Frankie Muniz: My Hair Loss Journey

by Oscar Camargo | Aug 20, 2024 | Episode

Episode 26

Frankie Muniz’s Hair Loss Journey

frankie-muniz-hair-Frankie-Muniz-026-blog

Hair loss can happen to anyone, and it can deeply affect your confidence and self-image, even if you are a well-known actor like today’s guest. In this week’s episode of HairPod, I spoke with actor/stock car driver Frankie Muniz about his experience with thinning hair. While many fans might not be aware of his battle with hair loss, he came on the show to share his story in hopes that it can help others who are going through the same thing.

Frankie Muniz’s Hair Loss Story

Frankie Muniz recalls how, in his early 20s, he began to notice significant hair thinning even though he grew up with really thick hair. This unexpected change led him to try a variety of treatments, as so many do when they discover their hair loss. He acknowledges that these solutions are effective for many people, but he dealt with some of the rare side effects that the products can have, which left him feeling disheartened. He opted to shave his head for some time but still wasn’t happy with how he looked in the mirror.

Frankie’s Hair Transformation

Frankie’s journey changed completely when his wife encouraged him to make an appointment with HairClub. Despite his initial skepticism, he agreed to a consultation. The immediate results of his hair system left him emotional, as he finally saw a version of himself in the mirror that restored his confidence. “It was truly life-changing,” Frankie shares, noting how this newfound confidence positively impacted every aspect of his life, from his career to his personal relationships.

Hair Loss: Breaking the Silence

It’s important to understand the cause of your hair loss and the hair loss solutions available so you can make informed decisions about your treatment. From medical treatments to hair systems, the options are vast. HairClub offers comprehensive consultations to help find the best path for each individual. It’s essential to understand that the journey to regaining your confidence and hair is unique and personal. By seeking the right support and being persistent, you can achieve the best possible results. Understanding your options empowers you to take control of your hair loss journey.

Frankie Muniz’s hair loss story is unique in that he is willing to speak openly about it, unlike many public figures who prefer not to. In an industry where appearance is often everything, many choose to keep their struggles private. Frankie, however, wants to break that silence. By sharing his story, he hopes to empower others to seek solutions without shame. His transparency serves as a powerful reminder that no one has to face these challenges alone, and that finding the right solution can truly be life-changing.

By raising hair loss awareness, exploring advanced hair systems, and understanding the diverse solutions available, you can find the right path tailored to your needs and regain your confidence.
Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance. Book a Free consultation with HairClub Today!

Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

Episode.26 Transcript

Frankie Muniz [00:00:04]:

I have tons of people because I think I’ve been vocal, and they see my results, right? They see the before and after they saw it, and they go, what did you do? Like, I have to know. Like, it’s something I’m super self conscious about. So I love being able to just tell them, call HairClub. Go for the free consultation. They’ll show you the options, because they don’t have to go down the path that I did of trying. Like, if you think of all the solutions that there are for trying to combat hair loss, I did them. So the fact that I can just send people to HairClub and they can find a solution that works for them, I think is really cool.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:50]:

Welcome to HairPod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Rolston. And each week, I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. Today, we’re joined by somebody who has truly lived a life in the spotlight, Frankie Muniz. You might know him as the star of Malcolm in the Middle, Big Fat Liar, or Agent Cody Banks. Or maybe you follow his current stock car driving career. Frankie has experienced a remarkable journey.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:30]:

But what many people don’t know is that Frankie has faced his own challenges off camera, including hair loss. In this episode, we’re going to dive into his personal experience, how it impacted his life, and the steps he’s taken to navigate this journey with confidence.

Frankie Muniz [00:01:50]:

I remember actually really early, like, being 19 or 20 years old, when I always had thick hair. Like, I always had a lot of hair. Like, if you look at, like, the episodes of Malcolm in the Middle or you look at even movies, I did, you know, I’ll look back and I’ll go, how did I go from having so much hair and, like, three years later, I was really thin to where I started the journey of looking for solutions, right. I started taking the medications and doing topical creams and laser hats and kind of all the things that I could. And I remember it just kind of continued to get worse and worse and worse, and I really didn’t know what to do, almost to the point to where I kind of gave up on it. You know, I was tired of trying things that weren’t helping the situation and just made me more and more self conscious about my hair. And it’s not that I was self conscious for, like, what other people thought I know that might sound weird. It was like, for me, like, I found myself every time I was in front of a mirror, like, checking it out.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:48]:

Yeah.

Frankie Muniz [00:02:48]:

You know, looking down, like, seeing it, like, taking pictures, comparing pictures. So it’s definitely something that even though I try to say it didn’t really affect me that much. It definitely did, you know what I mean? And now that I found a solution with hair club, like, I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to go there to feel the way I do now.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:08]:

Yeah. Tell me where you were in life at this age. What are you doing career wise when you start to notice your hair loss?

