Like most things in life, changes in your hair, such as damage and shedding, don't have a one-size-fits-all solution. The factors that can take a toll on your hair range from more common culprits like vitamin deficiencies and extreme stress to more serious diagnoses like an autoimmune disease. Even something as simple as over-styling your hair with hot tools can cause damage or a change in texture. The best products for hair growth and thickness may not be able to perform miracles, but they can help restore your hair's health.
Before getting into the types of products and ingredients out there, it's important to note that if you're experiencing sudden hair loss or thinning, you need to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. Not only can someone specializing in hair and scalp conditions help determine a comprehensive treatment plan, but they can also pinpoint the cause, making the issue easier to solve in the first place.
What Are The Best Treatments For Hair Loss & Thinning?
If you're looking to encourage growth and give your hair a volumizing boost, there are plenty of options, ranging from shampoos to oils and even supplements. A shampoo for hair growth and thickness is a good place to start because it will help cleanse your scalp of dirt, oil, and product buildup that can be blocking your follicles. A healthy scalp is the basis for healthy hair, after all, and many of these shampoos also include ingredients like biotin, vitamin B, and zinc, which help strengthen hair.
Supplements are another common choice for hair growth because they help ensure that you're getting the right vitamins your hair needs. Some also contain ingredients like biotin and keratin to help your hair grow faster. And finally, there are more hard-hitting ingredients that you can find in over-the-counter treatments, like minoxidil. The clinically-proven ingredient helps revive and increase the size of hair follicles while also extending your hair's growth cycle.
For a further breakdown on the clinically proven and natural solutions to improve your hair, check out the best products for hair growth and thickness listed ahead.
A healthy scalp contributes to your hair's overall health, which is why using the right shampoo and conditioner is so important. Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Shampoo & Conditioner remove dirt, oil, and buildup from the scalp, while nourishing hair with ingredients that help promote growth like biotin, keratin, and zinc. Viviscal also uses their Ana:Tel complex, which is a blend of clinically-tested ingredients (like pea sprouts) that are derived from natural sources and help with hair growth and thickness. Plus, the sulfate-free formula is safe for all hair types, including dry, damaged, color-treated, and fine.
One fan of the shampoo and conditioner combo writes, "This is the best product I've tried for my hair. I have been using it for two months and my hair has stopped falling out," they say, adding, "it makes my hair shiny and bouncy."
This shampoo gets an overwhelming amount of love on Amazon with over 3,000 five-star reviews crediting the Honeydew Biotin Shampoo with noticeable hair growth after just a few weeks of regular use. The shampoo is hypoallergenic and sulfate-free, and it can help stimulate growth and prevent breakage for all hair types. The formula includes a blend of natural ingredients to encourage thicker, longer hair like tea tree oil, argan oil, coconut oil, biotin, and phytokeratin, which work by helping to cleanse the scalp, repair and strengthen hair at the root, and block the hair-damaging hormone, DHT.
"The first time I used this shampoo, I noticed that I lost significantly less hair in the shower, and that benefit has been consistent," writes one reviewer. "After using this shampoo for three months, I found tufts of new hair growing [that] my hairdresser confirmed," they add, noting they use the shampoo three to four days each week.
Hair growth supplements often make outlandish claims without any real science to back them up. But the Nutrafol Hair Supplements For Women were designed from a scientific approach to address the common causes of thinning hair like stress, allergens, hormonal imbalance, poor nutrition, and overstyling. The Nutrafol team is made up of experts, including naturopathic doctors, dermatologists, and a doctor of internal medicine, and the supplements even won an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2018. In addition to helping with hair growth, Nutrafol is formulated with botanicals, vitamins, and minerals that can also help reduce stress and fatigue as well as improve skin, nails, sleep, mood, and energy.
"I bought this on a whim," writes one reviewer, "I've taken it consistently for a month and a half, [and] I can tell you that I see more volume [and] dramatically less shedding and hair loss." Another reviewer who gives the supplement five stars, shares, "[I'm] into my fifth month of use and can see significant growth and volume."
If it's hair loss that you're dealing with, you're probably looking for something more effective than a shampoo. Women’s Rogaine 5% Minoxidil Foam is a daily, FDA-approved treatment that comes recommended by dermatologists. The topical treatment boasts clinical results showing 80 percent of women reporting hair regrowth after six months. It's also easy to use, as a half capful of the foam gets massaged onto the scalp on damp or dry hair each day. Once you apply the foam, ingredients like minoxidil, botanical extracts, AHA, and Rogaine's own patented Tricho-Prime technology get to work, penetrating the scalp to revive hair follicles and increase protein production.
One reviewer who has been using the foam for over six months gives the full scoop on the product, writing, "I have hair growing all over my scalp, and I finally feel my hair looks fuller. It does take four to five weeks for the first hair regrowth to appear, but the results are awesome," they note, adding, "The good thing is, it doesn't make the hair feel or look greasy — the hair might feel sticky immediately after application, but it goes away and leaves hair soft."
Though there's no scientific evidence to prove castor oil helps with hair growth, the Handcraft Blends 100% Pure Castor Oil receives rave reviews for its hair-improving capabilities (over 1,500 five-star reviews, to be exact). This particular product uses only unfiltered, undiluted castor oil, which is rich in vitamins and fatty acids. It encourages circulation on the scalp, which is said to help promote hair growth, and also attracts moisture for healthier, more nourished hair.
While many reviewers note that the castor oil can make your hair look oily, they still report that it's a solid product for improving hair health. "Works for my thin hair," writes one Amazon user, adding, "I use it twice a week, and my hair feels and looks thicker." Plus, it can even be used on nails and skin. "Overnight, my hair felt amazing, my nails felt much stronger, and my skin is so much softer," writes a reviewer.
While you'll notice more options for men when it comes to hair loss, it can still be hard to know where to start. Like the women's Rogaine formula, Men’s Rogaine 5% Minoxidil Topical Solution comes dermatologist-recommended with clinical studies to back up its claims of fuller, thicker hair. This 5 percent minoxidil formula takes three to six months to really work, and it should be massaged into the scalp daily with the dropper applicator.
"After three months of using Rogaine, I have significant hair growth where I was going bald," writes one reviewer. "My hairline does not seem to be receding any further, and there is some regrowth in the front as well." Another user, adds, "It works for me in reducing hair fallout and increasing hair thickness."
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