Having tried and tested all four products, Nutrafol, Viviscal, Rogaine and Taoist Soap; it is time to try to decide which one wins in providing the best results for all types of hair conditions including hair thinning and hair loss, could it be possible to combine some or all of them, to get real results.
This review looks at these 4 products and assessed their use based on the following:
– User feedback
– How the products work
– Our team testing all 4 products themselves over 6 months
Before we investigate what worked and what didn’t – one should understand the complexity of hair thinning issues in men and women.
Why is Hair Growth so Complicated?
There is a reason why no single method has ever worked for regrowing hair, maintaining hair, or anything in-between – this is simply because of the various processes that are blocking hair growth, and supporting hair growth in men and women.
For example, DHT is often pointed as the cause to hair thinning – but is it really?
Because DHT shrinks the follicles, there is less blood circulation, so hair growth is restricted. So, is it DHT doing the blocking or the lack of blood flow? Or something else?
DHT causes shrinkage – but can also cause inflammation in the scalp, which also causes shrinkage. Both these effects cause blood circulation blocks – and the scalp has the thinnest blood vessels, that only 1 blood cell can go through the blood vessel at a time. (Reference 1).
Do you see where this is all pointing towards?
Scalp inflammation and DHT have a role potentially blocking circulation – or circulation gets blocked due to arterial plaque, and DHT and inflammation concentrates at the local sites, causing hair thinning.
With this in mind, we have shown how the 4 different products have affected hair growth, hair loss and thinning in graphical form. See below for the comparison of Nutrafol vs Viviscal vs Rogaine vs Taoist Soap.
Taoist Soap
At the top following our review, the Taoist Soap is known to stop inflammation at the root of the hair follicles. Given that inflammation and circulation are truly behind the damage DHT can do, it would make sense that the soap can assist with hair related problems. And usually, Taoist soap users are advised to build a hair regime to help hair grow at its best, This includes activities like scalp massage, which boost circulation to the scalp; vital for any success in maintaining hair, let alone thickening hair growth rates in both men and women.
The use of a product as part of a regime that looks to improve lifestyle patterns, in our experience is the fastest and most reliable to see improvements because it tackles the underlying issues of blood circulation at all levels. Providing additional tips on usage is not unheard of when it comes to skin and hair products however the emphasis Taoist Soap provided was unique.
Having said that, claiming the Taoist Soap and the regime does one thing and it being able to do that are two very different things. What are users saying about their experience?
User Feedback: Before that though, what are users saying across the internet?
Users of the Taoist soap were found to have the best results in terms of hair growth thickness and new hair growing. The major part was that it halted a hair falling out on the bed and in the shower – you should not lose more than 100 strands of hair a day; if you do, you are going into a deficit for hair, and means you are losing hair. So, the positive here is that the Taoist soap actually stops this hair from falling out after 2 weeks of use.
Our Feedback: Our team was also happy to be the test dummy in this for these endeavours of science! The instructions say to use it 2-3x a week for the first month and massage it directly into the scalp – so we did. Alongside this, we could use a regular shampoo to wash off the hair strands and were given a list of instructions by the Taoist Soap consultants as part of the regime. This consisted of scalp massage as mentioned, cutting down sugars and taking a bunch of vitamins that will assist in what the soap is trying to do.
Here are the results; in the first month, a few of us were overusing the soap and applying too much causing dryness in the scalp however the ones correctly using it found an immediate improvement in hair falling, much like the user reviews.
Months 2-4 were we saw the best results where 90% of our group saw improvements in growth and thickness – where we feel credit should be given to the entire regime. The consultant team was very quick to respond to queries on the regime itself and we impressed at how personalised this was.
There was one member of the group that the soap did not work with, and he saw no results throughout the 6 months, and experienced some scalp irritation although we should preface this by saying he had severe psoriasis and did not implement any part of the regime.
So in conclusion, the Taoist Soap did very well across all categories and seemed to fulfil its promises at least at the 6 month mark. What about the others?
Viviscal
This came in second possibly for all the reasons Taoist Soap was top. It partially addresses the underlying reasons for hair loss and thinning which is nutrition deficiency. The Viviscal set includes a shampoo, growth serum and supplement; the shampoo and growth serum seem to work on superficial layers to give an enhanced look whilst the supplement fulfils some of the nutrition gaps people may have.
The reason this product may work is most individuals suffering from hair and skin conditions likely lack the nutrition to produce healthy hair in ample quantities, after-all you need enough of the building blocks (amino acids) to create healthy skin and hair.
User feedback: User report seeing improved texture, condition, and strength of the hair after 6 months of taking it. However, texture and condition were short-lived as they were the direct result of continued use of the shampoo and serum. They targeted the hair strands specifically, so this result was expected. Whereas the supplemental aspect of Viviscal did indeed improve the strength which in turn may reduce amount of hair fall. The most severe side effects reported was temporary hair loss which could be due to the strong shampoo – it is not free of SLS, parabens and fragrances which can be a common source of inflammation.