Frankie Muniz [00:03:15]:

I mean, I was still, I think, on the last season of filming Malcolm in the Middle. It’s also when I initially started racing cars professionally, but I was always busy. I was always working. And I think maybe that’s why, I don’t know. Like, I don’t want to say it shocked me how I went from having hair to not having hair. Like, I didn’t really notice it, like, until I noticed it, but maybe I was just so busy, like, kind of doing things. I also, you know, when you’re on a movie set or you’re filming, you have hair and makeup people and they have little things that they might put in or they might make your hair look thicker in certain ways. And, you know, when you’re having your hair done every single day, like, you don’t really have to worry about it that much.

Frankie Muniz [00:03:50]:

It wasn’t until really, I think, yeah, Malcolm was just ending and I started having to actually comb my hair for the first time myself. As weird as that sounds, right?

Kevin Rolston [00:03:58]:

Yeah.

Frankie Muniz [00:03:58]:

And it definitely was, like, just a shock, you know, especially because I was young, you know, 1920 years old. Like, you just don’t expect it, you know? Yeah, I was in it big time.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:10]:

So when you’re in a world where you are doing acting and you have hair and makeup people, do you have somebody then that’s a consultant that can help you, that walks you through? Because I’m sure you’re not the only person in Hollywood. In fact, I’d imagine we’d be stunned if we knew all the people in Hollywood, film and TV that have hair loss issues and what they’ve done for it. So when you’re acting on a tv show, you’re doing movies and things like that, is there somebody there that walks you through to say, okay, here’s what you do with your hair loss? Or were you, like anyone else, you were googling your own searches and trying to find your own path.

Frankie Muniz [00:04:44]:

No, you know, really, I didn’t have anybody helping me, you know what I mean? I just kind of went down the path like I think most people do is like, what can I do? I think I went to a doctor. The doctor put me on. Is it finasteride?

Kevin Rolston [00:04:56]:

Yeah.

Frankie Muniz [00:04:57]:

Propecia. And to be honest, I actually had a really negative side effect to the medicine, so I couldn’t even be on it that long before, like, I realized I can’t take it. I was kind of one of those. I kept hearing, oh, if you do this, like, yeah, there could be side effects, but it happens in one in a million people. Well, every one of those things, like, happened to me. I always couldn’t, like, accept the side effects of what it was, whether it be the Propecia or even Rogaine. Right.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:26]:

Wow.

Frankie Muniz [00:05:26]:

I even did a hair transplant. I had one full hair transplant done, I think, in 2012, 2013, and I have like crazy shock loss. Like, I was like the worst-case scenario of like, what could go wrong during a hair transplant. Went through all that. So even like, my before photos that, like, I’ve shared online, those are all like, post every other treatment I had already done, right. That was me trying to do everything. Like, all the list of things that I thought were options, including having a hair transplant, you know, those are my before photos, if that makes sense. So that was, I feel like if I hadn’t even done those, my before photos would be even worse.

Frankie Muniz [00:06:10]:

But it’s shocking the difference of my before photos, which is post trying everything else, and then my afters, which is now as a hair club member.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:23]:

Studies show that the side effects of treatments like minoxidil, finasteride and hair transplants are very rare. And if you want some information on stuff about that, we will link a few specific scientific studies in our show notes. Unfortunately for Frankie, he was that lucky person that got hit with all the side effects, which had to be hard to deal with given how his hair loss was affecting his confidence. In Hollywood, theres an unspoken rule, nobody talks about it. Even when people find something that works for them, they dont usually broadcast it to the whole world. That’s why Frankie is so outspoken. He wants others to know it’s okay to talk about your hair loss and the path that you take to get your confidence back.

Frankie Muniz [00:07:12]:

You know, I think one thing, like, for some reason, maybe it was just me, like, in my world, I feel like people were like, afraid to talk about it. Like, it was almost not taboo, but like, didn’t really want to kind of, it had to be this big secret of, like, if you did have a hair transplant. I remember having one and, like, saying it out loud, someone and people on the side would be like, hey, I had one, too, but didn’t want anyone to know. Like, it was some kind of secret, which I guess I get, like, if you have a procedure done, like, maybe you don’t want to share that you had it. You just hope to show the benefits of maybe have had it. I don’t know. No, I really honestly don’t remember having many people to talk to about it. Like, maybe because I was also trying to be secretive.

Frankie Muniz [00:07:51]:

Not secretive, but kind of keep it to myself.

Kevin Rolston [00:07:53]:

I know what you’re saying, though, because people unfairly, really get brutalized for any kind of treatment that they’ve done in Hollywood. People run with it. The tabloids are all over it. It becomes a big conversation and it becomes what you’re known for. And people can’t get away from the fact that, okay, all you’re right. Yeah, Malcolm had a hair transplant. And that’s the whole narrative that people say it is.

