DHT Blockers for Hair Loss: Which Ones Have Evidence, and Cost

This page explains what DHT is, what blocks it, and which products have proof behind them. It lists live prices from the sellers we track. We do not give doses. Your prescriber picks the drug and the amount.

What is DHT?

DHT is short for dihydrotestosterone. It is a hormone your body makes from testosterone. An enzyme called 5-alpha reductase does the work, and it is found in the skin of the scalp and in the prostate.

The finasteride label puts it plainly. The drug blocks "Type II 5α-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts the androgen testosterone into DHT" (DailyMed: Propecia label). An androgen is a male sex hormone. So a "DHT blocker" is anything meant to cut how much DHT reaches the hair roots.

DHT and hair loss: how they are linked

Male pattern hair loss, which doctors call androgenetic alopecia, runs in families. In men who carry the genes, DHT slowly shrinks hair roots on the crown and temples. Each new hair grows back thinner and shorter, until some roots stop making visible hair.

You do not need high hormone levels for this to happen. A review on PubMed says "Normal levels of androgens are sufficient to cause hair loss in genetically susceptible individuals" (Asfour, Cranwell and Sinclair, Endotext, PubMed). That is why lowering DHT, not testosterone, is the target. The same review notes that treatments "prevent further hair loss, but only partially reverse baldness, and require continuous use to maintain the effect" (Endotext review, PubMed).

What blocks DHT? The options at a glance

Prices are live from our price table, each read on the seller's own page. Every hair loss plan is on our hair loss price page.

Finasteride: the DHT blocker with the most proof

Finasteride is the only DHT blocker the FDA has approved for hair loss in men. The label says it is "indicated for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in MEN ONLY" (DailyMed: Propecia label).

The trials were large and long. Men were split at random between the drug and a dummy pill (a placebo), and neither group knew which they had. The label reports: "At 12 months, 58% of men in the placebo group had further hair loss (defined as any decrease in hair count from baseline), compared with 14% of men treated with PROPECIA" (DailyMed: Propecia label).

It takes time and steady use. The label says "daily use for three months or more is necessary before benefit is observed" (DailyMed: Propecia label). Stopping undoes the gain: "Withdrawal of treatment leads to reversal of effect within 12 months."

Sexual side effects are the main worry. In the trials, "36 (3.8%) of 945 men had reported one or more of these adverse experiences as compared to 20 (2.1%) of 934 men treated with placebo" (DailyMed: Propecia label). Our finasteride side effects guide has the full label list.

Dutasteride: a stronger DHT blocker, used off-label

Dutasteride blocks both types of the enzyme, not just one. Its label covers an enlarged prostate only: it is "indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate" (DailyMed: Avodart label). Prescribing it for hair is off-label, meaning for a use it is not approved for.

Trials suggest it can grow more hair than finasteride. A pooled review of studies found "Dutasteride seems to provide a better efficacy compared with finasteride in treating AGA" (Zhou et al., Clin Interv Aging, PubMed). AGA is the short name for male pattern hair loss. The same review found "The two drugs appear to show similar rates of adverse reactions, especially in sexual dysfunction."

Dutasteride stays in the body far longer. Its label says "The terminal elimination half-life of dutasteride is approximately 5 weeks at steady state." Our dutasteride for hair loss guide covers the rest, and finasteride vs dutasteride compares the two.

Topical DHT blockers

Some sellers mix finasteride or dutasteride into a spray, gel or solution for the scalp. These are compounded, which means a pharmacy mixes them to order. The FDA says "Currently, there is no FDA-approved topical formulation of finasteride." (FDA alert on compounded topical finasteride).

The same alert notes "Absorption of finasteride through the skin into the bloodstream is expected" (FDA alert). So a topical product is not a sure way around side effects. Our topical vs oral finasteride guide covers the trials, and our topical dutasteride guide covers the gel.

DHT blocker shampoo: does it work?

Many shampoos are sold as DHT blockers. Most use saw palmetto, caffeine, biotin or ketoconazole. None of them is FDA-approved to treat hair loss, and the sellers often say so.

Hims says saw palmetto "is not a clinically proven or FDA approved hair loss treatment" (Hims Thick Fix page). Keeps says of its own thickening shampoo: "It does not treat or stop hair loss." (Keeps thickening shampoo page). Both read 14 November 2026.

Ketoconazole is the one shampoo ingredient with a few small hair studies. A 2020 review found "Topical ketoconazole is a promising adjunctive or alternative therapy in the treatment of AGA. Randomized controlled trials are needed." (Fields et al., Dermatol Ther, PubMed). Adjunctive means used alongside a main treatment. Randomized trials, where people are put in groups at random, are the strong kind of test, and they have not been done. Our Hims shampoo guide and Keeps thickening shampoo guide price two of these shampoos.

Natural DHT blockers: saw palmetto and others

Saw palmetto is the best known natural DHT blocker. The NIH's center for complementary health says: "A few small studies have tested saw palmetto, used orally or topically (applied to the scalp), for male-pattern hair loss. The evidence is too limited to allow conclusions to be reached" (NCCIH: saw palmetto).

Pumpkin seed oil, green tea and rosemary oil are sold the same way. None has the size of trial behind finasteride. Supplements are not checked by the FDA for how well they work before sale. None of the programs we track sells one as a hair loss treatment, so we have no program price to show.

DHT blocker for men: what each program charges

These partner programs sell an FDA-approved finasteride tablet or plain dutasteride. Each price is live from the seller's own page.

With your own prescription, Cost Plus Drugs lists generic finasteride at $5.83 for 30 tablets, before shipping. Our cheapest hair loss treatment guide sets out every route.