CurrentlyBody and iRestore are the top picks from our hair loss experts.
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Thanks to an influx of technology, your hair loss treatment options are no longer limited to just the minoxidil and finasteride that your dad used. Nowadays there are futuristic helmets that bring light-based therapy into the comfort of your home, new products that contain peptides and growth factors and microneedling tools to help get those products deeper into your scalp.
“My main recommendation for at-home hair growth devices is red light therapy (also called low-level laser/light therapy),” says dermatologist and hair loss experts Natalie Kash, MD, co-founder of Root Hair Institute. It’s been well-studied and shown to be effective at treating hair loss, especially the genetic kind. While these gadgets are all promising, “the best devices for hair regrowth should have red light between 620-678nm,” says dermatologist Robert Finney, MD, founder of Soho Skin and Hair Restoration in New York City.
If electric light helmets aren’t your style, there are other options as well like microneedling tools, which have also been shown to be effective, but must be paired with topical products. We asked our experts to weigh in on the best hair growth devices out there and which are actually worth your time and money.
This LED cap checks all the boxes for Dr. Finney, not only because it has the right kind of wavelength and energy (the lights in this cap are 604nm), but it also “has stabilization appendices that part the hair a bit and allow the LED to penetrate better,” he says.
The key to any LED device, after all, is how well the light reaches your scalp to stimulate the hair follicles. This one is FDA-cleared and has been shown in the brand’s own clinical studies to give visible results in 16 weeks when wearing it for just 10 minutes a day.
This helmet that uses LED and lasers is a great, less expensive option, says Dr. Kash. She recommends it to her patients who don’t want to shell out the cash for more expensive options. It’s slightly bulkier than others, which can make it tricky to travel with, but the FDA-cleared device offers great full head coverage and is designed to use only 25 minutes a day, three times a week.
When it comes to light-based devices, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that the light has to reach your scalp in order to give its full benefits. If you have heavy thinning or bald spots, caps and helmets should be fine, but “this comb is great if you have pretty good hair density because we know the laser is getting directly to the scalp,” says Dr. Finney.
Use this comb like you would a regular hair brush and the bristles help part your hair to ensure the light from the 12 laser diodes (these aren’t LED) actually penetrate and reach your scalp.
If bulky helmets aren’t your thing, this laser cap is designed to look just like a baseball cap (hey, whatever gets you to wear it). Subtly tucked inside are 214 medical-grade laser diodes that offer full-head coverage from the hairline to the crown. It’s lightweight and rechargeable and also has an accompanying app to help track your progress. Depending on what your needs are as well, there are two other versions offering different strengths.
The beauty of light treatments is that you don’t technically need to use any other products with them, but if you want to up the ante, Dr. Finney recommends pairing your light treatment with this hair growth serum. “It has biomimetic growth factors that mimic PRP and the combination of this serum with light is great because there are also nanofluorosomes further activated by red LED,” he says.
Dr. Kash also recommends this device for a variety of reasons. “It has patented LED technology that allows the necessary depth to reach the hair follicle (which is usually one of the challenges of LED),” she says, for starters. It’s also all-LED, which makes it lightweight and easy to travel with. Furthermore, it pairs with your smartphone allowing you to set daily reminders, track your progress with photos, and more.
Microneedling, when combined with topical treatments like minoxidil or PRP, has been shown to help improve hair growth (there’s less evidence that it works as well on its own). Dr. Finney recommends using a 0.5mm derma stamper like this once a week both before and after you apply a topical treatment.
Use this as a stamp to cover your entire head or just the areas you are noticing thinning. Sterilize it before using it with “a solution of hypochlorous acid and water,” he advises.
Similar to a derma stamper, this roller has 0.25mm needles that help create tiny channels within your scalp that help topical products like minoxidil penetrate better and work more effectively. Instead of stamping your scalp over and over, though, this handy device uses a roller to more easily cover large areas of your head. The tiny needles help reduce the risk of injury but we’d advise still being gentle.
Scalp massage on its own won’t do a lot to stimulate hair growth, according to Dr. Finney, but he recommends this massager for patients with longer hair which could make it difficult to apply topical products directly to the scalp. “Put the amount of serum you want into it and the solution comes out of the massaging tips,” he says. It’s also a great way to apply topical products to your scalp without getting your hands messy (and it feels way better, too).
No matter what the hair loss gadget you choose, our experts agree that there are a few factors to look for before buying. When it comes to light technology, make sure it’s FDA-cleared, which means that any claims the brand makes about how effective it is have been vetted and verified.
The second most important thing is choosing a device that you can realistically use every day (or however often it was meant to be used). “One of the main barriers to treatment success is poor compliance or consistency,” says Dr. Kash. If the device is not something you’ll be able to use consistently, it’s not going to do anything for you.
Different hair loss devices require a different usage schedule, so before using or buying a device, check what the manufacturer recommends.
It’s important to follow what the manufacturer recommends because not only is that how the device was designed to be used, but it also means that’s how it was used in any studies they have—which means that schedule is going to be give you the most effective results. “In my experience most individuals are more consistent long term with a daily device which is usually used every day for a shorter period of time,” says Dr. Kash.
But it’s important to think realistically about how often you can use the device and how much time you can commit since consistent use is the most important factor in seeing results.
LED light may sound like a newfangled technology but it’s been well-studied for hair loss for over 20 years, says Dr. Finney. “A hair contains cells at its base that help to regenerate it called the hair bulge cells,” he says. “Red light between 620-678nm has been shown to target these bulge cells to help activate them, recruit a better blood supply, reduce inflammation and increase local nitrous oxide production which has been postulated to help reduce DHT.”
Keep in mind, however, that LED therapy has only been studied in genetic hair loss and in order for it to work, the light must be able to reach directly to the scalp.
One caveat: while red light therapy has been shown in studies to improve hair growth, it’s only been studied in Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV, says Dr. Kash. That’s not to say it won’t work for darker skin types V and VI, but it’s something to keep in mind when choosing and using an LED device.
Again, compliance is key here. “For most people who have a large area to cover, I recommend a cap or helmet,” says Dr. Kash. That’s because you can not only treat the whole area at once, but because you don’t have to actively move the device over your head in order for it to work (they’re more of a set it and forget it type of thing).
“Most individuals with a large area of hair loss are unable to be compliant with combs, wands or bands and this is often a barrier to regular use” she says. Seriously consider how easy the device is for you to use and whether you can commit to using it as often as the manufacturer recommends.
For this story, Munce consulted with two doctors on the best hair hair growth devices. Munce has more than a decade of experience testing hair growth products, including hair growth devices.
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Garrett Munce writes about men's style and grooming. He's written for Esquire, New York Magazine, Spotlyte, and Very Good Light and held staff positions at GQ and W. Follow his skincare obsession on Instagram at @garrettmunce.
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