Frankie Muniz [00:08:15]:

You know, I think it’s interesting because, you know, we live, especially now, in a time where most celebrities, most people that you see on social media have tons of work and they don’t hide it, but it’s still a touchy subject when it comes to men talking about their hair. And it’s such a. I think that’s an interesting thing because, like, it’s not something that you can help, right? If you’re losing your hair, if you have issues like that, it’s nothing like you did something wrong or you know what I mean? It’s genetics. It’s just kind of the hand that you were dealt. So I think that’s why I’m so willing and open and want to share my story, because I want people to know, like, hey, it’s okay to talk about it. I know how I feel. Post going to hairclub. Right, right.

Frankie Muniz [00:09:00]:

Like, I didn’t expect it. To be honest. My wife, you know, maybe you want to get into this later, but my wife forced me to go to hairclub and I was like, I don’t care anymore. I was shaving my head, like, bicking it. Like, looked all just easier.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:12]:

Wow, okay.

Frankie Muniz [00:09:14]:

Yeah, I kind of went to that level where I was like, it is what it is. Like, wear a hat, shave my head. It is what it is. But my wife really kind of forced me to go. And I remember thinking like, okay, they’re going to tell me stuff that I want to hear. And I had the free consultation, the initial consultation, and I went, all right, I’ll try it, I’ll try it. But I was so used to being kind of let down by the results of things that you spent a lot of money on, or you spent a lot of time or pain, like, physical pain. So I kind of didn’t have very high hopes.

Frankie Muniz [00:09:45]:

But I remember the moment that I got my system through hair club, and I looked in the mirror, and, like, it makes me emotional, even right now. Like, the immediate gratification and the way I felt and the confidence I felt that moment, it was truly life changing. And like I said, that’s a big reason why I want to talk about it, you know what I mean? Because I know what people are going through. Like, maybe they’re thinking with their hair, and the fact that they can do something like I did and maybe feel the way I do it changed every aspect of my life. It made me more confident in everything from a work standpoint, from a working out standpoint, everything, because I wasn’t caught looking in the mirror, like, thinking, like, oh, man, I felt good, and I wanted to, I don’t know, just be out there in the world.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:35]:

What really struck me about Frankie was the passion that he brings to helping others on their hair loss journeys. It’s so clear that even though he’s a celebrity, hair loss became an isolating experience for him. He struggled with how he looked in the mirror, and he stopped feeling like himself, which is an experience that so many of us have already been through. When Frankie talks about that first moment where he got his hair system on, you can hear exactly where his excitement comes from. He went into that experience unsure of what to expect and was absolutely blown away when he finally looked in the mirror with his new system on.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:14]:

So the first time that you got your hair system, it was just an unbelievable transformation for you that right away you fell in love. You loved the way that you looked, and it just. It stuck.

Frankie Muniz [00:11:25]:

Oh, yeah. I mean, I remember being, like, just so shocked by it, because, you know, the results are basically immediate. You know what I mean? You don’t have to wait for a long time. You know what I mean? Get it on. And there it is. Right? You have hair. And I remember just being so shocked. I did go through a small period where, like, it was just such a drastic change to me because I was so used to looking in the mirror and feeling like, oh, dang, what can I do? And then I was looking in the mirror going, like, who am I? Right? Like, I just felt like a different human.

Frankie Muniz [00:11:55]:

And I will say, like, I was not worried, but I was kind of curious what other people would think, right? People who knew me, my family, my friends. And I remember being a little nervous going to dinner for the first time because I went from being pretty bald to, like, having hair, and literally everyone was like, man, you look good. You’ve been working. Like, what are you doing? You’ve been working out to get a tan. Like, nobody could actually pinpoint it, because, you know, one thing I think people don’t realize is, like, when you fixate on something or you see something, you think everybody else might notice that thing, but, like, not everybody looks in the mirror or sees you every single day. Right?

Kevin Rolston [00:12:35]:

Right.

Frankie Muniz [00:12:36]:

Even my mom was like, wow, like, you look great. Like, what did you do? And when I told her, she couldn’t believe it. They were just shocked, you know, everybody. And I think that was kind of the coolest thing, too, is that I thought maybe it would be extremely obvious to outsiders. But they really, like I said, like, they couldn’t pinpoint what was different about me, just that they thought I looked improved.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:06]:

I love this point that the things that bother us about our own appearance may not be as obvious to somebody else. It drives home something Frankie mentioned before. He didn’t really care what other people thought about his hair. Choosing to get a hair system was something that he did for himself. And because he’s so open and talks about what he did so freely, people in his life feel comfortable asking him about what he did to achieve such great results.

Frankie Muniz [00:13:37]:

I have tons of people because I think I’ve been vocal, and they see my results, right? They see the before and after they saw it, and they go, what did you do? Like, I have to know. Like, it’s something I’m super self conscious about, so I love being able to just tell them, call HairClub. Go for the free consultation. They’ll show you the options, because they don’t have to go down the path that I did of trying. Like, if you think of all the solutions that there are for trying to combat hair loss, I did them. Every one. I don’t think there’s one I didn’t try. You know what I mean? And so the fact that I can just send people to hair club and they can find a solution that works for them, I think is really cool.

