Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD Healthy hair, hair growth, and treating hair thinning are a huge industry. There are countless products on the market that claim to grow and thicken your hair. Besides products that are FDA approved to treat hair loss, like Minoxidil, there are many other supplements and vitamins that claim to grow your hair. Nutrafol is a popular supplement that is used by many women to help grow and thicken their hair. But, truthfully, does Nutrafol work to grow your hair?
Does Nutrafol Work?
People are always curious about supplements and dietary changes that they can make to help grow and thicken their hair. Nutrafol is considered to be a nutraceutical. A nutraceutical is a substance that has physiologic benefits or may protect against certain diseases. They may have benefits such as improved heath, or reducing the signs of aging.
How Does Nutrafol Claim to Work to Grow Hair?
Nutrafol claims to work to grow hair because of the properties of several of its ingredients. Nutrafol claims that its ingredients:
- Reduce inflammation. Inflammation is associated with several types of hair loss. Including CCCA that affects Black women.
- Inhibit DHT (DHT is an enzyme that can be associated with hair thinning.)
- Are Adaptogenic (Adaptogens are molecules that help the body deal with stress and return to a normal healthy state.)
- Are antioxidants (Antioxidants help the body deal with damage and injury. They are substances that help your body ward off damaging molecules called free radicals)
Ingredients in Nutrafol
Nutrafol claims to work to grow hair because of the properties of many of its ingredients. Its ingredients have benefits such as reducing inflammation, reducing harmful free radicals, and helping reduce the hormone that can shrink your hair follicles and thin your hair (DHT).
You can see a full list of the ingredients in Nutrafol here, but some of the ingredients that are often highlighted are:
- Vitamin E (an antioxidant)
- Curcumin (an antioxidant derived from tumeric)
- Saw Palmetto (an herb that works to reduce DHT)
- Marine Collagen
- Biotin
- Horsetail
- Vitamins A, C and D. Low vitamin D can be associated with hair loss.
Studies
It’s important that you know that Nutrafol is not FDA approved to grow hair. Many of the treatments that we use for treating various ailments are not FDA approved though. Also, there is only very limited scientific evidence indicating that Nutrafol may work to grow hair. One randomized controlled study of 40 women with self reported hair thinning was published and showed increased hair growth at 90 and 180 days after starting to take Nutrafol. A significant number of women also reported increased hair volume, thickness and hair growth rate.
An important thing for you to know though, is that to really prove beyond doubt that Nutrafol can work to grow hair, several larger, blinded randomized controlled trials would need to be performed and validated. It is worth noting that none of the women in the study had any bad side effects (adverse effects) from taking Nutrafol
Conclusion
Nutrafol seems to be a generally safe nutraceutical product with ingredients that have properties that could certainly support hair growth. The data to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it works is not there, and there is still not sufficient evidence to day for sure. Still, the product does include ingredients that can work to support healthy hair growth.
If you choose to try Nutrafol, remember that it is not FDA approved, and that you should always talk to your doctor about using it first, especially if you are on any medications, have any medical conditions, or are considering pregnancy.
