Hair Regrowth Treatments: What Works, Ranked by Evidence (UK)
Last updated: August 2026
Only a short list of hair regrowth treatments has strong evidence behind it, and in the UK that list is topical minoxidil, oral finasteride for men, hair transplant surgery, and treatment of any underlying medical cause. Low level laser therapy and platelet rich plasma have moderate and mixed evidence. Everything else, including every shampoo on the market, is cosmetic support: it can make hair look thicker and reduce breakage, but it does not regrow hair. Which one is right for you depends entirely on why you are losing hair, so start with a diagnosis.
Key takeaways
- Diagnosis first. Pattern hair loss, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, thyroid disease and iron deficiency all look like thinning and need completely different treatment.
- Minoxidil is the only topical licensed for hair loss in the UK and is available over the counter. Finasteride is prescription only here and is licensed for men.
- Shampoo is cosmetic, not a treatment. Ours included. A shampoo can reduce breakage and make hair look fuller, it cannot reverse pattern hair loss.
- Nothing works quickly. The hair cycle means 3 to 6 months of consistent use before you can judge anything, and shedding often increases in the first weeks of minoxidil.
- Treatments hold ground rather than turn back the clock. Starting early protects follicles that still exist. Nothing revives a follicle that has already scarred over.
- Sudden, patchy or painful hair loss is a GP appointment, not a shopping decision.
Why does the cause of your hair loss decide the treatment?
Because the treatments are not interchangeable. Minoxidil helps pattern hair loss and does nothing for an iron deficiency. Correcting a thyroid problem regrows hair that no shampoo would have touched. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition needing a dermatologist. Buying a product before you know which of these you have is how people waste a year.
| Type | What it looks like | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss) | Gradual. Receding temples and crown in men, widening parting in women. Follicles miniaturise over years | Minoxidil, and finasteride for men via a prescriber. Start early |
| Telogen effluvium | Sudden diffuse shedding all over, 2 to 3 months after illness, childbirth, surgery, crash dieting or major stress | Find and fix the trigger. Usually self resolving over 6 to 12 months |
| Alopecia areata | Smooth, well defined round bald patches, sometimes with sudden onset | GP, then dermatology. Autoimmune, not cosmetic |
| Nutritional or thyroid related | Diffuse thinning with other symptoms such as fatigue, heavy periods, cold intolerance | GP blood tests. Correct the cause under medical guidance |
| Traction alopecia | Thinning at the hairline or wherever hair is pulled tight, from tight styles or extensions | Change the styling now. Reversible early, permanent if left |
| Scarring alopecia | Shiny, smooth scalp with no visible follicle openings, often itchy or sore | Urgent dermatology. Follicles are destroyed and cannot be recovered |
Our guide to what causes thinning hair goes through these in more depth, and if your shedding started suddenly, what causes telogen effluvium covers the timeline and recovery.
Which hair regrowth treatments have the strongest evidence?
Two medicines are licensed for hair loss in the UK, and both are for androgenetic alopecia. Topical minoxidil is available over the counter from pharmacies, including for women. Oral finasteride is a prescription only medicine here, licensed for male pattern hair loss, and it is not for women who could become pregnant.