Frankie Muniz [00:14:15]:

I don’t know. I loved having people talk to me about it and ask me questions and see the disbelief on their faces when I tell them what I have or, like, what I did. You know what I mean? People just can’t believe that it’s not. I mean, it’s my hair, but you know what I mean? It’s not.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:31]:

Yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:32]:

I gotta tell you, your energy about it is very contagious. And I’ve seen the videos that you’ve put out for hair club and you speaking about it, and I think it’s really amazing that you’re so bold and you’re so open because there really are people and how it affects people’s self esteem. You know, you’ve been on the other end of it that you think the whole world notices, and your self confidence does take a massive hit. And the way that you feel after you find your solution, whether it be a hair system or whether it be something else, it truly is life changing. And so I think that’s really awesome. I just want to talk to you today about your own personal journey. It’s interesting to hear how many failures you had on the path. And because you have a great wife, she didn’t let you give up, and she finally got you there across the finish line.

Frankie Muniz [00:15:15]:

She’s funny because she was always like, look, it doesn’t bother me that you have thin hair, balding, whatever, and she’s like, but I see how much it affects you. And like I said, I had given up. I tried one more solution or one more thing that I thought was going to work. It really didn’t. And I was like, look, I don’t care anymore. Shave my head. And she was talking about it with her hairstylist, who was like, set him up for a consultation at HairClub. And so my wife did it.

Frankie Muniz [00:15:43]:

And I remember her telling me, I was like, no. Like, I’m not wasting time. I’m not doing it. Like, I don’t care. You know what I mean? Like, they’re going to tell me the same stuff, that they can have this magic solution and. And we’re just going to be let down. And so I think I actually canceled the first consultation. She’s like, just go.

Frankie Muniz [00:15:59]:

She, like, drug me in there and. Best decision I ever made, you know what I mean? Like, I honestly, like, I know it might sound cliche, like, and I. It just. It really changed every aspect of the way I feel about everything. Like, it gave me the confidence to even, like, as dumb as it sounds, like I went back racing. It gave me the confidence to go back racing. As weird as that sounds. I don’t know, I just felt like I could do it.

Frankie Muniz [00:16:25]:

Like, I felt like, I don’t. I think I’d kind of just kind of crawled almost in a hole a little bit, you know what I mean? And kind of just stayed away from the acting stuff, stayed away from kind of like putting myself out there and I don’t know, like, I hate to admit that almost, but I didn’t realize it had such a big effect on me in a negative way, my hair, until I had the positive feeling after going to HairClub. Right. And having a solution, because every aspect of my life changed. So, yeah.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:59]:

Losing your hair is more than just a physical change. It’s an internal journey. It can make you want to hide, isolate yourself, and avoid the world. The emotional toll could be overwhelming, making you question how you see yourself and how you see others. We want to thank Frankie Muniz for showing us that there are options out there for everyone and encouraging anyone who has tried everything not to give up hope. Because its not just about getting your hair back, its about getting yourself back. When you feel good about the way you look, it can give you the strength that step out of the shadows and embrace life with a renewed sense of self. It’s about living your life with confidence, no matter what challenges you face.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:41]:

Frankie’s journey reminds us that while the road may be difficult, the destination is worth every step. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them. If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast hairclub.com.com.

Kevin Rolston [00:18:26]:

we’re here to build people up and to share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

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A Founding Father of HairClub: Steve Barth

by Nina Horten | Jun 11, 2024 | Episode

Episode 16

How Hair Loss Changed My Life for the Better

Hair loss can significantly affect all aspects of our lives, and the solutions for hair loss haven’t always been as advanced as they are today. In this episode, Steve Barth, an early client and one of the founding fathers of HairClub, shares his experience with hair loss, early hair loss technology, HairClub, and the people who supported him along the way.

Hair Loss and Self-Confidence

Steve’s story began years before his involvement with HairClub. He had known since he was young that he had a genetic predisposition for hair loss and would likely be bald later in life. However, at just twenty-two years old, he wasn’t ready. Hair loss can rob those experiencing it of their time, their money, and their ability to grow and explore the world with confidence; there is simply no way to know the impact hair loss might have on your life, especially as a young person just discovering who you are and who you want to be.

As Steve delves deeper into his personal journey, he highlights how profoundly hair loss can affect self-esteem and social interactions. For many, hair is an integral part of their identity, and losing it can feel like losing a part of oneself. Steve talks about the psychological impact, sharing that he often felt less attractive and more self-conscious, which in turn affected his social life and professional aspirations. The stigma and societal pressures surrounding hair loss can make the experience even more challenging. Steve’s candid discussion about these struggles helps listeners understand that they are not alone in their feelings of inadequacy and frustration.

Hair Loss Solutions & Balding Treatments in the ’70s

Hairpieces, wigs, implants, and other hair loss therapies were quite different in the seventies when Steve’s hair loss journey began. The technology was still in its early stages, and as you would expect, the options were limited. Steve shares his experiences with Jason Paul’s scientific approach to hair restoration, his introduction to Sy Sperling, and his path to HairClub.

