It’s a myth that testosterone is found only in males. Females do have testosterone but in less quantity than males.
Testosterone affects our hair & skin both in a big way. It is responsible for producing the body’s natural oil called “sebum” through the sebaceous gland found across our scalp, face & the body skin.
Along with dirt, sweat, pollution & synthetic chemicals in cosmetics, overproduction of sebum is the major reason behind Alopecia (Hair Loss), Dandruff, Acne & Larger Skin Pores.
If sebum production is less, it causes dryness & ageing, and if it’s more, it causes oily skin with the above concerns.
So how to tackle the impact of this hormone?
While we cannot reduce the production of testosterone hormone through any topical/personal care product, the impact of testosterone on the skin can be controlled.
How?
We need to use sebum controlling or, in a more common language, oil controlling actives that go deep inside our skin and reduce the oil production than just stay on the skin and keep absorbing the excess oil. If we can not control oil production from the inside of the skin, removing the oil from the outside surface requires only a little help.
Actives that work on Acne
Zinc, Vitamin B5 & B6. Vitamin A Derivatives
Actives that work on Alopecia
Oleanolic Acid, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
There are plenty of plant extracts like basil, ginger, red clover, pistachio, amaranth, lilac etc., that are known to have anti sebum properties. If they are blended in the right concentration, they can counter the negative effect of overactive testosterone on our skin.