| Treatment | Evidence | UK access | Honest limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topical minoxidil 2 or 5 per cent | Strong. Decades of randomised trials in men and women | Over the counter at pharmacies | Works while you use it. Stopping reverses gains within months. Early shedding is common. Can irritate the scalp |
| Oral finasteride | Strong, in men. Reduces DHT, the hormone driving follicle miniaturisation | Prescription only. Discuss with a GP or a regulated online prescriber | Men only. Sexual side effects affect a minority. Not suitable in pregnancy or for women who may conceive |
| Hair transplant surgery | Strong for the right candidate. Moves permanent follicles to thinning areas | Private, several thousand pounds. Choose a GMC registered surgeon | Redistributes hair, does not create it. Usually needs ongoing medical treatment to protect the rest |
| Treating the underlying cause | Strong, where there is one. Iron, thyroid, medication, an autoimmune condition | NHS GP | Only helps if a cause actually exists. Blood tests first, not supplements |
| Low level laser therapy | Moderate. Some positive trials, small effect sizes, variable quality | Home caps and combs, roughly 200 to 800 pounds | Slow, modest, needs long term consistency. Best as an add on |
| Platelet rich plasma | Mixed and developing. Promising trials but no standard protocol | Private clinics, repeat sessions | Expensive, results vary widely, unregulated market. Ask about the protocol |
| Microneedling | Emerging. Best evidence is combined with minoxidil rather than alone | At home rollers or in clinic | Technique and hygiene matter. Done badly it damages the scalp |
| Cosmetic shampoos and serums | Ingredient level research only, not product level regrowth trials | Everywhere, including us | Improves condition, volume and breakage. Does not regrow hair |
Rosemary oil deserves a specific mention because it is the most shared home remedy on the internet. One small 2015 trial compared it with 2 per cent minoxidil and found comparable results at six months, which is genuinely interesting, but it is one small study and it is not the same as a body of evidence. We covered it properly in the benefits of rosemary oil for hair, ranked by evidence. Microneedling is set out in microneedling versus dermarolling.
See a GP before you start anything if your hair loss came on suddenly, is patchy, is accompanied by a sore, scaly or shiny scalp, or comes with other symptoms such as fatigue, weight change or heavy periods. Ask about ferritin, full blood count and thyroid function. Scarring alopecia in particular is a race against time, because once a follicle scars it cannot be recovered.
Never start, stop or change a prescribed medicine on the strength of an article. If you think a medication is contributing to your hair loss, raise it with the doctor who prescribed it rather than stopping it yourself.
How long do hair regrowth treatments take to work?
Plan on six months before you judge anything, and twelve before you decide it has failed. The hair cycle sets the pace: a follicle nudged back into the growth phase still has to grow a hair at roughly one centimetre a month before you can see it. Nothing on the evidence list acts faster than that, and anything promising results in weeks is selling you something.
- Weeks 2 to 8: minoxidil commonly causes an increase in shedding as resting hairs are pushed out to make way. It is expected and it is not the treatment failing.
- Months 3 to 4: shedding settles. Sometimes fine regrowth appears at the hairline or parting.
- Months 6 to 12: the honest assessment point. Take a photograph in the same light and position at the start so you have something to compare against.
- Ongoing: minoxidil and finasteride work only while used. Stopping means losing the gains over the following months.
Where does shampoo genuinely fit in?
Underneath the treatments, not instead of them. A good shampoo and conditioner reduce breakage, so hair you already have reaches its full length instead of snapping halfway. That makes a real and visible difference to density, particularly for fine or fragile hair, and it costs a fraction of anything else on this page. What it does not do is act on the follicle or reverse pattern hair loss.
We make hair care and we would rather say that plainly than sell you a shampoo as a cure. If you have androgenetic alopecia, the honest plan is minoxidil or a prescriber conversation as the treatment, and cosmetic care alongside it to keep the hair you have looking its best. Our guide to habits that protect your hair covers the daily side of that.
Grow Me® Shampoo, 250ml, £14.95
A sulphate free daily shampoo formulated with caffeine, biotin, rosemary, niacinamide, argan oil and hydrolysed lupine protein. It cleanses gently and reduces breakage for thicker looking, fuller looking hair. It is a cosmetic product, not a medicine, and it does not treat or reverse hair loss. Results vary, and it works best used consistently over 8 to 12 weeks alongside whatever your GP or pharmacist recommends.
View Grow Me shampoo
Hair Growth Boost Set, £53.40
The full three step cosmetic routine: Grow Me shampoo, Condition Me conditioner and the Grow More overnight scalp elixir. Sensible if you want one consistent routine rather than a shelf of half used bottles, and the conditioner is doing as much of the anti breakage work as the shampoo. Cosmetic support only, and no substitute for treating a diagnosed cause.
View the boost setWatermans is a founder led British brand. Our products are vegan, made in the UK, and we have sold over 5 million bottles since 2012.
What daily habits actually support the treatment you choose?
None of these regrow hair on their own, and any article claiming a smoothie will reverse balding is wasting your time. What they do is remove the things actively working against you, which matters when you are trying to keep every hair you have.