In the 1970s, the field of hair restoration was far from what it is today. Steve recounts the rudimentary and often ineffective treatments that were available. Hairpieces and wigs were often noticeable and uncomfortable, while surgical implants were risky and yielded mixed results. Steve’s early attempts to address his hair loss involved navigating these limited options, which often left him feeling disheartened and skeptical about finding a viable solution.

However, Steve’s encounter with Jason Paul marked a turning point. Paul’s scientific approach to hair restoration provided a glimpse of hope. Although the techniques were still in their infancy, the idea of a methodical, research-based approach to tackling hair loss resonated with Steve. This eventually led him to Sy Sperling, the charismatic founder of HairClub, whose vision and innovation were transforming the landscape of hair restoration.

HairClub’s Approach to Hair Restoration

Steve has been an integral part of HairClub from the start, and he shares with us what set the product apart then and now. Finding a hair loss solution that works for you can be challenging but not impossible. Steve acknowledges that everyone’s hair loss is different, and naturally, so are their needs. He has worked with HairClub on developing various methods and solutions for people at all stages of hair loss.

HairClub’s success can be attributed to its holistic and personalized approach to hair restoration. Unlike the one-size-fits-all solutions prevalent in the past, HairClub offers customized treatment plans tailored to the unique needs of each individual. Steve explains how the company combines the latest technology with a deep understanding of the psychological and emotional aspects of hair loss.

The evolution of HairClub’s methodologies is a testament to its commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Steve highlights some of the advanced techniques and products developed over the years, from non-surgical hair replacement systems to state-of-the-art surgical options. The introduction of laser hair therapy and FDA-approved hair regrowth treatments has further expanded the arsenal of solutions available to clients.

Beyond the technical advancements, Steve emphasizes the importance of the supportive community within HairClub. The empathetic and knowledgeable staff, many of whom have experienced hair loss themselves, provide invaluable support and guidance to clients. This sense of camaraderie and understanding helps to alleviate the isolation and anxiety often associated with hair loss.

Throughout the episode, Steve’s journey serves as an inspiring reminder that while hair loss can be a challenging and deeply personal experience, there are effective solutions available. His story underscores the importance of perseverance, innovation, and community in overcoming the obstacles posed by hair loss.

For anyone struggling with hair loss, Steve’s insights offer hope and encouragement, demonstrating that it is possible to regain not just hair, but also confidence and a renewed sense of self. If you are looking for a solution, take the first step and book a complimentary hair health consultation to learn what stage of hair loss you’re in before it’s too late!

Empowering Resources

As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance. Book a Free consultation with HairClub Today!

Episode.16 Transcript

Steve Barth [00:00:04]:
HairClub is not the same company that your dad or your grandfather invested in. It’s very different. We’ve always been very progressive. We also were careful to avoid the trending because certain trending, particularly in hair restoration, was introducing products that were not good for your health or were scam products, gimmicks. And we always basically wanted to have a very creditable family of products.

Speaker B [00:00:43]:
Welcome to HairPod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Rolston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by their hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. The experience of hair loss can radically change our lives, and not just in the way of self-confidence. Finances and the search for solutions for some hair loss can alter our entire life path. For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Barth, a long-time client and one of the founding fathers of hair club. Steve has been working with HairClub for over 30 years. He shares his incredible story, his experience with hair loss, and the people who helped him along the way.

Steve Barth [00:01:39]:
Yeah. So it was 1976 that I actually found myself wandering into 185 Madison Avenue in New York City. That was the only space in the entire city and the entire universe that hair club existed. What drove me into that office was probably about two years earlier. I was starting to really become aware that I was losing my hair. Although, again, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anybody, because there’s just such a strong genetic predisposition for hair loss in my family. My mother’s father lost his hair. My father’s father lost his hair.

Steve Barth [00:02:12]:
My father had three brothers that lost their hair. So I guess in many ways, my cards were mocked.

Speaker C [00:02:18]:
You knew it’s coming.

Steve Barth [00:02:19]:
Yeah. And, you know, 1976 was a. A crazy era in the seventies or the mid-seventies, and the most popular show on Broadway was Hair.

Speaker C [00:02:29]:
Wow.

Steve Barth [00:02:30]:
So the ability as a young man getting out of college and getting started in life to be able to have the confidence to go forward, build a career, and build self esteem while experiencing thinning hair was very different then.

Speaker C [00:02:46]:
And at the age you’re at, you’re at this time, at what age I was, what, 22.

Steve Barth [00:02:49]:
22 years old or 2021. Yeah, you know, it had a profile.

Speaker C [00:02:54]:
Way younger than typical.

Steve Barth [00:02:55]:
Well, I don’t know. I mean, I knew of guys that started losing hair even before that, but, you know, I had curly hair, too. So the curly hair, the nature curly hair had a tendency to cover a lot of surface area. So I think I was a little deceptive for quite some time. But then it became more and more obvious, and the impact it had on my personality, my psyche, my self-confidence was profound.

