Battle of the Hair Vitamins
Having tried a zillion topical treatments and alternative therapies in my 25 years as an alopecian, the thing that’s helped me most is a holistic approach. Especially around nutrition and hormonal imbalances in my body.
The thing is, hair loss can be triggered by a range of factors – what triggers mine might not be the same for you. And so what helps my hair growth will probably be different for you, too.
However. As these triggers are often around stress, hormone imbalance and damage to the scalp due to environmental factors, it makes sense that a supplement which tackles these issues can reduce hair loss, too. Right? I think so.
Hair supplements get to the root cause of hair shedding, unlike shampoos, which are typically washed off before they can really do their magic. And topical treatments only focus on the symptom (hair loss) rather than the cause of this hair loss. That’s what makes supplements more effective.
In this post, I’ll compare two top hair vitamins – NourishVita vs Nutrafol – looking at the pros and cons of each, plus what products are available.
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.
NourishVita is an American company, founded in 2019, that makes a range of supplements, gummies and other products to boost hair growth on the scalp, lashes and brows. Their treatments are hormone-free, vegan and cruelty free. Good work, guys!
Aside from their classic hair vitamin pills, NourishVita offers a large range of gummies with some great natural ingredients to lower oxidative stress and inflammation in the body (common factors in hair loss, FYI).
The supplements, serums and gummies include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D – plus a bunch of B vitamins to provide immune support and promote hair growth. Oh, and they also include collagen, keratin, folate and biotin, which help cell regeneration and provide a healthier scalp environment for hair follicles to do their thang.
NourishVita gets pretty glowing reviews (see my full post here), with awesome reports about their customer service, too. Very nice.
Nutrafol is one of the leading hair supplements on the market. There’s 5 different options to choose from, depending on your sex and stage of life, as these pills address the hormonal changes that happen with age, pregnancy and around menopause.
Nutrafol has a targeted approach, in that you can choose an option depending on what’s triggering your hair loss. And although the supplements contain plenty of the same ingredients, like ashwagandha (proven to help lower stress and inflammation in the body) or saw palmetto (which naturally blocks DHT, a hormone linked to hair loss), the quantities differ.
Certain ingredients are also added/removed depending on the needs of the person: for instance, Nutrafol Women’s Balance (for women experiencing menopause) includes maca to assist with the body’s stress response and balance rapidly declining levels of estrogen. Phew!
Nutrafol also offers a subscription service when you buy from their website; then you can get free consultations with their naturopathic doctos and 6-montly hair mineral analyses.
All sounds great, right? But the brand has clocked up some terrible customer reviews – not about the supplements, but about their customer service and an inability to cancel their autoship program. So as I mention in this post, you can avoid that pitfall by buying through Amazon instead.
Although both NourishVita and Nutrafol are hormone free, only Nutrafol states that it’s also 100% drug-free.
Nutrafol is comprised entirely of natural ingredients – and what an ingredient list, that is, too! With DHT blockers and stress adaptogens that stop hair shedding by lowering inflammation in the body or correcting hormonal imbalances, Nutrafol may have the edge in terms of effectiveness.
NourishVita supplements are more generic in terms of their ingredient list – featuring the same ones you’ll see across most supplements, like biotin, folate and keratin – but their gummies do get more targeted, with anti-inflammatory ingredients like curcumin and ginger, or digestive aids like apple cider vinegar.
NourishVita comes out top in customer reviews – I couldn’t find anything all that negative about them, although they don’t sell on Amazon so they can be selective about what they show on their website! Meanwhile, Nutrafol gets amazing reviews about the pills themselves, but there are too many complaints about their customer service for me to trust the brand.
The other main difference between NourishVita and Nutrafol is the price. NourishVita costs $70 for a bottle, or one month’s supply. However, they offer 30% off on their website, which brings that down to $49.
Nutrafol is $88 per bottle , or $79 if you join their subscription service (not recommended, as it seems impossible to cancel!) You also need to take 4 Nutrafol supplements a day – so your bottle won’t last as long as NourishVita, which recommends 2 vitamins daily.
Still not sure which – if any – supplement is right for you? Maybe this quick recap will help!
If neither supplement is doing it for you right now, I’d highly recommend Folexin. It’s got some of the ingredients common to either NourishVita or Nutrafol – like biotin, folate and saw palmetto, plus extra natural DHT blockers and antioxidants, like red clover and green tea.
Folexin clocks up incredible customer reviews and even better, is FAR cheaper than either NourishVita or Nutrafol! The only downside I can find is, it contains soy. Which may not be suitable for those on an anti-inflammatory diet.
NourishVita is far better value. Not only is a single bottle cheaper, you only need 2 pills a day (with Nutrafol, it’s 4), so a bottle will last you longer.
Although Nutrafol offers a more targeted approach to stop hair shedding (by getting to the root cause), customer reviews for NourishVita are pretty positive, too. Customers noticed an increase in baby hairs after using NourishVita for only a month or two, plus longer brows and lashes.
If you’re new to the world of hair supplements, I’d probably choose NourishVita over Nutrafol. Simply because it’s far kinder to your wallet, you won’t be getting pulled into a dodgy autoship program and the customer reviews are great!
Ok, so it may not miraculously help your hair grow back or stop shedding in its tracks…but it can give you the appearance of thicker, fuller hair while improving your scalp health, maybe even your mood and energy too!
Let me point out though, supplements may not be for everyone – like if you already have an excess of the minerals or vitamins they contain. In which case, you don’t need to take any more, and it might even be harmful if you do. So please, check with your doctor before taking a daily supplement.
I hope this post has helped you see which – if any – supplement could be a good choice for you. And best of luck with whatever option you decide!
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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6 responses
Hi – I enjoy your comparison of products and really appreciate! I did the chat on Folexin website and asked a few questions. Unfortunately it DOES contain GMO ingredients and does not have the cruelty free designation. So that rules it out for me. Also the soy is a problem too. I tried the NourishVita for over 6 months and while it does make my nails rock hard, I did not see a huge difference in my hair. I am tempted to try Nutrofol and see what happens.
Hi Patty, thanks so much for sharing this information with me. I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Folexin was GMO-free or cruelty free (I’m also off soy, and avoid GMO products, too) so that’s good to know. Folexin isn’t likely suitable for those on an ant-inflammatory diet, in that case. I hope you see improvements with Nutrafol, if you do decide to try it instead…good luck! 🙂
Did you find any reviews on what happens after you no longer take the supplements?
Hi Allison, thanks for your question! While I didn’t find reviews that mentioned people cutting them out entirely, and how that affected their hair, I did read ones by people who ended up using half the dose and continued seeing pretty positive results. NourishVita even mention that after 6 months, you can drop down to one vitamin a day to support healthy hair growth. Nutrafol don’t say anything like this – however, I did read a few reviews where people mentioned they only used half the amount quite early on (becuase they found 4 pills too hard to digest) and it still helped their hair and nails’ health. My personal belief is that if the supplements are working, you should continue taking them (if you can afford it), even if it’s a smaller dose. Then you’re still sure to be getting the essential vitamins and nutrients that perhaps you were deficient in, and that may have been triggering hair loss. I hope that helps!
Emma / Lady Alopecia x
My hair started falling out again.
Took about 5 days to see that.
Was taking nourishvital for about 18 months. Great while it lasted.
I’m really sorry to hear that, Patricia. Unfortunately, this can often with the case with a hair growth supplement or treatment…perhaps you were deficient in certain vitamins or minerals that NourishVita contained and without them, the hair loss began again. What a fast reaction though, only 5 days! I hope you found a solution that’s worked for you in the meantime, whether that’s going back to NourishVita or using something else. Thanks for sharing your experience!