- Stop the mechanical damage. Tight ponytails, braids and extensions cause traction alopecia, which is permanent if left long enough. This is the most preventable hair loss there is.
- Eat enough, and enough protein. Crash dieting is one of the most reliable triggers of diffuse shedding, typically showing up three months later.
- Get ferritin checked rather than guessing. Low iron stores are a genuine and common cause in women, and supplementing iron you do not need is not harmless.
- Treat the scalp as skin. Persistent flaking, itching or soreness is inflammation, and it is worth sorting out on its own terms.
- Take a photograph today. Same light, same position, once a month. Memory is a terrible judge of gradual change in either direction.
What should you avoid?
The hair loss market is full of expensive things with no evidence and a few that are actively risky. Be sceptical of anything sold with before and after photos and no trial data, and be very sceptical of prescription medicines bought without a prescriber involved.
- Prescription only medicines from unregulated sellers. Finasteride and oral minoxidil need a prescriber who knows your history. Use a GP or a regulated UK online pharmacy, not a marketplace listing.
- Guarantees. No legitimate treatment guarantees regrowth, because outcomes depend on the cause, the stage and the individual.
- Stacked supplements. Taking several at once risks excess, and too much vitamin A or selenium can itself cause hair shedding.
- Anything promising results in weeks. The hair cycle does not permit it.
- Waiting. The most common regret is a year lost to trying things without a diagnosis, while follicles miniaturise further.
Frequently asked questions about hair regrowth treatments
What is the most effective hair regrowth treatment?
For androgenetic alopecia, topical minoxidil has the strongest evidence among treatments you can buy without a prescription in the UK, and oral finasteride has strong evidence in men through a prescriber. For any other cause, the most effective treatment is correcting the underlying problem, which requires a diagnosis first.
Can a shampoo regrow hair?
No. Shampoos are cosmetic products with brief contact time, and no shampoo is licensed as a hair loss medicine in the UK. A good one reduces breakage and makes hair look thicker and fuller, which is worth having, but it does not act on the follicle or reverse pattern hair loss. Ours included.
How long before I see results from minoxidil?
Expect an initial increase in shedding in the first two to eight weeks, which is normal and not a sign of failure. Visible improvement usually takes three to six months, and twelve months is the fair point to judge. Gains reverse within months if you stop, because it works only while used.
Is finasteride available over the counter in the UK?
No. Finasteride is a prescription only medicine in the UK and should be obtained through a GP or a regulated online pharmacy that carries out a proper consultation. It is licensed for male pattern hair loss and is not suitable for women who are or could become pregnant.
Does rosemary oil work as well as minoxidil?
One small 2015 trial found comparable results to 2 per cent minoxidil at six months, which is interesting but not conclusive. It is a single small study with methodological limits, and it has not been replicated at scale. Treat rosemary oil as a reasonable low risk addition, not as a replacement for a licensed treatment.
Do hair growth supplements work?
They help if you have a genuine deficiency, and mostly do nothing if you do not. Get ferritin, full blood count and thyroid function checked rather than guessing, because supplementing blindly can cause its own problems. Excess vitamin A and selenium are both recognised causes of hair shedding.
Is hair loss reversible?
It depends on the cause. Telogen effluvium and traction alopecia caught early usually recover fully. Androgenetic alopecia can be slowed and partly improved with ongoing treatment but not cured. Scarring alopecia destroys the follicle permanently, which is why an early dermatology assessment matters so much.
Should I see a GP or a trichologist first?
See a GP first. Only a doctor can order blood tests, diagnose medical causes and refer you to dermatology, and hair loss is often the visible sign of something systemic. A registered trichologist can be a useful addition for scalp and hair specific advice, but is not a substitute for a medical assessment.
The short version
Get a diagnosis, then match the treatment to it. Minoxidil for pattern hair loss, a prescriber conversation about finasteride if you are a man, blood tests if anything else is going on, and a dermatologist urgently for patchy or scarring loss. Give it six to twelve months and photograph your progress. Use good cosmetic hair care alongside to protect the hair you have, and treat anything promising regrowth in weeks as a reason to walk away.
This article is general information about hair loss and is not medical advice. It does not replace an assessment by your GP, pharmacist or a dermatologist.
