Copper peptides for hair loss treatment and youthful skin benefits used to be exclusive to dermatology clinics and medispas in injectable forms, but now, with advancements in at-home skincare products, you can bring home the potential benefits of copper peptides as part of your daily skincare routine.
If you're new to peptides, copper peptides, or GHK-Cu, are tiny, naturally occurring protein fragments with a high affinity for skin cells. They've been extensively studied for their collagen and elastin production as well as anti-inflammatory actions, making them ideal for promoting healthy skin on the face and scalp [1].
Copper peptide products come in a wide range of forms and formulations, but we'll do our best to highlight the most popular, highlighting safety and efficacy.
How to Use Copper Peptides on The Skin and Hair
When you're ready to welcome copper peptides into your skincare family, it's like introducing a new friend to your existing circle — you want to ensure everyone gets along smoothly.
To do this, you should pay close attention to your specific product's use directions and ingredients, especially since different copper peptide formulations may contain other active ingredients that can mingle with actives in your current skincare routine. That said, we'll briefly explain how to start adding the most popular types of copper peptides into your routine.
Using Copper Peptide Injections
Although copper peptide injections are now available online, self-administration at home is strongly discouraged.
The risks associated with DIY injections include the potential harm from unverified product safety and the inherent dangers of improper injection techniques like injection and permanent scarring.
To play it safe, we strongly recommend you get copper peptides done at accredited dermatology clinics that can provide you with personalized dosages and teach you proper at-home aftercare following your procedure.
Usually, these treatments are done once every 6-8 weeks and may require some downtime to allow the skin to heal. Your clinic should provide you with at-home care following your procedure.
Using Copper Peptide Serums
Serums are one of the best ways to take advantage of active ingredients in skin care because they're lightweight and fast-absorbing. Our Neurogan Health Copper Peptide Serum has a 4% concentration and includes niacinamide and kojic acid to support skin firmness and an uneven skin tone.
Our testing showed that 4% was strong enough to support healthy collagen and elastin production while still being gentle on sensitive skin.
Serums like this one should be applied after cleansing and toning. Simply apply a few drops to the skin in gentle pressing and patting motions and allow the product to absorb.
While it's possible to pair copper peptides with other skincare actives, we don't recommend pairing them with vitamin C products simultaneously. If you must have them in the same routine, you should space out their application and wait about 15 minutes between each step. Vitamin C can degrade the quality of copper peptides and, for some people, can lead to irritation.
Using Copper Peptide Creams
Copper peptide creams are a convenient addition or can be an alternative to serums in your skincare routine if you want to simplify your daily regimen.
Creams are best used after cleansing, toning, and serum application to lock in the good stuff and protect your skin barrier. Our Copper Peptide Cream also contains a 4% concentration in a lightweight, non-greasy formula that you can use day and night and as a makeup base.
Using Copper Peptide Eye Serums
Given the delicate nature of the skin around the eyes, copper peptide serums are usually much lighter and milder in concentration for eye serums. For our Copper Peptide Eye Serum, we opted for a 2% concentration.
After cleansing and toning the face, this serum should be gently dabbed around the eye area with the fingertips to target fine lines and wrinkles. You should follow this up with an eye cream to lock in the serum.
Using Copper Peptide Hair and Scalp Serums
Copper peptides may help create a healthy scalp environment, which fosters fuller hair growth. Just like plants need a balanced environment to grow, your scalp requires a healthy foundation for fuller, more vibrant hair growth.
Neurogan Health Hair and Scalp Serum is a simple formula containing medical-grade distilled water and copper peptides.
By design, this minimalistic approach aims to reduce product buildup that often hampers the scalp's health and, consequently, hair growth. Think of it as decluttering your scalp's surface, allowing it to breathe and nurture new hair.
Adding this copper peptide product to your routine is super simple. Apply it to a clean scalp, dry or towel-dried after the shower, before styling your hair.
When to Use Copper Peptides
Copper peptide products are versatile enough for both morning and night use. Now, your next question might be, "How often should you use copper peptides?" The Neurogan Health Copper Peptide line is best used daily to get the best results.
If you're using other products, you should follow the directions if they have other active ingredients that may be too strong to use daily.
With that being said, if you're combining copper peptides with a skincare regimen with vitamin C, you may want to stagger the application days or wait at least 15 minutes in between your vitamin C application to make sure you get the most from both compounds.
For skincare routines with retinol, you may want to stagger the application of your copper peptides on off-days to avoid potential irritation.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Peptides?
Stepping away from copper peptides in your skincare routine might feel like saying goodbye to a trusted friend, but knowing there’s no dramatic farewell scene is comforting.
Discontinuing copper peptides doesn't lead to a rebound phase for your skin or any withdrawal symptoms to worry about. However, it's like dialing down the encouragement you've given your skin's collagen production.
Copper peptides play a supportive role, cheering on your skin’s natural collagen synthesis and contributing to its firmness, elasticity, and overall youthful appearance.
When you stop using these peptides, your skin's collagen production may gradually return to its baseline before its introduction. This isn't an immediate switch-off but more of a slow adjustment back to how things were, meaning any improvements in skin texture and firmness gained during use might lessen over time.
Side Effects of Copper Peptides
Most skin types tolerate copper peptide products well. Still, some people may experience mild irritation, redness, and general sensitivity to active ingredients on the skin and scalp, especially when first introducing them into your routine.
We always recommend patch-testing the product before applying it widely to an area, and if you see any signs of irritation, stop using it.
The Takeaway: Adding Copper Peptides to Your Routine
To make the most of your copper peptide product, you want to use it daily, preferably in the morning and night, in a formulation that's effective while still being gentle on your face or scalp.
You can find copper peptides in a wide variety of skincare products. Still, not everything is going to work for you, which is why it's important to read the ingredient list and shop from a trusted brand — preferably one with a 30-day money-back guarantee policy like at Neurogan Health to make sure you're not throwing your hard-earned cash down the drain.
Copper peptides are a really exciting compound that has been found to support skin elasticity, skin regeneration, and tone for a more youthful appearance, and it's even shown some benefits for hair care.
With options ranging from serums to creams and eye treatments, this powerful compound is more accessible than ever.
Resources:
- Pickart, L., & Margolina, A. (2018). Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(7), 1987.
