Going Bald - Our hair actually acts as a "buffer", protecting us from the environment,
assisting in the dissipation of body heat (to keep our temperature normal) and helps act as a barricade against infection.
Evidence suggests that hair loss may be mainly caused by dihydrotestosterone, or DHT; a potent hormone that is closely related to testosterone. Body hair normally emerges from tiny pockets of follicles embedded in the skins epidermal layer. When you are born, you have about 100,000 scalp follicles.
This number generally remains constant throughout your lifetime. If you are genetically predisposed to thinning hair or baldness (androgenetic alopecia, or AGA), however, DHT kills the scalp follicles and they produce short, fine, non-pigmented (white) hair, if any, instead of the normal long, thick, strands of your natural hair color. About 50% of people, both men and women, will experience AGA by the time they reach the age of 50.
It is possible to treat the damaged hair follicles. According to a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the prescription drug Finasteride may slow or reverse follicle shrinkage by blocking an enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT. However, it does have some undesirable side effects.
Women who are or may become pregnant should not even touch the drug because it can cause deformities in male fetuses. In men, finasteride has been known to cause decreased libido and erectile dysfunction.
Surgery, including hair grafts and scalp reduction are more drastic alternatives. Clearly the use of natural substances would be of extreme benefit to both men and women.