown, and more shedding on wash day.
By then, many have already tried protective styles, scalp oils, hair vitamins, expensive masks — sometimes even minoxidil.
And the thinning keeps progressing.
That is when I ask one question:
“Has anyone looked at why your follicles may be producing finer hair in the first place, instead of only trying to repair the hair after it grows?”
Because with PCOS, the visible strand is only the end of the story. Underneath the scalp, androgen-sensitive follicles can gradually miniaturize, causing each new hair to grow back finer than the one before it.
That’s why treating the strand alone can miss what’s happening at the follicle.
Every New Hair Can Come Back a Little Thinner Than the Last
Most women notice the symptoms first.
More hair in the shower. A part that looks wider under bright light. A ponytail that suddenly needs one extra loop of the hair tie.
So naturally, they assume the hair itself is damaged.
But with PCOS, the problem can begin much deeper.
PCOS is commonly associated with elevated androgen activity. Some testosterone can be converted into a stronger androgen called DHT. In follicles that are sensitive to androgens, DHT can contribute to a process called follicle miniaturization.
That means the follicle starts producing a slightly finer strand, then a shorter strand, then another finer strand. Cycle after cycle.
What follicle miniaturization can look like over repeated growth cycles
Illustrative diagram, not to scale.
I Started Looking at What Women With PCOS Were Actually Using
Once you understand the hormonal pathway, a strange pattern appears: most popular hair products are working somewhere else entirely.
Works on the surface
Your Edge Oil Can’t Change the Hormonal Environment Inside the Follicle
Scalp oils can help with moisture, softness and the feel of the hair. But oil sitting on the scalp is not the same thing as addressing androgen activity inside the body. If the underlying issue is hormonal sensitivity at the follicle, more oil on the strand doesn’t necessarily address the reason that strand is becoming finer.
Not always the missing piece
The Biotin Is Feeding a Follicle That May Not Be Biotin-Deficient
Biotin has become almost synonymous with hair growth. But unless someone is actually deficient, adding more biotin doesn’t automatically correct a hormonal hair-loss mechanism.
That’s why so many women say: “I took biotin for months and my part still got wider.”
Did you know
The FDA has warned that high-dose biotin can interfere with some laboratory tests. It can change what bloodwork says, not what grows.1
On the scalp for minutes
The “DHT Blocking” Shampoo Is in the Drain a Few Minutes Later
The label may mention DHT, but shampoo touches the scalp briefly before being rinsed away. Meanwhile, androgen activity is happening inside the body around the clock.
Works through a different pathway
Minoxidil Can Help Growth — But It Doesn’t Solve Every Part of the PCOS Mechanism
Minoxidil can help support hair growth in many people. But it works through a different pathway than reducing androgen activity. For a woman specifically worried about PCOS-related hormonal thinning, that may leave her asking: “What am I doing about the androgen side of the problem?”
Common concerns include ongoing use, early shedding for some people, scalp irritation, and unwanted facial hair.
So What Would a PCOS Hair Formula Actually Need to Address?
A useful approach would need to work from inside the body and support the androgen pathway involved in follicle miniaturization.
Two Ingredients That Work on the Androgen Side
Pumpkin Seed Oil
Contains natural plant compounds studied in relation to the 5-alpha-reductase pathway, the enzyme system involved in converting testosterone into DHT.
Supports the pathway involved in DHT productionCold-pressed oil
Saw Palmetto
A botanical studied in relation to androgen and DHT pathways. That matters because PCOS hair thinning is not always a simple vitamin problem.
Supports healthy androgen activityWorks from inside the body
The research here is still developing, and much of it was not conducted specifically in women with PCOS. That makes formulation quality and realistic expectations especially important.
The Problem Is, Most Hair Supplements Aren’t Built Around This Mechanism
Most products fall into one of three categories: generic hair vitamins, topical growth products, or single-ingredient products chosen more for convenience than a mechanism-led formula.
Women dealing with PCOS-related thinning need something designed around the androgen pathway.
That’s Why We Built Black Queen
Pumpkin Seed Oil + Saw Palmetto. One simple daily routine designed around the hormonal pathway associated with PCOS thinning.
Black Queen founder Jasmine spent years assuming her hair was simply damaged. Once she understood the hormonal mechanism behind PCOS thinning, she stopped asking, “What can I put on my hair?” and started asking, “What is happening to the follicle underneath?”
What the First 90 Days Actually Look Like
A follicle runs on a roughly 90-day cycle.
So week one feels like nothing, and that’s normal. But here’s what happens when you support your follicles against DHT-related damage for 90 days straight:
Months 1–2
The Shedding Is Usually What They Notice First
Month 2
Less hair in the comb. Less in the shower. Less on the pillow. For many women, that is the first sign they pay attention to.
Months 3–4
The Part Starts Looking Less Harsh
Month 0
Month 4
Shorter new hairs have had time to stay in place and grow longer. The bright line of scalp through the part can begin to look less obvious.
Months 5–6
Other People Start Noticing
Month 0
Month 6
More density at the crown. A ponytail that feels fuller in the hand. This is often the stage where someone else notices first.
Customer images are shown with permission. Individual outcomes vary.
Your Next Growth Cycle Is a Decision
Every follicle is going to enter another growth cycle.
The question is whether you spend that cycle using products designed around the surface of the hair, or start supporting the hormonal pathway that may be contributing to the thinning underneath.
You cannot change the cycles that already happened. You can decide what you do before the next one.
START YOUR 3-MONTH JOURNEY
Black Queen Pumpkin Seed Oil + Saw Palmetto
One simple daily routine designed for women dealing with PCOS-related hormonal thinning.
$31.99
Get Black Queen →180-day guaranteeFree shipping over $50
You spent years buying products for the hair you could already see. Black Queen was created to support what happens before the next hair emerges.
START YOUR 3-MONTH JOURNEY
Black Queen Pumpkin Seed Oil + Saw Palmetto
$31.99
Get Black Queen →180-day guaranteeFree shipping over $50
References
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Safety communication on biotin interference with laboratory tests (2017, updated 2019).
- Cho YH et al. Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results vary.