13 Best Hair Growth Serums to Address Thinning Hair

Hair rarely stays the same, shifting in its thickness and texture with time, amid stress, and through health changes like pregnancy and menopause. The best hair growth serum can help; it won’t necessarily restore your hair to normalcy, but rather establish a foundation that spurs hair growth, thus helping offset the effects of thinning and shedding.

Vogue’s Favorite Hair Growth SerumsBest Overall: Nutrafol Hair Serum, $69Best Over-the-Counter Minoxidil: Rogaine Women’s 2% Minoxidil Topical Solution, $78 $72Best with Minoxidil: Hers Women’s Minoxidil 2% Topical Solution, $45Best with Peptides: The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density, $23Best Silicone-Free: Vegamour Gro Revitalizing Hair Serum, $54Best for Damaged Hair: Kérastase Genesis Fortifiant Hair Serum, $60Best for Dry Hair: Divi Scalp Serum, $48Best for Grays: Living Proof Scalp Care Density Serum, $64But finding the right formula isn’t a matter of simply choosing a product off the shelf and hoping that it works. First, it helps to understand what’s causing your hair changes. “I encourage everyone with a concern for hair thinning or shedding to consult with a health-care provider first,” says Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in hair disorders with Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, CA.

That’s because factors like genetics, your nutrition, stress and anxiety, and changes in your hormones, metabolism, or medications can all contribute to thinning hair. And the cause of your hair loss can help you determine the right ingredients for you—and, with that, the best hair growth serum. Therefore, “the best guidance is to ask questions and rely on trusted sources for scientific evidence and advice that is tailored to your individual need,” she instructs. With that in mind, consider these the serums worth trying to achieve your unique hair goals.

In This StoryWhat is a hair growth serumHow often should you apply hair growth serums?What to look for in a hair growth serumWhat’s the difference between a serum and a supplementExpert tips to apply hair growth serumsDo hair growth serums really work?Meet the expertsBest Overall: Nutrafol Hair SerumWhy We Love It: Much like its bestselling supplement—which many Vogue editors consider the gold standard among hair care products—Nutrafol’s topical serum takes a novel approach to thinning with ashwagandha, an adaptogen long used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce inflammation and quell anxiety. This non-greasy serum also uses exosomes (small vesicles packed with protein, lipids, and plant RNA) to encourage cellular renewal at the scalp and defend against stress.Key Ingredients: Ashwagandha exosomes, Irish moss peptides, pea sprout extractBest for: All hair typesSize: 50 mlBest with Minoxidil: Hers Women’s Minoxidil 2% Topical SolutionWhy We Love It: Minoxidil is the sole active ingredient approved by the FDA to support hair growth in women, but it often comes in a less-than-elegant format, like a foam. That’s not the case with this topical solution by Hers, which absorbs quickly into the scalp and extends the hair’s natural growth cycle. Worth noting: It can’t be used while you’re breastfeeding or pregnant, so it might not be an option for postpartum hair loss.Key Ingredients: MinoxidilBest for: Female pattern baldnessSize: 60 mlBest with Peptides: The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair DensityWhy We Love It: Peptides are often used in skin care to encourage collagen and elastin production, but applied to your scalp, they can also support hair health and lend a thicker, fuller appearance. This formula harnesses an array of proprietary peptides to do just that, as well as caffeine to stimulate circulation on the scalp, thus delivering more nutrients to the roots.Key Ingredients: Caffeine, peptides, green tea extractBest for: All hair typesSize: 60 mlBest Over-the-Counter Minoxidil: Rogaine Women’s 2% Minoxidil Topical SolutionRogaine

Women’s 2% Minoxidil Topical Solution

Why We Love It: While some levels of minoxidil require a prescription, this lower concentration does not—making for easier accessibility. But it’s no less effective: “By extending the length that hair remains in the anagen phase of the growth cycle, it can slow the pace of thinning and can even help to thicken hair after using the product consistently for about one year,” says Dr. Christine Shaver, MD, a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in hair restoration at Bernstein Medical Center in New York, NY. This particular set comes with a six-month supply, although you can choose from three- or four-month supplies as well. And, instead of the typical foam offered by Rogaine, which can be hard to apply without disturbing a blowout, the serum sinks in and dries quickly.Key Ingredients: MinoxidilBest for: Female pattern baldnessSize: 60 mlBest Silicone-Free: Vegamour Gro Revitalizing Hair SerumWhy We Love It: Free of silicones yet brimming with plant extracts, this water-based formula uses phytoactives like turmeric to increase the look of hair density and caffeine to stimulate the scalp. Although it contains biotin (often derived from animal sources), the formula is still vegan and cruelty-free—and helps deliver the thicker-looking hair in a matter of months.Key Ingredients: Turmeric, biotin, caffeineBest for: Thinning hairSize: 30 mlBest Customizable: Curology Hair Formula RxWhy We Love It: Curology may be best known for its prescription-strength acne solutions, like its tretinoin cream, but the brand also offers compounded hair growth formulas, too. After a virtual consultation with a provider, they’ll tailor a formula to suit your needs, pairing minoxidil with other Rx-only medications (like spironolactone and dandruff-fighting ketoconazole) to address both hair loss and other scalp concerns.Key Ingredients: Minoxidil, finasteride, spironolactone, ketoconazoleBest for: Female pattern baldness, male pattern baldnessSize: 60 mlBest for Damaged Hair: Kérastase Genesis Fortifiant Hair SerumKérastase

Genesis strengthening serum

Why We Love It: Regular washing, brushing, and styling can take a toll on hair, which is where this Kérastase formula intends to help. The silicone-free serum pairs science-backed peptides like arginine with botanicals like ginger root extract and caffeine to help reduce mechanical damage to hair. Also worthy of noting is the fragrance, which has a woody yet refreshing feel thanks to notes of lavender, bergamot, and vetiver.Key Ingredients: Ginger root extract, arginine, caffeineBest for: Thinning or breakage-prone hairSize: 90 mlBest for Dry Hair: Divi Scalp SerumWhy We Love It: With an ingredient list that could rival a face serum, this formula brings together a lineup of ingredients meant to nourish the scalp—and in doing so, encourage hair growth and density. A blend of copper peptides, caffeine, and rosemary oil encourages healthy growth, while hyaluronic acid, amino acids, and vitamin E supply moisture.Key Ingredients: Copper tripeptide-1, hyaluronic acid, caffeineBest for: Thinning hair, dry scalps, or those with tight hairstylesSize: 30 mlBest for Grays: Living Proof Scalp Care Density SerumLiving Proof

scalp care density serum

Why We Love It: No matter how well you may care for your hair, time takes a toll in the form of thinning and graying. This scalp serum intends to address both, with a proprietary complex that minimizes the appearance of grays alongside peptides, phytonutrients, and other cutting-edge actives that simultaneously boost hair density. Together, they deliver the hair of your youth in a matter of months.Key Ingredients: Amino acids, amaranth peptides, pea sprout extractBest for: Age-related hair loss and grayingSize: 50 mlBest for Age-Related Thinning: Act+Acre Cold Processed Stem Cell Scalp SerumAct+Acre

2% Stem Cell H-2 Grow Complex ™ Scalp Serum

Why We Love It: Born of a desire to support scalp health, Act+Acre is the brainchild of trichologist Helen Reavey, whose celebrity clients include Tilda Swinton and Alicia Keys. The brand’s stem cell-powered scalp serum connects the dots even more clearly between scalp health and thick hair. It uses apple stem cells extracted through a cold-pressing process—the better to retain its nutrients—as well as aloe vera and bamboo extract to bolster the scalp’s skin barrier and microbiome, thus restoring (and maintaining) the hair growth cycle.Key Ingredients: Apple stem cells, aloe vera, bamboo extractBest for: Mildly thinning hairSize: 65 mlBest for Temporary Hair Thinning: René Furterer Triphasic Reactional Concentrated SerumRené Furterer

triphasic reactional concentrated serum

Why We Love It: Some forms of hair loss, such as those related to acute stress or postpartum hormones, are temporary—but still worthy of treatment. This serum uses plant-based extracts, such as a lotus complex and Brazilian ginseng extract, to restore hair to its anagen, or growth, phase. It has an extra advantage in terms of convenience, too: Each of the 12 ampoules in this set is intended to be applied just once a week for three months.Key Ingredients: Lotus minerals, pfaffia extract, lemon essential oilBest for: Sudden or temporary hair thinningSize: 12 0.16 oz. vialsBest Wash-Out Treatment: The Nue Co. Supa_Thick TreatmentWhy We Love It: This is one of the few serums that works as a pre-shampoo treatment, as it needs to be washed out after 20 minutes. The benefit, however, is that it only needs to be used two or three times a week to offer the results, such as a soothed, less flaky scalp and healthy hair growth. It deploys botanical oils like rosemary leaf and peppermint to encourage blood flow (and thus nutrients) to the hair follicles, while a blend of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics bolster the scalp’s microbiome.Key Ingredients: Larix wood extract, camellia extract, rosemary leaf oilBest for: Imbalanced scalpSize: 100 mlBest Hair Oil: Ranavat Might Majesty Fortifying Hair SerumRanavat

Mighty Majesty hair serum

Why We Love It: For those seeking shine alongside strength, this pre-shampoo treatment draws from the Ayurvedic tradition of hair oiling, delivering moisture and a glossy finish with a blend of sunflower seed and jasmine oils. (The latter lends a light floral fragrance, too.) Suspended in this oil is amla extract, a potent antioxidant that has long been used in India to soften and protect hair—giving this serum the ability to both minimize shedding and encourage growth.Key Ingredients: Amla extract, sunflower oil, jasmine oilBest for: Dry hairSize: 1.7 fl. oz.What is a hair growth serum

Like that for your scalp, a hair growth serum is a formula that, generally speaking, offers a high concentration of ingredients, such as vitamins, botanical extracts, and essential oils, with the purpose of improving the appearance, strength, and thickness of hair, according to Shaver. You can also find hair growth serums that contain active ingredients that have been FDA-approved to promote hair growth, like minoxidil.

Depending on their formulation and how often you use them, “hair growth serums can provide a variety of benefits, from improving the healthy appearance of hair to enhancing hair growth,” says Dr. Shaver, who notes that it’s critical to choose a formula that targets your unique hair goals.

What to Look for in a Hair Growth Serum

First, consider your hair needs. For instance, if your hair tends to be dry, then “look for serums that contain oils to help hydrate the dry hair shaft,” says Shaver. Meanwhile, if you simply want better, faster hair growth, then she recommends looking for products with ingredients that have been clinically proven to do just that—and have scientific data that support their use. With that in mind, consider these active ingredients, which are mainstays in hair-growth products: