In this article, we’ll review the hair loss subscription service from Hers, a leader in online telemedicine for women.
Hair loss can be one of the most stressful events in a woman’s life not only because it affects our look — but also because of the larger role it plays in our overall identity. For many, hair style reflects our mood, what we are about to do, who we are going to see.
Women often pride themselves on their lush hair and spend countless hours on styling, coloring, trips to the salon, and testing new products to make it as beautiful as possible. You’ve probably got your work style, your going out look, your working out updo, and more. So naturally it’s beyond terrifying to discover mysterious clumps of hair clogging your shower drain and thin spots on your scalp. Will it ever grow back?!
The good news is, there are actually many products out there clinically proven to help women combat hair loss and promote regrowth after thinning. Many are FDA-approved, scientifically formulated to help women, and incredibly affordable.
In this article, we’ll review Hers hair regrowth and thickening products to help you get a grasp on whether Hers offers a legit hair loss solution, compare their products to the competition, and help you decide if it’s worth trying.
First up: What is Hers?
Hers is a modern telemedicine brand focused on helping women with their overall health — not just hair loss. The company was founded in November 2017 and has QUICKLY become incredibly popular, selling products online as well in major retailers like Target. Hers makes it easy to get prescription medications virtually for common mental health conditions, as well as acne, hair loss, and sexual health.
What women’s hair loss products does Hers offer?
Hers’ “Hair” section is primarily focused on the health of women’s hair and offers a variety of over-the-counter products designed to “help regrow your hair, decrease shedding, and strengthen your hair.” If you’re unsure of where to start, their “Complete Hair Kit” bundle includes:
- Minoxidil Drops 2 oz bottle — Hers Minoxidil is specially formulated at 2% for women. These drops actively promote hair growth by shedding old hairs and replacing them with new ones.
- DHT shampoo 6.4 oz bottle — Hers shampoo for women helps cleanse your hair follicles of excess sebum that clogs your pores and can lead to hair loss.
- Conditioner — Formulated with amino acids and a natural three oil blend, Hers conditioner helps strengthen and moisturize damaged, overly processed hair.
- Biotin gummies — Packed with high-quality biotin to further help bolster follicles, these tasty, chewable supplements ensure you’re not losing hair due to low biotin levels.
- Rapid repair hair mask — Formulated in partnership with Jlo (yes, THAT jLo, the singer/actor formerly known as Jennifer Lopez), this topical solution repairs damaged hair and breaks down scalp buildup.
- Detox Scalp Scrub — Exfoliates to remove buildup and soothe your scalp.
Source: Hers
Before we help you evaluate if Hers’ products are right for you, let’s first understand what causes female hair loss in general, its underlying causes, and how scientists recommend you treat them.
The science of women’s hair loss — Should you be worried?
It’s not unusual for women to experience hair loss or hair thinning. In fact, one study estimates that around 50% notice thinning at some point in their life. Many women may expect their hair volume to diminish as they age and enter retirement, but the fact is that one-third of women will experience unexpected hair loss, according to Harvard Medical School research. Of course, it’s completely natural for women to shed, much like our pets — but if you notice far more than desired collecting in our combs or the drain, it could be signs of premature hair loss.
In an otherwise healthy person, this phenomenon is known as “Alopecia.” On average, women experience alopecia (known by the gender-neutral term as androgenetic alopecia) just as much hair loss compared to men. Alopecia for men is known as “male pattern baldness” while there is no generally accepted terminology for this condition for women. This may be because men lose it in specific areas of their head, not just on the crown or forehead.
Women, instead, often suffer overall thinning and rarely experience patches or focused loss in specific regions. This can often lead to women finding their hair loss to be perfectly fine until a certain point when it comes to a surprise.
What causes women’s hair loss?
The causes of hair loss and hair thinning vary from person to person. The most prominent cause in otherwise healthy people is simply genetic. Many experts believe proper care and preventative products can help reduce or reverse symptoms, however. Other causes include:
- stress
- poor diet
- thryoid disease
- hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and postpartum phase
- poor hair care
That said, select factors such as androgen excess and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) also play a role in excessive or otherwise unexpected hair loss and thinning. The Multidisciplinary Androgen Excess and PCOS Committee published a paper stating the main causes and recommended treatment for female hair loss. We’ll rely heavily on their findings as a way to evaluate Hers (and competitors’) hair recovery treatments.
What are the most common hair regrowth treatments for women?
There are a variety of hair loss treatments out there. Since Hers offers the most common over-the-counter treatments that anyone can apply without severe side-effects or the need for a prescription, we’ll focus on them.
Minoxidil
The most tested and verified hair recovery over-the-counter medication is minoxidil. Many people know minoxidil as Rogaine, which we’ll compare to Hers later. This is an FDA approved drug — in fact, it’s the only one approved to treat women.
Minoxidil has been verified by many studies to reduce hair loss and promote hair growth and strengthening with repeated uses. In a randomized study from 2011, solutions of minoxidil were found to show, “improvements in target area hair count, target area hair width, and overall efficacy.”
Minoxidil has been shown to promote hair recovery and growth. It’s also important to note that higher percentages of minoxidil can lead to further irritation, but these higher percentage treatments require fewer treatments to the scale which outweigh the side-effects from fewer treatments.
Biotin Supplements
Biotin plays a vital role in our bodies to help us process certain nutrients that help make proteins involved in hair and nail growth. More specifically, biotin is part of the vitamin-B family, and otherwise called vitamin H.
It’s important to understand most people receive enough biotin in their normal diets as both plants and animal sources of nutrients include biotin. If someone is deficient in biotin, it might be good for them to take biotin supplements as it could help stop or even reverse shedding.
