Bottling Hair Growth: A Closer Look at 4 Popular Hair Supplements and How to Choose What Actually Fits You by Charlie Westphal

If you walk down a supplement aisle, scroll past a few ads on your phone, or sit in any “waiting room”, you will likely see a familiar pitch for your hair. A glossy bottle promising fuller, thicker, and faster-growing hair in a few months. Hair supplements make up a multi-billion-dollar global industry, and brands like Nutrafol, Hers, Votesse, and Alodia have become household names in their respective corners of the market. But the question that often gets lost in the noise is “Does this supplement work for my hair specifically?” 

Hair grows in cycles, and each follicle is influenced by factors like hormones, nutrient availability, blood flow, inflammation, and stress. When any one of those inputs shifts, the cycles can shorten, thin out, or stall altogether. Supplements try to address those inputs, but the formulas behind each bottle are built around different assumptions about who the consumer is and what is driving their changes in cycle. This article walks through four popular brands and the personal factors that should shape which one (if any) belongs in your routine.

Nutrafol

Nutrafol is arguably the most recognizable name in the over-the-counter hair supplement category. Rather than selling one formula for everyone, the brand segments its line by life stage and biology, Women's (ages 18–44), Women's Balance (45 and older), Women's Vegan, Women's Postpartum, Men's, and Men’s 50+. Each formula is built around a proprietary “Synergen Complex” that blends saw palmetto, marine collagen, ashwagandha, curcumin, and other botanicals, plus a “Nutrafol Blend” containing horsetail extract and keratin.

The Nutrafol approach is intentionally broad. The formulas aim to address several causes of thinning simultaneously, hormonal shifts, stress¹², inflammation, and nutrient gaps, on the logic that hair loss is rarely caused by a single factor. The trade-offs are real, though. A serving is four capsules a day, which some people find difficult to maintain. The “proprietary blend” label also means the exact amount of each individual ingredient is not disclosed, so you know what is in the capsule, but not how much, which makes it harder to compare doses against the levels used in peer-reviewed clinical studies.¹

Hers

Hers takes a telehealth-first approach. Rather than offering one shelf-stable product, the brand pairs an online consultation with personalized treatment plans that can combine prescription topical minoxidil, the only ingredient FDA-approved for female pattern hair loss, over-the-counter biotin gummies, and additional topical or oral therapies.² The supplement in that bundle is a once-a-day biotin multivitamin with folate, B6, B12, and vitamin E.

Hers is best understood as a system rather than a single supplement. It is designed for women navigating female-pattern hair loss, postpartum shedding, or menopause-related thinning who want a clinician-guided plan, and it leans heavily on prescription minoxidil as the active driver of regrowth. It is worth noting that minoxidil only produces a meaningful response in roughly 30–40% of women who try it, which is why combination plans are common.² The biotin gummy is a supportive supplement, not the centerpiece. For people who want a structured medical pathway and are open to prescription treatment, the model has appeal. 

Votesse

Votesse is the newest of the four and is most often sold through clinical hair restoration practices that pair it with in-office treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP). What stands out about Votesse is what it does not do. The brand publishes the exact dose of every ingredient on its label (no proprietary blends), it focuses exclusively on hair-growth relevant ingredients (most hair-skin-nail multivitamins include vitamin E for the skin and nail benefits; Votesse skips those), and it is biotin-free.

Biotin has become a near-default marketing ingredient in hair gummies, but true biotin deficiency is rare in adults eating a varied diet. The evidence for biotin supplementation in non-deficient individuals is limited, and large doses can interfere with thyroid and hormone lab tests.³ Votesse skips biotin in favor of DHT-blocking ingredients (saw palmetto, beta-sitosterol, pumpkin seed), antioxidants (green tea extract, N-acetyl-cysteine), and amino acids that support keratin synthesis (cystine, arginine). Saw palmetto has been studied in several randomized trials and a 2020 systematic review as a botanical 5-alpha reductase inhibitor with modest but measurable effects in androgenetic alopecia.⁴ Daily dosing sits between Her’s one gummy and Nutrafol’s four capsules at three capsules a day, and the formula is vegetarian. 

