Hair supplementation products have exploded in the consumer space. Here is what you need to know about the benefits – and limits – of this relatively new product category.

Hair supplementation with topical products is on the rise, but where does it fit in with your medical therapy? One thing’s for sure, don’t count on it as a replacement. Image by freepic.diller for Freepik. 

Supplements keep coming up in the ever present zeitgeist of health and self-improvement, and hair care is no different. With companies quick to fill our collective wants we’re tempted (and very inclined, especially this time of year) to shop. 

But when it comes to the hair growth supplement products being touted online and through your local health and beauty aisle as a new treatment to optimize your hair growth – can they really work? 

The short answer is that yes, supplementary products can absolutely make a difference in the appearance and apparent density of your hair (it’s one of the reasons I developed my own line), but the trick – as with a lot of these things – is separating the lofty (and often very misleading advertising claims) from what they can reasonably do. 

Not all hair growth supplementary products are created equal, and the ones based on bad science can definitely leave you worse off – especially if you’re already dealing with hair loss. 

Supplementing your hair journey can be impactful, but it is not a replacement for real medical hair therapy. If a product claims otherwise? Run. Image by Freepik.

Prescription medications are controlled substances because they work. True hair loss medication (deployed correctly when warranted) can significantly (and visibly) impact hair loss for the better.  But, with profound effects comes the potential for side effects. For example, when we use medical hair loss therapy to treat androgenic alopecia, we’re often taking a two-pronged approach – improving the growth cycle and increasing strand thickness with minoxidil and introducing a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor to combat the deleterious effects of DHT (such as finasteride). There are other medical therapies used to treat other forms of hair loss effectively – such as spironolactone and JAK inhibitors – but what they all have in common is that their potential for significant hair gains comes with the potential for side effects.

Think of it as the universe’s way of balancing things, medical karma – for every action there is a reaction. Every medication on the planet – be it Tylenol, medical hair therapy, Retin-A, antibiotics – carries some risk. 

How Does Supplementation Differ?  

Supplementation for hair growth isn’t medical therapy because it’s fundamentally not as potent as prescription medication. 

There are two schools of thought on supplementation for hair growth – one is to provide ‘nutritional-like support to the hair follicle, usually as a dietary supplement. I’m not keen on dietary nutritional supplements, mainly because in this day and age, you just aren’t likely to have a true nutrient deficiency. Our bodies are very good at regulating how 

much of any single vitamin or nutrient we absorb – our systems work best when things are in balance (homeostasis) – and the ones that we don’t regulate well can be dangerous when taken in high quantities. If there is a nutritional deficiency? Best medical practice tells us we should look to our diets first.  

However, using a ‘growth support’ style topical supplement that’s applied directly to the scalp and hair follicle is a promising field and there’s science to back it up. These growth support products tend to be formulated as a transitory topical product (shampoos, conditioner) or as a leave on topical product (foam, serums), and the great ones contain ingredients that we know can affect the hair growth cycle and/or counteract DHT when applied topically… just not as effectively as prescription products. My favourite hair support ingredient ‘hits list’ includes caffeine, saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, and curcumin. 

 

But if it’s not as good as medical therapy… why bother? 

The key here is ‘support’. While none of the ingredients I mentioned will ‘regrow hair’ (or replace medical therapy), they can work on a cellular level to protect the hair you have, potentially even improving density by encouraging miniaturizing hairs to mature – just to a lesser extent than a prescription product can.

Yes, a well-formulated topical product can help support hair health and supplement hair growth – but not all ingredients are created equal. Some popular ingredients are ineffective, worse, they can potentially put your hair at risk – choose wisely.  Image by Freepik.

They can also support medical therapy that you already have in place. A well-formulated shampoo that includes some of the ingredients I listed above, can help boost the results you see from your medical therapy. 

They can also be beneficial for those wanting to improve the appearance of age-related thinning and miniaturization, or help with transitory hair loss, like telogen effluvium. There are many reasons people lose hair, some temporary, some transient, some (like aging) inevitable. 

Do you need a hair support product in your routine? Is it guaranteed to improve your density? No, but provided you’re choosing a thoughtfully formulated product, it likely won’t do any harm, and the benefits might pleasantly surprise you. The biggest catch is that you’ll need to be consistent to see results. 

And if you are experiencing true hair loss? Once you have a real treatment plan in place, a supplemental product can help boost your results. 

Inexpensive Prescription Hair Loss Medication Delivered To Your Door.

How to Choose a Hair Thickening Shampoo

It’s very hard to recommend any one particular hair care product that will work universally. Everyone’s hair and scalp are just so different. A well formulated product that works for one person can easily be problematic for someone else. Of course, a great place to start is my own Feel Confident Line, which ticks all the boxes above, but following current research (and not chasing fads and empty promises) can help you evaluate other lines and determine if they’re worth your while. 

• Ingredients 
• Caffeine, saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil, and curcumin – that’s the gold standard in support molecules that research backs. It’s why I included all four in my own Feel Confident hair care products. 
• Avoid harsh surfactants – they can put stress on the hair follicles and scalp.
• Hair Type 
• Know what your hair needs and purchase accordingly. For example, if you’re someone who can’t shampoo frequently, a leave in foam might be preferable and easier to be consistent with. Likewise, for those with fine hair may want to avoid thicker, more emollient products which can weight hair down.
• Choose a product you’ll use regularly! The support molecules won’t get to your scalp otherwise! 

• Hair Goals? Understanding where you want to get your hair is really important. If you’re generally happy with your hair but want to see a bit of improvement, an at home hair care plan could be all you need. However, if you’re dealing with trickier or more significant thinning and hair loss, you’ll be best served finding a great professional to help you determine if medical therapy is an option. 

Speaking of exploring medical hair therapy… For affordable hair medication delivered directly to your door, visit Feel Confident to see if prescription medical hair therapy is right for you. 

The content of this newsletter is for entertainment and educational purposes only. This content is not meant to provide any medical advice or treat any medical conditions. Patients must be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare provider on an individual basis and treatment must be tailored to meet that patient’s needs. Results and particular outcomes are not guaranteed.