10 Proven Methods to Reduce Hair Loss and Improve Scalp Health (2024)

Whether caused by genetics, chemotherapy, weight loss surgery, stress, or something else, hair loss can be troubling. Some types of hair loss, especially those related to medical treatments, are reversible.

Though not every type of hair loss can be stopped, medications, supplements, and products are among many ways to help stop thinning hair and restore volume. Understanding the cause of your condition is important in helping to prevent hair loss.

1. Protect Your Hair

Adopting healthy hair habits is one way to prevent hair loss. Experts recommend:

• Use gentle shampoos and conditioners.
• Use a spray conditioner after showering to prevent tangling.
• Wrap your hair in a towel to dry.
• Avoid hot oil treatments.
• Avoid hair dryers, curling irons, hot combs, and other treatments that heat the hair.
• Don’t color, chemically straighten, or bleach hair at home; work with a stylist.
• Comb slowly and gently without pulling or tugging.
• Avoid hairstyles that pull hair, such as tight ponytails or braids.

2. Natural Products

Though more research is needed, studies show several oils derived from herbs, seeds, or other natural products are effective for certain types of hair loss. These include:

• Rosemary oil: Research found that topical rosemary oil is as effective as a common medication, Rogaine (minoxidil 2%), in taking on androgenetic alopecia (inherited pattern hair loss).
• Pumpkin seed oil: In one study with female participants, three months of pumpkin seed oil treatment worked as well as 5% solutions of minoxidil.
• Thyme, rosemary, lavender, and sandalwood oil: A small study comparing this combination of plant-based ingredients with placebo oils found that 75% of the former has less hair loss and more regrowth at three months.
• Coconut oil: Researchers found coconut oil to help repair hair damaged by ultraviolet (UV) rays or due to protein loss caused by hair treatments.

3. Vitamins and Minerals

There’s still some debate about the exact effect of vitamin or mineral supplements on hair loss. However, researchers know that some of these deficiencies can increase the risk of androgenic alopecia (pattern hair loss). Boosting zinc, iron, vitamins D, C, B2 (riboflavin), B9 (folate), and B12, among others, may help.

4. Medications

There are several medications for hair loss. Available over the counter (OTC) and applied to the scalp, Rogaine is a first-line treatment for both male- and female-pattern hair loss and potentially helpful for chemotherapy-related hair loss. Available with a prescription, another option is Propecia (finasteride), which comes in topical and tablet forms.

5. Laser Therapy

Researchers found laser therapy effective for treating hair loss. This treatment exposes affected areas to specialized light beams. This at-home therapy involves daily applications with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) devices like laser-emitting combs, caps, bands, or hand-held light-emitting diode (LED) devices. However, more research is needed.

6. Platelet-Rich Plasma

Platelets are disc-shaped cells found in the blood that aid in clotting. Injections of platelet-rich blood plasma can help prevent hair loss. To create platelet-rich plasma, a healthcare provider draws a blood sample and puts it in a machine called a centrifuge that spins it around rapidly. This process concentrates platelets in the sample and it is injected back into the patient.

7. Quit Smoking

Alongside many other benefits, quitting smoking may help preserve your hair. Researchers have more work to do, but there’s evidence this leads to earlier onset and more severe cases of pattern balding.

8. Dietary Changes

Since insufficient protein and iron can lead to hair loss, a healthcare provider may recommend boosting these in your diet. Foods rich in protein and iron include:

• Red meat
• Chicken
• Fish
• Beans
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Tofu

Be careful of diets that force you to restrict calorie intake, as malnutrition can lead to hair sheddingor rapid hair loss.

Adopting the Mediterranean diet was linked with a later onset of pattern hair loss. This diet emphasizes fresh vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, olive oil, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.

9. Scalp Massage

Applied using devices or by hand, regular scalp massage sessions may promote hair thickness. In one study, 68.9% of those massaging their scalp between 11 and 20 minutes daily reported less thinning and positive results. The authors noted more research is needed to confirm an effect.

10. Manage Stress

Stress or trauma can cause telogen effluvium, a rapid but temporary hair shedding. Healthy ways to cope with stress include:

• Meditation or mindfulness exercises
• Yoga, tai chi, or other stretching exercises
• Taking breaks from the news and/or social media
• Getting enough sleep
• Getting regular exercise
• Getting involved with your community

What Doesn’t Prevent Hair Loss?

Wearing Hats

There are few connections between hat-wearing and hair loss. One study of identical twins found those who wore hats more often had less thinning above the forehead. However, tight-fitting hats may put extra stress on your hair follicles, which can impact hair loss.

Washing Too Much

While you may notice strands in the shower, washing your hair too often doesn’t cause hair loss. But be gentle when washing and drying, and watch for shampoo ingredients that can make your follicles more brittle.

Unique Circumstances

Chemotherapy

Along with other side effects, some types of chemotherapy cause body-wide hair loss. Hairs from the head and other body parts start falling off rapidly about two weeks after starting treatment. However, you can expect hair to regrow two to three weeks after finishing, with the hair often finer at first. It may also be straighter or curlier than before.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy for cancer can also cause hair loss, typically around treated areas. In these cases, regrowth takes longer, anywhere from six to 12 months after stopping treatment. If the dosages are high, the hair affected may grow back thinner or not at all.

Postpartum

Following pregnancy, people go through many hormonal changes, including drops in estrogen. As a result, some experience excessive shedding a couple of months after the pregnancy ends. This type of hair loss is reversible. Most people will notice regrowth and normal fullness within a year after giving birth.

Hormonal Imbalance

Changes in the levels of several hormones can be at the root of hair loss. These include:

• Androgens: Androgens, including testosterone, play a role in human hair growth, with fluctuations at the root of androgenic alopecia.
• Estrogen: Low levels of this sex hormone due to pregnancy, childbirth, or menopause can lead to hair loss in women. These fluctuations also accompany polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• Thyroid: Improper thyroid hormone levels can also lead to hair loss, both in hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).

Weight Loss Surgery

Rapid weight loss due to weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass, can cause hair shedding about three to six months after the procedure. This hair loss is temporary, with regrowth expected within a year.

Uncontrollable Risk Factors

Certain health factors outside of your control can also cause hair loss. Having family members with pattern hair loss increases your risk. Androgenic alopecia, the most common type of hair loss, is hereditary. As you age, your hair becomes thinner and can stop regrowing. In cisgender men, signs of balding usually appear by age 30; in cisgender women, these start in their 40s, 50s, or 60s.

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles or skin cells, can also cause hair loss. Alopecia areata, for example, causes permanent hair loss on the scalp, nose, ears, eyebrows, and other parts of the body. In addition, psoriasis can affect the scalp. Once the latter clears, the hair often grows back.

Hair-Pulling Disorder

Some people experience uncontrollable urges to repeatedly pull out hair or trichotillomania, sometimes even eating it. A type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) more common in young adults or children, the repeated behaviors can cause patches of the scalp to become bald.

Summary

Though some types of hair loss can’t be stopped, there’s a lot you can do to prevent it or slow its progression. Everything from genetics to medications to hormonal changes can lead to hair loss.

Depending on the underlying cause, prevention strategies can include dietary and hair care changes as well as medications or supplements.