Nobody really looks forward to reading a Hims review. But hair loss comes for us all eventually—no matter how much you deny it or consider yourself excluded—and for many men, the telehealth company can help. The signs of hair loss manifest differently in everyone: recession, crown thinning, follicle shrinkage, or some dastardly combination of the three. In 2024, there are plenty of hair loss remedies to consider, like plasma injections (PRP) and low-level laser treatments (LLLT), both of which can be expensive. The far more affordable route includes common treatments found in hair loss subscription services like Hims, Keeps, and Roman. Those tend to include minoxidil and/or finasteride, in oral or topical forms, as well as hybrids of both medicines.
Hims is quite likely the first brand you think of when it comes to telemedicine for hair loss—that’s how the brand got its start, making it easy for guys to meet with a board-certified dermatologist on the web, and then have the best hair loss treatments (both prescription and over-the-counter) delivered right to their doorstep. But the brand has come a long way since its start in 2017. What began as a mail-order hair loss treatment brand has evolved into hair care items, skin care essentials, prescription topicals for acne and aging, and a bevy of other treatments that cover weight loss, sexual wellness, and mental health.
Hims has also largely expanded its hair loss treatments, now offering topical and oral versions of key medicines, specialized treatments that contain two or more hair-boosting active ingredients, and even one pill that combines a hair retention formula with a low-grade erectile dysfunction treatment. Their selection has gotten so vast that we thought it wise to lay out all of the brand’s current offerings below. We’ll dive into hair loss, hair care, and skin care, while also touching on those other key offerings in other categories. We will also make judgment calls on the best way to incorporate Hims into your routine based on your hair care needs.
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Hims for Hair Loss: Review
Hims’ original slate of offerings included two topical options for minoxidil (a foam and serum) as well as oral finasteride. These are without question some of the most effective hair loss treatments, though the script has flipped on the preferred route of administration for both—and Hims is keeping up with the curve.
In our book, Hims knocks it out of the park when it comes to messaging and customizing hair loss treatments to users’ individual needs. Preferences differ regarding which hair loss medicines we want (or are willing) to take, as well as whether or not to administer each orally or topically. Hims even has compound customization options that allow you to combine key steps into a singular application or supplement for streamlined solutions. Let’s take a look at their offerings.
Minoxidil
Topical Minoxidil Serum
Minoxidil is a vasodilator—which means it improves blood flow and nutrient delivery to your follicles—and it can help lengthen each hair’s lifespan. Minoxidil is available over the counter in its topical forms (it’s the generic of Rogaine) and is generally well-tolerated by most people, especially when applied topically. While the serum and foam are both great, I prefer the topical serum, as it’s much easier for me to apply and incorporate into my regimen than the foam. (I also find that it interferes less with my hair styling.)
Topical Minoxidil Foam
Oral Minoxidil + Supplement Chew
Oral minoxidil is becoming increasingly popular but is only available through prescription. It comes with an increased risk of side effects since it is a cosmetically dosed version of Loniten, a blood pressure medicine. However, oral minoxidil is generally deemed the new gold standard in hair growth since it provides the same hair-anchoring benefits from the inside out. That said, it can also increase beard and body hair growth—for better or for worse—so be warned.
Hims makes it extremely easy to get oral minoxidil with the recent launch of its supplement chews. You can get your daily dose of minoxidil with or without finasteride (more on this soon), and depending on your health history, you can even get a pill that combines both treatments with low-grade tadalafil (generic Cialis), which is designed to treat erectile dysfunction.
Finasteride
Oral Finasteride
Of the two key hair loss treatment medicines, finasteride (you may be familiar with brand-name Propecia) is arguably the more effective one, but it also comes with greater risks. Finasteride inhibits the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, which is the culprit behind hair follicle miniaturization in male-pattern alopecia. DHT inhibitors are also key for slowing or halting hair recession. Unlike general crown thinning, recession cannot be revived once lost, which makes starting a finasteride regimen before aggressive receding occurs such a smart move.
