In your quest to reduce hair loss and encourage hair growth, you’ve likely come across the product Nutrafol®, a high-end supplement that contains ingredients like saw palmetto, marine collagen, and a number of other vitamins and minerals. Nutrafol offers separate products for women and for men, and the women’s products are divided into categories like postpartum, 45+, and those aged 18-44. 

While Nutrafol has a solid approach in addressing the root causes of hair loss, like hormonal imbalances, stress, and nutritional gaps in your diet, it can be a costly choice for many. We’re going to explore a number of alternatives to Nutrafol and explore how hair growth supplements compare to topical solutions.   

What is the Best Way to Stimulate Hair Growth? 

When it comes to stimulating hair growth, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, a combination of approaches often yields the best results. This may include incorporating vitamins and mineral supplements into your routine, using hair growth shampoos and conditioners, exploring topical treatments, and considering more advanced options like DHT blockers and PRP therapy.

Hair, like skin, grows from stem cells that divide and change into keratinocytes. These cells move, flatten, and eventually die, forming the hair we see on our skin, which is made entirely of keratin.¹ A number of external factors can disrupt this process, including poor nutrition, stress, and natural aging.

Vitamins and Mineral Supplements

Vitamins and mineral supplements can help reduce hair loss and support hair growth from the inside out. Sometimes the supplements function like Nutrafol, in which various ingredients are included to target different causes of hair loss. For instance, Nutrafol contains ashwagandha to ease stress and saw palmetto to address hormonal imbalances. In other cases, only one ingredient is included for a more targeted approach, such as a biotin or keratin supplement, two building blocks of hair. Here are some of the most popular supplements and vitamins for hair growth and thickness.

Foundation Skincare’s UnTangled Hair Supplement

Foundation Skincare’s UnTangled Hair Supplement is a dermatologist-formulated supplement that can reduce hair loss in both men and women. Like Nutrafol, UnTangled contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and acids clinically proven to target hair loss. The supplement also contains marine collagen to boost hair strength, preformed vitamin A (which is more easily absorbed than the provitamin A found in Nutrafol), vitamin D3 to create new hair follicles, and the recommended dietary amount of biotin at 30 mcg (compared to 3,000 mcg found in Nutrafol, which can be problematic; excess biotin can lead to side effects like excess thirst and insomnia).² Other ingredients found in UnTangled that are not found in Nutrafol include: 

• Pantothenic acid: A B vitamin that strengthens and thickens hair 
• Iron:  An essential mineral that oxygenates the hair follicles
• Niacin:Another B vitamin that efficiently delivers oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles 
• Folic acid: Yet another B vitamin responsible for healthy cell growth and keratin production

Together with saw palmetto (which fights hormonal hair loss) and antioxidant-rich vitamin C, all of these ingredients work to counteract nutritional deficiencies that can lead to hair loss, make hair less prone to breakage, and promote the optimum function of hair follicles to encourage new growth. 

UnTangled contains more servings in one bottle than Nutrafol, which makes it the more affordable choice; you also don’t have to order as often, which makes it the more convenient choice. And many find UnTangled to be easier to take at two capsules per day compared to Nutrafol’s four daily capsules. When taking UnTangled,  most users see progress at 30 days in, with more prominent results seen at 90 days.

Biotin 

Many people turn to biotin to help their hair grow, but there are a few misconceptions about how this vitamin actually works. While biotin does help control inflammation in the hair follicle and support the production of keratin, a protein in charge of forming hair formation, it works best as a supplement when you’re dealing with an actual biotin deficiency. Even more, experts think that biotin does a better job of slowing hair loss than promoting new growth, so if you’re in the early stages of hair thinning, it might be worth taking. 

Viviscal®

Like Nutrafol and UnTangled, Viviscal Hair Growth Supplements target hair loss from the inside out with a variety of vitamins and minerals, including marine collagen, vitamin C, biotin, and iron. Like UnTangled, it is more cost-efficient than Nutrafol and only requires two capsules per day (versus Nutrafol’s four capsules), but it does exceed the recommended dietary amount of biotin at 200 mcg. This product may also require patience, as some users don’t see progress until six months in. 

Keratin Supplements 

Like biotin, keratin is a building block for your hair, and some believe taking a supplement of this ingredient alone will help their hair grow longer and fuller. To date there is little research that keratin supplements can support hair growth when taken orally, and the studies that do show promise involve injections into the scalp or topical solutions. Also like with biotin, if you have a keratin deficiency, taking a supplement to close this nutritional gap may help support hair growth and minimize loss. Experts say that this can be easily achieved through your diet, as keratin-making ingredients like biotin and vitamin A can be found in many foods, like eggs, salmon, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, almonds, legumes, and red bell pepper.³ 

Hair Growth Shampoos & Conditioners 

From Rogaine® to ketoconazole, there are a number of shampoos and conditioners that can potentially support hair growth and hair health. However, there are side effects you should be aware of before using any of these products.

Rogaine 

Rogaine is the brand name for the medication minoxidil, a blood pressure medicine that works as a vasodilator (widens blood vessels). Due to its vasodilating effects, Rogaine is thought to encourage hair growth through increased blood flow, though there is still a lot that is unknown about why and how the product works. Applied topically, Rogaine is typically well tolerated, though it can cause side effects like scalp irritation and hair shedding (when you first start using the product). At high doses, it can also cause irregular heart rate and flushing, so it should be used cautiously.

Look for Ingredients like Ketoconazole

Many hair growth shampoos contain ketoconazole, a medication commonly used to manage and treat fungal infections. When applied topically in a shampoo, it is thought that ketoconazole blocks the action of DHT, a hormone that causes hair follicles to shrink when there is too much of it in the body. This is the same function of saw palmetto (included in Nutrafol and UnTangled) and why it is such an important ally in reducing hormonal hair loss. Some studies have shown that ketoconazole products are just as effective in promoting hair growth as Rogaine, but they may lead to an itchy scalp.⁴

Topical Treatments

There are a number of hair serums designed to help your hair grow by applying essential ingredients to the scalp. Like hair growth supplements, these products often contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, and acids, such as biotin and saw palmetto. Only, instead of addressing hair loss from the inside out, these products aim to stimulate your hair follicles directly.  

Foundation Skincare’s Hair Serum is one of the best hair growth serums available. Formulated by a board-certified dermatologist, this topical product reduces hair shedding while increasing hair length, thickness, and strength in as little as three months of use. In addition to saw palmetto, Hair Serum contains ingredients like Capixyl, a biomimetic peptide that prevents your hair follicles from shrinking, apple stem cells to promote regeneration, and capsicum extract to stimulate blood flow to the scalp.

For the best and fastest results, use Hair Serum and UnTangled Hair Supplements together.

DHT Blockers 

We already mentioned saw palmetto and ketoconazole, but there are other DHT blockers available for hair loss, typically with a prescription (like finasteride and dutasteride). While these products work better at preserving hair follicles (and reducing hair shedding), there have been instances in which users have experienced new hair growth.⁵ 

Prescription DHT blockers, while effective, should be used cautiously due to their side effects. These may include sexual dysfunction, nausea, rash, and cardiovascular issues.⁶

PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy)

A more invasive solution to hair loss that can potentially aid new growth is PRP, or platelet-rich plasma therapy. By injecting your own blood into the scalp, researchers think this therapy works by stimulating tissue regeneration and increasing the survival of the hair follicle. However, there are potential side effects, such as itching, swelling, and temporary discoloration. 

With a variety of hair loss products and treatments available, finding the right solution for your needs may require some experimentation. Whether you opt for vitamins and supplements, topical treatments, or more advanced therapies like PRP, addressing hair loss early and consistently can lead to improved outcomes and greater confidence in your appearance.

Find more tips and resources on hair health in the FS Journal.

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References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499948/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554493/ 

3. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7945894/what-is-keratin/ 

4. https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/hair-loss/ketoconazole-hair-loss 

5. https://www.healthline.com/health/dht#side-effects

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8922312/