How to Reduce DHT and Prevent Hair Loss Naturally

Get More Lycopene

Lycopene is a naturally-occurring DHT blocker that works by reducing DHT in your body. It does this by restricting 5α-reductase from converting testosterone to DHT.

The easiest way to incorporate it into your diet is through tomatoes. While you may be tempted to eat more salads to incorporate tomatoes into your diet, don’t. Lycopene is best absorbed with cooked tomatoes. This means that you’ll be better off choosing pasta and curries over salads.

There are other food items that contain lycopene too. These include carrots, mangoes, and watermelons. If you like your salads, then these options would be far more suitable than tomatoes.

Eat More Zinc Containing Foods

Zinc is a DHT blocker that works in the same way as lycopene, i.e. restricting the function of 5α-reductase. It is such an excellent DHT blocker that you’ll find multiple hair products in the market with zinc on their list of ingredients.

A wide variety of food items contain zinc including meat, legumes, seeds, wholegrains, nuts, eggs, and even dairy. However, all of them have very small amounts of zinc. As a result, you may also want to consider zinc supplements.

Consume More L-Lysine

L-Lysine is a DHT blocker that works very differently from other DHT blockers. Instead of restricting 5α-reductase from converting testosterone to DHT or preventing DHT from binding with hair follicle receptors, it boosts the effectiveness of DHT blockers that are found naturally in our bodies.

Therefore, in a way, L-Lysine makes our bodies better able to deal with the side effects of excess DHT. Nuts of various types are the best sources of L-Lysine. These include walnuts, peanuts, almonds, and pecans, amongst others.

Manage Your Caffeine Intake

When it comes to reducing DHT, caffeine can be very helpful too. It is known to restrict the interaction between DHT and hair follicle receptors. One study even found the impact of caffeine as a DHT blocker being similar to minoxidil.

In fact, the study linked above showed that a 0.2% caffeine solution offers benefits comparable to what a 5% minoxidil solution delivers. However, caffeine’s benefits against hair loss don’t stop there. It is also proven to help hair growth in various ways.

However, the problem with using caffeine to reduce the effects of DHT is that you have to be very careful about quantities. While studies have shown that caffeine counteracts the effects of DHT, other studies have found that too much caffeine can actually boost hair loss instead of slowing hair loss.

Too much caffeine in the body can lead to dehydration and hormonal imbalances that can affect hair growth adversely. What’s worse is that it is impossible to determine how much caffeine you should have and how much you shouldn’t.

However, if you need to have a definite target, we believe that a couple of cups of caffeine-containing beverages wouldn’t lead to the side effects. You can try coffee, of course, but it is better to choose whole leaf teas such as green tea or black tea.

Whole leaf teas contain not only caffeine in its natural form but also various antioxidants that help against free radical damage in the body. Free radicals can also cause hair loss, so whole leaf teas offer a double benefit.

Avoid Sugar

Sugar doesn’t only make drinks and foods amazingly yummy, but it is also very addictive. Unfortunately, most Americans are victim of the addictive property of sugar.

High consumption of sugar, whether in the form of excessively processed drinks or through white foodstuffs, can result in a condition called insulin resistance. As the name suggests, insulin resistance describes a situation where our bodies become resistant to insulin.

The bodies’ response to this is to ramp up the production of insulin, which further fuels insulin resistance. Therefore, insulin resistance increases to a point where the body losesits ability to manage blood sugar levels altogether. Insulin resistance, when unchecked, leads directly to diabetes.

However, before that stage comes, insulin resistance causes our hair follicles to become increasingly sensitive to DHT. This association is a scientificallyproven fact. One study even found a direct correlation between insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and male pattern baldness.

Therefore, one of the easiest ways of reducing DHT, if you can resist the addictive nature of sugar that is, is to give up sugary drinks and white foods. You can simply replace sugary drinks with plain water and white foods like rice, bread, pasta, and cereals with unprocessed whole grains.

Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto is a naturally occurring DHT blocker that is scientifically proven to reduce hair loss caused by excess DHT in the scalp. Multiple studies have been conducted to explore the relationship between saw palmetto, DHT, and male pattern baldness.

One clinical trial correlated the use of saw palmetto directly with an improvement of 35 percentin hair growth. Another more elaborate study found that dietary intake of saw palmetto can be very effective in reducing DHT.

In the second study, participants were split into five groups. The first used a saw palmetto-based lotion, the second used a placebo lotion (without saw palmetto), the third used only a saw palmetto supplement, the fourth only used a placebo (no saw palmetto) dietary supplement, and the fifth used saw palmetto lotion and supplement both.

The group that used both the saw palmetto lotion and the supplement was found to have 50 percent more hair than other groups. Further, groups receiving saw palmetto in either its lotion or supplement form showed 20 to 30 percent improvement in hair growth.

Saw palmetto works against DHT by countering the effects of 5α-reductase. As a result, it slows down the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Estimates suggest that approximately 320mg of saw palmetto per day is enough to boost hair growth.

While its effects take much longer to become evident than artificial DHT blockers, it offers other benefits over the latter. The first is that it is a natural option while the other is that it is significantly cheaper than manmade DHT blockers.

Pumpkin Seed Oil

Pumpkin seeds work against DHT in the same manner as saw palmetto, i.e. by restricting 5α-reductase. They contain a steroid called delta-7 stearine that is responsible for its benefits.

While saw palmetto has a human clinical trial backing its efficacy, pumpkin seed oil is only supported by a study on rats. At the same time, though, pumpkin seed oil has far more anecdotal backing than saw palmetto. After all, it was used by ancient civilizations for dealing with hair loss and is a regular ingredient in alternative medicine.

In fact, it is also licensed as a treatment in the United States of America and Germany for prostate-related disorders. Since most prostate related problems are caused by excess DHT in the body, this can be seen as proof of pumpkin seeds’ DHT reducing properties.

The best way to reduce DHT with pumpkin seeds is to take an oral pumpkin seed oil supplement. It is also possible to incorporate whole pumpkin seeds into your diet by frying and flavoring them as snacks.

However, you’ll have to consume a lot of pumpkin seeds to get the amount of oil you need to counter the effects of DHT. Therefore, we recommend using supplements instead.

Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettle can also be used to reduce DHT. Like the previous two supplements mentioned above, stinging nettle also works by preventing 5α-reductase from converting testosterone to DHT. Stinging nettle’s efficacy against hair loss hasn’t been tested scientifically yet.

However, its effectiveness against 5α-reductase has already been proven, which is why we recommend stinging nettle supplements. Its effectiveness against 5α-reductase was proven in a study that focused on stinging nettle’s ameliorative effects against Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Since the main culprit behind Prostatic Hyperplasia is 5α-reductase, stinging nettle’s restricting effect against 5α-reductase is a scientifically proven fact.

Reduce Allergic Breakouts

Because modern society relies so heavily on processed foods, instances of allergic reactions, whether severe or minor, have gone up in recent decades. The most common allergic reactions are well-documented, ranging from skin breakouts to respiratory problems.

In fact, this is exactly what people imagine when it comes to allergies. However, these reactions are only the tip of the iceberg. What happens when the reaction isn’t so severe, i.e. your immune system hasn’t been completely compromised by the allergen in question?

The reaction is minor, namely an increased sensitivity to certain substances rather than a full-blown reaction. It is possible that you’ve been allergic to some substance, but haven’t realized it because the symptoms aren’t very strong or visible.

It is even possible that the symptom you’ve experienced is an increased sensitivity to DHT. Further, it is possible that the increased sensitivity you’ve experienced is delayed.

Delayed allergic reactions and increased sensitivities are real and very common in the masses. It’s just that most of us don’t realize what our bodies are going through.

The biggest problem with these kinds of reactions is that they’re hard to connect to the source of the problem, i.e. the food item. The only real way is to experiment with your regular diet.

