How to Use DHT Blockers to Fight Off Hair Loss

Submitted by DrFormulas

Ever since men and women first started losing their hair, people have been trying to figure out how to regrow their hair, replenish their follicles, and prevent hair loss. The stigmas around baldness have thankfully eased in modern life, but it can still be a blow to a person’s sense of self. The most common form of baldness is androgenetic alopecia, better known as male or female pattern baldness. This affects an estimated 80 million men and women in the United States.

While androgenetic alopecia is linked to genetics, the real culprit here is a hormone called DHT. Learn more about DHT and natural DHT blockers below.

DHT and Hair Loss

DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, is an androgen hormone responsible for development during birth and puberty. Past puberty, DHT is responsible for maintaining facial, axillary, and pubic hair. Despite being a “male” sex hormone, women also have a small amount of DHT, and it has the same general role as it helps to trigger female characteristics in puberty. Androgens may also have other roles in women, from preventing bone loss to synthesizing estrogen.

When there is an overabundance of DHT, problematic side effects ensue. High DHT levels start shrinking hair follicles, which shortens the hair growth phase and extends the rest phase. DHT receptors are present in hair at the front and top of the scalp. Excess DHT binds to these receptors and causes the hair follicles to stop producing hair, leading to the characteristic pattern baldness in men and women.

How DHT Blockers Work

That’s where natural DHT blockers come into play, though most don’t act on DHT directly. Instead, they stop a different enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT, which does double the damage by increasing your DHT levels while reducing your testosterone. The result is hormonal imbalances and a less-than-full head of hair. High DHT levels also contribute to prostate problems in men, particularly benign prostatic hyperplasia (an enlarged prostate) and prostate cancer.

By inhibiting 5-alpha reductase, interacting with the DHT receptor itself, or influencing signaling downstream from the DHT receptor, DHT blockers can keep DHT levels in check and reverse pattern hair loss.

Natural DHT Blocking Ingredients to Try

You can find a huge range of natural ingredients to block DHT. Keep an eye out for these specific ingredients:

- Saw palmetto — This small palm tree has actually become the most popular herbal treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the United States. Saw palmetto is reported to work by inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase enzyme.

- Stinging nettle — Stinging nettle is a spiny plant that also acts as a common herbal treatment for BPH.

- Pumpkin seed oil — Pumpkin seed oil has also been shown to reduce DHT, though the exact mechanisms of action require further research.

- Lycopene — Found most prominently in tomatoes, lycopene is the natural pigment that makes certain fruits and veggies red. It is a known antioxidant, and it has the potential to regulate DHT levels.

- Pygeum — An extract taken from African cherry trees, pygeum has anti-androgen properties, potentially interfering with receptors and growth factors for DHT.

- Green tea — The main compound in green tea that influences DHT is EGCG. This compound is an androgen antagonist that can inhibit androgen receptors and 5-alpha reductase.

- Fenugreek — Fenugreek is an herb that has most commonly been used to promote sex drive and maintain healthy blood sugar metabolism, but it may also help to reduce DHT by blocking 5-alpha reductase.

- Soy — Your favorite meat and dairy substitute, soy contains a variety of components that inhibit 5-alpha reductase, including biochanin A, equol, and genistein.

Topical DHT Blockers

These ingredients mainly work in the form of oral supplements, but there are also some ingredients that work best topically directly on the scalp to block DHT while also nourishing the scalp with vitamins, minerals, and moisturization. For topical DHT blockers, look for:

- Lavender oil

- Tea tree oil

- Caffeine

- Ketoconazole

To get the best results, combine oral supplements and topical DHT blockers in your form of choice, most preferably shampoo, conditioner, or spray.

Hair loss can have a real effect on how you view yourself. If you want to begin the road to healthy hair growth, consider trying DHT blocking and hair growth supplements.

Sources:

- https://drformulas.com/blogs/news/best-natural-dht-blockers

- https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-and-scalp-problems/hair-loss#causes

- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/68082.php

- https://www.healthywomen.org/condition/androgen