Roots by Genetic Arts Overview
Cost: $129 for treatment and $219 for one-time genetic test
Process: DNA test, questionnaire, prescription
What’s prescribed: Finasteride, dutasteride, spironolactone, and more
Administration method: Topical
Potential side effects: Redness, irritation, itching
Who qualifies: Anyone dealing with hair loss
Insurance information: Not accepted
Our rating: 4.5
When you’re looking for help with hair loss, it may feel overwhelming with all the new ones showing up. Even if you could afford to try them all, you’d probably end up with a pile of shampoos, vitamins, medications, and more that aren’t doing you much good.
So how can you take advantage of the products that might actually work for you while avoiding those that’ll have you losing money faster than you’re losing hair? Roots by Genetic Arts offers an innovative suggestion: genetic testing. That might call to mind the kind of DNA test that helps you find lost family members, but Roots by GA’s aim isn’t to illuminate your ancestry. It’s to help you identify the clinically-backed hair loss treatments that are most likely to be effective for you.
Roots by GA doesn’t just tell you which ingredients might help slow down your hair loss. They also create a custom hair loss treatment made with your unique DNA in mind. So if you’re tired of one-size-fits-all approaches to hair loss, read on to learn more about what makes Roots by Genetic Arts stand out from the pack.
While it’s more expensive than many competitors, Roots by Genetic Arts offers value for money you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. With a groundbreaking scientific approach to personalization combined with a wide range of effective ingredients, Roots by GA creates custom topicals worth a try for anyone tired of wasting time and money on ineffective hair loss treatments.
Roots by GA Pros & Cons
Pros
- Custom and targeted hair growth solutions
- Wide array of effective potential ingredients
- Inclusive treatment for both men and women
Cons
- Less affordable than many competing products
- Topical options only, no pills, chews, or capsules
Our Experience With Roots by GA
The sign-up process for Roots by Genetic Arts kicks off pretty similarly to most clinically-backed hair loss offerings. My first step was filling out their detailed questionnaire, which asks about your hair health, lifestyle, and other info needed to perfectly tailor your treatment to your needs.
Next comes the exciting part getting and administering your at-home DNA test. If you’ve never tried anything like that before, rest assured that it’s quick, easy, and no more invasive than a COVID test.
Once a doctor reviews your results and prescribes a custom formula, all you need to do is wait for Roots by GA’s compound pharmacy to create your personalized treatment. After trying countless generic products, it’s refreshing to get a treatment that’s uniquely designed for my genetic profile.
And the best part? It actually works. After consistent use, I noticed fuller, stronger hair with reduced shedding, exactly what you’re looking for when you try to treat your hair loss.
What Is Roots by Genetic Arts and What Sets Them Apart
Roots by GA is an emerging hair loss treatment provider that utilizes the TrichoTest, a DNA-based analysis that identifies the most effective hair loss ingredients for you. Roots by GA is bringing a breath of fresh air to the online hair loss treatment industry, and here’s why:
- Genetic testing: As you can probably tell by the name, the main selling point of Roots by GA is their distinctive pharmacogenetic approach to hair loss treatment. That’s a fancy way of saying that instead of simply using the most popular ingredients and hoping they work for your unique biology, Roots actually bases your prescription on the specific biomarkers revealed by your DNA test, along with a lifestyle questionnaire and anything you share with your assigned board-certified dermatologist. For example, 60% of people who use minoxidil, the most common topical treatment, may not actually respond well to it.
- Non-diagnostic results: All this means is that while Roots by GA’s test can help you identify the best potential treatments for your hair loss, it’s not meant to pinpoint the underlying cause of the problem, like androgenetic alopecia.
- Custom formulation: Of course, Roots doesn’t stop at just suggesting a few ingredients to look out for and others to avoid. They take things a step further by creating a customized topical treatment that includes 4-8 clinically proven ingredients that are most likely to be effective for you based on your DNA and lifestyle.
Benefits of Roots by GA Hair DNA Test and Ingredients
Based on your genetic profile, your custom treatment will include at least four of these effective ingredients.
- Caffeine isn’t just a great pick-me-up in the morning. It’s also clinically proven to increase blood flow to the hair follicles, keeping them healthy and strong. Caffeine is best for those with elevated levels of enzymes associated with vasoconstrictors, which impede blood flow to the scalp, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).
- Cetirizine is an FDA-approved antihistamine, which means it helps reduce inflammation. Less inflamed follicles produce healthier hair. Cetirizine is most effective for folks with low expression of genes like GR-alpha.
- Dutasteride is an FDA-approved treatment that targets the specific enzymes that convert testosterone into DHT, the hormone responsible for hair loss. Low activity of genes like CYP19A1 is associated with high DHT levels, making dutasteride a good potential pick.
- Finasteride is dutasteride’s better-known cousin, so it works similarly to reduce DHT levels in the blood and prevent hair loss from worsening. Paying close attention to genetic markers like SRD5A2 and SRD5A1 can tell you how well finasteride might work for you, since these genes regulate whether or not testosterone gets converted into DHT.
Related reading: Best Topical Finasteride: Review the Top 5 Products for Hair Loss
- Latanoprost is a prostaglandin F2α analog, which means it helps your follicles stay in the growth phase and produce thicker and healthier hair. Genes like PTGES2 can tell you whether your body produces a healthy amount of prostaglandin or needs supplementation with ingredients like latanoprost.
- Melatonin is an antioxidant you might know for its sleep-boosting properties. This helpful hormone can also reduce inflammation on the scalp, leading to healthier follicles and happier hair. Like cetirizine, key genes to watch for indicators of melatonin’s effectiveness include GR-alpha.
- Minoxidil is probably the most popular hair loss treatment, which you may know better by the brand name Rogaine. It’s a vasodilator, which means it boosts blood flow to the scalp. Those with a stronger presence of enzymes like SULT1A1 are more likely to benefit from minoxidil.
- Spironolactone is an FDA-approved anti-androgen, which means it reduces the strength of hormones like testosterone and DHT. Since these hormones can cause hair loss, spironolactone helps promote thicker and healthier hair, especially in women and those with low CYP19A1 activity.
- Tretinoin, also known as retinoic acid, boosts the effectiveness of other topical ingredients and improves scalp health. Regardless of your genetics, tretinoin has the potential to be helpful, as long as you’re not allergic to it.
Related reading: Tretinoin and Hair Loss: Does It Help Regrow Hair?
- Vitamin D is essential to maintaining healthy skin and hair. Like tretinoin, vitamin D is a safe bet for nearly everyone dealing with hair loss, especially if you know you’re not spending enough time outside in the sun.
How Does Roots by GA Customized Treatments Work?
Getting your personalized treatment from Roots by Genetic Arts is as easy as following these five simple steps:
- Fill out the questionnaire, giving the experts at Roots by GA all the information they need to tailor your treatment to your specific lifestyle, allergies, and more.
- Take your genetic test by performing a quick at-home cheek swab.
- Get your results and learn which treatments might work best for your genetic profile.
- A doctor reviews your questionnaire and genetic profile, and you get your personalized prescription..
- Your custom treatment arrives and starts helping you fight back against hair loss.
Why We Recommend Roots by GA
Thanks to their cutting edge approach to treatment and unique formulations, we’re happy to recommend Roots by Genetic Arts.
99.9% Test Accuracy
Roots’ state-of-the-art DNA microarray technology ensures your genetic test results are as accurate as possible, forming the foundation of an effective hair loss treatment.
Doctor-approved Ingredients
All of the ingredients that might end up in your custom formula are backed up by clinical research and dermatologist approval.
Easy-to-use Topical Treatments
Once you’ve got your personalized treatment, using it is as simple as applying a few drops to your scalp each day.
Roots by GA vs. Alternatives
It’s tough to figure out which hair loss solution is best for you without being able to compare them side by side. That’s why we made this convenient chart so you can see how Roots by GA stacks up against their competitors.
Roots by GA vs. Hims
To Hims’ credit, their treatments are far cheaper than anything you can get from Roots by GA, starting at just $15 per month. But as you might guess from the name, the products offered at Hims are only suitable for men. Their selection also offers no customization, although Hims does provide more variety in forms, with chews, pills, and sprays in addition to topical serums.
Related reading: Hims Review – Is It Legit for Hair Loss? We Found Out.
Roots by GA vs. Keeps
If affordability is your top priority, you’re going to want to look into Keeps. You can get finasteride or minoxidil through them for as low as $11 per month. On the downside, Keeps also only provides hair loss treatment for male pattern baldness, excluding women, and doesn’t personalize their products to match your lifestyle or DNA.
Related reading: Keeps Review – Is It a Legit Hair Loss Subscription for Men?
Roots by GA vs. Nutrafol
Looking for a hair loss treatment that only includes natural ingredients? Nutrafol may be the one for you. Their patented complex is powered by minerals and vitamins rather than pharmacological ingredients. That makes this option best for anyone who suspects dietary restrictions or nutritional deficits might be contributing to their hair loss, but others will likely prefer the more clinically-backed options offered by Roots, Keeps, or Hims.
The Verdict: Is Roots by GA Worth it for Hair Loss?
Roots by GA is ideal for individuals seeking a personalized, genetic-based solution to hair loss through custom topicals.
The bottom line here is that Roots by Genetic Arts offers a unique approach to treating hair loss that truly customizes your care. Given the fairly high price tag, Roots by GA is likely best for folks who have already tried more conventional hair loss treatment with little success. If you’re willing and able to invest in an easy-to-use treatment that’s tailor-made for your specific genetic profile, Roots by GA should be at the top of your list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the signs of genetic hair loss?
If you’re suddenly shedding hair without any explanation, it’s probably genetic. On the other hand, if you’ve recently drastically changed your diet, gone through a stressful experience, or developed new health issues, your hair loss is most likely to be tied to lifestyle factors.
Can genetic testing prevent hair loss?
Not directly. Knowing more about your genes can help you take informed action to keep your hair where it is, but a genetic test won’t prevent hair loss all on its own.
Is genetic hair loss more common in men or women?
Genetic hair loss in men is so common that it has its own name: male pattern hair loss, or androgenic alopecia for the scientifically inclined. Hair loss in women is much more likely to be caused by lifestyle factors such as nutritional deficiencies, but that doesn’t mean women can’t struggle with genetic hair loss.
How often should I repeat the DNA hair test?
While you might think your DNA is set in stone from the moment of your birth, the truth is that it’s normal for DNA to change as we get older. Those changes happen pretty slowly, however, so you probably don’t need to repeat your DNA test until you see a change in the effectiveness of your treatment.
Does genetic testing diagnose hair loss?
Not really. Your genes tell you more about how your hair loss is taking place under the surface than what might be causing it. In fact, scientists still haven’t pinpointed the root cause of hair loss (pun not intended).
Methodology
We conducted extensive research to evaluate the pricing, effectiveness, accessibility, overall quality, customer support, and useability of Roots by Genetic Arts’ topical hair loss treatment, which also included examining Keeps, Nutrafol, and Hims. To determine overall value, we evaluated cost, convenience, treatment options, and subscription services.
Other factors we investigated prior to choosing the best hair loss treatment included convenience, discounts, customer service, access to healthcare providers, any free services or resources offered, and Roots by Genetic Arts reviews. For best overall, Roots by Genetic Arts stood out for its cutting-edge treatment model and precise approach to personalization for men and women with unexplained hair loss.
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