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Are you looking for something to help you prevent hair loss (and maybe even regrow some hair)? If so, we’re not surprised. After all, two thirds of males experience male pattern baldness before the age of 35. Yes—two out of every three. So, in other words, you’re definitely not alone in your search for a solution to your thinning hair.
As you may or may not already know, hair loss is caused by DHT(dihydrotestosterone), a hormone that can cause hair follicles to become defunct. So if you want to stop hair loss, you have to block that DHT. On your search for DHT blockers, you may’ve come across hair loss shampoo (or anti-hair loss shampoo) that can supposedly stop hair loss. We wanted to know, does it actually work?
On your search for DHT blockers, you may’ve come across hair loss shampoo (or anti-hair loss shampoo) that can supposedly stop hair loss. We wanted to know, does it actually work?
So, we asked our Keeps medical advisors if there’s a hair loss or hair growth stimulating shampoo out there—and here’s what they had to say.
Dr. Jerry Shapiro, leading hair loss dermatologist and Keeps medical advisor, says it depends on what you’re trying to type of hair loss prevention you’re trying to treat.
Hair loss shampoo is only effective “if you have a scalp condition,” such as seborrheic dermatitis (more commonly known as dandruff) or psoriasis, that could be causing hair loss. With those two conditions, Shapiro says, “you might be losing hair due to inflammation, and the shampoo will help reduce that.” It is not, however, an effective hair loss treatment for male pattern baldness.
It is not, however, an effective hair loss treatment for male pattern baldness.
But, you might be wondering, if hair loss shampoo says it can block DHT, why can’t it help with male pattern hair loss? According to Dr. Antonella Tosti, hair disorder expert and Keeps medical advisor, the reason is quite simple.
“Shampoo has a very short period of contact with the scalp and the hair follicle,” Tosti explains. Therefore, it just doesn’t have enough time to stimulate hair growth or prevent hair loss.”
The reason hair loss shampoo, known as ketoconazole, can treat dandruff-induced hair loss, she says, is because “dandruff, is caused by yeast that lives on the scalp. For that, I usually recommend a prescription and an over-the-counter shampoo that contains an anti-fungal agent.”
And for hair loss caused by psoriasis, she prescribes a shampoo that has a topical steroid in it. In these cases, the shampoo acts as a scalp treatment—it remedies the dandruff or psoriasis, swelling decreases, and temporary hair loss ceases (unless you also have male pattern baldness).
The keyword here is “scalp.” Ultimately, “hair loss shampoo doesn’t work if you’re using it to treat male pattern hair loss and have no other underlying conditions,” Dr. Shapiro says. “In addition, there’s no shampoo that’s clinically proven to support hair regrowth.”
“In addition, there’s no shampoo that’s clinically proven to support hair regrowth.”
So, why do some people claim otherwise? There are shampoos that can give the appearance of thicker, fuller hair (here’s more on how those work). Not to mention, taking good care of the hair you do have makes it look healthier, and that’s never a bad thing.
Again, shampoo is not a remedy for male pattern baldness. But the situation isn’t hopeless—we promise. If you’re still looking for something to help with that, we recommend talking to your doctor about the two DHT-blocking products out there that are clinically-proven to work to stop hair loss: [finasteride and minoxidil.
