By Garrett Munce - Men's Health
Published: Aug 07, 2024 12:27 PM EDT
WE'RE NOT HERE to scare you, but if you’re reading this you’re probably going to experience hair loss at some point in your life. Maybe you already have. When you do, remember that it’s not just you–hair loss is extremely common. In fact, by the age of 35, around two-thirds of men notice some form of hair loss and that number climbs to 85 percent by age 50. So yeah, it’s definitely not just you.
When it happens, the question isn’t why is this happening to me?, it’s what am I going to do about it? Truthfully, there is no right answer. Dealing with hair thinning issues is a personal decision. There’s no shame in cutting to the chase and choosing to shave your head. There’s also no shame in trying to minimize or curb the loss using hair loss treatments. Which leads to another question: which product do you try? The world of hair growth treatments for men—which includes hair growth serums, hair growth shampoos, vitamins for hair growth, and hair growth devices—can be vast and confusing, with a healthy dose of snake oil salesmen that are going to try to dupe you into wasting your money on stuff that doesn’t work.
Best Hair Growth Products for Men
At the most basic level, the best hair growth products for men need to be backed by proven science and must feature proven technologies that have been clinically tested to restore hair. The good news is that there are plenty of treatments out there that are proven to work. We asked board-certified dermatologists–Natalie Kash, MD; Barry Goldman, MD; and Dhaval Bhanusali, MD–which of the best hair growth products for men are worth your time and effort–and tips on how to use them.
What to Consider
Since hair growth products come in such a wide range, the biggest thing to consider when choosing what to use is compliance. If you can’t stick with it for at least six months (and more likely a year), you are unlikely to see the results you want. In addition to that, there are a few other things to consider as well.
Key Ingredients
You’ll notice that hair growth products use a variety of ingredients to help promote hair growth. Dr. Kash recommends looking for ingredients that have proven scientific backing that they actually have an effect on hair growth. Chief among these are minoxidil and finasteride, which are the only FDA-approved drugs for hair growth (and are both available over the counter). There are some other common ingredients, like saw palmetto and rosemary extract that have some positive clinical studies and then there is also LED therapy, which has also been well-studied in the hair growth arena. When in doubt, look up ingredients that you haven’t heard of to see if they’ve been proven to work for hair growth. If they haven’t, they’re just filler.
Delivery System
The delivery system of a product refers to what it uses to deliver the active ingredients to your scalp, where they can get to work stimulating hair growth. These come in a wide variety from serums, sprays, foams, pills and even helmets. When choosing a product, the delivery system is essential because you want one that is easy to use and fits into your lifestyle. It goes back to compliance – if you can’t use it every day (or as often as the product requires), it’s not going to work.
Supply
Hair regrowth is slow and you likely won’t see results for at least three months with full results showing up in about six months to a year. When choosing a product, you not only want to make sure you have enough product to last a while, but you also want to make sure you can afford to purchase it as often as required for you to see results. For instance, if a product has a one month supply, you should expect to repurchase it at least six times and, if it works for you, indefinitely.
Doctor Consultation
It’s always recommended to consult a doctor before starting to use any hair growth product, however not all of them require a doctor consultation. Many are offered over the counter, meaning you don’t have to have a prescription to use them, and others use alternative ingredients and formats that don’t require them to be classified as drugs at all. We’ll say it again - you should consult a physician before beginning hair growth therapy no matter what - but whether it’s required to use a certain product varies.
How We Selected
For this story, we consulted with three board-certified dermatologists on the best hair growth products to buy online, as well as what to look for in these hair loss treatments. They considered each product's ingredients, and how well these products have worked for their patients. Munce is also a seasoned grooming writer who's tested countless hair loss products in the past decade.
Best Hair Growth Spray For Men
Patricks RD1 Anti-Hair Loss Spray
This innovative spray acts as a two-in-one product because it not only contains ingredients that block DHT (which causes male pattern hair loss) but it also acts as a styling product to help add volume and texture to your hair. Add in scalp-healthy ingredients to help balance and stimulate hair follicles and you have an all-around great hair thinning product. Plus, it’s portable.
Testing Notes: Okay, yes, this stuff does help to retain and regrow hair (we did see some visible improvement even after about a month). But what we found we liked best in our testing versus other similar hairsprays is that it feels the best in your hair. In fact, it can help instantly add volume and texture the way a stying spray can, which allows it to pull double duty in your routine. You’ll still need to make sure you get it down to the scalp, which can take some massaging but its ability to replace a styling product, too, make it worthwhile. Plus, the small size is easier to take on the go than other products which is always a plus.
Keep in mind that this one also doesn’t include any FDA-approved hair loss drugs like minoxidil and finasteride, though it does contain some alternate ingredients like saw palmetto that have been shown to stimulate hair growth. We did see some visible improvement in thickness and volume in our hair even as early as month, but the cumulative results over time were not as significant as when we used some other sprays like the Hims Topical Spray. We find that because of that, this spray is a good option for someone without aggressive thinning or who is just starting to notice hair loss or someone who doesn’t want to start using a drug like minoxidil yet.
LINK: https://www.menshealth.com/grooming/g39797585/best-mens-hair-loss-treatments/
