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Hair loss is common in people assigned male at birth, affecting up to half of all men by age 50. Treatment for hair loss is also becoming more accessible. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two medications for treating male pattern hair loss: finasteride and minoxidil.
You can get FDA-approved medications for hair loss from your health care provider or a website like Hims—a popular telehealth platform that offers both prescription and non-prescription hair loss products. Hims products include oral supplements and prescription topical products you can apply to your scalp to encourage growth. Hims is easy to use: You start by completing a short questionnaire about the symptoms you are experiencing. Then, an online health care provider reviews your answers to create your personalized treatment plan. This is free for all users. If a prescription is needed, the health care provider orders the medication and it ships directly to your door.
We’ll detail the treatment options your Hims consultant may recommend and share our experiences with the products we tested.
The most common type of hair loss in males is androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness. It affects nearly every male as they age. There are two common and effective treatments for male pattern baldness: minoxidil and finasteride. Many Hims products contain finasteride and minoxidil, either on their own or together.
Hims first launched as a virtual, direct-shipping platform for sexual health and hair loss treatments for men in 2017. Since then, the company has expanded to offer even more products and services, including a female-focused brand called Hers that offers hair loss treatments for women and a mental health platform.
The company’s hair loss treatment platform provides a way for anyone looking for prescription or non-prescription hair loss treatment options to connect with health care providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) who can prescribe an appropriate treatment plan. Anyone can purchase non-prescription hair products, such as over-the-counter minoxidil or thickening shampoo, but the prescription products are only available with a prescription from one of the virtual health care providers. Read our review of the best hair loss medications to learn more about these treatment options.
The way Hims works is simple: You create an account on the website or app and start by answering a short questionnaire that asks you questions about what kind of results you hope for, what type of hair loss you’re experiencing, when the symptoms started, and what lifestyle factors might be playing a role in your hair loss.
It’s important to note that different factors can cause hair loss, and Hims is not able to diagnose any specific cause that your regular health care provider might, such as doing bloodwork to check for vitamin deficiencies or thyroid disorders. If you’re not sure what is causing your hair loss or what type of hair loss you have, it’s always best to speak with your primary care provider before starting any treatment.
Hims may also ask for photos of your scalp before connecting you with a health care provider who can offer some treatment options. Some states also require a video visit with a health care provider. The platform will let you know if that’s the case for you.
“I completed a simple questionnaire asking questions about my concerns and provided photos of my scalp. I then chatted with a health care provider who recommended the Finasteride 0.3% and Minoxidil 6% solution. He explained some of the risks and I decided to move forward with the treatment. It was a very convenient and simple process.”
– Hims tester
Hims uses compounding pharmacies to fill its prescriptions. Although finasteride and minoxidil are FDA-approved on their own, the compounded products themselves are not. And since they’re not FDA-approved or evaluated for safety, you won’t be able to use insurance.
In testing the various products Hims offered, we found the best-selling finasteride and minoxidil spray to be the most effective and easy-to-use hair loss treatment. The spray is applied directly to the scalp once a day. Finasteride blocks DHT, which is a hormone related to baldness, while minoxidil works to keep hair follicles open and allow hair to regrow. Our testers were all males who had some hair thinning and symptoms of early male pattern baldness.
Our testers noticed some new hair regrowth and were happy with their results overall. One tester had problems with the spray pump clogging, but they noted that it was easy to send a message through the online portal and get switched to the same product in a serum, which they liked much better.
“The best feature of Hims is the automatic shipping and the ability to easily pause or cancel shipments if needed. Their website design is definitely the best of any telehealth service I’ve used simply because you don’t need to jump through hoops to adjust your order.”
– Hims tester
Testers also recommended Hims volumizing shampoo, although they noted that they primarily enjoyed the smell and feel of the shampoo but didn’t notice any obvious hair growth benefits from the shampoo alone.
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Hims uses Stripe, which accepts all major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, and Diners Club.
Cancellations can be requested at any time, but Hims asks that you cancel at least 48 hours before your next order process date.
Hims offers both non-prescription hair loss products and prescription-only products that a doctor can order and have shipped to you. Some of the products, like the vitamins, also have a subscription option that allows you to get automatic monthly deliveries. Our testers found that they sometimes had more product than they needed when using the auto-delivery option. But it was easy to pause or cancel a delivery through the app or online portal.
In addition to the Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Spray, here are some of the other products available through Hims.
Hims hair hybrid chewables are taken by mouth, usually once a day, to help with hair regrowth or support hair health. The hair hybrids combine finasteride and minoxidil and vitamins, so you will need to go through a Hims health care provider and have a prescription ordered to get them.
