Returning to Your Natural Hair State: What Happens When You Stop Your Hair Loss Treatments?
- Sunil Kochhar
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
One of the most important conversations I have with clients undergoing hair loss treatment is not about starting therapy, but about what happens when they stop. This is where the idea of returning to your natural state becomes clinically relevant and often misunderstood.
Hair loss treatments do not permanently cure genetic or hormonally driven hair loss. Instead, they modify the biology of the hair follicle while they are being used. When treatment is withdrawn, the follicle gradually reverts to its baseline behaviour, which is what I refer to as the natural state.
Understanding this process helps prevent unnecessary anxiety, abrupt shedding, and disappointment when clients choose to pause or discontinue therapy.
What Do We Mean by “Natural State”?
Your natural hair state is the pattern, density, calibre, and growth rate your hair would display without any pharmacological or biological intervention.
Returning to natural hair state
For individuals with androgenetic alopecia or hormonally mediated thinning, this natural state includes:
Progressive follicle miniaturisation
Shortened anagen (growth) phase
Reduced hair shaft diameter
Gradual loss of visible density over time
Personalised hair loss serums, including compounded formulations, work by counteracting these mechanisms while they are applied. They do not erase the underlying predisposition.
When treatment stops, the follicle does not deteriorate beyond where it would have been naturally. It simply resumes its original trajectory.
Why Do Gains Disappear After Stopping Treatment?
Hair follicles are metabolically active structures that respond dynamically to stimulation. While on treatment, follicles may:
Remain in anagen for longer
Produce thicker hair fibres
Exhibit improved perifollicular blood flow
Demonstrate reduced androgen signalling
Once treatment is withdrawn, these supportive effects fade. Over time, follicles transition back into telogen and miniaturisation resumes. (returning to natural hair state)
The speed of this reversal depends on the mechanism of action of the formulation used.
Why Minoxidil Withdrawal Is Often More Noticeable
Minoxidil has a well-documented effect on prolonging anagen and increasing follicular size. When it is stopped abruptly, follicles that were being pharmacologically held in growth phase may synchronously enter telogen, resulting in visible shedding.
This phenomenon has been described extensively in clinical literature and explains why minoxidil withdrawal is often perceived as dramatic or sudden (Rossi et al., 2012).
Other formulations, including combination or non-minoxidil serums, may demonstrate a slower return to baseline, but the principle remains the same: discontinuation leads back to natural state.
Why Sudden Withdrawal Is Not Ideal
Stopping treatment suddenly can:
Accelerate telogen effluvium
Create the impression of treatment “failure”
Cause psychological distress
Reduce confidence in future therapy
This is why I strongly discourage abrupt cessation without guidance.
How to Minimise Hair Loss When Pausing or Stopping Treatment
A structured, gradual approach can significantly soften the transition back to natural state.
Gradual Reduction
Tapering application frequency allows follicles to adjust rather than switch off support suddenly.
Maintenance or “Weekend” Therapy
Some clients benefit from reduced-frequency maintenance, such as weekend-only application, to slow regression without full daily treatment.
Nutritional and Biological Support
Adjunctive strategies may help support follicular resilience during withdrawal phases. This is where supplementation such as TrichoRx24 may be considered, depending on the individual’s clinical profile.
Consultation-Led Decision Making
There is no universal protocol. Age, diagnosis, hormonal status, treatment history, and expectations all influence the safest exit strategy.
This Is Not Treatment Failure
Returning to natural state is not a rebound effect, dependency, or damage caused by treatment. It is simply biology resuming its default setting.
Framing it this way helps clients:
Make informed decisions
Avoid unrealistic expectations
Understand the value of long-term planning
Engage in responsible treatment pauses when needed
Final Thoughts
Hair loss management is not binary. It is a long-term strategy that evolves with life, health, and priorities.
If you are considering stopping or pausing your personalised hair loss serum, this should always be done with clinical input, not abruptly or in isolation. The goal is not to avoid returning to your natural state, but to transition to it intelligently, minimising unnecessary shedding and preserving confidence.
References
Rossi, A., Cantisani, C., Melis, L., Iorio, A., Scali, E. and Calvieri, S. (2012) ‘Minoxidil use in dermatology, side effects and recent patents’, Recent Patents on Dermatological Drug Discovery, 6(2), pp. 130–136.
Messenger, A.G. and Rundegren, J. (2004) ‘Minoxidil: mechanisms of action on hair growth’, British Journal of Dermatology, 150(2), pp. 186–194.
Sinclair, R. (2015) ‘Male pattern androgenetic alopecia’, BMJ, 351, h3410.