To do this, you’ll have to keep a list of all the food items you normally eat and then start eliminating from your diet in two-week gaps. You’ll, of course, have to observe the impact on your hair and general body health as you do this too.

While tedious, this self-experiment is likely to not only reduce DHT in your scalp or reduce your sensitivity to it but also improve your overall health. People who have conducted this experiment on themselves have come out fitter, happier, and more content on the other side.

Do More Cardio

Virtually, every hair loss expert will tell you to exercise to slow down hair loss and increase hair growth. However, what most of them will forget to tell you is that the type of exercise you do is important if you want to reduce DHT.

There are two types of exercise regimes you can follow – weight training and cardiovascular training. In weight training, you will be lifting heavy weights to build muscle mass. Cardiovascular training, on the other hand, is about building stamina and agility instead of muscle development.

When it comes to DHT production in the body, these two types of fitness training are diametrically opposite. Weight training causes DHT and testosterone to spike, while cardiovascular training causes it to dip.

The reason is simple. To build muscle, the body needs testosterone and DHT. Therefore, when you do exercises designed to build muscle, you’re telling your body to produce more DHT.

In contrast, to burn fat or maintain existing muscles, the body needs to reduce DHT and focus on producing other hormones instead. Therefore, when you do cardiovascular exercises, you’re telling your body to reduce DHT production.

One of the best types of cardiovascular training regimes you can follow to reduce DHT is called HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training. In HIIT, the objective is to have extended periods of intense cardiovascular exercises interspersed with short breaks to catch your breath. A good example of HIIT would be a series of sprints with a few seconds of rest in the middle.

While it has a direct impact on DHT, cardiovascular exercises indirectly contribute towards reducing DHT too. The following are their indirect benefits:

1. Circulation: Exercises, especially cardiovascular exercises, increase circulation in the body. This includes circulation in the scalp. As a result, more nutrients reach the hair follicles in the scalp. This makes them stronger and more resilient. Over time, increased blood circulation will also revive dormant hair follicles. Better circulation also boosts quick removal of toxins and better distribution of DHT inside the body. As a result, there is no accumulation of harmful toxins or excess DHT in the scalp.
2. Stress: It is a well-established fact that stress results in increased release of cortisol in the body. This can directly boost the production of DHT. In contrast, exercise is proven to relieve stress because it causes more production of serotonin, a happy hormone. Serotonin is the direct counter to cortisol and, hence, DHT.
3. Protein Production: Exercise causes our bodies to go into overdrive. It forces every internal system to not only activate but also operate to its optimal levels. As a result, the rate at which new cells are produced in the body increase considerably. In fact, exercises bring a special focus on protein production in the body. Since hair is made up of a type of protein, exercising can counter hair loss and boost hair growth.

Find Ways to De-Stress

Stress increases the rate of hair fall as a study conducted in 2017 showed. In that study, researchers observed young women under stress because of a major exam and compared their findings with women not under the same scenario.

Therefore, de-stressing is one of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing DHT in your body. Apart from exercising which we’ve explored above, there are several other ways of reducing stress in your life.

The obvious method is to remove yourself from stressful situations, whether it is specific family dynamics or job-related challenges. However, since everyone doesn’t have the option of extricating themselves from stressful situations, reducing stress can also be helpful.

You can try taking up a sport, seek out more downtime at work, or even take more vacations. On a day to day basis, you can explore massages and other relaxing disciplines such as aromatherapy. Yoga is especially helpful in such scenarios since it combines relaxation with exercise.

Quit Smoking and Reduce Drinking

Drinking and smoking both cause an increase in DHT levels. Therefore, quitting smoking and reducing drinking can both have a positive impact on your efforts to reduce DHT in your body.

Statistically, testosterone and DHT levels have been found to be much higher in people who smoke, as explained in this study. Drinking alcohol boosts the production of DHT in indirect ways.

Instead of directly causing an increase in DHT, alcohol boosts those conditions in the body that cause DHT to increase. For instance, alcohol consumption is closely associated with incredibly unstable blood sugar levels.

This, as explained above, causes insulin resistance, which, in turn, results in higher DHT production as well as increased DHT sensitivity. Similarly, heavy alcohol consumption disrupts sleep and rest cycles. Lack of sleep and rest can result in increased stress levels, which, in turn, boost DHT production.

Shampoos

The vast majority of DHT blockers we’ve mentioned on this page such as caffeine, zinc, saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, and stinging nettle can also be found in shampoos.

In fact, you’ll find multiple brands touting multiple products containing many of these ingredients and nutrients. These DHT blocking shampoos can be the perfect companion for your dietary and lifestyle-based efforts towards reducing DHT in your body.

Since hair loss is such a big concern for all of us here, we’ve studied many of these shampoos in details. As a result, we’ve found three that stand out.

The best of the three we’ve found is the PURA D’OR Original Gold Label Anti-Thinning Shampoo. This shampoo is truly exceptional when it comes to countering hair loss mainly because it is so effective at blocking DHT.

This shampoo’s anti-DHT action is not just great but excellent because it contains multiple DHT blockers. If you go through its ingredients list, you’ll find ingredients like nettle extract, pumpkin seed, saw palmetto, cedarwood, rosemary, Pygeum Bark, and even green tea.

These ingredients combine to make this one of the most potent DHT blocking shampoos available in the market today. However, this shampoo is great to use even if you ignore its DHT blocking properties.

It has multiple other benefits, such as promoting hair growth and countering dandruff. On top of this, this product offers everything you’ll ever need from a shampoo including the absence of artificial substances such as sulfates and parabens, a great tingling sensation, a superb smell, and even a lot of lather.

The problem with the PURA D’OR shampoo is that it falls in the mid-level price range. If you cannot spend so much, however, you can always consider the Biotin Shampoo for Hair Growth from Maple Holistics, which is one of the cheapest anti-DHT shampoo available in the market.

This shampoo’s anti-DHT properties come from its zinc content. Like the PURA D’OR shampoo, this one can also boost hair growth, smells nice, lathers well, and doesn’t contain parabens or sulfates. However, it isn’t as great for extra-sensitive people because it is too strong. Its strength, though, makes it a very effective cleanser.

In the premium market segment, our pick of the available options is Laritelle Organic Shampoo. Laritelle is a top-class anti-DHT shampoo that only contains ingredients that are certified organic by the authorities.

It is incredibly effective at countering hair loss and equally excellent at boosting hair growth. It gets it anti-DHT powers from multiple ingredients such as jojoba oil with its zinc content, rosemary oil, and cedarwood.

In terms of hair growth, this shampoo is so good because it offers benefits from ingredients such as argan oil, lemongrass, peppermint, and silk proteins.

Additionally, this shampoo has a unique woody smell and is completely organic. However, this means that it doesn’t lather so well. Since it is positioned in the premium segment, it is very much on the expensive side of things.

Hair Conditioners

Just like shampoos, you can use conditioners to supplement your efforts to reduce DHT. However, unlike shampoos, conditioners tend to be on the lighter side when it comes to their anti-DHT properties.

This happens because conditioners’ primary mandate is to moisturize the hair gently and many DHT blockers tend to be a little harsh. However, all this just means that the anti-DHT powers of conditioners are not as strong as those of shampoos.

If you’re making dietary and lifestyle-based changes along with using anti-DHT shampoos, then adding anti-DHT conditioners into the mix will only make the entire effort more likely to succeed. When it comes to anti-DHT conditioners, our favorite is the Pure Biology Premium Hair Growth Conditioner.

This conditioner will be extremely effective in supporting your anti-hair loss and hair growth endeavors since it contains the patented procapil blend of ingredients along with the hugely beneficial biotin. Additionally, it even offers protein in the form of keratin.

This conditioner’s anti-DHT properties are a result of the fact that it contains rosemary oil. In terms of its primary objective, i.e. moisturization, this conditioner is unbeatable. It contains ingredients like coconut oil, argan oil, and multiple vitamins to perform this task.

As its name suggests, though, it is definitely a premium-class conditioner, which means it is incredibly expensive. Therefore, it may not suit everyone’s financial capacity.

In case you want a pocket-friendly anti-DHT conditioner, then we suggest looking at ArtNaturals Argan Hair Growth Conditioner. It contains two of the strongest DHT blockers in the form of green tea and caffeine. Since it contains argan oil, keratin, and biotin too, it also manages to encourage hair growth in addition to blocking DHT.

Further, this is a hypoallergenic conditioner that has a distinct argan oil smell. It is free of parabens and sulfates both, but it is very strong when it comes to conditioning hair. This makes it unsuitable for people whose hair is already very oily.

Another great anti-DHT conditioner option that falls between these two in terms of cost is the Paisle Botanics re:line Biotin Hair Growth Conditioner. This conditioner is based on saw palmetto’s anti-DHT properties, which means that it is very strong against DHT.

It does well when it comes to moisturizing the hair as it contains coconut oil and castor oil. It nourishes hair too since it incorporates both biotin and keratin into the formula. This conditioner is best used in conjunction with the re:line hair growth shampoo as both of them have been developed to complement each other.

Styling Products

The more you introduce DHT blockers into your system, the more likely you’ll be to reduce DHT. To this end, we also think that you should start using styling products that contain DHT blockers.

After all, when you put gel or pomade in your hair, it stays there for the rest of the day. The time such styling products stay in your hair makes them ideal carriers for DHT blockers.

The best styling gel we’ve found that can also block DHT from ruining your perfect look is Nourish Beaute Hair Regrowth Treatment. This product is based on a patented blend of botanical ingredients called Redensyl.

Redensyl helps people with thinning hair in multiple ways. One of these ways is that it blocks DHT from forcing hair follicles into dormancy. Additionally, it contains jojoba whose zinc content supports Redensyl’s anti-DHT properties.

This gel also offers significant nourishment to hair since it contains silk amino acids, caviar, and tea tree. In fact, it is tremendous when it comes to growing hair. Further, it manages to hold and moisturize hair well through coconut oil, castor oil, and argan oil.

Moreover, this hair gel is completely odorless, so it will suit people with extremely sensitive nosesas well. This gel’s only problems are that it is very expensive and slow acting.

Two much faster and cheaper alternatives are ORS HAIRestore Fertilizing Temple Balm and Strong HairPro Hair Styling Gel. Both these styling gels are very effective against DHT, although the ORS Balm rates better overall.

The ORS Balm’s formula is simplicity itself. It is based on two ingredients which are extremely good DHT blockers. The ingredients this product is based on are nettle leaf and horsetail extract. The presence of these ingredients makes the ORS Balm nothing short of phenomenal when it comes to reducing DHT.

In fact, the ORS product is one of the best styling gels you can use. It manages to stop or at least slow down hair loss in everyone, smells glorious, and even makes the scalp tingle. It is also suitable for all types of hair and is especially a favorite of the African American community.

The Strong HairPro Styling Gel is slightly different in the sense that it relies on three patented blends for its anti-DHT properties in the form of Procapil, Capixyl, and Redensyl.

The approach is different here, but successes are similar. This styling gel is as effective at reducing DHT as any other styling gel, pomade, or wax available in the market.

Also, it contains two other patented blends which boost hair growth. These are Keravis and Phytelene EGX 292. All the patented blends it contains have been developed after elaborate studies and clinical trials. Therefore, their efficacy is beyond debate.

The Strong HairPro gel is also odorless,making it ideal for those of you who don’t want their hair to have a distinct smell. Its greatest flaw is that it doesn’t offer a very strong hold. At the same time, it does tend to last a really long time, though.