I Tried 5 Different Hair Loss Products. Only One Actually Worked.

If you're wondering whether it's still worth it at your age, let me save you the money I wasted.
Ryan Mitchell

Ryan Mitchell · Age 52 · 6-month comparison · October 2026

Six months apart. Same head, same light, same angle. This is the kind of change I was hoping for when I started buying products four years ago. Individual results may vary.

If you're wondering whether it's still worth it at your age, let me save you the money I wasted.

Over the past four years I bought the Spartan shampoo I found online, the Rogaine everyone talks about, the finasteride I quit because I was scared of the side effects, and a drawer full of other products I ended up throwing away. I still felt like the young guy I used to be. Until I saw a photo of the top of my head, and it was a lot emptier than I thought.

Four failures. One winner. Here's the difference:

Note: read this BEFORE you spend money on a hair loss product, whether it's your first or your fifth.

Why a Shampoo Won't Save You From Going Bald

I got this wrong for years. I started with a hair loss shampoo and kept at it for months, convinced it was just a matter of time. Every morning I checked my pillow. Every shower I looked at the drain. I took photos of my crown to compare them and told myself maybe I was the only one who could see it. The months went by, and the bald spot kept getting bigger.

Shampoo works on the surface. It cleans your scalp, and two minutes later it's down the drain. For dirty or dull hair, that's great.

Thinning hair is a different problem, and it sits deeper. It's in the follicle. DHT suffocates the follicle and causes inflammation. The collagen around the follicle hardens like a concrete cage. And the follicle goes into a locked phase where it can no longer grow naturally.

You can't wash away a follicle problem.

That's why your hair can be clean and smell great while you keep losing it, and why the bald spot keeps getting bigger no matter which shampoo you use. Cleaning happens on top. Growth happens underneath, at the root. Almost every hair loss shampoo only does the first one, then charges you for the second.

Nobody tells you that while you're in the shower thinking you're doing the right thing.

How I compared them

I used each of the five for 90 days. Same head, same routine, every night. Temples and crown, because thinning rarely stays in one place.

The five I bought. Spartan, Rogaine, finasteride, rosemary oil and Depura. Same 90 days each, same head, same routine.

Then I did what I should have done years ago. I turned the boxes around and actually read the backs.

That's where it all fell apart. Five products, all sold for the same problem, and only one worked on everything that locks up the follicle, all the way to the root.

Five questions, asked of every one:

1. Does it work on the follicle, or only on the scalp?
2. Does it actually reach the root, or does it go down the drain?
3. Does it work on all the causes (DHT, inflammation, hardened collagen), or just one?
4. Can you use it every day, or do you quit after a month?
5. Is it worth what it costs?

Four answered one or two. One answered all five.

Skip to the winner ↓

The ranking

Five hair loss products, 90 days each

★ Best formula · 2026

01

Depura, Hair Regenerating Serum roll-on

9.6Overall

The only one that works on all three causes at once.

DHT suffocates the follicle and causes inflammation. Collagen hardens like a concrete cage. The follicle locks up. The other four tackle one of these. Depura works on all three.

Rosemary blocks DHT and calms inflammation. Aminexil softens the collagen and frees the follicle. Redensyl restarts the regrowth phase.

Then there's the part I'd never seen anywhere else. You apply it with a metal ball: the pressure stimulates circulation and carries the actives to the root, instead of sending them down the drain.

It's the one I still use. No miracles and no results in a week. But after 90 days I'd stopped checking my pillow every morning.

Works on the follicle
9.9
Reaches the root
9.8
All the causes
9.8
Easy to use
9.6
Worth the price
9.1

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02

Rogaine, minoxidil

7.2Overall

It works, as long as you keep using it.

Minoxidil increases blood flow and stimulates regrowth, and it's one of the few names with a real track record. But it doesn't block DHT: while you regain density, underneath your follicles keep getting thinner. And you have to use it forever: stop, and you lose what you gained.

Works on the follicle
7.0
Reaches the root
7.5
All the causes
4.0
Easy to use
5.5
Worth the price
7.0

One cause out of three, for life.

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03

Finasteride

6.5Overall

The strongest against DHT. And the reason I quit.

Finasteride really does lower DHT, which is why so many guys start here. But it's a pill: it acts on your whole body, not just your head, and I didn't feel comfortable staying on it because I was scared of the side effects. It's not a decision to take lightly.

Works on the follicle
7.5
Reaches the root
6.0
All the causes
4.5
Easy to use
6.0
Worth the price
6.5

Hits one cause hard. The price isn't just money.

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04

Rosemary oil

5.4Overall

The right ingredient, on its own.

Rosemary works, that's why it's in Depura too. But on its own it covers one cause out of three: the collagen stays hard and the follicle stays locked. It's also greasy, it gets on your pillow, and after three weeks I stopped using it.

Works on the follicle
5.5
Reaches the root
4.5
All the causes
4.0
Easy to use
4.0
Worth the price
8.5

It costs little, and on its own it does little.

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05

Spartan Root Activator

4.8Overall

Good ingredients, in the wrong place.

There's nothing wrong with the label: saw palmetto, copper peptides, licorice root. The problem is the format. You use it in the shower, two minutes, and it goes down the drain. It reminded me of every shampoo I'd already bought: work done on the surface.

Works on the follicle
4.5
Reaches the root
3.0
All the causes
5.0
Easy to use
8.5
Worth the price
5.0

Super convenient. But two minutes isn't enough.

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What each one actually does

Forget the packaging. It all fits in one table: read down the columns and you'll see it right away.

ProductBlocks DHTFrees the collagenReactivates the follicleReaches the rootNo pills
Depura9.6✓✓✓✓✓
Rogaine7.2✕✕Partly✓✓
Finasteride6.5✓✕✕✕✕
Rosemary oil5.4✓✕✕✕✓
Spartan4.8Partly✕Partly✕✓

What I'd look for now

You won't always feel like comparing five products. If you're standing in the aisle, or about to click "buy", here's what I check now.

Look for

  • ✓Something that works on all three causes, not just one.
  • ✓A product that stays on your head, not one that rinses off.
  • ✓A way to carry the actives to the root.
  • ✓Something you can use every day without thinking about it.
  • ✓A guarantee long enough to see results.

Avoid

  • ✕"Fuller hair instantly": that's just volume, and it's gone at the first wash.
  • ✕Anything that goes down the drain after two minutes.
  • ✕Results promised in a few days: hair doesn't grow that fast.
  • ✕Products that only work if you use them forever.

What I wish I'd known sooner

Two of these work on the surface or cover a single cause with one good ingredient. One works as long as you keep using it. One hits hard, but I didn't feel comfortable taking it. None of them are scams. The point is that thinning doesn't have just one cause, and almost all of them treat one.

Depura didn't win because of a magic ingredient. It won because it's the only one that works on DHT, collagen and the follicle together, and carries the actives all the way to the root.

It's slower than you'd like. If you're wondering whether it's too late, there's a window of time when follicles still respond: the best time to act was yesterday, the second best time is today. That's why, if I had to pick just one today, I'd pick this one.

Our No. 1 pick of 2026

Depura Hair Regenerating Serum roll-on: rosemary, aminexil and redensyl with a metal ball applicator, for receding hairlines and thinning hair.

✓ 99-day guarantee
✓ Tracked shipping
✓ No hidden subscription

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