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Hair loss treatments for men vary, from hair transplants and lasers to medications such as minoxidil and finasteride. Read on to see our picks, along with their benefits, risks, and costs.
Type: compounded topical sprayActive ingredients: 0.3% finasteride, 6% minoxidilPrescription needed: yes
Editor’s take
Hims Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Spray is created by a process called compounding. Compounded medications are customized or altered to meet a specific need (in this case, mixing two active ingredients into one topical product).
While compounded medications like this one use ingredients that are Food and Drug Administration-approved in other medications, this specific product isn’t FDA-approved.
It can be difficult to say which is the best hair loss treatment for males. While some people may see strong results with a certain proven treatment, it’s possible that the same treatment won’t work for you or that you’ll experience side effects that prevent you from wanting to continue the treatment.
To help you find the best treatment for your hair loss, we’ve collected a wide array of possible treatments, including prescription medications, OTC treatments, natural treatments, hair transplants, and even some lifestyle changes you can start immediately.
Here’s our deep dive into some of the best hair loss treatments available in 2024.
If you have any questions about how we vet brands and products, you can view our detailed page here.
Minoxidil (Rogaine)
Rogaine is available over the counter as a liquid or foam in Men’s and Women’s formulas. You apply it to your scalp twice daily to help encourage hair regrowth and prevent hair loss. Minoxidil is the active ingredient in Rogaine, and it’s also available in generic form as a liquid solution or an oral tablet.
Both Rogaine and minoxidil can take 4 to 6 months to show results. Results also depend on proper application and dosage.
Type: topical foamPrescription needed: noKey ingredient: 5% minoxidil
Healthline’s review
Hims is an online service that can send OTC and prescription treatments right to your home. While you will need a prescription for some hair loss products, this 5% minoxidil foam can be purchased without a prescription.
This bottle is priced at $15 and is intended to last 1 month when used as directed. The cost is the same if you purchase a subscription.
Pros & cons
can be mailed directly to your homeHims can connect you with a doctor for prescription-strength treatmentsHims offers a wide range of products for other health-related conditionssold as a bundle of three bottles
Product details
Returns: no returns on prescription medicationShipping: free shipping
Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar)
Finasteride is a pill you take every day. It’s available only with a prescription from your doctor. The FDA states that the drug generally takes at least 3 months of daily use to show results.
Type: pillPrescription needed: yesKey ingredient: 1 mg of finasteride per tablet
Healthline’s review
Keeps offers a wide variety of products for hair loss and hair thinning, including prescription medications and OTC products. For anyone not interested in topical treatments such as liquid or foam minoxidil, finasteride (generic Propecia) is a daily prescription tablet that can help reverse hair loss and encourage hair regrowth.
Keeps offers a 3-, 6-, or 12-month supply, and you can save a little extra money per month when buying in bulk. For example, a 3-month supply costs $26.67 per month, and a 12-month supply costs only $20 per month. An additional discount may be available for first-time buyers.
Pros & cons
Keeps offers many other products for hair growth and hair thickeningKeeps can connect you with a prescribing doctor for an prescription-strength treatmentslower price available when buying in bulkrequires a subscription to purchase finasterideprescription required for finasteride
Product details
Returns: no returns or refundsShipping: $5 for shipping
Combination minoxidil and finasteride
Some people experiencing hair loss may benefit from combining minoxidil and finasteride in a prescription treatment. While minoxidil is available over the counter, the highest available concentration is 5%. A prescription is required for anything above 5%.
Subscribers can be evaluated through services such as Roman, Hims, Keeps, and Happy Head to review whether they would benefit from this treatment and a minoxidil concentration above 5%.
Type: topical solutionPrescription needed: noKey ingredients: finasteride, minoxidil
Healthline’s review
Roman features a large number of health-focused products for health concerns such as erectile dysfunction, hair loss, weight management, and premature ejaculation.
For those experiencing hair loss, Roman offers a prescription topical spray treatment that combines minoxidil, finasteride, and tretinoin. This 3-in-1 treatment can easily be sprayed onto the affected area of your scalp.
While it will take some time to show results (and not every user will see results with this treatment), you may begin seeing hair regrowth in 3 to 6 months.
Pros & cons
combination treatment may help those not seeing results from one single treatmentRoman offers topical sprays, oral tablets, and topical solutionsshipped discreetly to your homecombination treatments may be expensiveside effects may be possible
Product details
Returns: no returns on prescriptionsShipping: free shipping
For both minoxidil and finasteride, it may take up to 1 year to see results, and you’ll need to keep taking them to maintain the benefits.
The two most popular hair transplant procedures are follicular unit transplantation and follicular unit extraction, according to a review article from 2021.
Both procedures are considered surgery, so they can be expensive and may cause some level of discomfort.
There are also certain risks, including infections and scarring. You may need to do multiple hair transplant treatments to get your desired outcome.
Follicular unit transplantation (FUT)
FUT is the more “classic” method and may also be called strip harvesting by some medical professionals. It involves removing some skin — typically from the back of your scalp, where there’s an abundance of hair. A surgeon then removes the hair follicles from that strip of skin and reinserts them into the part of your scalp where you’re experiencing hair loss.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE)
In FUE, a technique sometimes also known as punch or punch harvesting, a surgeon removes hair follicles directly from your scalp and transplants them into the bald parts of your scalp. Direct hair implantation is a modified version of this technique in which a specialized tool is used to complete the procedure.
Laser treatment is thought to help reduce the inflammation in hair follicles that prevents regrowth in some types of hair loss, such as alopecia areata.
There are limited studies to support the effectiveness of laser treatments for hair loss. But both a 2021 review of studies and a 2023 study of 53 people indicate that low level laser therapy (LLLT) is safe and effective when used to treat male pattern hair loss. According to a 2019 review, more research on LLLT is still needed.
