Nutrafol vs. Finasteride 2024: Comparing the Two Hair Loss Treatments

Your buddy swears by one treatment for healthy hair growth, and your Instagram algorithm shows you something else for effective hair restoration. Needless to say, choosing the right solution can be challenging. Nutrafol® and finasteride are two well-known treatments in the haircare industry, each addressing different aspects of hair health.

Lots of folks wonder about Nutrafol versus finasteride (which is why you’re here), but they’re actually pretty different treatments.

Here, we’ll compare Nutrafol and finasteride by looking at how each works, its effectiveness for hair regrowth, and potential side effects to consider.

Nutrafol is a brand of drug-free supplements that support hair growth.

Many people use the word Nutrafol specifically to mean the brand’s popular nutraceutical supplement. Nutraceutical is a cross between nutrition and pharmaceutical, and it describes products derived from food sources that also have health benefits.

The supplement is marketed to men and women (though the products differ slightly depending on sex).

How Does Nutrafol Work?

Nutrafol is made from a blend of natural ingredients, including vitamin E, collagen, ashwagandha, and saw palmetto. These substances address multiple causes of hair loss, such as hormone imbalances, stress, and nutritional deficiencies.

Is Nutrafol Effective?

Nutrafol claims it supports overall hair health and is a viable option for those looking for a holistic approach to managing hair thinning.

There isn’t much independent research backing its efficacy. And since it debuted in 2016, it’s much newer to the market than finasteride, which received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for hair loss back in 1997.

Research on Nutrafol for Hair Loss

But we do have some data to draw on.

A 2019 study looked at the effectiveness of Nutrafol Women Hair Growth Nutraceutical capsules on women with self-perceived thinning hair over six months. The treatment group saw more increases in both terminal hair (thick, coarse body hair, such as in the armpits) and vellus hair (short peach fuzz) at 90 and 180 days compared to the placebo group.

As mentioned, this study was conducted on women. Nutrafol’s men’s and women’s products include the same ingredients in different quantities. You can look closer by comparing the supplement labels of each. (For all products, the ingredient in the highest amount is listed first, followed by the rest in decreasing order of quantity).

Still, we can’t assume that the study’s findings would hold true for men, as male and female pattern hair loss aren’t identical conditions.

Another study looked at Nutrafol’s effect on both men and women. Based on self-reporting and third-party assessment, it concluded that nutraceuticals can enhance visible hair growth and reduce shedding.

Finasteride (the active ingredient in Propecia®) is a prescription medication used for treating male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). It’s available in an oral and topical form, but only the former is FDA-approved.

How Does Finasteride Work?

Finasteride is a highly effective DHT blocker. But wait — what’s DHT and why does it need to be blocked? Solid questions.

Some guys have a genetic sensitivity to ‌dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a male hormone that’s a byproduct of testosterone. These men are most likely to experience male pattern baldness.

Here’s a quick recap of how this works:

• DHT is important early on. The androgen (male hormone) helps develop male characteristics in utero and during puberty, including growing facial hair and deepening the voice.

• There are androgen receptors inside hair follicles. After puberty, DHT can bind to those receptors and start to shrink hair follicles.

• Shrinking hair follicles means hair loss. This process, also known as hair miniaturization, causes patchy or thinning hair and, ultimately, hair loss in men.

• Finasteride slows or stops the conversion process. An enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase (or 5AR) converts testosterone into DHT, but finasteride slows this conversion, meaning there are lower DHT levels in the body. This helps prevent further hair loss.

• Finasteride alters the growth cycle. It makes hair follicles enter the growth phase of the hair growth cycle, which can cause new hair growth.

Finasteride Dosage for Hair Loss

The finasteride dosage for hair loss is typically 1 milligram taken daily.

It’s also available at a higher 5-milligram dose, but that dosage is generally reserved for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). When used for BPH, the brand name of finasteride is Proscar®.

Following a consultation with a healthcare professional, oral finasteride (a small pill taken once daily) and a two-in-one topical finasteride and minoxidil spray are available on our platform.

Is Finasteride Effective?

