The Top 6 Shampoos For Alopecia: An Honest Review
March 6, 2019
38 Comments
Nutrafol is a hair health industry leader in hair growth supplements. A supplement company with HUGE marketing bucks behind it (probably, because those hair thinning supplements are so expensive) and, alongside Viviscal, it’s one of the most recognizable brands for promoting hair growth.
There’s a lot to admire about Nutrafol – if you read my full review, you’ll see why. But (for a change!) I don’t want to focus on the positives in this post. Rather, I want to address the Nutrafol bad reviews that pop up on Amazon and Trustpilot.
I want to see whether there is merit to the complaints, particularly around customer service. So those looking to buy something which is so expensive will know what they’re in for – and whether there are any alternatives to encourage healthy hair growth.
Nutrafol make a range of hair thinning supplements and boosters for men and women, in the stages of life that include hormonal changes and affect hair health: like the postpartum period or peri and post-menopause. The hair loss supplements are called Nutrafol Men, Nutrafol Women, Nutrafol Postpartum and Nutrafol Women’s Balance.
Each hair loss supplement seeks to address the multiple factors of hair loss: including hormone related hair loss, hair loss due to stress, poor nutrition and gut microbiome related hair loss, environmental factors and aging. (They also have boosters, including stress adaptogens and pills for liver health).
And although the main supplements include many of the same hair growth ingredients, the full ingredient list, and their quantities, differs depending on the supplement. For instance, Nutrafol men has a higher concentration of saw palmetto that the supplements for women.
(Psst: You can assess what causes are most likely triggering your own hair shedding, and what treatments could promote hair growth, through the company’s hair wellness quiz on their website.)
Nutraceutical wellness seemed like a more holistic strategy towards improved hair health, and to restore hair growth. One that focused on the root cause of hair thinning (and remember, my ‘root cause’ may be different to yours!)
And while I never expect a hair loss supplement to improve hair regrowth overnight – as lifestyle and nutrition factors might also be at play – I thought this one seemed like a great way to address hormone imbalances or deficiencies, support the immune system and promote healthy hair growth.
And now? I’m less inclined to believe in the hype, or the extra perks Nutrafol offers, like free doctor consultations and hair mineral analysis to determine the causes of hair thinning.
Because the bad Nutrafol reviews complain that plenty of people have been scammed, and they can’t all be wrong. More on those reviews soon.
Nutrafol products contains some amazing amino acids, vitamins and minerals, plus medical grade ingredients for healthy hair: some of which, like saw palmetto, have been proven in clinical trials to lower inflammation caused by stress hormones, reduce hair thinning and improve hair growth from the hair follicles of men and women.
But a couple of those ingredients might also be behind Nutrafol’s more negative reviews.
See my post about side effects for the full story but some of the active hair growth ingredients are more on the controversial side.
These include:
Some of the bad Nutrafol reviews I’ve read list these symptoms, indicating that the hair loss supplements won’t be well tolerated by everyone. However, the main complaints are around poor customer service.
The Nutrafol Women supplement receives 4.3 stars out of almost 14,000 reviews. 68% of these reviews are 5 star. Check out the reviews here, or here are some of the more positive ones below.
After 4 very awful years filled with stress, loss, & grief my body went through 2x 5-7 month long episodes of tellogen effluvium. I had bald patches and a drastically receding hairline. I invested thousands into PRFM injections, I used the Vegamour hair loss serum for a time, and tried many other hair loss supplements and shampoos. Wasted tons of money and felt hopeless.
I waited last to try Nutrafol Women because it was the most expensive for “just a supplement”. I was wrong. Whatever is in this combination is what my body wanted/needed to get back on track to keeping and growing my hair.
I still have a LONG way to go to get my hair back to what it once was, but after 6 months of using Nutrafol Women I can see tons of new hair growth, more scalp coverage, and the new hairs are thick and shiny (note, I did not really see a true improvement until I was through with my second bottle). I recommend to anyone going through hair loss or who wants to boost hair thickness!
– Mrs P, April 2023
Let me tell you, this hair growth supplement works. After about a month and a half, the first thing I noticed was new hair growth at my temples. The crown is slowly but steadily thickening as the new baby hairs grow in. And my hair feels so good! I’ve even noticed new growth in my eyebrows. I highly recommend this product.
– Anon. Nutrafol Review, March 2023
I’m on my second round of Nutrafol Women; I take as suggested and already notice a difference. Not only is the hair on my head growing faster but all hair is. My hormone health and mood are also improved from experiencing less inflammation/pain in my body overall. These ingredients, especially saw palmetto, are beautiful and are helping me to feel more beautiful from the inside out.
– Katie, March 2023
Although the Trustpilot reviews are mostly negative (see below), Nutrafol hair supplements do get a positive review around hair growth:
I have been using Nutrafol Women for 3 months and I see a great improvement in hair growth and stronger nails! I will continue to use it and think it has been incredible. I take my pills daily and do not skip so that my regime is static.
– Allyson, January 2023
It’s interesting that even the more negative complaints on Amazon (which talk about heartburn, gassiness, drowsiness and difficulty in swallowing the pills due to their size and taste) still mention that Nutrafol has helped their hair thinning to support healthy hair growth.
One Nutrafol review mentioned opening the capsules instead of swallowing the pills and that made it much easier. Another Nutrafol review mentions growing excess facial hair as a result of taking the hair loss supplements, so that would be one side effect to keep an eye on.
Women’s Balance worked better then any other hair growth supplement I have ever tried. Makes your hair thick and shiny. I also noticed improvement in my eyelashes and eyebrows…only thing is I also noticed hair growth in unwanted areas as well, not just from a scalp hair follicle. I had to stop taking this because it made me too tired. I found myself falling asleep within an hour of taking it. In the beginning, I felt very nauseous and dizzy – that went away but now it just makes me too tired so I had to stop taking it.
– Anon, February 2023
After taking Nutrafol Women for four months, I can see much improvement in my hair regrowth. I planned to keep using it because I am so satisfied with the results. But after 3 months I noticed my facial hair growing excessively. I just had my first electrolysis to remove the dark hair on my face. My electrolysist said she has had another customer with the same problem. If it continues growing on my face, I will have to stop Nutrafol Women.
– Sharon, March 2023
The company only gets a 1.6 rating here, which doesn’t fill me with much hope. Still, the most common complaint among each negative review isn’t about the product itself – but about Nutrafol’s shocking customer service.
I believe the Nutrafol supplements and hair growth duo made my thinning hair healthier & grow faster. However, I signed up for autoship & when I log into my account, there’s no way to cancel the autopay or to cancel the account. I tried “customer service” & there are no humans to help you cancel – so you’re stuck with getting charged every month until the end of time – or until your credit card expires like mine did.
– Miriam, February 2023
Nutrafol customer service is horrible. I wanted to cancel my subscription but they sent out an order after anyway. I called, and they say no agents are available and it hangs up on you. The chat support doesn’t even work. So the only option is email. I emailed and after 2 days I get an email saying they are sorry its taking so long, here are discount codes for more hair loss products. Obviously they didn’t even read my first email about canceling my subscription. It’s alarming how bad the customer service is.
– Matt, December 2022
I had a bad reaction to Women’s Balance hair supplements but they are deceptive in saying they offer refunds. It is only for UNOPENED products which is ridiculous. Why would someone order a product then immediately send it back?
– Jennifer, April 2023
The company behind Nutrafol – Nutraceutical Wellness, Inc. – has not been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It gets a shockingly low F grade from the organization, and has not responded to requests from the BBB to substantiate the claims it makes across its advertising and marketing campaigns.
Of course, plenty of companies in the hair health industry get a bad rep, often due to these kind of claims. But Nutrafol’s health claims seem to be particularly…let’s just say, embellished!
And many of the studies Nutrafol boasts about are outside clinical trials, with customers simply reporting on changes in self perceived thinning hair.
I have serious doubts about ordering from Nutrafol in case of getting scammed. And I wouldn’t hold out any hopes for getting through to a real human in their customer service department!
So maybe, in this case, buying from Amazon rather than direct from the manufacturer might be a safer option. Ok, so you may not get those free consultations or hair mineral analyses they offer when you sign up for a subscription…but it doesn’t sound like they’re worth it, anyway.
Even after reading each negative review, I still believe in the effectiveness of Nutrafol’s hair growth supplements. They’re targeted towards different forms of hair loss and with female pattern hair loss being a particularly difficult one to treat, I’d be optimistic about something that could help correct any contributing hormone imbalances.
Plus, as hair loss is often triggered by physical and emotional stress, I like that one of their key ingredients, ashwaghanda, has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety and the body’s stress response. Lower cortisol levels and balanced hormones create a better environment to support hair growth.
After all, it isn’t a cheap hair loss treatment. And if you’re worried about taking the pills because of their size, taste or difficulty in digesting them, that’s understandable.
In that case, you could start off with a cheaper option to improve hair growth – like Folexin, or Viviscal. Both contain great natural ingredients like saw palmetto, plus vitamins and minerals to reduce thinning hair and increase hair growth, starting with the health of each hair follicle.
And not only do they come at a fraction of the price, you only need to take half the amount (2 pills) so your bottle will last far longer.
I hope this has helped you in your hunt for the right hair growth supplement and as always, feel free to share your progress in the comments below.
Love & hugs,
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4 Responses
I am 66 female can I use this product
Hi Tinamarie, I’m not a doctor (just a person with alopecia!) but according to the brand, Nutrafol is safe to use unless you have a known biotin sensitivity or you’re on blood thinners. If you’re not sure, check with your medical professional. You might like to try Nutrafol Women’s Balance (for women over 45) or I’d also recommend Folexin supplements, if you’d like to read my post about that brand instead.
What had really work on you and what type of alopecia you have?
Hi Irma, thanks for your question! I have extensive alopecia areata, which I’ve had for over 20 years. Nothing has worked for me on a long-term basis, unfortunately (perhaps because I’ve never had the discipline to stick to anything for more than a few months!) But when I used Nioxin’s range of products, I regrew all my hair after just 2 months. When I used Revita (now my favorite), I saw much less shedding and a little regrowth and when I used Vegamour’s serum for my missing eyebrow, it regrew that, too. So those are my 3 top brands, I’ve linked to my posts about them here, too if you’d like to find out more. I also found going on an anti-inflammatory diet very helpful – more on that here.