The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (2025)

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (1)

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.

Hair growth can feel like an impossible feat at times, especially if your hair is already thinning or falling out. Really, though, despite what your genetics might lead you to believe, having thinning hair doesn't mean all is lost—as long as you have the right treatments for to promote a healthier scalp, you'll give your hair the best shot it has for rich, lush growth.

To help grow your hair, you need to start at the roots. I mean, don't expect to go from almost-bald to Brad Pitt in Troy overnight, but if you nourish your scalp and hair follicles, you can expect some kind of comeback era for your luscious locks. Whether you use a hair growth device, or take a supplement, or use a serum or oil—likely one with biotin or minoxidil, two powerful hair growth treatments—, you're already a step closer to the hair you want. It all starts here.

Best Hair Loss Spray

Patricks RD1 Anti Hairloss Recovery & Defense Treatment

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (8)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (9)Easy to apply spray
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (10)Can also style hair
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (11)Easy to travel with
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (12)Doesn't contain any FDA-approved ingredients

Our favorite thing about this innovative spray isn’t that it contains ingredients that block DHT (which is the driving factor behind Male Pattern Hair Loss) – though that is pretty great. It’s that while it works to help stimulate hair growth, it also styles your hair. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we always love a multifunctional grooming product that helps with more than one thing. We found that not only does this spray work long-term to help control hair shed and stimulate new growth, but it also instantly makes our hair look fuller and thicker. Plus, it’s small enough to fit easily in our dopp kit so we’re never without it.

We tested a few different sprays and this one is by far the most comfortable and felt the best on our hair. Plus, as we’ve already noted, the styling component is hard to beat (we love that we don’t have to add anything else to our hair after using it). Keep in mind that this doesn’t have any FDA-approved ingredients like minoxidil or finasteride, but it does have some alternatives like saw palmetto, which has been shown in some studies to help stimulate hair growth. If you have aggressive hair loss, you may want to ask your doctor about something stronger, but we think that for those with mild or moderate thinning, this is a great option. We noticed some visual fullness after just a couple of months of consistent use, though not as much as with some treatments that contain minoxidil.

Key IngredientsRedensyl, capixyl, saw palmetto, noto-ginseng, biotin, caffeine
Delivery SystemSpray
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultNo

Best Hair Loss Supplement

Nutrafol Men's Hair Growth Nutraceutical

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (13)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (14)Contains naturally derived ingredients
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (15)No topiocal products
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (16)Can address other sources of hair loss besides DHT
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (17)Lots of pills to take every day
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (18)May need to be combined with other treatments

Hair loss can be a multifactorial issue. While Male Pattern Hair Loss is largely an effect of genetics and DHT, other factors like stress, inflammation and diet can play a role. That’s where something like an oral supplement can come in handy. Nutrafol works inside your body to address a variety of issues and can help create an optimal environment to promote hair growth. These supplements don’t target your scalp or hair specifically, but instead work holistically inside your body to help things run smoothly and make sure your body is primed to create the best environment for hair growth possible.

Like all hair loss treatments, taking Nutrafol is a commitment. Not only will you likely not see any visible results for about three months or more, but it also requires downing four large pills a day, which for some people can be a hassle (if you’re already in the habit of taking supplements, this may not be as much of an issue for you). It also may not be ideal to use Nutrafol on its own. If you’re hoping for more prevention than regrowth, Nutrafol may be exactly what you need. However, we found that combining it with other topical treatments like minoxidil makes it more effective. In that way, you’re providing treatment both inside your body and on the surface, allowing for both targeted and holistic treatments. When in doubt, we say, attack from all sides.

Key IngredientsCollagen, Vitamin C, zinc, flax seed
Delivery SystemOral supplement
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultNo

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best Combo Hair Loss Treatment

Hims Topical Finasteride and Minoxidil Spray

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (19)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (20)Contains two FDA-approved hair loss treatments
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (21)Easy to apply spray
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (22)Topical finasteride may have fewer side effects than the pill
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (23)Needs a physician approval

Finasteride tends to get a bit of a bad rap because, while it’s effective at regrowing hair (so effective that it’s FDA-approved), it also can carry with it some pretty gnarly side effects like loss of libido. Typically you find finasteride in pill form meant to be taken orally but there is some emerging evidence that topical finasteride, like the kind found in this spray, can have fewer side effects than the traditional pill form. And while topical finasteride is not yet FDA-approved, that’s still great news and part of what makes this spray so effective. In this easy to use spray, topical finasteride is combined with minoxidil for a one-two punch to your hair follicles to block DHT and promote growth from multiple angles.

In our testing, we found that this highly effective spray came with a few positives that many of the other treatments we tried didn’t have. First, you only need to apply it once a day, which is a very good thing if you’re into streamlining your routine. The spray formula is also one of the easiest to apply that we tried (you just need to make sure you massage it down into your scalp very well). There were hardly any drips and it was one of the least messy topical treatments we got our hands on. More than any of that, we saw a noticeable difference in the density of our hair in only a couple of months and after three, we noticed actual growth in the areas where our hair was the thinnest. And when it comes to possible side effects from finasteride, we didn’t have any ourselves (but keep in mind that everyone is different). You need a prescription to purchase this spray, but thankfully Hims makes it easy to do meet with a provider virtually so you don’t even need to get off your couch.

Key IngredientsMinoxidil, finasteride
Delivery SystemSpray
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultYes

Best LED Helmet for Hair Loss

iRestore Essential Laser Hair Growth System

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (24)

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (25)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (26)Less expensive than comparable LED caps
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (27)No messy product to apply
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (28)Very easy to use
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (29)Expensive compared to other treatments

One of the most exciting developments in the field of hair loss treatments lately has been the advent of LED light therapy. It’s not exactly new from a medical standpoint (it has years of research behind it), but the fact that you can now do it at home is new. Many doctors, including Dr. Kash, recommend LED therapy because it stimulates blood flow to the hair follicles and helps reduce inflammation, both of which can help hair growth. The reason Dr. Kash recommends this cap is twofold. First, unlike other devices like combs, it sits static on your head, allowing the light to penetrate your scalp most effectively and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to other similar LED caps. Plus, it has the right wavelengths of light. “Certain wavelengths of red light have been well studied in clinical trials,” says dermatologist Robert Finney, M.D., “and have been proven to help reverse signs of genetic hair loss.” The light targets bulge cells at the base of the hair to increase blood flow, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy follicles.

Sitting around with a light-up helmet on your head may seem a little silly at first, but we found that the initial weirdness goes away after just a couple of uses. This cap is best when used every day and, while it is FDA-cleared, it doesn’t have any approved hair growth ingredients like minoxidil, of course. It’s great on its own, but we found that combining it with other treatments like minoxidil (at Dr. Kash’s recommendation) really improved the results. We love that LED treatment is painless, easy and doesn’t require additional messy products to work.

Key IngredientsLow level laser
Delivery SystemHelmet
Supply1 year warranty
Doctor ConsultNo

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best Overall Hair Growth Product

Rogaine 5% Minoxidil Foam

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (30)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (31)FDA-approved and doctor recommended
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (32)Easy to apply
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (33)Can be used morning and night
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (34)Does not smell good

There’s a reason why Rogaine is always one of the first treatments to come up when you start talking about hair loss treatments. It’s been used for decades to combat Male Pattern Hair Loss and is one of the only treatments both FDA-approved and clinically proven to not only stop hair loss but actually reverse it. It’s overwhelmingly recommended by doctors and is widely available at drug stores without a prescription, making it not only one of the most effective treatments but one of the most available. On top of all that, the foam application of this version is easy to use and relatively mess-free (compared to other treatments like more liquidy serums).

Our testing confirmed all the positives. While it typically takes about three months or more to see the most results from a hair loss treatment, including Rogaine, we noticed a difference in the density of our hair at about the two month mark. Not only did our hair look fuller overall, but some of the thinning patches, like around our hairline, started to noticeably fill in. We found that the foam was easy to apply and, while it can be a drag to apply it twice a day, once we got in the routine it became second nature. Our testing did confirm a few downsides as well. The smell of Rogaine is not pleasant. There’s a very chemicall-y medicinal quality to it that can be hard to escape. And even with the foam application, it can drip, so you need to be careful when applying. Those downsides are manageable once you get used to using it however. The biggest downside of Rogaine, and this is the case with most hair loss treatments, is that it only works as long as you use it. Once you stop, your hair will go back to what it was before which means that you should commit before you start using it, otherwise you’re just wasting your time.

Key IngredientsMinoxidil
Delivery SystemFoam
Supply3 months
Doctor ConsultNo

Best Shampoo System for Hair Loss

Nioxin Hair Regrowth Kit for Men

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (35)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (36)Complete hair care system
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (37)Contains natural ingredients
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (38)Only needs to be used three times a week
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (39)Doesn't contain FDA-approved hair growth ingredients

Hair loss shampoos can be a great addition to hair loss treatment plans, but they’re not always the be all end all of hair loss treatments. Luckily, this isn’t just a shampoo. This system consists of three products: a shampoo, conditioner and leave-in serum foam that all work together to help slow hair loss and encourage thicker, fuller hair. Inside there are natural ingredients that help to stimulate the scalp and hair follicles like caffeine, niacinamide and peppermint oil and while there isn’t anything like minoxidil or finasteride, these ingredients have been shown to have an effect on hair growth.

