As someone who’s had alopecia areata for over 20 years and lost the rest of her hair postpartum, I understand the pain of hair loss. Of feeling helpless as you watch your locks fall out – into your hairbrush, onto your pillow and down the showerdrain.
I know the desperation of trying countless products, hoping they’ll make your hair come back.
And while some hair loss treatments have worked for me, thanks to a lack of consistency or other factors triggering hair loss, they’ve never worked long-term. And I’m ok with that. Which is why this website is more about feeling empowered with alopecia than promising a miracle cure.
However, I’d still advise supporting whatever hair you do have with a shampoo that’s kind to your scalp, that doesn’t contain harmful ingredients which might damage your hair and that includes natural ingredients that can actually promote hair growth.
Lipogaine hair care products do just that: so it’s one of my top shampoos for hair loss. As you’ll see in the following Lipogaine reviews post, it might not cause instant regrowth, but it can help things along. And it can reduce hair thinning or shedding, bigtime.
Emma’s ‘not a doctor’ disclaimer
Hi there, I’m an alopecian, I’m not a doctor! Any advice I give is based on my own research and personal experiences. This site is, however, reader-supported. When you buy through external links, I may earn a tiny affiliate commission. Learn more here.
Lipogaine is a world leader in providing thinning hair and hair loss solutions for men and women. (At least, that’s what they proudly state on their website!) They also say that they spend “zero money on marketing” (apart from, presumably, website costs!) – so that if you’ve heard of them, it’s likely been through a recommendation.
There appears to be some truth behind that. Because while Lipogaine had never popped up in my radar before from ‘best shampoo’ lists, cheesy infomercials or whatever other paid-for content a big hair loss treatment brand will use, I had heard about it before…from friends.
Some of these friends had started using Lipogaine for their thinning hair after their hairdresser had recommended it.
Word has gotten around about Lipogaine and it’s impressive that, for a brand with such an old-school website, it’s a customer favorite. It speaks highly of the products themselves.
Lipogaine makes a range of sulfate-free and paraben-free treatments for hair growth and to combat hair loss: including shampoos and conditioners (including the Big 3 set and the Big 5 set, which I review below), leave-in intensive treatments for men and women, eyebrow and lash serums, hair fibers and even microneedling scalp rollers.
They also offer special treatments for those with sensitive skin.
More on the different products in a sec – but first, let’s look at the ingredients that make Lipogaine so special!
Since The Big 5 set is Lipogaine’s most popular offering, I’ll focus on the ingredients contained in the shampoo and conditioner. Plus, what they can do for your hair health.
The key active ingredients in these products are:
Like my favorite shampoos to treat hair loss, this Lipogaine shampoo doesn’t actually promise to stop hair shedding in its tracks. Rather, it clearly states on the front of the bottle to: “support healthy hair growth” and “encourage a healthy scalp”.
(FYI: Good scalp health means better hair health. And better hair health means it’s less likely to break off and fall out.)
As well as mimimizing breakage, Lipogaine’s proprietary formula helps to reduce damage caused by environmental stressors while strengthening individual hairs and restoring your scalp’s natural balance.
The sulfate free shampoo contains those great ingredients I mentioned above – saw palmetto, caffeine, argan oil, castor oil and biotin – plus a bunch of essential oils like rosemary oil and cederwood oil. (Psst, for more sulfate-free options, read this!)
It also contains Indian gooseberry, which I used fresh before for my own hair loss and saw encouraging regrowth.
This deeply moisturizing and reparative conditioner helps reverse the damage caused by environmental factors (like UV rays or pollution), heat styling and chemical hair treatments.
It contains aloe vera, which is an amazingly cooling anti-inflammatory (more on its benefits for hair loss in this post), coconut extract for moisture and keratin, an added dose of those proteins that are the building blocks for healthy hair.
Together, these ingredients work to hydrate, strengthen and repair hair, while adding volume and shine. To prevent premature breakage, minimize thinning hair and restore dry hair back to its natural health. Woohoo!
Lipogaine’s Intensive Treatment Complete Solution for Thinning Hair contains 2% minoxidil – the recommended dosage for women.
Although I’m not a fan of minoxidil and would rather use nanoxidil instead, it is a very effective hair loss treatment for many people. In fact, minoxidil is only one of two ingredients for hair growth that’s been FDA approved and it’s been proven in several clinical studies that it stimulates hair regrowth.
What I like about this leave-in treatment is that it contains other ingredients in addition to minoxidil. Ingredients like biotin, which can nourish and strengthen your hair, protecting it from drying out like pure minoxidil can do.
There’s a women’s version with added saw palmetto, for those with sensitive scalps, and versions for men with 5% minoxidil.
From the reviews I read, the intensive treatment with minoxidil helps women with a thinning hairline or who’ve lost hair on the crown of their head. They’ve seen new hair growth in these areas, without the harsh side effects they encountered after using Rogaine. So this could be a more gentle way to stimulate hair growth if you want to try minoxidil!
The reviews for Lipogaine products are really positive. While many customers admit that it’ll take at least a few months to see best results, others say the shampoo is great for thickening and volumizing hair, reducing hair loss and even encouraging growth after just a few weeks.
All reviews I read about the conditioner mentioned it left their hair softer, smoother and shinier: one Lipogaine review said their hair was “like silk” thanks to the conditioner.
And the reviews about the intensive treatments were quite promising, too – with increased hair growth and far less scalp irritation or bad side effects than customers get with other minoxidil products.
My hair feels stronger and fuller since using the Big 5 shampoo. I have a thyroid disorder that causes thinning hair so I have always used a volume shampoo which wasn’t nourishing my hair and was making it dry and brittle. I wish I would have researched thinning shampoos more because I would have definitely benefited from this shampoo years ago.
– Cindy
I’ve been using Lipogaine products for a couple of years now and they are wonderful. My hair is thicker and it’s stopped the thinning in its tracks…..I can’t say it “magically” re-grows new hair but it does make what you have is thicker and fuller.
– Vince
I used the Lipogaine Big 5 Shampoo for two months and noticed a significant improvement in the health of my hair. The shampoo has a refreshing minty scent and lathers nicely. When washing my hair, I lather it in my hair and leave it for several minutes before rinsing it out. After two months, my receding hairline has become significantly less noticeable due to growing new baby hairs in scarce areas. Moreover, the shampoo cleans my hair extremely well leaving it soft and shiny, and has reduced the amount of dandruff my scalp produces.
– Anonymous
This is the first ever review I have written but I felt compelled! My entire life I have had thick hair, that is until I reached age 52. My hair slowly started thinning and then more rapidly. I tried a couple different shampoos and they did nothing to help my hair from falling out. After reading several reviews I decided to try Lipogaine Big 5 Shampoo & Conditioner, I am SO glad I did. After just the second time I used it my hair stopped falling out!! I cannot tell you how happy I am with this product. It does exactly what it states it will do! Not only did it stop my hair from falling out it has also made it much healthier. I have ordered this product twice now and I have told several of my friends that were also experiencing hair loss.
– Ericka
Follow the instructions on lipogaine.com: these ones relate to the Women’s Treatment.
I actually couldn’t find any complaints around side effects of using Lipogaine – but I’m sure they exist, as the intensive treatments include minoxidil, which certainly gave me bad reactions in the past.
When I used minoxidil, I had scalp irritation and itchiness, severe headaches and dizzy spells…but maybe, if I’d used Lipogaine’s Intensive Treatment for sensitive skin, I might have avoided these issues. When it comes to Lipogaine Vs Rogaine, I’d definitely choose Lipogaine for this reason.
However, you may still get an itchy scalp or dry hair as a result of using some Lipogaine treatments – for instance, from the alcohol included in the intensive treatment – so discontinue use if that’s the case, go for the sensitive scalp version, stick to the more gentle shampoo and conditioner or try my favorite brand for hair thinning: Revita.
You can buy Lipogaine on their official website, which I’d recommend for faster shipping times (they ship internationally, and domestic shipping is free) plus quick customer service, if you have any issues. This also ensures you’re getting the genuine product, as some Amazon reviews complain about knock-offs.
Yes, Lipogaine uses saw palmetto, green tea and caffeine to naturally block this hormone, which is commonly linked to hair loss.
Some of the products do: the topical intensive treatments for men and women (they have a version each for sensitive scalps, too). The shampoos and conditioners don’t contain minoxidil.
I’d recommend checking out Lipogaine’s Big 5 shampoo and conditioner. Both are affordable, contain amazing ingredients, get great reviews, don’t have any bad side effects (that I could find) and really do seem to work!
Customer reviews rave about The Big 5’s hair thickening and strengthening properties. They even saw less hair thinning and increased hair growth – which isn’t all that common in an over-the-counter shampoo.
While I personally wouldn’t try minoxidil again (and there are mixed reviews for their intensive treatments), if you really wanted to try one, I’d start off with a version for sensitive scalps. Just to be safe!
Or switch up your regular shampoo and conditioner to the Big 5 and start enjoying healthier hair. Let me know how you get on in the comments – I’d love to hear about your experience.
Love & hugs,
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Alopecian. Yoga Teacher. Copywriter. Here to share information, offer support and show people the adventures that can lie in hair loss. I’m proud to have alopecia and I want to help others embrace their baldness, too!
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I’m Emma. I’ve had alopecia for 24 years and I’m here to inform/hopefully empower people like me! Read my full story here. But I’m not a doctor, so any advice here is based on my own research and experience. I’m also in a few affiliate programs – see my disclaimer page for more. Or contact me here. Also, why not join a thousand fellow alopecians and get my-semi regular hair about life with irregular hair?
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