Hair Grafting or Transplant
Hair grafting, or known as hair transplant, is a surgical procedure of moving follicles from one area of the body and transplanting it into the balding or thinning spots. This procedure is becoming more commonplace and safer as technology advances but is still only recommended for people who have genetic factors involved with their thinning. You must consult a practicing doctor for these treatments; they are not available online or through Hers.
Review of Hers Hair Loss Treatments
Hers offers a variety of products in an attempt to offer a comprehensive system of hair health and recovery to hair loss. They offer select products for customer’s concerns and offer a “Complete Hair Kit” for hair loss recovery. We’ll focus on the products that Hers formulates for hair loss and thinning.
Review of Hers Minoxidil 2%
Source: Hers
Hers’ minoxidil formula uses 2% minoxidil in a carrier agent made up of alcohol, propylene glycol, and purified water. These carrier agents are typical for most hair care products. As this is a simple solution of minoxidil, there’s not much difference in the effectiveness of normal minoxidil compared to other products.
Hers minoxidil topical treatment uses 2% minoxidil in solution. We can verify that this percentage is appropriate for women looking to use minoxidil for hair loss treatment – this medicine, in this formulation and concentration – is FDA approved to treat female alopecia. Like any real medicine, there are possible side effects. Thankfully, Minoxidil is well studied and understood, and these side effects are generally modest. The most common ones include irritation at the point of application, redness, itchiness, dandruff. Women who are pregnant or expecting to become pregnant should not use this medicine – so consult with your primary care physician if that’s you!
In a study between 5% minoxidil and 2% minoxidil conducted for women suffering from androgenetic alopecia, the study concluded some interesting results. The test was run for 24 weeks with patients undergoing a random study between 5% minoxidil and 2% minoxidil, following the common treatment practices of 5% solution used once a day while 2% is used twice. The study stated, “Once-daily 5% MTF is non-inferior and as effective for stimulating hair growth as twice-daily 2% MTS in women with androgenetic alopecia and is associated with several aesthetic and practical advantages.”
So it’s wise to take into consideration that 2% minoxidil treatment from Hers does offer an acceptable growth rate for hair for women. Basically, the science supports this treatment as an effective option for most patients. The solution should be applied twice during the day, once in the morning and the second time before bed and allowed to dry before styling or sleeping.
How long does it take for Hers minoxidil to work?
Patience is required; it can take two to three months before you start to notice improvement. Basically, what scientists think that this medicine is doing is increasing the blood flow in the areas where you apply it. So, as you put the Minoxidil on your scalp, your follicles will get more blood flow and therefore, more nutrients. And this process takes time.
You can get 25% off your first month of Hers Minoxidil here! Still not sure? Check out before and after pics below from real Hers minoxidil customers.
Hers Minoxidil Before and After
Because seeing is believing, we gathered a few Hers minoxidil before and after pics from real customers. Take a look below, and email us if you’d like us to feature yours as well.
Katerina (pictured above) saw noticeable hairline regrowth after just one month of applying hers minoxidil.
Hers minoxidil also seems to work well for Rebecca, whose after pic shows significanly thicker growth than two months before.
Review of Hers thickening shampoo and conditioner
Hers also offers a set of thickening shampoo and conditioner. While they aren’t specifically formulated to ward off hair loss, their ingredients and treatment of the hair help it appear more healthy and thick.
For the thickening shampoo, Hers states, “Formulated to wash away excess sebum. […] This shampoo can help cleanse your scalp to help your hair appear thicker and healthier.” Looking at the ingredients, the shampoo does not contain parabens, silicone, and sulfates which many thickening focused shampoos follow.
For the thickening conditioner, Hers states, “Formulated with an amino acid blend, argan oil, coconut oil, and sunflower seed oil, this conditioner gets to work by helping strengthen damaged, overly processed hair, while also providing moisture.” Looking at the ingredient list, they are correct as the main conditioning elements are derived from these beneficial oils and proteins.
It’s safe to evaluate that Hers’ thickening shampoo and conditioner are well formulated to promote thicker, healthier hair with ingredients that compare well with other thickening shampoo and conditioners.
Source: Hers
Review of Hers biotin gummies for hair loss
The final piece of Hers hair loss treatment is biotin gummies, which Hers recommends you take two of per day. These gummies are cherry flavored and bear-shaped. Hers states, “Biotin supports the production of the amino acid keratin, that protein and building block of our hair that keeps it strong, healthy, and shiny.” As shown in our biotin vitamin supplement summary, this statement appears to be borne out by legitimate scientific research.
Source: forhers.com
Hers Complete Hair Kit Review
Hers offers a “Complete Hair Kit” that is focused on hair recovery that includes all of the products above. At the moment, they are the only company that offers a complete kit of minoxidil topical treatment, shampoo, conditioner, and vitamins. Other companies offer kits of vitamins and shampoos and conditioners, but I’ve yet to see a hair loss bundle that includes a minoxidil treatment.
So, you’re probably wondering how Hers Minoxidil compares to the best known brand – let’s dig in and compare Hers vs Rogaine so you can figure out which brand is right for you.
Hers vs Rogaine: What’s the best minoxidil for women?
Rogaine is a household name and the de facto leader in over-the-counter hair loss products for both men and women — but how does it stack up to Hers? We’ll focus on the differences between Hers and Rogaine minoxidil topical treatments.
Long story short: While Rogaine can be slightly more affordable if you buy a 2-4 month supply of hair loss treatment, you won’t receive the same kind of support if you have questions and concerns that you will from Hers. Here’s a more thorough comparison: