It’s easy to see baldness as a preoccupation of men in modern times, when the prevalence of celebrity culture and Hollywood have conditioned us to associate youthful virility with a luxuriant full head of hair. It’s interesting that baldness and its many treatments (often dubious) have actually been a subject worthy of record since humans first started to use written communication.
Dog paws and donkey hooves
As early as 4000 BC the Egyptians were leaving a hieroglyphic record of how baldness was such a problem that sufferers were encouraged to rub their scalps with mixtures of dates and ground dog paws and donkey hooves, cooked in oil.
The Romans in 50 BC prescribed myrrh berries rubbed into the scalp, whilst the Irish a mere one thousand years ago had a creative Celtic remedy: Seal three mice in a clay jar and bury it next to a fire. One year later remove everything from inside, wearing gloves as anything that comes into contact with the contact will sprout hair.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the British solution, at the height of the Empire was “exercise and good hygiene”, according to an issue of the British Medical Journal from 1889, at least.
Modern remedies: coconut, onion and garlic
Although we now live in more enlightened times and there are a number of proven treatments that can be offered through a GP or specialist clinics it’s amazing how many traditional home remedies still exist.
There are several health and fitness sites offering a range of natural solutions. These include warmed coconut oil or the grated product applied to balding areas. Onion juice is another favourite because of its high sulphur content which stimulates collagen production.
Garlic is another one recommended for its high sulphur content, although a combination of garlic and onion might seem a little off putting to most people. There is also a range of other suggestions from the humble egg to Henna and Indian gooseberries.
Whilst the home remedies seem to be largely herbal based and don’t involve mashing up animal parts any more it is clear that the preoccupation with baldness and finding a natural cure shows no sign of abating.
If you’re worried about hair loss and want to find out more about proven treatments and results then we’d always recommend you speak to your GP or talk to a reputable hair loss clinic.
