Hair loss can take an emotional toll, and until recently there weren’t many low-cost and non-invasive options for those who experience it. Now, safe, effective, and FDA-approved hair loss products are flooding the market. And it’s hard to know where we can shop and which companies to trust. 

To weed through the clutter, we started by looking at the market and choosing products from brands with high trust signals, like longevity (hello, Rogaine!), money-back guarantees, and easy access to professional support when you need it. 

Once we selected which brands to test, we ordered them just like any shopper would. We liked when companies used ID verification software to match a personal photo to our driver’s license picture to make sure we were who we said we were. And we weren’t shocked when every company we reached out to quickly gave us a prescription for hair loss medication, even when it wasn’t clear in our documentation or photography that we needed it. 

Once we had products in-hand, here’s what we tested:

• Was it easy to understand the directions?
• Were there extras included, like informational resources, support groups, messaging with medical professionals, or bonus products?
• How easy was it to contact support, from both customer service and health care providers, when we needed it?
• What were our first impressions of the product? Was the packaging sleek and easy to open and use?
• How enjoyable were the topical products to use? Did our hair look better or worse than with normal washing and styling products? What fragrances did the products have? How did they make our hair and scalp feel over the course of the testing period?

We also have an ongoing testing protocol, where our testers report on hair regrowth every month for one year. We know hair regrowth takes time—brands often say 3-6 months is the earliest you can possibly see results.

How we rank and review hair loss treatments

It’s truly a combination of factors that make a strong hair loss product. When researching each brand’s offerings, here’s what we looked for:

• Customer service (15% of score): We wanted to know if there were multiple ways to contact customer service and whether we could reach out every day of the week if we needed to.
• Brand reputation (10% of score): We took into account the years the company has been in business as well as if they have had any lawsuits against them during that time.
• Features (20% of score): We ranked brands highly if they had a wide selection of offerings: topical, oral, and chewable oral medications. We also reviewed the percentage of active ingredients available in each product and the size of the products themselves.
• User experience (20% of score): Messaging support from health care professionals is critical when taking a prescription treatment regularly. So we value brands highly if they have quick and easy access to medical staff for platform subscribers. We also wanted brands to offer different types of subscription levels and pay-as-you-go options, plus a reasonable return policy. Extra offerings like shampoos and conditioners are a nice touch for those who don’t want to take oral or topical medications.
• Affordability (35% of score): Subscription plan pricing, overall cost, shipping costs, and a money-back guarantee were examined closely to understand which brands offered the best value to customers.