MDhair Review: A Doctor’s Insight on Its Effectiveness

If you’re experiencing male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) or another type of hair loss, you may have come across a brand called MDhair in your search for hair restoration treatments. The brand, which launched in 2021, was founded by a dermatologist and a tech entrepreneur, and it offers a customized approach to treating hair loss.

In our MDhair review with insight from one of our medical advisors, board-certified dermatologist Knox Beasley, MD, we’ll take a closer look at how the personalization process works and answer some common questions about MDhair.

MDhair is a brand offering hair loss treatments that target issues like hair thinning, hair shedding, and overall scalp health in men and women. The brand takes a customized approach, beginning with an online quiz that asks about hair condition, lifestyle, hair goals, and health history. Users are also asked to upload a picture of their scalp (though you can skip that step). 

MDhair uses your intake form paired with AI technology that analyzes your scalp to create a personalized treatment plan. The products themselves are not customized, but the overall combination of products is tailored to your needs. You’ll have the option to message with a healthcare provider as you use the products in case any questions or concerns arise (this service is included in the price).

If you’d rather not participate in the personalized process, you can buy the products individually without taking the quiz.

MDhair products contain adaptogens, botanicals, probiotics, and marine and plant peptides. These include ingredients like rosemary leaf, saw palmetto, argan oil, and keratin.

MDhair also has minoxidil products. If you’re not familiar, minoxidil is one of two FDA-approved hair loss treatments specifically for treating male pattern baldness (the other is finasteride).

Below we’re including reviews from Dr. Knox Beasley of MDHair’s product line:

• Efficacy: ★★★★ for minoxidil, ★ for everything else

• Side Effects: ★★★★ 

• Ease of Use: ★★★★ 

Pros:

• Your custom bundle includes topical treatments, supplements, and shampoo

• Products are dermatologist-developed

Cons:

• Pricing is not very transparent

• Not a lot of high-quality research backs its efficacy

“Minoxidil is a well-established and FDA-approved treatment for hair loss. The other MDhair products have limited evidence of being effective for hair growth,” Dr. Beasley says.

What products does MDhair have?

MDhair has a wide array of hair care products, including:

• Restore Shampoo

• Restore Hair Serum

• Restore Supplements

• Regrowth Shampoo

• Regrowth Serum

• Regrowth Supplements

• Marine Collagen

• Bond Repair Oil

• Minoxidil 2%

• Minoxidil 5%

• Conditioner

• Eyelash Serum

• Eyebrow Serum

• Filtered Showerhead

The brand also offers “treatment kits,” which bundle products. The company says its products are sulfate-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, and packed in recyclable packaging.

Who can use MDhair products?

MDHair products are available to men and women over the age of 18.

Is there research behind MDhair products?

There is one brand-sponsored clinical study examining the efficacy of MDhair treatment kits (which contained combinations of topical serums, shampoos, oral supplements, and marine collagen peptides). The study was done on 38 women and found that 88.9 percent of participants reported overall hair improvement and 32.4 percent reported a reduction in hair shedding after 24 weeks. It’s hard to say if these kits would be effective on male pattern baldness, as they have not been clinically studied in men.

However, some research exists on individual ingredients used in MDhair products. For example, a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker known as saw palmetto, which is in the Restore Serum and the Regrowth Serum, has been shown in at least one study to increase hair density. DHT is a hormone that plays a role in pattern hair loss.

Some research shows that pumpkin seed oil (found in the brand’s shampoo and conditioner) may also promote hair growth, and other research shows that it acts as a partial DHT blocker, stopping the hormone DHT from entering and shrinking the hair follicle. However, products like shampoo and conditioner are typically not in contact with the scalp for long enough to make a difference when it comes to hair loss.

The ingredient with by far the most research behind it is minoxidil (the generic version of Rogaine^®). You can learn all about it in our guide to minoxidil for hair growth.

One bottle of MDhair 5% minoxidil retails for $24 (though you’ll save if you bundle). This is a bit more expensive than other brands — Hims minoxidil in the same size bottle costs $15 per month.

Here’s the TL;DR on MDhair:

• MDhair offers a tailored approach to hair care using an online quiz and AI analysis of your scalp.

• The brand offers FDA-approved minoxidil at 2% and 5% strengths.

• Most other MDhair products lack strong, independent research to support their effectiveness.

Interested in reading more reviews of personalized hair loss treatments? Check out our guides to Hims vs Keeps and Hims vs Happy Head.