Best Hair Loss Treatment
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Treatments for receding hairline, bald spots & thinning
- Hims hair loss spray, chew, or serum options
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Best for Female Hair Loss
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- Spray, chew, or serum options
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- Oral medications to supercharge hair growth
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- Results within 4-6 months of consistent use
- Treats hair loss and hair thinning
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Hair loss treatment consists of topical ointments, medications and other methods that you can use to prevent hair loss and restore missing hair. Currently, there are a number of treatment options available on the market for preventing and reversing hair loss. However, many of these cures have not undergone clinical studies, making them poor choices for anyone serious about preventing further hair loss or stimulating new hair growth. That's why the treatments we chose are all backed by clinical trials that have proved their effectiveness.
Continue reading to learn more about our choices for the best hair loss treatments. We've listed their key features as well as the types of hair loss they're best equipped to handle.
Our Top Picks For Best Hair Loss Treatments
- DS Laboratories Spectral DNC-N Redensifying Hair Product — Best For Sensitive Scalps
- Finasteride — Best For Men's Hereditary Hair Loss
- Minoxidil — Best For Female Hair Loss
- Castor Oil — Best For Reducing Hair Breakage
- Hair Transplant — Best For Long Term Baldness
Best Hair Loss Treatment Reviews
Best For Sensitive Scalps: DS Laboratories Spectral DNC-N Redensifying Hair Product
Why we chose it: This Nanoxidil-based product offers many of the same great benefits as traditional hair loss prevention ointments, such as Rogaine. However, it has fewer side effects and provides an overall gentler experience.
Unlike Minoxidil, which tends to dry out the scalp due to its alcohol base, Nanoxidil won't leave you scratching your head. In addition, it may leave you with fewer harmful side effects. Some clinical studies have shown that Nanoxidil may be more effective than legacy hair loss treatment options. However, it's important to keep in mind that Nanoxidil is still a young product.
You may see results in just two months. However, since you need to apply the topical ointment twice a day, this might not be the best option if you have a busy schedule. Additionally, it's more expensive than many of its rivals. And while it offers a gentler scalp experience compared to the competition, some users still complain about irritation.
Since this product isn't greasy, many customers report that the product feels better on their skin. This also makes it easy to use and simple to rinse out of your hair. Reviewers also commonly mention that this product caused their hair to grow back thicker than before. This increased hair density may make it one of the best hair loss cures on the market today.
Best For Men's Hereditary Hair Loss: Finasteride
Why we chose it: Finasteride has emerged as one of the best solutions to male pattern baldness in the marketplace today. This orally ingested tablet has been clinically proven to reverse hereditary hair loss in men. Studies have shown that finasteride can prevent hair loss in up to 90 percent of users. In addition, roughly two-thirds of users experienced hair regrowth.
Finasteride works by regulating the hormones that cause male pattern hair loss, and is also used to help with enlarged prostates. This hair loss treatment is affordably priced, making it an accessible treatment option for many men. For best results, take one pill daily. It often takes three to six months for the treatment to finish.
Bear in mind that finasteride is most effective in the early stages of hair loss. The drug's efficacy falls sharply when dealing with advanced hair loss. The drug results in rapid hair regrowth, with many users reporting that their hair has grown back thicker than before.
Drawbacks to using finasteride include a decreased libido and a heightened risk for breast cancer and birth defects. Other side effects include depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. You can only get finasteride with a prescription, and this drug is not suitable for women.
Best For Female Hair Loss: Minoxidil
Why we chose it: Minoxidil is the only FDA-approved treatment for female pattern baldness. This drug has a track record of stimulating hair regrowth in clinical settings.
Minoxidil is the generic form of Rogaine. Little differentiates the two, aside from their names. It comes in both a foam and liquid formulation and should be applied twice daily. You may have to wait six to 12 months before you start to see results, although some users report improvements in as little as eight weeks.
This drug may not work depending on the underlying cause behind the hair loss. For example, clinical studies on women suffering from postpartum hair loss show mixed results. Although it's available as an over-the-counter treatment, you may want to consult a dermatologist before starting.
Minoxidil is available in 2 percent and 5 percent concentrations. Some female users have reported facial hair growth after using the drug. This side effect is most common with individuals who use the extra strength 5 percent version. While minoxidil took our top spot for female hair loss, you don't have to be a woman to use it. This drug works equally well for both men and women with patchy hair.
In some cases, minoxidil may cause various side effects. The most common are minor afflictions such as dry scalp or irritation. However, more serious side effects, such as dizziness, fatigue and swelling, may also occur. In addition, you shouldn't take minoxidil if you are pregnant. While Minoxidil won't break the bank, it is on the pricier side compared to some of the other treatment options on our list.
