Wearing a hat generally shouldn't cause baldness, though it's a good idea to give your scalp a rest and let it breathe for several hours a day. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children which is easily treated with antifungal medicines. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further loss.

About three or four months after an illness or a major surgery, you can suddenly temporarily lose a large amount of hair; this hair loss is related to the stress of the illness. Some mycotic infections can cause massive hair loss. Traumas such as chemotherapy, childbirth, major surgery, poisoning, and severe stress may cause a condition known as telogen effluvium.

Hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn't be overlooked as possible causes. Some drugs or medications can cause hair loss, which improves when you stop taking the medicine; medications that can cause loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills and antidepressants.

Topical application of Ketoconazole, which is both an anti-fungal and a potent 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is often used as a supplement to other approaches. Hair loss treatments and remedies range in price from free to expensive. Propecia is available with a prescription; comes in pill form, is only for men and may take up to six months before you can tell if it is working.

While drastic, broad spectrum anti-androgens such as Flutamide are sometimes used topically; Flutamide is potent enough to have a feminizing effect in men, including growth of the breasts. Propecia (Finasteride) and Minoxidil (Rogaine in the U.S and elsewhere as Regaine) are drugs that have reported having shown some success in partially reversing loss but consider the side effects. Hair loss remedies and treatments with prescription drugs are long term commitments; not short term exposure.

Very little testing has been done on the long-term effects of Minoxidil on women. There are prescription drugs, herbal remedies and topical applications. Surgery is another method of reversing hair loss and baldness, although it may be considered an extreme measure.

Raw onion remedy for hair loss - take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Onion juice and honey remedy: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey; massage the scalp with the mixture every day. Massage the scalp with the fingers daily.

Fingernail buffer for hair loss: strange as it may sound - three times a day or so, for about five minutes, buff your right fingernails with the fingernails of your left hand; this is supposed to stop hair loss, encourage hair growth and prevent hair from graying. Asian remedy for hair loss - rub sesame oil on your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel; in the morning wash with an herbal shampoo, rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one quart of water. Garlic remedy - an hour before bedtime, slice open a clove of garlic and rub it on the hair loss area, wait for an hour then massage the scalp with olive oil, put on a cap, go to bed, shampoo your hair in the morning, repeat for a few weeks, and hopefully hair will stop falling out and regrowth will be showing.

Garlic oil remedy - at bedtime, puncture a couple of garlic pearles, squirt the oil on the scalp, massage, cover with a cap, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Massage the scalp nightly with an oil made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil. Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be questionable.

Rub vitamin E oil into the scalp nightly. Olive oil and rosemary remedy for hair loss - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning. Try scalp massage every day.

If adequate treatment is not available for your type of hair loss, you may want to consider trying different types of hairstyles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement. If large amounts of hair are lost it's important to see a doctor or skin doctor to rule out an underlying disease. If you experience any form of hair loss that causes you concern, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the treatment options available to you for your particular condition.