Similar to the best-selling Hims spray, this combination chew combines 1.2 milligrams (mg) of finasteride and 3 mg of oral minoxidil with biotin and vitamins C, B5, and B6—all of which can support healthy hair. Because this chewable has minoxidil and finasteride, it’s only available by consulting with a Hims health care provider and obtaining a prescription.
This Hims Minoxidil Chew is similar to the Finasteride & Minoxidil + Supplement Blend but without the finasteride. If you take this once-a-day chewable, Hims recommends that you stop applying any minoxidil solution to your scalp. The amount of minoxidil in this chewable is enough.
Hims Hair Hybrids topicals are applied directly to the scalp and contain prescription medications meant to boost hair growth. Your Hims health care provider will need to write you a prescription for the topicals, which you’d take instead of the oral products. Most of the topicals from Hims are prescribed as sprays, but you can also use a serum dropper to apply the product to your scalp like one of our testers did.
This hair loss spray combines the same ingredients as the topical finasteride and minoxidil spray, but it has 7% minoxidil instead of 6% minoxidil. It also adds ketoconazole, an antifungal that has been shown to have hair growth benefits, and biotin.
The prescription medications finasteride and minoxidil are FDA-approved to treat male hair loss on their own, but not when the prescription is filled by a compounding pharmacy. Like all medications, finasteride and minoxidil can cause side effects. In general, the risk of side effects from both medications is higher when taking them by mouth instead of applying them topically to the skin. Side effects of the topical forms primarily involve the scalp, like itchiness, redness, and skin flaking.
Oral finasteride is FDA-approved for male hair loss as an antiandrogenic medication, meaning this medication helps block the androgens (male hormones) involved in the balding process. There is a small risk that finasteride can affect sexual function in males, such as causing problems with ejaculation and lowering libido. Oral finasteride should not be taken at the same time as topical finasteride.
Minoxidil was originally developed to treat severe hypertension (high blood pressure) because it works by opening and relaxing blood vessels to allow more blood to flow through them. For hair loss, low doses of topical and oral minoxidil have been found to stimulate hair growth, but rare potential side effects include lowered blood pressure, chest pain, and, in some people, breast enlargement.
Our Reviews Team bases our recommendations on the best clinical guidelines and research on hair loss treatments. We talked with dermatologists and trichologists to get their expert recommendations for both prescription and over-the-counter products. We also surveyed hair loss treatment users and interviewed focus groups of users to better understand the experience of hair loss and hair loss treatment.
Our testers signed up for some of the most popular online hair loss treatment platforms, paying special attention to:
All of our reviews are medically reviewed by a licensed and practicing medical expert to ensure the information is accurate and up to date.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) explains that androgenetic alopecia is the primary cause of hair loss in males. The condition is often called male pattern baldness and is caused by genetics. Most males will experience at least some degree of hair loss from androgenetic alopecia in their lifetime.
Other causes of hair loss in men include autoimmune conditions, stress, nutritional deficiencies, and certain medications, such as those for depression or cancer. A doctor can help diagnose what may be causing your hair loss.
| Treats | Hair loss + thinning | Hair loss | Hair loss + thinning | Hair loss |
| Price per month | $35 | $35 | $35 | $39 |
| Active Ingredients | 1.2 mg of finasteride; 3 mg of oral minoxidil | 3 mg minoxidil | 0.3% finasteride and 6% minoxidil | 0.3% finasteride, 7% minoxidil, 2.2% ketoconazole |
| Forms | Chewable | Chewable | Scalp spray | Scalp spray |
Our testers found Hims to be an easy-to-use and convenient platform to access prescription-strength hair loss treatments. Our testers experienced positive hair growth results when using the products consistently. They also liked the convenience of using a telehealth platform and appreciated that they could chat online with their prescribing health care provider or send them a message online if they had any questions. When our tester found that the hair treatment spray bottles were getting clogged, he was able to switch to a hair serum with the same ingredients—allowing him to continue his treatment without interruption. Overall, we found the Hims Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Spray to be effective and easy to order and use.
Many of the treatments that Hims offers have been clinically shown to help new hair growth and slow the progression of hair loss. Everyone is different, and hair loss can have many different
The active ingredient in Rogaine is 5% minoxidil, which is now available as an over-the-counter hair regrowth treatment. Hims offers both 5% minoxidil treatments as well as a prescription-strength 6% minoxidil spray or serum.
The prescription drugs that Hims uses in its products are FDA-approved, but the products themselves are not. That’s because their hair loss products are filled by compounding pharmacies, which aren’t regulated by the FDA.
Have questions about this review? Email us at reviewsteam@ncoa.org.
