People are becoming more conscious about the hair. Thin hair and baldness may have negative impact in the professional and personal life. Density of hair on scalp is seen as reflection of level of energy, and the state of health and beauty. It is a major factor for beauty in both men and women of marriageable age. It is known that environment, lifestyle and food habits play a vital role in growth of hair. Among the causes of hair fall in growing adults and young people, “emotional factors & depression” are common these days. Other causative factors like oral contraceptives, steroids, badly formulated hair gels and dyes are also observed.
Homeopathy helps in different types of hair fall, be it androgenic, autoimmune or infectious alopecia. 360° approach is followed to achieve the success. Constitutional and miasmatic drugs are usually given intercurrently. Specific drugs are given as regular doses as the case calls for. Biochemic salts play supportive roles and external application of mother tinctures act as hair nourisher. This article tries to give the drugs used in hair fall based on these approaches.
Constitutional drugs used in hairfall
| Name of the drug | Indication |
| Arsenicum album | Falling of hair with convalescence. Sometimes from skin conditions like eczema, urticaria, herpes zoster, etc. Suitable to persons with fear and mental and physical restlessness. |
| Alumina | Hair falling with excessive dryness, itching and numbness of scalp. Alumina patients are intellectuals but always have doubt on that. |
| Aurum metallicum | Shedding of the hair copiously. Falling of hair from eye lashes. Hair falling due to syphilis and mercury intoxication. They are sanguine, ruddy people black hair and eyes, with suicidal thoughts. |
| Bacillinum | It is usually prescribed as inter-current remedy for alopecia based on trait, past history of lung disease, etc. |
| Barytacarbonica | Hair falling begins from the vertex. Hair fall from the moustache. It suits well to the people of short stature. |
| Calcareacarbonica | Hair dry, falling out from sides and temples down to beard, with yellowish- white dandruff and a cold scalp. Hair falling from tinea capitis. Dryness of hair and sensitiveness of the scalp. Fair, flabby and fat are words to describe them. |
| Kalicarbonicum | Falling of hair, especially from temples, eye brows and beard, with great dryness. These patients are irritable to the very highest degree, full of fear and imaginations when alone, “fear of the future, fear of death, fear of ghosts.” |
| Lachesis | Hair fall during pregnancy with aversion to rays of sun, and sometimes with itching on scalps. Scratching causes swellings and thickening of skin. Sensitive scalp; does not want hair to be touched. |
| Lycopodium | Hair falls out, first on the vertex, later on the temples, especially after diseases of the abdominal viscera and parturition, with hair turning grey early. Alopecia with violent burning, scalding, itching of the scalp. |
| Mercuriussolubilis | Profuse hair fall, perhaps from suppressed anger. Hair becomes dry and falls. Hair falling mostly from temples. |
| Natrum muriaticum | The hair falls out when touched, especially in nursing women. Falling of hair from lack of nutrition. Hair falls out when merely grasped, most on bregma and temples, but also on beard and genitals. |
| Petroleum | Rapid falling of hair. Suited well to the people whose skin is cracked, rough, bleed easily and unhealthy. |
| Phosphorus | Hair falls out in clouds, as bunches. Baldness of single spot. Root, hair and scalp become dry. Hair fall with dandruff and itching worse scratching. Alopecia areata in the frontal region, especially above ears. |
| Pulsatilla | Hair falling after delivery. It is more of constitutional than specific. |
| Sepia | Hair fall after pregnancy, chronic headache and climacteric. More suitable to weak women with yellow complexion, bearing down sensation and tendency to abortion. |
| Silicea | Scalp sensitive to touch, even to hat; resulting in tearing pains. Premature baldness. Hair falls when combed. |
| Sulphur | Hair falling with dry, cold and hard scalp, worse washing. scalp sore to touch, itching violently, worse in the evening, when getting warm in bed. Alopecia with dandruff. |
