Hair — follicle biology & the androgen problem
One of 5 mechanistic pathways to ✨ Skin, hair & aesthetics · 17 options
Male and female pattern loss is DHT miniaturising follicles that are genetically sensitive to it. Two independent levers: reduce the androgen signal, or extend the growth phase regardless of it. They combine well precisely because they are unrelated mechanisms.
Test before you treat, because diffuse shedding and pattern loss have different causes and different fixes. Ferritin under 70 causes shedding in women constantly and is missed because haemoglobin is normal.
FerritinTSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone)Free T3 (Triiodothyronine)Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy)Zinc, RBCTotal & Free DHTTotal Testosterone💇 Hair Panel — Comprehensive covers these in one panel →
What engages this pathway
Ordered by how directly each one acts on the mechanism above — never by how much trial evidence exists. Each links to its full breakdown with dosing, half-life and vendor.
💉 Minoxidil
A potassium-channel opener that prolongs anagen and increases follicular blood flow. Works independently of DHT, which is why it's the standard partner to a 5-AR inhibitor rather than an alternative. Oral low-dose has become common and is genuinely more effective, with a cardiovascular side-effect profile to respect.
💉 Finasteride
Lowers scalp DHT roughly 70%. The most effective single intervention for male pattern loss. Discuss the persistent-side-effect question honestly before starting.
💉 Dutasteride
Over 90% DHT suppression and superior trial results for hair density. Higher side-effect probability and a very long half-life.
💉 RU58841
Topical AR antagonist intended to act only at the follicle. No completed human safety programme exists — the theory is good and the evidence is a research-chemical community.
💉 GHK-Cu (inj/oral)
Copper peptides increase follicle size and stimulate the dermal papilla in animal and cell work — a growth-signal argument entirely separate from androgens.
💉 AHK-Cu
A copper peptide specifically studied for hair, with data on VEGF upregulation at the follicle.
💉 Pal-AHK
The palmitoylated cosmetic form for topical delivery.
💉 Ketoconazole Shampoo
Local anti-androgenic activity plus treatment of the seborrhoeic dermatitis that frequently accompanies and worsens shedding.
💉 Bimatoprost
A prostaglandin analog approved for eyelash growth — it prolongs anagen. Scalp trials have been less impressive than the lash results.
💉 Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17
The peptide in most lash serums, with controlled data for lash density.
🧬 Saw Palmetto
Weak 5-AR inhibition. A small trial showed benefit; nothing like the pharmaceutical effect size.
🧬 Pumpkin Seed Oil
A randomised trial showed improved hair count over 24 weeks in men with androgenetic alopecia — an unexpectedly decent result for a food oil.
🧬 Iron
Low ferritin is a well-documented and very common cause of diffuse hair shedding in women, and it is missed constantly because haemoglobin is normal. Target ferritin above 70 for hair specifically.
🧬 Zinc
Deficiency causes telogen effluvium; correction reverses it.
🧬 Vitamin D
The vitamin D receptor is required for normal hair cycling — mutations cause alopecia. Status correlates with alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.
🧬 Horsetail Extract
Silica source; small trials in combination products show hair-strength benefit.
🧬 Collagen
Amino-acid substrate for keratin. Indirect and slow.
The other 4 routes to skin, hair & aesthetics
Pick the pathway that matches where you are actually stuck. An appetite drug does nothing for someone who already undereats.
Want the protocols behind these?
Dosing schedules, stacking, cycle timing and Coach Cam's notes live inside the Academy — plus the full interactive Vault.
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Frequently asked questions
Male and female pattern loss is DHT miniaturising follicles that are genetically sensitive to it. Two independent levers: reduce the androgen signal, or extend the growth phase regardless of it. They combine well precisely because they are unrelated mechanisms.
17 options are mapped to this pathway in the Vault, including Minoxidil, Finasteride, Dutasteride, RU58841. They are grouped by the mechanism they act through rather than ranked by how much trial evidence exists — 9 carry clinical validation and 7 are mechanistic predictions.
Test before you treat, because diffuse shedding and pattern loss have different causes and different fixes. Ferritin under 70 causes shedding in women constantly and is missed because haemoglobin is normal. The markers worth checking are Ferritin, TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone), Free T3 (Triiodothyronine), Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy).
Unproven is not the same as ineffective. Of the 17 options on this pathway, 9 have clinical validation and 7 are graded theoretical — meaning the mechanism is sound but the specific human trial has not been run, which is true of a great deal of what works in this space. Nothing on this page is ordered by evidence tier, because sorting by trial count would bury the compounds you came looking for.