Speaker C [00:03:18]:
What are your options at this time, in 1976? Now, I’m well aware of what you can do today, but at that time, what do you do if you’re losing your hair and you’re in your early twenties?

Steve Barth [00:03:27]:
Well, there weren’t a lot of options in those days. I mean, obviously, there were hair pieces and wigs, but I knew that philosophically that was not going to be right for me.

Speaker C [00:03:36]:
And my perception as a kid growing up, it was always so obvious when someone had a hairpiece, you could tell, and I assume this is kind of the era that you’re in, that if you go that route, okay, you may have hair, but it’s identifiable to most people that you have done something to cover it up.

Steve Barth [00:03:53]:
Well, that was the stigma.

Speaker C [00:03:55]:
Yeah.

Steve Barth [00:03:56]:
And who’s to say that, you know, the people that were obvious were the people that had bad product also, even back then, right. Maybe there were people that you might have bumped into that you never knew.

Speaker B [00:04:10]:
Steve’s story began years before he wandered into haircloth for the first time. He shares with us what it was like as a young man struggling with early baldness in the 1970s. Being genetically predisposed might have lessened the shock, but it didn’t lessen the blow to his self esteem. With such limited options for solutions at the time, hair loss started to have a big impact on Steve’s life.

Steve Barth [00:04:38]:
For a young guy, 22 years of age, the last thing I want to do is come home and take the hair off and put it on the dresser. Okay? That certainly was not going to do it for me and wasn’t going to make me feel as if I got my hair back. So I was desperately seeking out a solution that I thought that would kind of match my own personal objectives and philosophy. So there was transplants. Transplants was in its early generation, early iteration. But to be honest with you, at that time, it wasn’t to me a very attractive option, either because at that time, the plugs, you know, they weren’t small enough or they weren’t able to put these micro plugs close enough together. You see right through the sparse hair into the incision into the scalp. It looked like a doll’s.

Speaker C [00:05:27]:
Yeah, I always heard the term baby doll hair, and that’s what they would say. And you would see it was almost imperfect lines, which hair just doesn’t do naturally.

Steve Barth [00:05:36]:
So if your goal and your aspiration was to actually have a full head of hair, especially at 22 years of age, you really weren’t going to get that in transplants unless it was a very isolated area, possibly.

Speaker C [00:05:48]:
Okay. Yeah.

Steve Barth [00:05:49]:
So, you know, and then there were some really primitive techniques that were around that became outlawed. They were actually implanting into the scalp what was essentially a synthetic therapy. You just.

Speaker C [00:06:00]:
So when you say synthetic, it’s not human hair, it’s plastic.

Steve Barth [00:06:04]:
In those days, the use of human hair was rare because human hair was very difficult to work with, because if you look at a human hair, a strand of human hair under a microscope, it has scales. And for our purposes, if these hairs retain their scales, then when you shampoo or when you do that type of thing, it’ll cause abundant tangling. So hair club had to find a way to strip this human hair of its scales so that it became more functional as a application that you had twenty four, seven. I mean, you weren’t removing anything. And that was the big value proposition. As I think business people would talk about. The real distinctiveness of what hair club was doing, even back then in the seventies, was offering this experience, whereas a hairpiece or a wig was a tangible product.

Speaker C [00:06:55]:
Okay.

Steve Barth [00:06:56]:
This was an experience far deeper, more philosophical. This is something that somebody could essentially feel and adopt as if it’s their own hair and go into the world feeling terrific. And that’s exactly what was my reaction when I first had this applied. So everything started, at least for my journey into hair restoration in 19, 76, 75. But it really started again. I want to remind you that when I was born, because the DNA combination.

Speaker C [00:07:30]:
I had and you kind of know that it’s coming. I knew as a young kid, I was eight to ten, and I saw pictures of my grandparents, and it’s like, okay, this is going to be my destiny.

Steve Barth [00:07:39]:
Yeah, listen, in most cases, it doesn’t really surprise you.

Speaker C [00:07:42]:
No.

Steve Barth [00:07:43]:
And in those days, I was into music, I was writing poetry, I was doing things that were tapping into that sensitive side of me, and I just didn’t feel that hair loss was going to work for me. And I remember compromising greatly, wouldn’t go out on a Friday night if I felt that I couldn’t get my hair placed just right, so that it created the illusion of being more than it was. And I would pass, and God forbid I ever got caught in rain and the hair would get wet and then it would look more sparse. So all of these things were really powerful concessions in my life.

Speaker C [00:08:20]:
Yeah, absolutely.

Steve Barth [00:08:21]:
And I knew that I had to try to put this behind me, and I had to, you know, eliminate a lot of these barriers that were holding me back.

Speaker B [00:08:34]:
Hair loss is hard at any age. But as Steve pointed out, the twenties are a time for self discovery. It’s a time to pursue a career, explore creativity, date, and have an active social life. It’s not a time when a young person wants to worry about which hair piece they should get or to maybe stay in because bad weather might expose their hair loss. Steve couldn’t live like that.

Steve Barth [00:08:59]:
My journey to do something actually started predated, even size spurling and hair club. I remember seeing a little advertisement, a print advertisement in one of the newspapers about a guy that was operating out of a very well known hair cutting salon on the west side of New York City, right by Columbus Circle. And his name, he had the greatest name in the world. His name was Jason Paul.

Speaker C [00:09:23]:
Jason Paul.

Steve Barth [00:09:24]:
Jason Paul. I have no idea if he’s even alive today, but he was a formulator of hair wellness products. And what he was advertising and marketing at the time was that he felt that hair loss, although it was, there was a genetic component to it, obviously, but he felt that through wellness techniques and nutrition, that you could go ahead and stabilize your hair growth and eventually reverse it.

Speaker C [00:09:50]:
Oh, wow.

Steve Barth [00:09:51]:
So I was really receptive to this message speaking to you, because when you’re first starting to lose hair, your first goal is, okay, how can I stop it? And even better yet, how could I regenerate? And I remember I didn’t even own a car at that time. I was a young guy coming in from New Jersey, and I took a bus into New York City, and I met with Jason Paul, who had this little carved out area of the salon. And he brought me there, and he had a white smock on, and it was all very. The staging was very impressive. And he took a little snip of my hair, and he put it in. What was this little vice, this little hand vise. What I mean is, he would, how can I describe this? He put it in this little device. He would then start winding it, which would stretch the hair, and eventually the hair would have enough tension, and it would break.

Steve Barth [00:10:44]:
And he had this way of measuring the tensile strength of the hair. Now, this is how it’s articulated to me, and I can tell you I ate it up. It was just amazing. He then put me under a machine where there was steam coming out of it. And the whole purpose of that was to try to erode or reduce a lot of the extra debris, surplus debris on the scalp that may be preventing you from growing hair or being in the best environment for growing hair. And not to mention that he also prescribed some vitamins that were from Switzerland, Basil, Switzerland. That was designed to be a hair nutritional supplement. I took more of those supplements than probably anybody alive.

Steve Barth [00:11:26]:
Okay. And I was obviously excited, particularly at first. And he was a very, very legitimate guy. He was scientific. But my predisposition, my genetic predisposition to its hair loss couldn’t be overcome, and I was just going to continue to lose hair. So again, this is a very natural first response at an early phase of the life cycle of losing hair. How can I stabilize it? How can I grow it back? Unfortunately, that didn’t work for me.

Speaker C [00:11:53]:
How long did you go on this journey before you realized that this isn’t the right path?

Steve Barth [00:11:57]:
Maybe a few months, six months, I can’t remember exactly, but I realized that it just wasn’t gonna work. And I was still left with this discontent about my hair and how I looked. So, you know, the search continued.

Speaker B [00:12:15]:
Anyone who’s experienced hair loss is familiar with the cycle of hope and disappointment that often accompanies it. Soon after his experience with Jason Paul, Steve was introduced to hair club founder Sy Sperling and began what would become a ever evolving relationship with hair club.

Steve Barth [00:12:36]:
So I was running a little also print ad in the back of the New York Post in the sports section.

Speaker C [00:12:42]:
Okay.

Steve Barth [00:12:43]:
And, you know, I saw it several times. He then finally graduated to the Sunday magazine section of the Sunday New York Times, which gave him a little bit more credibility.

Speaker C [00:12:52]:
Okay.

Steve Barth [00:12:53]:
He had one and only one office, which was at 185 Madison Avenue, on the corner of Madison and 34th Street. I was a young guy. I went in there for a consultation, not knowing much about what he offered. And we had a consultation that lasted about 3 hours. It was like, you know, I mean, this may seem a bit melodramatic, but it was really like two forces finding themselves and or two ships passing through the evening, and, you know, it was a very powerful consultation. Xi was like an action figure. He was a guy that you just believed in. He had that aura, and you just believed that anything he said to you was going to happen.

Steve Barth [00:13:35]:
He also was a terrific business mentor. I’m getting a little off track here, but he was a terrific businessman. I want to hear it all because he looked at things. What he taught me is never look at a business problem emotionally, always be objective. And that’s how I developed my whole approach to trying to solve business problems by looking at a problem and looking at the world the way it is and not necessarily the way I want it to be, and working around that and creating a set of solutions around those realities.

Speaker B [00:14:08]:
Psy had won Steve over, and even in its early stages, so hit hair club. He was ready to have his life back. And hair club offered him the opportunity to do that, to have hair again, even if it wasn’t growing from his own head. Hairclub’s product was very innovative for its time and was able to allow many people, Steve included, to regain their confidence and live with hair again.

Steve Barth [00:14:36]:
Hairpiece was not the language. That was not part of the hairpin.

Speaker B [00:14:39]:
What did you.

Steve Barth [00:14:40]:
Go ahead. Yeah.

Speaker C [00:14:40]:
What did you call it?

Speaker B [00:14:41]:
What was the linguist?