Quit smoking
A 2020 study involving 1,000 males found that the majority of males who smoked had some degree of hair loss, while less than half of the participants who did not smoke had hair loss.
If you smoke, quitting may help decrease hair loss.
Try scalp massage
A 2020 study suggests that scalp massage helped women with cancer regrow hair loss that resulted from chemotherapy — reporting that their hair regrowth was “significantly improved” in comparison to women who didn’t receive a scalp massage.
Eat a balanced diet
A 2019 research review suggests an association between certain vitamins and minerals found in food and healthy hair. Consider adding some of these foods to your diet:
iron-rich foods, including lean beef, beans, green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified grains, and eggsfoods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, flaxseed, egg yolks, hemp seeds, and walnutshigh protein foods, such as eggs, lean meats, and seafood
Try to reduce stress
Stress can have negative effects on your body, including your hair, and can lead to hair loss.
Strategies that may help reduce stress include:
Oils
Rosemary oil has also been traditionally used to increase blood circulation in the scalp. A 2022 study found that rosemary oil had similar effects to minoxidil after using it on the scalp for 6 weeks.
Saw palmetto
While research is sparse on saw palmetto’s ability to treat hair loss, a 2020 review suggests that it may help with hair regrowth while causing few side effects.
Biotin
Biotin is a vitamin found naturally in foods such as nuts, avocados, sweet potatoes, eggs, onions, and oats.
There’s some evidence that taking biotin may help slow down hair loss, but most of the research has been done in women with a biotin deficiency. There is a lack of evidence to suggest that supplementing with biotin has a noticeable effect without taking many other factors into consideration, including the extent of hair loss.
Onion juice
Bhringraj
Bhringraj (Eclipta alba), also called false daisy, is a species in the sunflower family. In Ayurvedic medicine, it’s known as an herb that supports hair regrowth.
A review article from 2023 showed that extracts of the herb may result in hair regrowth by increasing blood flow to the scalp. However, more research is needed to find out whether these effects would occur in humans.
Green tea
Another purported herbal remedy for hair loss is green tea.
In an older 2005 study in minks, the polyphenolic compounds present in green tea showed promise as a natural remedy for hair loss. But there have not been any studies in humans to confirm these effects.
Hibiscus
Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is marketed widely in India for hair regrowth. A 2003 review article suggests positive effects on hair follicles, but no studies have been done in humans.
Hair loss could be caused by any of the factors mentioned below.
Genetics and family history
If your relatives have hair loss, you’re more likely to develop it. Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is a genetic condition that causes gradual hair loss. This could show up as a slowing receding hairline or thinning patches on the crown of your head.
Medical conditions
An autoimmune condition called alopecia areata develops when your immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in bald patches.
Medications and medical treatments
Hair loss is a potential side effect of several medications for diseases such as cancer, depression, gout, heart disease, and arthritis.
Stress
Chronic stress or stressful events could lead to temporary hair thinning.
Consider speaking with a doctor if you:
experience sudden patchy hair lossthink a medication may be causing your hair lossalso have a rashhave scaly skin
The following conditions could lead to hair loss:
If you have any of these conditions or you’re experiencing other symptoms besides hair loss, you can talk with a doctor about treating underlying conditions. Your hair loss should improve as your condition improves.
Certain medications can also lead to hair loss, including:
If you’ve started noticing thinning hair or you have a family history of male pattern hair loss, you may not be able to completely stop your hair loss. But you may be able to slow or prevent it.
Consider trying these tips to help prevent hair loss in males:
finding ways to lower your stress levelssupporting your overall health by eating a nutritious diet and staying physically activeavoiding hairstyles that tug and pull on your hairusing hair products that may help prevent hair lossavoiding smokingtrying scalp massagestalking with a healthcare professional to see whether any medications or medical conditions could be increasing your hair loss
The cost of hair loss treatment depends on which treatment you decide to try.
Generic medications and OTC supplements tend to be less expensive.
Can a man’s hair grow back?
Hair can grow back as long as the hair follicle is still producing hairs, especially if you can improve blood flow to these follicles.
Hair follicles that have closed or not produced a hair in years are likely not to grow any hair again.
What actually works for men’s hair regrowth?
OTC medications, prescription medications, and home remedies may work for men’s hair regrowth in some cases. But these methods do not work for everyone.
Rogaine works best for people with hereditary baldness at the back of the head, just under the crown, especially when it’s taken orally.
Hair transplants are usually more successful than OTC products. But if you have widespread thinning or baldness, or your hair loss is due to chemo or medications, transplants will not be as effective.
Can a man get his hair back?
The success of a hair loss treatment depends on the treatment you’re using to get your hair back.
If you’re taking an OTC or prescription medication such as Rogaine or Propecia, you’ll have to keep taking it over the long term to maintain results.
Can bald men regrow?
It’s possible to regrow hair with medication, other treatments, or a combination of the two. But there are some instances and conditions in which regrowth is not possible.
If you’re experiencing hair loss or thinning due to increased stress or a change in your nutrition, your hair will likely begin to regrow over time when your stress levels drop or you change your nutritional intake.
But if your hair loss is caused by scalp damage and scarring, such as from staples used to treat a head injury, medications like minoxidil and finasteride are unlikely to stimulate hair regrowth.
If you find limited results from home remedies or OTC products such as Rogaine, talk with a healthcare professional about what might be causing your hair loss and how best to treat it.
There are several treatments you may want to try for hair loss, including OTC and prescription medications, hair implants, and home remedies.
It’s wise to speak with a doctor first. They can help you figure out the cause of your hair loss and decide what the best treatment option might be.
