Best Hair Products for Men
Treating hair loss is a big industry -- one that’s projected to be worth more than $14 billion per year by 2028.
Just a few decades ago, treating hair loss and improving hair growth meant ordering products like special combs, hats and over-the-counter potions from catalogs.
Today, it’s easy to find a range of products aimed at improving your hairline and promoting hair growth, including evidence-based medications that have been thoroughly tested and approved by the FDA.
Despite this, the same problem remains. Like other industries, the world of hair loss prevention contains many reliable, proven products that can protect against hair loss, improve hair growth and help you to maintain a full head of hair well into old age.
However, it also features plenty of snake oil, unproven remedies and products that simply aren’t worth your money.
To make it easier for you to separate what works from what doesn’t when it comes to hair loss prevention, we’ve listed the most popular hair growth products below, along with the scientific evidence for (or against) each one.
For products that actually work, we’ve gone into detail about how they work to help you gain a complete understanding of the options that are available to help you avoid common issues like male pattern baldness and enjoy healthy hair throughout your life.
Finasteride
Finasteride is a prescription treatment for androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness. It’s been available since the late 1990s and is currently the only oral medication for hair loss that’s approved by the FDA.
You can buy finasteride as a generic medication, or under the brand name Propecia®. It works by preventing your body from converting testosterone -- your primary male sex hormone -- into a related hormone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.
DHT is an essential hormone early in your life, especially for your physical development. As an adult, however, DHT can attach to receptors located throughout your scalp and cause your hair follicles to gradually deteriorate until they can no longer produce new hairs.
This process is referred to as “miniaturization,” and it’s what causes you to gradually develop a receding hairline or bald patch around your crown as you get older.
Our guide to DHT and male hair loss explains the process of losing hair in more detail, as well as the role that DHT plays in it.
By stopping your body from converting testosterone into DHT, finasteride reduces DHT levels and prevents your hair follicles from becoming damaged. This either slows down or stops hair loss, and for many guys, even helps to stimulate new hair growth.
Research shows that finasteride can lower DHT levels in your bloodstream by as much as 70 percent -- a significant reduction.
Other studies also show that it’s highly effective at reversing hair loss. For example, one study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that men with pattern hair loss who used finasteride showed improvements in hair growth over two years.
Because of these findings, finasteride is generally viewed as one of the best products for hair growth and thickness, and one of the first treatment options to consider if you’re beginning to notice the early signs of balding.
Finasteride can cause side effects, including erectile dysfunction (ED). However, only a small percentage of men who use finasteride report any issues. For most guys, finasteride starts to produce noticeable results in terms of thicker hair after around three months.
Interested in trying finasteride? We offer finasteride online, following an online consultation with a physician who will determine if a prescription is appropriate.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical hair loss treatment that you apply directly to your scalp. Unlike finasteride, which prevents hair loss by reducing DHT levels throughout your body, minoxidil works locally by creating the optimal conditions for hair growth in your scalp.
More specifically, minoxidil moves your hair follicles into the anagen, or growth, phase of your natural hair growth cycle. It also stimulates blood flow to your scalp, which may help to supply your hair follicles with the nutrients they need for optimal hair growth.
Like finasteride, minoxidil is backed up by numerous studies showing that it reduces hair loss and improves hair growth.
For example, a study published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy found that 59 percent of men with pattern hair loss showed improvements after using minoxidil for 12 months.
Interestingly, the same study also found that minoxidil and finasteride are especially effective when they’re used together, with 94.1 percent of men who used both minoxidil and finasteride showing improvements.
One way to think of minoxidil is as a type of fertilizer for your hair follicles, creating an optimal environment for growth while finasteride acts as a shield against DHT.
Because of its proven effects, minoxidil is another hair loss product that should be near the top of your list of treatment options. Since it’s sold over the counter, it’s an easy treatment to add to your hair care and hair loss prevention routine.
You can purchase minoxidil topical treatments in liquid or foam form as a generic medication, or under the brand name Rogaine®.
We offer minoxidil topical solution and minoxidil foam online, as well as a Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Spray that allows you to easily apply both medications together.
Hair Growth Shampoos
Hair growth shampoos that contain ingredients like ketoconazole, zinc, saw palmetto and biotin can have some impact on the rate at which your hair grows, making them worth considering as part of your hair care routine.
Instead of viewing hair growth shampoos as a whole, it’s better to focus on specific ingredients that are associated with improvements in hair growth and reductions in issues like breakage.
For example, active ingredients like ketoconazole -- a widely-used antifungal medication -- and saw palmetto are associated with some changes in DHT levels and improvements in the growth of hair.
On the other hand, many herbal extracts, oils and other ingredients used in popular hair growth shampoos aren’t supported by much in the way of scientific evidence.
Before you buy a hair growth shampoo, make sure you check the label to see if the ingredients used in the shampoo are backed up by real science. Our full guide to what to look for in a men’s hair growth shampoo goes into more detail about specific ingredients to prioritize.
Our Hair Thickening Shampoo contains saw palmetto, which helps to target DHT on your scalp and promote better hair health.
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Saw Palmetto
Saw palmetto is one of the most common ingredients in hair loss prevention supplements. It’s also one of the few supplement ingredients that’s actually proven to have some effect on DHT levels in certain types of body tissue.
For example, studies of saw palmetto and finasteride show that saw palmetto has a real effect on DHT levels in the prostate.
While this effect isn’t as strong as finasteride, it does show that a regular dose of saw palmetto could potentially reduce the conversion of testosterone to DHT and treat thinning hair.
Does this mean you can replace finasteride with a saw palmetto supplement? Not quite. While there is evidence for saw palmetto reducing DHT levels, it’s currently very limited, meaning it’s best not to view saw palmetto as a proven replacement for DHT blockers like finasteride.