Our feedback: We followed the guidelines of Viviscal of taking one tablet, 2x a day for 6 months alongside daily use of the shampoo and serum. Our results matched quite closely with user feedback and confirmed our hypothesis. However, most of our team noticed no difference in the strength of our hair, and this is likely due to the fact we were already taking higher doses of the most common vitamins within Viviscal which include Biotin, Niacin, Zinc and collagen.
There were improvements in the appearance of hair much like the user reviews, but this was only affecting the hair shaft, not the follicles themselves. Nonetheless, the part of our team that didn’t take any supplements noticed improvements.
Nutrafol
We ranked this 3rd on our list because it followed much of what Viviscal did, only worse. It did tackle the nutritional element of hair growth and hair loss however the array and concentration of supplements does not look to be as good at first glance. Indeed, it was confirmed with user feedback and our own testing that this was the case.
The other difference was it is purely a vitamin, so it does not address surface level inflammation – as we mentioned before tackling an issue like this from all angles is the most effective way to see results. One thing that bothered us about Nutrafol was that it is divided between male and female supplements – this doesn’t make too much sense if you understand the physiological reasons for poor hair growth.
One argument is that the supplements can address hormone related hair conditions however the deeper you go into a condition, the more complicated it is to address as genetic, dietary, and other factors come into play which likely will not be solved from taking a supplement a few times a day. Both men and women go through the same physiological mechanism so if you look to solve that, the rest isn’t as significant. We were doubtful this would be too effective and thought it’s a gimmick initially.
User feedback: There were some positive reviews on this product which is why it has garnered so much attention recently, but again we feel this is because the users are likely self-selected to be ones that don’t take any type of supplements. So, the increase in B-vitamins at the very least has helped with inflammation at some level. There is no serum or shampoo to apply. On the positive side, the most severe side effects for this were that it did nothing for them or minor digestive issues for more sensitive users, so the risk isn’t as extreme.
Our feedback: More or less, our team didn’t experience anything significant throughout the 6-month period – we used the respective gender associated products. This is not to say there aren’t useful vitamins in the supplements they provide however as with Viviscal, most of our team had these requirements fulfilled. One thing that may be effective is combining both Nutrafol and Viviscal as there are non-overlapping supplements there. This is particularly useful for those with nutritional deficiencies.
Rogaine
The only FDA approved drug for hair loss came in last. The way this works conceptually is great and it would make sense why it is effective in treating hair loss – it improves circulation and dilates blood vessels in the scalp. So why did it rank so poorly in our test? Before we dive into the different aspects, it generally has to do with reliance and effectiveness over time. It is widely known that Rogaine can become less and less effective over time and require constant use to maintain any results it provides. Worst of all is that side effects can be severe during and after use.
User Reviews: It has helped some users with hair loss to regrow hair, otherwise it wouldn’t stay an FDA approved drug for long. However there have been big trade-offs for this. For the lucky few that don’t experience any side effects the best case scenario is usually that they eventually lost all the benefits they gained during use. So, it is accepted that you have to use it for life, which is worth it for some.
On the other hand, there are cases where users lose more hair after they’ve stopped using Rogaine and their hair condition comes back with a vengeance. And the absolute worst-case scenario is that it does that, but during and after use you experience some of the most severe side effects including heavily irritated scalp, hair thinning, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, heart palpitations and more. Of course the majority don’t experience these severe side effects but can do to varying degrees.
For this reason, our team wasn’t willing to do practical tests for this.
What’s the Verdict?
This review and study do not try to imply that these are cures to hair loss, but instead supporters of helping one maintain healthy head of hair – they are not meant to work 100% of the time for everyone, as hair loss is a complicated matter. It is not as simple as one variable affecting hair, but many – including the way you eat. Even if you think you eat healthy, that exact way of eating can be affecting hair growth rate and thinning rates.
Case Study
An example we like to often give – one patient came in for hair loss, and we must diagnose the cause – it takes a lot of effort to diagnose, as the average medical practitioner does not put in enough time to diagnose and rule out properly.
The patient seemingly ate well – vegetables mostly and sometimes meat. Their favourite drinks were juices and shakes made from fruits and vegetables as well. His DHT was higher in the scalp, but we did not understand why – a further diagnosis revealed that the patient has a mild level of insulin problem, where he is not even pre-diabetic, but his insulin is not stable – this in turn, hardens arteries and muscle tissue, affecting circulation and increasing inflammation in the body. This was the end reason this person was getting hair thinning.
The treatment advised for the patient was to cut sugars, including juices and vegetables that cause a high glycaemic index reaction to insulin, and stay on a lean red meat diet for 3 months. After this, his insulin was checked, and it was much more stable, and he also reported less mood swings (often caused by insulin). His hair growth rate was higher than previously measured, and overall had thicker hair than 3 months earlier.
To conclude, there are many variables to hair growth and hair loss. One must rule out many things before being sure and just believing the hype on various supplements, or methods is not the way to go.
The above products, especially Taoist soap, will support you in helping get the best results, but you must follow a regime that suits you. One reason we liked their product is because you can contact their team to help you develop a regime, as they do promote the same methodologies that stop insulin affecting hair growth, as well as increasing blood circulation to support hair growth.