Steve Barth [00:14:42]:
Well, in those days, we used to call it a hair system.

Speaker C [00:14:45]:
Okay.

Steve Barth [00:14:45]:
And the reason that we made that distinction, again, if you go back to the earlier conversation, is that a hairpiece was manufactured and produced very differently.

Speaker C [00:14:54]:
Okay.

Steve Barth [00:14:54]:
And it was also very different philosophically.

Speaker C [00:14:57]:
Okay?

Steve Barth [00:14:58]:
It was meant to be on off. It was not meant to be part of a active lifestyle. Going to the gym, perspiring, jumping in the pool, swimming. So for a young guy that wants to essentially forget about his hair loss problem, having a hairpiece generally didn’t work on.

Speaker C [00:15:17]:
A lot of that meant a lot of jumping in a pool was taking your hair off and then jumping in.

Steve Barth [00:15:20]:
A pool with a normal hairpiece.

Speaker C [00:15:22]:
Yeah. If you had a hairpiece.

Steve Barth [00:15:23]:
Well, generally in those days, I mean, could you jump in a pool? Probably, but probably not confidently. And you certainly wouldn’t look very, very good as a result. I mean, your hair, the way that a hair piece was manufactured, is they would take the space material, and they would just basically, through what looked like almost a sewing machine, inject into that what was essentially synthetic hair fiber. And it was just to fill that base hair club in the strand by strand process, which was one of, you know, it was one of the terms that we owned, and still do, I believe, is we would actually basically take a schematic and notes on the way your hair naturally grew. And when we were preparing our head of hair or our hair system, even in those days, we were adding hair, real human hair, not synthetic hair. I want to emphasize that real human hair. And we were adding it in the natural direction of your hair growth. So, in those days, hair pieces were basically usually cut down by bobbers, whereas we were using only very talented hairstylists and cosmetologists that were using, you know, cutting shears and layer cutting hair, which gave the hair motion and gave it movement.

Speaker C [00:16:41]:
Right.

Steve Barth [00:16:42]:
So those are only few of the distinctions. In addition, probably the most important distinction was you weren’t removing the hair, and you didn’t need to because it was real hair that was added in the, you know, consistent and compatible with your natural hair growth that was cut in a precise way so that it was designed to perform a lot more effectively in an active lifestyle.

Speaker B [00:17:08]:
Hair club became Steve’s career, as well as his personal hair loss solution. He loved the product and the philosophy. However, he still took great interest in Jason Paul’s work and integrated this approach into his own.

Steve Barth [00:17:25]:
They were two very different people and very different approaches. Jason was really a scientist. He formulated a product. He was interested in trying to find out the biochemical root causes of hair loss. Psy was a guy that wanted to capture the interest of somebody that got to the point that they want to do something. So his approach to communications was very different. Psy was not a technology guy. He was married, actually, to a stylist.

Steve Barth [00:17:51]:
Her name was Amy, Amy Sperling. And he relied on her more for technology development. Now, how was that product, let’s say, in the seventies, compared to hair club products and services in 2024? Yeah, very different. I mean, we’ve, you know, we really have advanced in every conceivable way. As a matter of fact, I always urge people to. That hair club is not the same company that your dad or your grandfather invested in.

Speaker C [00:18:21]:
Very true.

Steve Barth [00:18:22]:
It’s very different. We’ve always been very progressive. We also were careful to avoid the trending, because certain trending, particularly in hair restoration, was introducing products that were not good for your health or were scam products, gimmicks. And we always basically wanted to have a credible, very creditable family of products. But remember that for the longest time, hair club only had one single solution, which at those days, we.

Speaker C [00:18:51]:
It’s the end solution.

Steve Barth [00:18:52]:
It was the end solution. It was at a point where you got physically and psychologically where you wanted to basically create this appearance of more hair, but it wasn’t growing out of the scalp, obviously. It was subject to maintenance, which people were more than willing to do because they were so delighted with feeling better about themselves. But all of those things were about one solution. It would all do modesty. It was I that introduced and expanded that product window and introduced hair and scalp therapy. And much of that was inspired by my time with Jason Paul. Okay, because he was the guy that introduced me to the science of hair loss and to products that perhaps can reverse hair loss.

Steve Barth [00:19:38]:
And I was very impacted by that presentation. Even though it didn’t succeed for me.

Speaker B [00:19:48]:
Hair loss can truly be life altering. Like many of our guests, after experiencing hair loss himself, Steve went on to pursue a career that would allow him to help others navigate this challenge. Learning about Steve’s journey with hair loss in the seventies, the technologies of that time, and specifically the development of Hair Club has been fascinating. If you’d like to hear more from Steve, make sure you subscribe to the show. We’ll be having him back on to discuss the development of his state of the art diagnostic tool, the tricovue hair and scalp analysis system. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpot on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know somebody who could benefit from hearing this episode, we would love it if you would share it with them.

Speaker B [00:20:33]:
If youre enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast dot hairclub.com. were here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

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