Finding the best products for women's hair loss mainly depends on the cause of your hair loss. A topical formula or supplement may be an easy way to help hair growth.
There are a lot of hair loss products out there, but which ones are the best for your hair issues?
Depending on the possible cause of the hair loss, some may be better than others.
In this article, we will cover the most popular prescription and non-prescription women’s hair loss items that you can find at a pharmacy, and identify the pros and cons of each option.
Rogaine came to the market as the first FDA-approved otc medication for hair loss in men, but it didn’t take long after that for the women’s version to come out in both 2% solution or 5% foam versions.
The exact mechanism behind how Rogaine (minoxidil) works is not fully understood, but we do know that it improves blood flow to the scalp area, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles.
Prescription-only?: No, Rogaine is available over the counter.
Pros: Easy to find, works pretty well to reduce hair loss and potentially increase hair regrowth, FDA-approved ingredients for hair loss.
Cons: The stronger 5% strength is in a foam which may be difficult to get onto the scalp thoroughly, does not address hormonally driven hair loss.
Spironolactone is a prescription medication that is normally used for conditions that cause fluid overload, but may sometimes be used by doctors off-label for women’s hair loss.
Spironolactone is an anti-androgen medication, meaning that it will help lower androgenic hormones in the body that may be contributing to hair loss in women.
This medication may cause harm to a developing male fetus, so women must not become pregnant while using Spironolactone.
In one study in women using Spironolactone for hair loss, 73.7% of participants reported an improvement in hair loss or hair thickness after using the medication.
Prescription-only?: Yes.
Pros: Works well in women who have hair loss due to hormonal issues.
Cons: Must take an oral tablet every day, may have side effects such as low blood pressure.
Strut Hair Formula for women is a compounded medicated gel that combines Minoxidil with topical Spironolactone to help give you the benefits of both medications at once: increased blood flow to the scalp plus blocking androgen hormones which may play a part in hair loss.
Strut Hair Formula is a specially crafted compounded medication, which can be made by our specialized pharmacy after having an Online Visit with our U.S. licensed doctors.
Prescription-only?: Yes, but you can have an online doctor’s visit to see if Strut Hair Formula is a good fit for you.
Pros: Combines the hair restoring power of multiple hair medications at once, available through an Online Visit with our doctors, inexpensive, gel formulation for thorough scalp coverage, applied directly to scalp so little to no full-body side effects, shipped quickly and discreetly to your door.
Cons: Can not be used during pregnancy, must leave on overnight or at least 4 hours.
There are a lot of hair growth shampoos on the market that claim to help reduce or reverse hair loss.
However, with the amount of time that shampoos remain on the scalp, there is little evidence that there is enough contact time to help significantly with hair loss issues.
It is possible that some shampoos may increase the volume or the health of existing hairs to help make your coiffe appear more full, but long-term increases in hair growth are unlikely.
These shampoos may be a good add-on to other therapies to help improve the appearance of the existing hair, but may not be strong enough on their own for dramatic results.
Prescription-only?: No, available over the counter at most pharmacies.
Pros: Easy to find, inexpensive, easy to use, may improve the volume or appearance of existing strands.
Cons: Unlikely to produce significant hair loss results on their own.
Hair, skin, and nails supplements often contain a combination of classic hair-health vitamins and minerals including Biotin, Zinc, or Iron.
And, if your hair loss is due to a deficiency in one of these ingredients, you may see hair growth benefits in getting your levels up to where they need to be.
Our doctor and pharmacist developed hair, skin, and nails supplement is called StrutVite, and it helps cover all those hair health bases to make sure deficiencies are not causing your hair loss issues.
However, if your nutrient intake is already on-point, it is unlikely that you will see additional hair gains from doubling up on these hair-healthy nutrients.
Prescription-only?: No, these supplements are available from pharmacies, online, or from health food stores.
Pros: Easy to find, inexpensive, may work well in cases of nutrient deficiency hair loss, may benefit skin and nail health as well.
Cons: Unlikely to produce significant hair benefits if nutrients are already at optimal levels.
Depending on the cause of the hair loss, a tablet or supplement may be an easy once-daily way to help improve hair growth.
This treatment type may be best for those who have significant hormone imbalances (like PCOS) or nutrient deficiencies (like low Iron) causing hair loss.
This dosage form is unlikely to remain on the scalp and follicle area for long enough to produce and significant hair benefits.
Shampoos may help improve the volume or health of existing hair strands, but may not have a big effect on new hair growth.
Foams may feel nice to apply but may pose problems when trying to work the product deep into the scalp area where the benefits take place.
Foams may work ok if the thinning is so severe that there is very little hair in the way, but may be difficult to apply correctly if a significant amount of hair still remains.
While these may feel a little gooey or slimy to apply; liquids, gels, and oils are your best bet to make sure the scalp is thoroughly coated to deliver the best hair results.
These products are normally applied at night and left on overnight, to be washed off in the morning.
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