It’s also important to know that taking saw palmetto and finasteride together could result in an interaction between the two substances, meaning you should speak to your doctor before you consider using any hair growth supplements with your medication.
Hair Growth Oils
Essential oils are often promoted as cure-alls for just about every ailment, and male pattern hair loss is no exception.
While many common hair growth oils aren’t backed up by any scientific evidence, a few do have research on their side. For example, there’s some evidence that pumpkin seed oil and rosemary oil may have a positive effect on hair regrowth.
In one study, researchers found that men with androgenetic hair loss who took a pumpkin seed oil supplement achieved an average increase in hair count of 40 percent over the course of 24 weeks, compared to just 10 percent in men who used a non-therapeutic placebo.
There is also a small amount of evidence in support of rosemary oil’s potential benefits as a hair regrowth treatment.
For example, one study from 2015 found that rosemary oil was equally as effective at improving hair growth over six months as the topical hair loss medication minoxidil, making it an interesting natural treatment option for hair loss.
It’s worth noting that this study used a low-strength 2% version of minoxidil, not the stronger 5% version that’s commonly used to treat male pattern baldness.
Will natural oils work as well as products like finasteride and minoxidil? At this point, there isn’t enough research to view these products as proven hair loss treatments, especially on the same level as treatments with extensive scientific evidence like finasteride and minoxidil.
Still, some hair growth oils do show promise, making them worth considering as part of your hair care routine if you’re interested in natural options for caring for your hair.
Hair Growth Vitamins
Several vitamins play critical roles in promoting steady hair growth and helping you maintain a full, healthy head of hair. Deficiencies in certain vitamins are common causes of hair loss that can have a real impact on your hair’s health and ability to grow properly.
For example, low levels of vitamin D2 are associated with hair loss in women with pattern hair loss or telogen effluvium.
Similarly, people who are deficient in biotin -- a hair growth vitamin that’s involved in promoting healthy hair and nails -- are more likely to develop hair loss.
Biotin is one of several active ingredients in our Biotin Gummy Vitamins, which are designed to promote thick hair, strong nails and healthy skin.
It’s worth noting that a lot of the existing research on vitamin deficiencies and hair loss focuses on women, meaning it isn’t clear if the same effects occur in men.
It’s also important to keep in mind that vitamins clearly play a role in helping you grow healthy, strong hair, but they aren’t proven to have any effect on male pattern baldness.
Since male pattern baldness is the result of sensitivity to DHT, the only real treatment option is to block DHT using a product like finasteride or stimulate growth with a proven treatment such as minoxidil. This doesn’t mean that taking a vitamin supplement is a bad idea -- from a general health and wellbeing perspective, it’s usually a very good idea. Just don’t expect to reverse your receding hairline or other genetic hair loss by adding vitamins to your morning routine.
Laser Combs, Hats and Helmets
Laser combs and helmets, which use laser light to promote hair growth, have appeared on the market over the last few decades. Most of these devices use a technology called low-level light therapy (LLLT) to stimulate hair follicles and purportedly improve hair growth.
The theory behind laser devices is that they stimulate hair growth by moving dormant hairs into the anagen, or active growth, phase of the hair growth cycle. Some experts believe that direct exposure to low-level light may also help to control inflammation in the scalp.
Currently, there isn’t enough research to definitely say whether or not low-level light therapy is an effective option for treating hair loss. However, recent findings are positive, suggesting that laser devices may play at least some role in treating male pattern baldness in the future.
For example, a review published in the journal Lasers in Medical Science in 2018 found that 10 out of 11 clinical trials of low-level laser devices displayed significant improvements in hair loss, including increases in average hair count.
Some of the companies that manufacture and promote these products recommend using them alongside hair loss pills such as finasteride for faster results. However, right now, there isn’t any reliable data showing that they have any synergistic effects with other hair loss treatments.
While laser combs, helmets and other products could potentially be effective for hair growth and preventing hair loss in the future, the scientific evidence isn’t quite there yet.
As such, it’s best to proceed with caution when it comes to laser hair growth products, especially for anything marketed as a miracle cure.
Electric Scalp Massagers
Electric scalp massagers, which claim to improve hair growth by stimulating the scalp, are also best viewed with a certain degree of skepticism and caution.
These products are usually cheap (most are $25 or less on Amazon) but they generally aren’t supported by any substantial scientific evidence.
While there are studies supporting scalp massage as a hair growth treatment, most have major limitations that make them hard to take seriously.
For example, a 2016 study that’s occasionally cited as "proof" of head massage working has a sample size of just nine people -- far from the total amount needed to generate reliable data on whether or not massage is actually effective for treating hair loss.
Like with many other treatments for hair loss, the science just isn’t there to back up the claims of electric scalp massagers yet. As always, it’s best to be skeptical of any product that makes large claims without an equally large amount of evidence to back them up.
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No matter the treatment plan, the best place to start is somewhere. Early action is the best hair loss prevention.
The Bottom Line on Hair Growth Products
The right hair growth products can have a noticeable positive effect on your hair’s thickness and coverage, making them deserving of a place in your hair care routine.
When it comes to reliable, evidence-based hair loss treatments, FDA-approved medications like finasteride and minoxidil both offer proven benefits. As such, they’re usually the best products to start with if you’re beginning to notice a receding hairline or other signs of hair loss.
Worried about hair loss? We offer a complete range of hair loss products for men online, letting you easily build an effective routine for stimulating hair growth and maintaining your hair.
You can also learn more about your options for preventing hair loss, stimulating hair growth and protecting your hairline in our detailed guide to the best treatments for thinning hair.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment or medication.