| Syphilinum | More suited to the people of syphilitic nature; usually prescribed based on miasmatic presentation of the patient. Profuse hair fall, in spots, with white scaly dandruff and dry scalp. |
| Thujaoccidentalis | Thin hair, grows slowly, splits and falls off. White scaly dandruff. Needless to mention that it is for sycotic people. |
Specific drugs for hairfall
| Name of the drug | Indication |
| Acidumfluoricum | Alopecia with great dryness of hair and soft nails. Falling out of hair after fevers. Children with a tendency to patchy bald areas, without a definite skin disease. But it is patchy areas of thinning of the hair rather than actual baldness. |
| Acidumnitricum | Alopecia from congestion of blood to the scalp. Falling of hair from the genitals. |
| Acidumphosphoricum | Hair turns grey and falls out early in life. Hair fall from grief, general debility. |
| Apismellifica | Hair falls out in spots with burning and stinging pain in the scalp. |
| Arundomauritanica | Falling of hair with painful root. Itching of scalp. Entire hair falls out in children. |
| Borax | Hair fall mainly from the eye brows. Hair fall associated with plica polonica (tangled hair). |
| Carbo vegetabilis | Hair falls after illness after pregnancy (Lachesis & Sepia). Alopecia from general weakened condition. |
| Graphites | Hair of vertex, sides and beard turns grey early and falls out, with matted and brittle hair. Bald patches at the beard and chin. |
| Heparsulphuris | Hair falls in large quantity. Falling of the hair and bald spots in various places on the head, with sore pimples; sometimes from chronic headache. |
| Kaliumsulphuricum | Falling out of the hair, of bald spots. Yellowish or white scales on the scalp with hair falling, with dry and scaly lips. Hair falls out easily when combing. |
| Mancinella | Hair falling after severe acute diseases with itching of the scalp. |
| Mezerium | Hair falls in handfuls with white dandruff and dry scalp. |
| Selenium metallicum | Hair falling on combing. Hair falls off from on head, eyebrows, whiskers and genitals. |
| Vinca minor | Hair falls out and is replaced by grey hair. Falling of the hair with great itching of the scalp. Eczema of scalp and face, matted hair and offensive odour. A crust is formed, the discharge is retained underneath and causes the hair to fall out or to mat together, forming the plica polonica. |
Supportive biochemic salts for hairfall
| Kaliumsulphuricum | Falling out of the hair, of bald spots. Yellowish or white scales on the scalp with hair falling, with dry and scaly lips. Hair falls out easily when combing. It assists in distributing oxygen throughout the body to restore the system. |
| Calcareaphosphorica | Alopecia areata. Hair fall in patients with hair of poor quality. Hair breaks out. |
| Natrum muriaticum | A fluid regulator with proportions of principle elements needed for healthy blood. |
| Silicea | Promotes thick hair growth by stimulating the hair follicles, treating dandruff, retarding split ends, and improves hair luster. |
Drugs for external application
| Acidumsalicylicum 1x | Used externally as not more than 5% solution to treat hair falling and dandruff. |
| Arnica montanaf | It has repute for years as a means of stopping the falling of the hair. It produces an extraordinary growth of hair when used locally. |
| Berberisaquifoliumf | Externally useful in cases of hair fall due to fungal and bacterial infection. |
| Cantharis f | Hair falls out in bunches, spots when combing, especially during pregnancy and lactation. Scales on scalp, enormous dandruff with stiff hair. 10% solution is used. |
| Cardiospermumf | Alopecia due to eczema and psoriasis. |
| Ceonothusamericanaf | It is used locally as hair tonic. |
| Cochleariaarmoraciaf | A useful remedy in dandruff when applied locally. |
| Jaborandi f | It is claimed to have a favourable influence in cases of alopecia. If continued over a prolonged period it restores the original colour of grey hair, so that helpful in premature greying. |
| Sabal serrulataf | As reported above, recent studies suggest its use in androgenic alopecia. |
| Salvia officinalis f | Externally used for premature greying. |
| Thujaoccidentalisf | As reported above, recent studies suggest its use in androgenic alopecia. |