Best For Reducing Hair Breakage: Castor Oil
Why we chose it: Castor oil is an all-natural topical ointment that may improve hair follicle strength when applied directly to the scalp. It also stops hair from drying out, which contributes to hair growth.
Castor oil is made up of long-chain fatty acids. These molecules nourish hair follicles and can repair damaged hair strands, which can help to tame frizzy hair while making your hair shine. You can apply castor oil directly to your hair.
Simply take a small quantity of the oil and heat it up between your palms. Apply it evenly and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Then thoroughly rinse it out in the shower. Once a week application is sufficient for most people.
While many individuals claim that castor oil can cause hair to grow at an accelerated rate, there are currently no clinical trials to support this one way or the other. However, its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties may improve your skin health applied directly to your scalp. Plus, it contains several excellent vitamins for hair loss prevention.
While castor oil is generally considered safe, it may trigger side effects in certain circumstances. These include dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, cramps and more. In addition, some individuals are allergic to castor oil. Castor oil may not be the best choice for individuals looking to reverse hair loss. However, its usefulness as a beauty supplement and hair strengthener remains undiminished.
Best for Long Term Baldness: Hair Transplant
Why we chose it: Hair transplants are ideal for those who have been balding for more than five years. The procedure is particularly good for those with excessive hair loss who wish to return to a full head of hair quickly.
Hair transplants work by taking hair follicles from one part of the scalp, typically an area toward the back, and transplanting them elsewhere. You can choose from two hair transplant methods:
- Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT): A piece of skin containing hair follicles is removed from the back of the head and placed into the desired area.
- Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE): Individual follicles are removed from the donor site and placed into small openings made elsewhere on the scalp.
While it will take some time for the treatment to take root, it's a fast process compared to other hair loss prevention strategies. It's also effective — clinical studies show that 85 percent to 95 percent of implanted hair grafts grow.
Downsides to the treatment include several painful side effects. These range from itchy and swollen tissue to infections and permanent scars. This surgery may also be prohibitively expensive for some. Costs can run into five figures. However, a hair transplant might be the right choice for you if you want a high-quality treatment option with a quick turnaround time.
Other Hair Loss Treatments We Considered
The following hair loss treatments provide quality results. However, they failed to make our list because they did not excel in one or more of the criteria we considered.
Biotin
This B vitamin is essential for proper hair health. However, unless you're operating at a biotin deficiency (a relatively uncommon occurrence in the US), you likely won't see any benefits from this supplement. Taking too much biotin can also cause a slew of nasty side effects like stomach aches and insomnia.
Microneedling
Microneedling consists of running a roller or brush with hundreds or even thousands of tiny, thin needles over your skin. This treatment creates openings in the skin that stimulate blood movement to facilitate hair growth. Microneedling can be effective, but only when used with another hair loss treatment type.
Spironolactone
This drug has shown encouraging results in clinical trials when it comes to preventing hair loss. However, its laundry list of potential side effects took it out of the running for inclusion on our list.
Hair Loss Treatment Guide
We've put together this guide to help you understand the ins and outs of hair loss treatment.
What Is Hair Loss Treatment?
Hair loss treatment refers to a regimen designed to prevent hair loss and regrow hair. Typically, hair loss treatments make use of prescription or over-the-counter medications. These may come in the form of ointments or pills.
Other methods include surgical treatments like hair implants, which replace the missing hairs entirely rather than stimulating new growth. This process entails having hair follicles taken from the back of your head and implanted in the affected areas.
There is no one-size-fits-all hair loss treatment. That's because multiple factors can cause hair loss, and each factor requires a different form of treatment. However, most ointment and pill-based options will take a while to bear fruit.
How Do Hair Loss Treatments Work?
The particulars of hair loss treatments can vary considerably. However, in general, hair loss treatments slow down or reverse hair loss by expanding the life span of hair follicles or stimulating the growth of new hairs. Some hair loss treatments, such as Rogaine, work by penetrating the scalp and increasing much-needed protein production.
Other treatments like castor oil improve the overall health of your hair by repairing damaged strands. Castor oil doesn't stimulate new hair growth but strengthens existing hair growth. Still other techniques stimulate blood flow to the scalp. Microneedling uses a brush filled with thousands of tiny needles. These perforate the scalp. In the process, they may induce stem cells, leading to hair growth.
Common Types Of Hair Loss
In this section, we'll go over five of the most common types of hair loss. Continue reading to learn about which version applies to you.
Alopecia Areata
This autoimmune disease causes your body's natural defense systems to attack your hair follicles. It can affect hair on every part of your body, but it most commonly impacts head hair. The disease doesn't cause all of your hair to fall out. Instead, small, quarter-sized patches appear on your scalp. Generally, this auto-immune disease isn't accompanied by other symptoms.
While the hair may grow back on its own, this does not occur in all cases. Additionally, some individuals suffer from only one or two bouts of hair loss. For others, it remains a lifelong affliction. Hair loss treatments can speed up hair regrowth for some individuals. There are no clear risk factors for the disease, although scientists believe genetics may play a factor.
Alopecia areata can affect individuals of all ages. However, it's most commonly seen in people ranging from their teenage years to their thirties.
Alopecia Totalis
This form of alopecia differs from alopecia areata in one critical area. In alopecia areata, hair falls out in quarter-sized clumps. However, with alopecia totalis, you lose all or nearly all of the hair on your head. This condition is less common than alopecia areata. Some individuals are capable of regrowing their hair after suffering from alopecia totalis, but this occurs in less than 10 percent of all cases.
Individuals suffering from alopecia totalis maintain their body hair. However, fingernail brittleness is a common feature of the disease. A closely related condition, alopecia universalis, causes sufferers to lose all of their body hair alongside the hair on their heads. By contrast, individuals with alopecia totalis typically maintain not only their body hair but their facial hair, including their eyebrows.
Androgenic Alopecia
Androgenic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. Otherwise known as pattern hair loss, this affliction primarily affects hair on the top and front of the head. The presence of androgenic hormones is the primary driver of this condition.
While it's most commonly associated with men, pattern hair loss can impact women as well. However, it manifests differently between the two. Male pattern hair loss can include a receding hairline and a bald patch near the center of the head. Women tend to experience an overall thinning of their hair.
Androgenic alopecia impacts roughly half of all men and a quarter of women by the age of fifty. Numerous treatments exist that can help manage this condition.
Traction Alopecia
Unlike other forms of hair loss, traction alopecia is caused by mechanical tension. In other words, continuous tugging and pulling can cause lasting hair loss. One common cause of traction alopecia is wearing hair in pulled-back styles like ponytails, pigtails or cornrows.
Additionally, tight head coverings can cause traction alopecia when worn for prolonged periods. Both bicycle helmets and turbans can cause this condition when worn daily or near-daily. Other causes include curlers, hair extensions like weaves and even the weight from longer-than-average hair.
Traction alopecia typically manifests initially as little red bumps that break out along the borderline between the hair and the scalp. Over time, you may notice hair damage in that region. Eventually, your hairline will recede. You may also experience hair loss elsewhere on your scalp alongside soreness, redness, swelling, blisters, itching and scaling.
Treatment generally consists of letting your hair flow freely in a natural style, which will prevent further damage. In addition, you may use topical treatments like minoxidil to stimulate hair regrowth and supplements like biotin to make your hair stronger.
Tinea Capitis
This fungal infection, more commonly known as ringworm, primarily affects toddlers and school-age children. Ringworm causes patches of hair to fall out from the scalp due to inflammation. This disease may affect all or only part of the scalp. In addition, it can cause other problems, such as rashes, dry skin, fever, flaking skin, swollen lymph nodes and kerion. Kerion refers to the crusty, pus-oozing blisters found on the afflicted child's scalp.
Ringworm thrives in warm, moist environments. Consequently, it's most commonly found in tropical regions. You can catch ringworm from a variety of vectors, including other humans, animals and objects. In some cases, ringworm may cause scarring, which will prevent hair regrowth. However, generally speaking, you will grow your hair back after a bout of ringworm.
Ringworm medications are administered as oral drugs. However, special ketoconazole shampoos may prevent the fungus from spreading further. Topical antifungal cream accomplishes the same goal.
Hair Loss Treatment FAQ
How We Chose The Best Hair Loss Treatment
We evaluated each hair loss treatment according to the following criteria:
- Effectiveness: We favored treatments with a solid track record of restoring lost hair and preventing future hair loss. We assessed treatment options based on clinical study results to determine which treatments were most effective.
- Affordability: We evaluated each treatment based on its total cost.
- Treatment frequency: We looked at recommended treatment application scheduling when making our decision.
- Reported results: Customer feedback and perception also influenced our decision-making process.
Summary Of Digg's Best Hair Loss Treatment
- DS Laboratories Spectral DNC-N Redensifying Hair Product — Best For Sensitive Scalps
- Finasteride — Best For Men's Hereditary Hair Loss
- Minoxidil — Best For Female Hair Loss
- Castor Oil — Best For Reducing Hair Breakage
- Hair Transplant — Best For Long Term Baldness
This content is meant for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or for diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of health conditions. Consult with a healthcare professional before making health-related decisions.