The thing about using a hair growth shampoo and conditioner like this is that you need to let the products sit on your scalp for around five minutes before rinsing out. This allows the active ingredients to penetrate the skin as well as possible. Once you’ve used both, apply the serum foam to your head (make sure to massage it into your scalp thoroughly) and leave it in to do it’s thing. We found after a few weeks of using it our hair looked fuller and we noticed less hair in our shower drain (a good way to monitor hair shed). Again, we should note that shampoos are often not your only solution to hair loss, so we recommend using this in combination with another proven regrowth treatment like minoxidil for an even better result.

Key IngredientsCaffeine, niacinamide, peppermint oil, mentha arvensis leaf oil
Delivery SystemShampoo, conditioner, foam
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultNo

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best Scalp Serum for Hair Loss

Act+Acre 2% Stem Cell H2-Grow Complex Scalp Serum

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (40)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (41)Contains natural ingredients
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (42)Also helps balance and soothe the scalp
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (43)Smells good
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (44)Best if used for prevention

Out of all the serums we tried, this is the one we kept reaching for over and over. Not only does it help to soothe itch and balance your scalp for overall hair health, but it also contains apple stem cells that can help stimulate hair and extend the growth phase in the hair life cycle, which can help reduce shedding and help retain hair longer. It’s thin and easy to spread across your scalp for full coverage (the brand recommends one to two pipettes but we found that three is the sweet spot for full coverage without drips). After using this daily for a couple of months, we noticed that our hair looked fuller and healthier and our scalp felt much more comfortable.

Since this serum doesn’t include any FDA-approved ingredients for hair regrowth, we think this would serve best as more of a preventative tool rather than a regrowth treatment. If you already have significant hair loss, you’ll likely want to speak to your doctor and possibly go for something stronger rather than choose this. However, if you’ve noticed mild shedding or thinning and are looking for something more preventative, this is a great option. Plus, even if you don’t have thinning, this serum works so well on your scalp to promote overall health and comfort, we’d recommend this to pretty much everyone regardless of whether they’re worried about thinning or not.

Key IngredientsH2-Grow complex, bamboo and pea sprout blend, hyaluronic acid
Delivery SystemSerum
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultNo

Best Anti-Thinning Serum

Nécessaire Scalp Serum

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (45)

Pros
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (46)Supports overall scalp health
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (47)Helps improve hair density and strength
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (48)Fragrance-free
Cons
  • The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (49)Does not help with hair regrowth

Much of the hair loss treatment conversation revolves around ingredients like minoxidil and finasteride (and with good reason), but there are some other ingredients that can help with not just hair loss but also overall hair health. This serum is packed with peptides which help to improve a few different aspects of your hair. Capixil, the active ingredient in this serum, is a peptide that helps to improve hair density and make your hair appear fuller and thicker. Plus, there’s hylauronic acid to help keep your scalp hydrated, which is important for overall hair health. Using this serum once a day (ideally at night) helps to not only make hair stronger and healthier but also helps to make it fuller.

In our testing process, we applied this serum nightly as directed by the bottle and in a few weeks we noticed an improvement on how thick our hair looked. Not only that, it appeared shinier and healthier in general. Plus, we noticed fewer strands in our drain which points to less hair shedding. Again, this is not technically a hair growth treatment as it doesn’t contain any ingredients that are shown to regrow hair, but when combined with another growth treatment for a more holistic treatment program, this serum would be a great addition for its thickening properties. Above that, it would be great to use on its own even if you’re not concerned with hair loss, but just want a little volume boost.

Key IngredientsCapixil, hyaluronic acid
Delivery SystemSerum
Supply1 month
Doctor ConsultNo

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What To Look For

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (50)

Since hair growth products come in such a wide range, the biggest thing to consider when choosing what to use is compliance. If you can’t stick with it for at least six months (and more likely a year), you are unlikely to see the results you want. In addition to that, there are a few other things to consider as well.

Key Ingredients: Hair growth products use a variety of ingredients to help promote hair growth. Dermatologist Natalie Kash, MD recommends looking for ingredients that have proven scientific backing that they actually have an effect on hair growth like minoxidil and finasteride, which are the only FDA-approved drugs for hair growth. There are some other common ingredients, like saw palmetto and rosemary extract that have some positive clinical studies and then there is also LED therapy, which has also been well-studied in the hair growth arena. When in doubt, look up ingredients that you haven’t heard of to see if they’ve been proven to work for hair growth. If they haven’t, they’re just filler.

Delivery System: The delivery system of a product refers to what it uses to deliver the active ingredients to your scalp, where they can get to work stimulating hair growth. These come in a wide variety from serums, sprays, foams, pills and even helmets. When choosing a product, the delivery system is essential because you want one that is easy to use and fits into your lifestyle. It goes back to compliance – if you can’t use it every day (or as often as the product requires), it’s not going to work.

Supply: Hair regrowth is slow and you likely won’t see results for at least three months with full results showing up in about six months to a year. When choosing a product, you not only want to make sure you have enough product to last a while, but you also want to make sure you can afford to purchase it as often as required for you to see results. For instance, if a product has a one month supply, you should expect to repurchase it at least six times and, if it works for you, indefinitely.

Doctor Consultation: It’s always recommended to consult a doctor before starting to use any hair growth product, however not all of them require a doctor consultation. Many are offered over the counter, meaning you don’t have to have a prescription to use them, and others use alternative ingredients and formats that don’t require them to be classified as drugs at all. We’ll say it again - you should consult a physician before beginning hair growth therapy no matter what - but whether it’s required to use a certain product varies.

What Causes Hair Loss

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (51)

Before you can treat hair loss, you have to know what’s causing it. Overwhelmingly, the most common type of hair loss in men is androgenetic alopecia, also known as Male Pattern Hair Loss (MPHL) and is “primarily driven by genetics and hormones,” says Dr. Kash, MD. MPHL happens when a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes the life cycle of your hair to shorten, leading to increased shedding and loss. There is also increasing evidence that factors like inflammation and oxidative stress can contribute to MPHL, according to Dr. Kash. Identifying MPHL is relatively simple - hair loss is typically concentrated in “certain parts of the scalp like the hair line, top of the head and the crown,” she says, whereas hair on the lower part of the scalp and around your ears is usually less affected.

There are other forms of hair loss to complicate things, though. Telogen effluvium is hair loss caused by high stress, surgeries or other internal issues like thyroid problems or vitamin D deficiency. There’s also alopecia areata which presents as circles of hair loss on the scalp (and sometimes on your beard). These other forms of hair loss can be harder to treat, so consulting a doctor is your best bet to identify what kind of hair loss you have and how best to treat it.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Do Hair Growth Products Work

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (52)

With so many options out there, it can be hard to tell which are worth it and the fact of the matter is, there is a lot of snake oil out there. Experts recommend focusing on tried and true, FDA-approved ingredients minoxidil and finasteride, both of which haven been shown through years of study to help control MPHL. For the record, these are the only two ingredients FDA-approved for hair loss. That’s not to say that other treatments, like supplements, natural remedies, and gadgets won’t work at all, it’s just that the science supporting them isn’t as robust (or doesn’t exist at all). There is also something to be said about a multi-pronged approach, like using minoxidil and a supplement. “The more ways you can act on the pathways contributing to hair loss the better and I often see patients on multiple types of therapy have better results,” says Dr. Kash. But if you’re using something and your hair loss isn’t getting better, head to the dermatologist for an evaluation.

Why Trust Us

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (53)

We’re not going to say something is great unless it's actually great. Every product in Esquire’s round-ups is carefully curated by our grooming and e-commerce teams.

When it comes to hair care you can rest assured that we’re hand-selecting products that we’ve personally tested, tried, and loved. Our grooming editor Garrett Munce, along with the rest of the style team, has spent years applying, wearing, and test driving hundreds (thousands!) of hair care products and we are confident that these are the best.

Every pick on this list (and our other lists) comes from these years of testing. We know that everyone’s hair is different, no two men are the same, and what works for you may not work for everyone else. But if you’re looking for the right place to start, with advice from folks who care (possibly too much!) about this sort of stuff, this is the place to be.

The Best Hair Growth Products, Tested and Reviewed (2025)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Mr. See Jast

Last Updated:

Views: 5735

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mr. See Jast

Birthday: 1999-07-30

Address: 8409 Megan Mountain, New Mathew, MT 44997-8193

Phone: +5023589614038

Job: Chief Executive

Hobby: Leather crafting, Flag Football, Candle making, Flying, Poi, Gunsmithing, Swimming

Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.