Alodia

Alodia is the only brand on this list founded specifically with kinky, coily, and curly hair in mind. The line was created by Dr. Isfahan Chambers-Harris, a physician-scientist whose work centers on the hair and scalp needs of melanin-rich consumers. The Hair & Scalp Vitamin is a three-capsule daily formula built around vitamin D, ashwagandha, probiotics, saw palmetto, zinc, vitamin A, biotin, and collagen, structured around three “foundations”, mind health (stress reduction), gut health (nutrient absorption), and vital nutrients.

The flagship rationale for the formula is the vitamin D. Melanin reduces the skin's ability to synthesize vitamin D from UV-B exposure, which is one mechanism by which vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in people with darker skin.⁵ Low vitamin D status has also been repeatedly linked to several forms of hair loss in dermatological literature, including telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia.⁶ 

The Factors That Should Actually Drive Your Decision

Age

Hair changes through the life cycle. Androgenetic alopecia, which is the most common form of progressive hair loss, affects approximately 50% of men over 50 and a comparable proportion of women after menopause, though the onset and presentation differ significantly between sexes.¹,⁷ The shedding patterns and underlying drivers shift dramatically across decades, a 30-year-old losing hair from postpartum telogen effluvium needs a very different intervention than a 55-year-old experiencing perimenopausal thinning driven by falling estrogen and a more dominant DHT signal. This is precisely why Nutrafol publishes age-segmented formulas. If you are under 30 and otherwise healthy, an aggressive DHT-blocking formula may be overkill. If you are postmenopausal, a generic biotin gummy is more than likely under-targeted.

Sex

Male and female pattern hair loss are biologically distinct. Both involve DHT, but men typically experience a receding hairline and crown thinning, while women more commonly experience diffuse thinning across the top of the scalp with the frontal hairline preserved.¹ Hormonal context also differs. Women may experience postpartum shedding, oral-contraceptive-related shifts, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) crossover with hair thinning¹³, and menopause-related changes that men do not navigate. The brands above approach this differently. Hers and Nutrafol both publish sex-specific formulas. Votesse and Alodia offer unisex formulas, with the assumption that DHT-blocking and nutrient support are useful across sexes.

Race, Ethnicity, and Whose Hair Gets Studied

Most hair research has been done on European-descent hair. The published characterizations of hair density, growth rate, follicle shape, and treatment response have historically used Caucasian hair as the implicit reference standard, with Asian and African hair described as deviations from that baseline.⁸ The biology actually differs in important ways across populations. African-descent hair has a flattened, elliptical cross-section, a curved follicle, lower density per square centimeter, a slower observed growth rate, and a higher tendency to break at the bend points of each strand. Asian hair has a more circular cross-section, the largest individual strand diameter, and a straight follicle. European-descent hair has an oval cross-section and the highest follicle density. Since most of the clinical data behind the supplements on this list was generated in populations of European descent, how they actually perform on the hair of most people in the world remains largely untested. That gap is part of why "the best supplement" depends so heavily on which questions you ask before you take it. 

Hair Type and Pattern

Curly, coily, and kinky hair are structurally more fragile at the bend points of each strand and are also more prone to breakage from styling tension, heat, and chemical processing than straight hair.⁸ Supplements cannot reverse mechanical damage–no pill is going to undo traction alopecia from years of tight braids¹⁴ or repair a chemically over-processed strand. What supplements can do is support the strength and resilience of new hair as it grows in, which makes them most useful when paired with a sound external regimen.

Hair Health and Underlying Conditions

If your shedding is sudden, patchy, or accompanied by burning, itching, or visible scalp inflammation, a supplement is not your first move; a dermatologist or trichologist is. Conditions like CCCA, alopecia areata, frontal fibrosing alopecia, thyroid disease, iron deficiency anemia, PCOS, and lupus all cause hair loss that vitamins alone will not address.¹¹ Supplements are best understood as a supportive layer on top of a correct diagnosis—not a replacement for one.

A few additional safety points worth flagging: saw palmetto (present in all four brands) can interact with blood-thinning medications.⁴ High-dose biotin (in Hers and Alodia in particular) can skew thyroid lab results.³ Pregnancy and breastfeeding change the directive on many of these ingredients. Nutrafol's Women's Postpartum formula intentionally omits ashwagandha for this reason.

The Bottom Line

There is no single “best” hair supplement, only a best supplement for your situation. Before you reach for any of them, ask yourself a few simple questions; how old am I, what is my hormonal context, what does my scalp actually need, and is there an underlying condition that should be treated first. Healthy hair, like any other health goal, is built on personalization.

References

¹ Gupta, A. K., Wang, T., & Economopoulos, V. (2025). Epidemiological landscape of androgenetic alopecia in the US: An All of Us cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 20(2), e0319040. journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0319040

² Suchonwanit, P., Thammarucha, S., & Leerunyakul, K. (2019). Minoxidil and its use in hair disorders: A review. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 13, 2777–2786. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6691938

³ Patel, D. P., Swink, S. M., & Castelo-Soccio, L. (2017). A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss. Skin Appendage Disorders, 3(3), 166–169. doi.org/10.1159/000462981

⁴ Evron, E., Juhasz, M., Babadjouni, A., & Mesinkovska, N. A. (2020). Natural Hair Supplement: Friend or Foe? Saw Palmetto, A Systematic Review in Alopecia. Skin Appendage Disorders, 6(6), 329–337. doi.org/10.1159/000509905

⁵ Cui, A., Xiao, P., Ma, Y., Fan, Z., Zhou, F., Zheng, J., & Zhang, L. (2022). Prevalence, trend, and predictor analyses of vitamin D deficiency in the US population, 2001–2018. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 965376. doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.965376

⁶ Saini, K., & Mysore, V. (2021). Role of vitamin D in hair loss: A short review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 20(11), 3407–3414. doi.org/10.1111/jocd.14421

⁷ Villani, A., Fabbrocini, G., Cacciapuoti, S., & Verde, L. (2022). Hair Aging and Hair Disorders in Elderly Patients. International Journal of Trichology, 14(6), 191–196. doi.org/10.4103/ijt.ijt_72_22

⁸ Maguire, A. K., et al. (2021). Hair Aging in Different Races and Ethnicities. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. jcadonline.com/hair-aging-races-ethnicities-review

⁹ Charrow, A., Xia, F. D., Joyce, C., & Mostaghimi, A. (2023). Racial and ethnic underrepresentation in dermatology clinical trials. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37062462

¹⁰ Malki, L., Sarig, O., Romano, M.-T., et al. (2019). Variant PADI3 in Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia. New England Journal of Medicine, 380(9), 833–841. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1816614

¹¹ Guo, E. L., & Katta, R. (2017). Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use. Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 7(1), 1–10. doi.org/10.5826/dpc.0701a01

¹² Hadshiew, I. M., Foitzik, K., Arck, P. C., & Paus, R. (2025). The role of psychological stress in hair loss: A review. JAAD Reviews. jaadreviews.org/article/S2950-1989(25)00094-7/fulltext

¹³ Carmina, E., Azziz, R., Bergfeld, W., Escobar-Morreale, H. F., Futterweit, W., et al. (2019). Female Pattern Hair Loss and Androgen Excess: A Report From the Multidisciplinary Androgen Excess and PCOS Committee. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(7), 2875–2891. academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/7/2875/5342938

¹⁴ Billero, V., & Miteva, M. (2018). Traction alopecia: the root of the problem. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 11, 149–159. dovepress.com/traction-alopecia-the-root-of-the-problem-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID