By Daniel Markey

If you ask me back when I was younger, perhaps when I still had all my hair, the effects of hormones weren't on my radar.

I was more focused on tackling life head-on, full of energy and brimming with that unshakable confidence that comes with a full head of hair.

Besides, all those years ago, when I heard about hormones, it was about how the girls had to deal with them, right?

But you know what? These little things called hormones are like tiny helpers inside our bodies. They're like messengers that tell different parts of us what to do. And guess what? They're not just for girls – they affect boys too, including our hair!

And when it comes to hair loss, there's a special hormone called "dihydrotestosterone," or DHT for short, making it less strong and more fragile.

Now the reason for that is when we grow older, our bodies start to change just like a toy might get a little worn out with time. Our hair can too.

DHT becomes more active as we get older. It likes to shrink the hair follicles – like tiny beds where our hair grows.

When the follicles get smaller, the hair that grows out of them can become thinner and not as strong as before.

But don't worry, we've found shampoos that can help fight against the tricks of DHT, making our hair feel thicker and stronger once again.

Effectiveness: 95%

Safety: 100%

Price: $

Overall: A+

This is by far our favorite shampoo for defying hormonal hair loss and activating hair follicles for a thicker, fuller head of hair. Mane’s Hormonal Hair Loss Survival Pack is a UNIQUE Root Activator Shampoo that uses a special formula of nutrients and peptides to condition thinning hair strands to become thicker and stronger while also boosting blood circulation to the scalp to reactivate root hairs for additional growth. We found out about Mane when they offered us a secret 50% discount code SECRET50. We tried it for six weeks, using it every day along with their companion conditioner. Several of our reviewers noticed significant growth in patchy areas of their hair and thicker follicles. This really is our top recommendation, and encourage anyone who wants a fuller head of hair to order this immediately!

SAVE 50% with CODE SECRET50

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 100%

Price: $$$$

Overall Value: B+

Zain is an Italian luxury brand of hair growth and hair treatment products for men and women. While they provide a great shampoo that can help hydrate and help regrow hair, they provide exactly what luxury brands tend to provide: the same results as more affordable brands. While we love the feel of Zain and the essential oils and nutrients in the shampoo do show results, it’s nothing better than Mane’s Root Activator Shampoo, expect about double the price.

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 85%

Price: $$

Overall Value: B+

To be fair, Dr. Groot does not guarantee hair growth, only prevention from hair loss. However, it’s so nice, that if you’re more concerned with thickening your thinning hair and keeping what you have on your head healthy… this is a great choice. Plant-based and natural, it feels great and keeps your hair from looking dried out and thin. Definitely a recommendation for anyone looking to keep rather than grow.

Effectiveness: 75%

Safety: 80%

Price: $$$

Overall Value: C

Believe it or not, Onion Shampoo isn't the worst idea! Onion is a natural source of biotin which is great for hair growth. To be honest, it's not the best smelling shampoo, so maybe only use it when you're staying in for the night. But it definitely can help!

Effectiveness: 75%

Safety: 70%

Price: $

Overall Value: C

Just like onion, ginger is a great natural ingredient for hair growth. This odd bottle of shampoo, Ginger Wang, is surprisingly good! It's fresh and helps stimulate blood flow to the scalp. We'd give this one a shot if you can find it. If you can't, Mane has similar ingredients, plus more for best results.

While we believe we recommended some great hormonal-defying shampoos to prevent future loss and help stimulate healthy, strong hair growth, we believe  Mane’s Hormonal Hair Loss Survival Pack Shampoo, with its UNIQUE Root Activator is the absolute best option. We wanted to talk further with our investigative reporter Mark Herring who helped create the rankings list, and how he discovered the greatness that is Mane.

I'm not the type who loses sleep over grooming fads or spends hours in front of the mirror. Fashion rules? Well, I'm more about setting my own pace. But here’s the thing that’s been tapping on the doors of my confidence since forever – my hair. Back in the day, it was my identity, the thing that made me feel like I was holding a VIP pass to the self-esteem club. Over the years, life happened, and my hair started singing its own tune. A tune that wasn't all that harmonious, if you catch my drift. You know, genetics has a funny way of playing its cards. My dad, my uncles – they all rock the “bald and proud” look. So naturally, I figured it was time to join the band.

That's when I learned about the DFT and how this hormone can destroy hair follicles. I recently had blood work and found that my DHT levels were off the charts! So when I was put on assignment to find some hormonal hair loss-defying shampoos, I was happy to test some things out. Unfortunately, not a lot made the cut. Too many products promising 70s shag hair and unstoppable growth. It wasn’t happening. And worse, I noticed a lot had strong chemicals that were drying out my hair, making it look like a coughed-up hairball. 

I sort’ve gave up.

But then I noticed my best friend, who I trust with my life, started to grow out his hair, and it looked damn solid. Last time I remembered, he had some thinning bald spots on the top of his head and was wearing hats almost everywhere. 

I asked him what was up, and he shot out of his chair and grabbed the bottle of Mane’s Hormonal Hair Loss Shampoo. He said he tried a few things but that Mane was the only brand that he felt actually delivered. I was skeptical, but when he showed me a photo from like 2 months ago, I was blown away. His hair was definitely thicker, and the bald patches were covered up. I asked him if it helped block DHT and he said that's exactly why he bought it.

I asked him to let me borrow his Hormonal Hair Loss (Root Activator) Shampoo, but instead, he told me to buy my own like a real adult LOL. Luckily he gave me the secret 50% off discount SECRET50. So I ordered two bottles immediately.

I received the package two days later and used as instructed. Use about a quarter-sized amount of shampoo and work into hair. Make sure to scrub onto your scalp, and the root activation happens on the skin vs. the hair.

Of course, I looked into the mirror and expected immediate results, but with products like these, you got to use them every day for about six weeks before you notice anything. In the meantime, I wanted to know what made Mane’s Root Activator Shampoo do what it did. 

A combination of essential oils and nutrients help not only helps block DHT hormones but strengthens hair and activates roots that have stopped growing or never had the energy to grow.

It’s quite simple, just as our bodies can exert less energy when we get older (remember staying up all night in your twenties?), our hair follows a similar pattern. When old hairs fall out, a new root is triggered, and energy is spent building a new hair follicle. However, the older we get, the less energy is distributed to these roots. That’s when thinning and balding occur.

Many hair follicles in our skin are never stimulated enough for the root to activate and push the potential hair from under the skin. Often it’s a result of not enough nutrients and energy at the top layers of our skin where we need it. 

The key to a fuller head of hair starts with activating your roots, and that’s exactly what Mane’s Root Activator Shampoo aims to do. Mane uses a Hair Growth Complex filled with amazing ingredients to stimulate blood flow to the skin while strengthening hair follicles. Some of those essential ingredients include:

Licorice Root Extract

This is a super powerful growth extract that many forget about. If the mission is to stimulate the scalp to activate growth, this is the ingredient to do it. Bringing blood flow and oxygen to the scalp to help thicken while introducing new hair to your head. 

Sesame Seed Extract

To help strengthen and nourish the hair, Mane uses Sesame Extract. It’s filled with nutrients and peptides that keep your hair healthy while protecting it from outside toxins and free radicals. 

Citric Acid

Of course, you also need some elements that work like shampoo. Citric Acid is great for bringing the pH balance of your hair down while reducing frizz and tangles.

The Root Activator Shampoo also includes Propylene Glycol, Ginger Root Powder, Ginger Root Oil, and about 10 other natural ingredients that help retain moisture and stimulate growth. It’s pretty wild how many amazing ingredients are loaded into this shampoo.

So, finally, after 6 weeks, I decided to check if I could see results… and wow! The areas of my hair that were previously patchy and thin began to fill out. Plus, my hair felt fuller and stronger. I was simply amazed at how good it looked and felt.