If You Want Longer, Thicker Strands, Your Hair Growth Serum Needs This

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(Image credit: @ariel_hauck)

Products that claim to give you long, luscious locks seem to be flying off the shelves at the moment, but are they actually worth the hype? According to trichologist and founder of Root Cause Scalp Analysis Bridgette Hill, there's some important information to know before going full speed ahead on purchasing a product that's labeled as a hair growth serum.

Hair Growth Serums vs. Hair Loss Prevention Serums

"It's first important to clearly state that we identify serums and topicals as hair loss prevention products versus hair growth products," Hill shares. "There is no serum or active ingredient to date that is proven to grow hair. No product can regrow a dead hair follicle, meaning a hair follicle without a viable blood source. The FDA-approved topical drugs to treat androgenic or genetic hair fall address loss prevention, not hair growth."

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(Image credit: @ariel_hauck)

Benefits of Using Hair Loss Prevention Serums

With that distinction, Hill also wants to highlight the benefits of using a hair loss prevention serum and how strands become thinner in the first place. "What is being experienced with 'hair growth' serums is the reawakening of the hair follicle," says Hill. "It creates a healthier scalp microbiome, which increases the numbers of hair fibers that each follicle produces. To clarify, each hair follicle can produce multiple hair fibers and most people can have two to five hair fibers per hair follicle. (This is genetically predetermined.) As the follicle is compromised, the follicle produces fewer hair fibers, which results in 'hair loss' and thinning. The benefit and goal of these serums is to address miniaturization in its infancy stages for the best results."

Ingredients to Look for in Hair-Strengthening Serums

Even if hair loss isn't a concern for you and you simply would love a serum to help promote long, luscious locks in some way, you can still look for hair strengthening serums containing ingredients that help keep breakage at bay. Hill recommends looking for hair products containing ingredients like saw palmetto, caffeine, licorice extract, pfaffia extract, ergothioneine, ginseng root, and burdock root. These will help nourish your hair at the root so strands have the opportunity to grow longer than ever before. Keep scrolling below for a few options recommended by Hill and other user favorites.

The Best Hair Strengthening Serums

1. Groh Stimulating Scalp Serum

2. Dr. Barbara Sturm Scalp Serum

3. Virtue Flourish Nightly Intensive Hair Rejuvenation Treatment

4. Act + Acre Cold Processed Stem Cell Serum

5. Vegamour Gro Hair Serum

6. René Furterer Triphasic Reactional Concentrated Serum

7. HerStyler Castor Oil Hair Serum

8. Pureauty Biotin Hair Serum

9. Nutrafol Growth Activator Hair Serum

10. Hair Thickness Maximizer Saw Palmetto Serum

11. Wild Growth Hair Oil

12. Curls Blueberry & Mint Tea Hair Growth & Scalp Treatment

13. The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density

14. Sephora Collection Strengthening Hair Serum

15. Qhemet Biologics Castor & Moringa Softening Serum

16. Mielle Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil

17. AG Hair Vita C Repair Serum

Up Next: These 15 Shampoos and Conditioners Will Help Stop Breakage in Its Tracks

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Shawna Hudson
Associate Beauty Editor

Shawna Hudson has worked in editorial for over six years, with experience covering entertainment, fashion, culture, celebrities, and her favorite topic of all, beauty. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in journalism and has written for other publications such as Bustle, The Zoe Report, Byrdie, Elite Daily, Mane Addicts, and more. She is currently an associate beauty editor at Who What Wear and hopes to continue feeding her (completely out-of-control) beauty obsession as long as she can. Stay up to date on her latest finds on Instagram @shawnasimonee.