Hair Loss Prevention: 21 Tips to Try

Have you been told hair loss is something you can’t stop or prevent — that you just have to accept it if it’s your genetic destiny? Well, you’ve been lied to. That’s right. In many cases, hair loss prevention is possible.

Shedding extra hair is never fun, but it is pretty common. An estimated half of men are affected by some form of hair loss by age 50.

And while some guys can rock the hell out of a bald head, others might prefer to hold onto their hair as long as possible.

The good news is that, with the right treatment, you may be able to prevent — and even stop — hair loss. Sometimes, you can even regrow hair you thought you lost for good.

If you’re curious about how to prevent hair loss in men, you’re in the right place. Below, we’ll cover actionable tips for preventing hair loss and promoting healthy hair growth.

Before we share our top tips on how to stop losing hair, let’s have a quick refresher on hair loss — specifically, why hair loss happens.

If you’ve noticed a few too many strands in your comb or some thinning hair here and there, a number of things could be to blame.

In men, the most common form of hair loss is known as androgenetic alopecia or androgenic alopecia. It’s more commonly called male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness.

This form of genetic hair loss occurs because of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone produced naturally in your body.

Androgenetic alopecia can cause a receding hairline or thinning on the crown of your head. If left untreated, this could expand to full-on baldness, with a small amount of hair left around the back and sides of your scalp.

Although androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss, it’s not the only cause.

Other types of hair loss include:

• Telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium is a temporary form of hair shedding triggered by stress, infections, hormonal changes or vitamin deficiencies.

• Alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the hair follicles, often leading to cicatricial alopecia — a permanent form of hair loss.

• Tinea capitis. Tinea capitis is a fungal infection that develops on the scalp, making hair fall out.

You might also experience hair loss as a side effect of certain medications.

These issues can affect the natural hair growth cycle, which may stop hairs from growing normally.

In other words, lots of issues can cause excessive hair loss — and it can happen to men at any age. That’s why you’re smart to take a multi-pronged approach to preventing hair loss.

Since there’s no single cause of hair loss, there’s no single way to prevent it.

So, we recommend taking a wide variety of actions to prevent different types of hair loss. Positive lifestyle changes, healthy hair care habits and certain treatments can help prevent hair loss — and, in some cases, help regrow hair.

These are our top tips for preventing hair loss.

1. Treat Hair Loss as Soon as You Can

When it comes to hair loss, prevention is better than cure.

The earlier you start to treat it, the more likely you’ll be able to prevent it from getting worse — and maybe even stimulate new growth from your hair follicles.

As soon as you notice the early signs of hair loss, make an appointment with a healthcare provider. They can assess the type of hair loss you’re experiencing and come up with a treatment plan.

Early treatment can prevent further hair loss, keeping your hair looking thick and healthy for as long as possible.

2. Eat Nutritious Foods

Healthy hair starts with a healthy diet. Hair is primarily made of protein filaments called keratin, so protein is essential to any hair-healthy meal plan.

Try to eat healthy protein sources like poultry and fish. Besides protein, many types of fish are also full of omega-3 fatty acids, which may play an additional role in supporting hair health.

You should also eat plenty of complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, along with fruits and vegetables.

Our list of foods to eat for hair growth has specific ingredients to consider adding to your meals to avoid nutritional deficiencies that may affect hair health.

3. Try Supplements or Vitamins to Prevent Hair Loss

Vitamins won’t stop male pattern baldness because it’s caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. But nutrient deficiencies can cause another type of hair loss if they go untreated for a while.

Generally, the best way to avoid vitamin deficiencies that may affect your hair is to eat healthy, balanced meals.

But if you struggle to eat healthily or have a vitamin deficiency, a hair loss supplement can help.

Consider the following supplements:

• Iron

• Selenium

• Vitamin A

• Vitamin B

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

• Zinc

You’ll find that many hair growth supplements contain biotin, a form of vitamin B7. Biotin deficiency can sometimes lead to temporary hair loss.

Not sure where to start? Our biotin gummy vitamins contain a mix of vitamins to support thick hair, healthier skin and strong nails, as well as improved overall well-being.

4. Avoid Crash Dieting

Your body needs nutrients to grow hair, so severely restricting your food intake can spell disaster for your hairline.

Sudden weight loss could lead to excess shedding. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes that losing 20 pounds is a stressor that can result in hair loss.

If you’d like to lose weight, it’s important to do so in a healthy way and under the guidance of a medical professional. Small tweaks to your meals and daily routine can be far more sustainable and healthy than fad dieting.

5. Take Time to Relieve Stress

Severe stress can trigger telogen effluvium — that’s the temporary form of hair loss we mentioned. This can include chronic stress, as well as significantly traumatic events, like a near-death experience or the loss of a loved one.

You can’t always avoid stress and trauma altogether. But the right tools can help you manage it and give your mind, body and hair follicles a break.

Take time to explore relaxation techniques to see what works for you. You could try activities like:

• Mindfulness meditation

• Breathing exercises

• Journaling

• Exercising

• Yoga

• Spending time with loved ones

• Relaxing or walking in nature

If you often feel stressed, think about the things that trigger stress in your life and note how your body responds. When you notice that reaction, step back and give yourself a little time to unwind.

6. Seek Professional Mental Health Care

If psychological stress is a severe and ongoing issue, you might want to talk to your healthcare provider about counseling.

Since stress can have a negative impact on all aspects of your mental and physical health, seeing a therapist isn’t just an investment in your hairline — it’s an investment in your overall well-being and quality of life.

7. Keep Your Hair and Scalp Clean

A healthy scalp equals healthy hair.

There’s a misconception that hair shedding is either caused (or made worse) by washing your hair.

In reality, washing your hair doesn’t cause hair loss. In fact, keeping your hair and scalp clean is actually helpful for protecting against hair loss by preventing common skin conditions that can affect hair growth.

At the same time, you’ll want to avoid overdoing damaging hair treatments — think harsh chemicals, perms and dyes. This can cause hair breakage and affect your scalp health.

8. Treat Dandruff ASAP

Although dandruff doesn’t cause hair loss itself, an itchy scalp can cause incessant scratching.

Scratching your scalp — especially if you’re left with damaged tissue and open wounds — can make you more prone to infections. These infections can, in turn, affect your hair follicles.

Plus, dandruff might be more apparent if you have noticeable hair thinning or bald patches.

To keep your scalp clear, use quality dandruff treatments. Our dandruff detox shampoo contains pyrithione zinc and salicylic acid to keep flakes at bay and promote a healthy scalp.

9. Avoid Tight, Restrictive Hairstyles

Believe it or not, your hairstyle could be contributing to hair loss by pulling on your hair follicles and causing a condition known as traction alopecia.

As mentioned earlier, this type of hair loss happens when your hair follicles are physically damaged from continuous tension. Think tight ponytails, man-buns, braids or cornrows. This pulls on the follicles, causing the loss of hair.

If you’ve noticed your hair thinning in areas placed under pressure because of a tight hairstyle, try to give your follicles a break with gentler grooming methods.

10. Dry Your Hair Gently

Okay, using a hair dryer doesn’t necessarily lead to hair loss.

But certain hair-drying habits can contribute to hair breakage, damage your scalp and put stress on your follicles, according to the AAD.

For example, you should avoid:

• Brushing your hair when it’s wet (that’s when it’s weakest)

• Holding a hair dryer too close to your scalp

• Vigorously rubbing your hair with a towel

Wanna elevate your hair care routine? Our full list of hair care tips for men shares simple habits you can use to avoid damage and keep your hair healthy.

11. Sleep On a Satin or Silk Pillowcase

Replacing your usual pillowcase with a satin or silk pillowcase can work wonders for your hair.

Since these fabrics are so smooth, they create less friction against your hair. Friction can cause hair breakage — not to mention frizz and tangles — so it’s best to avoid it as much as possible.

What’s more, satin is less drying than cotton. If you struggle with dry hair, a satin pillowcase might help it stay hydrated longer.

Incidentally, satin and silk pillowcases can also be great for your skin — and they often feel cooler and more comfortable than other fabrics.

12. Massage Your Scalp

Though there are many steps you can take to keep your scalp healthy, regular head massages are by far the most pleasurable.

There’s fairly limited research showing that scalp massages can actually speed up hair growth. But one study found that daily four-minute head massages increased hair thickness.

In another 2019 study, people were given scalp massages for 11 to 20 minutes a day. After 36.3 hours of scalp massage, the average participant experienced hair regrowth and reduced hair shedding.

As nice as daily 20-minute massages sound, let’s be real — who has time for that?

Still, given that scalp massage is relaxing (and free, if you do it yourself), it might be worth adding to your regular hair care routine.

13. Use Natural Oils

Each hair follicle on your head is connected to a sebaceous gland that produces a nourishing, moisturizing oil called sebum.

Sebum is critical for scalp health, as it plays a key role in protecting your skin from germs.

If your sebaceous glands don’t release enough oil, or if you wash your hair too much, your scalp could become dry — potentially leading to hair breakage.

The following oils have been linked to healthier hair:

• Sunflower oil

• Castor oil

• Pumpkin seed oil

• Argan oil

Not all these oils have been proven to improve hair growth or prevent hair loss. However, all can be used to keep your hair and scalp moisturized, thus reducing hair damage.

Our guide to what natural oils are good for hair growth goes into more detail about those worth adding to your routine, either as a natural treatment for hair loss or to promote better hair health.

14. Lather Up With Saw Palmetto Shampoo

As mentioned before, DHT is a male hormone that affects the hair follicles, leading to male pattern baldness.

According to research, a plant extract called saw palmetto seems to reduce how much DHT hair follicles make. For this reason, many people use saw palmetto for hair loss.

Using a hair loss shampoo with saw palmetto and other beneficial ingredients might help prevent hair loss.

Our hair thickening shampoo contains saw palmetto to target DHT while promoting volume and moisture.

15. Try Essential Oils for Hair Growth

Certain essential oils for hair — oils sourced from plant extracts — have even been linked to small improvements in hair growth. These include rosemary oil, peppermint oil and tea tree oil.

Many essential oils are used as active ingredients in hair care products, such as shampoos and conditioners.

Effectiveness can vary hugely, with some botanical oils linked to modest improvements in hair growth and others showing little or no benefit.

Essential oils can be highly concentrated, and in some cases, irritate the skin. You might want to dilute them or do a patch test on your inner elbow before applying them to your scalp.

16. Get Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

The vampires are onto something.

A fairly new hair loss treatment, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, uses your own blood to boost hair growth.

With PRP, your blood is drawn and separated into components, including platelets, which contain growth factors. These growth factors are crucial for healing wounds and producing healthy, functioning tissue.

According to the AAD, PRP can slow down hair loss.

But it can be pretty costly, and you’ll need multiple treatments. So be sure to budget wisely before trying platelet-rich plasma therapy.

17. Consider Laser Therapy

Another new-ish hair loss treatment is laser therapy (sometimes called low-level laser therapy or LLLT).

During this treatment, low-level lasers stimulate hair growth by boosting scalp circulation. Increased blood flow means the follicles get the nutrients they need to produce new hair cells.

Depending on your preferences, you can go for laser hair growth treatments with a professional or use a laser hair growth cap at home. But be warned — both options can be pricey.

18. Treat Underlying Medical Conditions

Sometimes, hair loss is a flare signal your body sends out when it needs a little extra TLC.

Quite a few illnesses cause hair loss, including:

• Autoimmune diseases

• Diabetes

• Iron deficiencies

• Skin conditions and infections

• Thyroid conditions (including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism)

A healthcare provider might suggest blood tests to check for vitamin deficiencies and underlying medical conditions.

In certain cases, using the necessary medical treatments – say, with thyroid medication or iron supplements — can help restore hair growth.

If you have a skin infection, you may need to see a dermatologist to explore treatment options.

19. Use Finasteride Medication

If you’re losing hair due to male pattern baldness, your healthcare provider will likely prescribe finasteride, a daily tablet used to prevent hair loss in men.

Also known by the brand name Propecia®, finasteride is an FDA-approved treatment. It works by reducing DHT levels throughout the body, protecting hair from the damaging effects of this hormone and slowing down hair loss.

Finasteride is a prescription-only medication. We offer finasteride as part of our range of men’s hair loss treatments, following a consultation with a healthcare professional.

20. …or Minoxidil

Like finasteride, minoxidil is an FDA-approved hair loss treatment with plenty of evidence backing its efficacy. Minoxidil is the active ingredient in Rogaine® and a number of other brand-name treatments.

This topical treatment prevents hair loss by improving blood flow to your scalp and moving follicles into the anagen phase (or growth phase) of the hair growth cycle.

One major benefit of minoxidil is that it can be used to treat many types of hair loss, not just male pattern baldness.

Another positive? It’s an over-the-counter treatment, so you don’t need a prescription to access it.

We offer minoxidil foam and minoxidil liquid solution, both of which can help slow down hair loss.

21. …or a Combination of Finasteride and Minoxidil

The great thing about minoxidil and finasteride? They can be combined to deal a double-blow to hair loss.

When it comes to treating male pattern baldness, using finasteride and minoxidil together can provide even better results than using either alone.

A promising study found that 94.1 percent of men with male pattern hair loss showed more hair growth when taking a combo of finasteride and minoxidil than just one or the other.

Wanna double down on your efforts to stop hair loss? You can use oral finasteride while applying minoxidil topically, or try our convenient topical finasteride & minoxidil spray.

Hair loss is a common issue affecting men of all ages, but it doesn’t have to be something you’re forced to live with. There are ways to prevent hair loss.

Here’s what to remember about hair loss prevention:

• Healthy habits are an excellent start. Eating whole foods, managing underlying health conditions and coping with stress are great for your overall well-being — and they can benefit your hairline.

• Medical treatment options are available. FDA-approved medications like finasteride and minoxidil are proven to slow down hair loss. You can also use a combo of finasteride and minoxidil.

• Early intervention is your best bet. The earlier you get help, the better. You can’t always regrow lost hair, so it’s important to slow down and prevent hair growth ASAP.

Hair loss prevention starts with understanding the cause. Once you know what’s causing your hair loss, you’ll be in a better position to get the treatment you need.

If you’re concerned about the amount of shedding you’re experiencing, or if you’ve noticed a receding hairline or bald spot in the mirror, talk to a healthcare provider about your options. There are even more remedies than those we listed, like testosterone injections for hair loss.

Wanna get help from the comfort of your own home? Complete an online consultation and we’ll connect you with an expert. From there, you can get the treatment you need.