We’ll get straight to the point: Finasteride is very effective for the vast majority of men.

Proving efficacy is a large part of the FDA approval process, and finasteride has many clinical trials and studies to its name.

Research on Finasteride for Hair Loss

For the numbers guys, here are a few highlights:

• Studies show that taking 1 milligram of finasteride daily “significantly improves hair count at 24 and 48 weeks compared to [a] placebo.”

• In one of the longest-term studies available on finasteride, over 91 percent of patients saw improvement in their hair, and just over 99 percent saw no worsening of androgenetic alopecia.

• After 10 years, on average, the men’s hair loss improved on the Norwood-Hamilton scale (a system of measuring the severity of male pattern baldness).

Comparing Nutrafol and finasteride is kind of like comparing apples and oranges — they’re very different, but they share certain characteristics.

While both are designed to treat hair loss, the methods aren’t the same.

Below, we’ll highlight some of the main differences between finasteride and Nutrafol.

Pill Size and Dose of Nutrafol vs. Finasteride

Finasteride is a small pill taken once daily. It’s typically round and roughly seven millimeters long — for context, an M&M is about 13 millimeters. You can take the tablet at any time of day, with or without a meal.

A single dose of Nutrafol’s men’s hair growth supplement is four large capsules taken once daily with a meal.

This can be a lot, especially for guys who don’t love swallowing pills. Since it contains food ingredients, Nutrafol also has ten calories per serving, whereas finasteride doesn’t have any calories.

The results of Nutrafol and finasteride are both best with consistent use.

To learn more, check out our guide on the best time to take finasteride.

FDA Approval of Finasteride vs. Nutrafol

As mentioned, finasteride is FDA-approved for androgenetic alopecia in its oral form. Topical finasteride isn’t specifically FDA-approved but is often used off-label. Both require a prescription.

Nutrafol is over-the-counter and doesn’t have FDA approval. This isn’t unusual, as the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements the same way it does medications.

Ingredient Profile of Nutrafol vs. Finasteride

Nutrafol has several ingredients, including vitamins A, C, D, and E, and biotin. It also contains a proprietary, patented botanical blend called the Synergen Complex with saw palmetto, marine collagen, curcumin, and ashwagandha. But since it’s proprietary, we don’t know the amounts.

The only active ingredient in finasteride is, well…finasteride. If you’re looking to pair it with other hair loss treatments, our topical finasteride & minoxidil spray is a good place to start.

Topical minoxidil (the active ingredient in Rogaine®) is also FDA-approved for male pattern baldness. Research shows the two ingredients work better together than either alone.

Cost of Finasteride vs. Nutrafol

Many people wonder about the cost of Nutrafol versus finasteride. Remember, finasteride is a generic, which usually means a medication is less costly than its brand-name counterpart.

Our finasteride starts at $22 a month and ships for free.

Nutrafol costs $88 with $6.95 shipping if you buy it once. You’ll save 10 percent if you sign up for monthly deliveries, and 15 or 20 percent if you pay for three or six months of product, respectively.

Lots of folks also wonder if there’s a Nutrafol generic name. Nope — because it’s a supplement, not a medication, there’s no generic version.

Nutrafol’s daily hair growth supplement contains saw palmetto, which may inhibit DHT.

A meta-analysis on oral and topical saw palmetto showed that 83 percent of people saw increased hair density when using saw palmetto.

Nutrafol vs. Finasteride to Block DHT

Saw palmetto is sometimes thought of as a natural version of finasteride. But the truth is, there’s much more data backing the efficacy of finasteride — and it’s much more potent.

Our thickening shampoo contains saw palmetto if you’re interested in trying it but don’t want to take a pill.

Nutrafol also offers a DHT inhibitor. Like all the brand’s offerings, it doesn’t contain medication but a botanical blend of extracts, including nettle, African cherry tree, magnolia bark, and reishi mushroom.

These extracts, like saw palmetto, are thought to inhibit DHT partially, but research is limited. A one-month subscription is $110.

Side effects of Nutrafol are unlikely, though it’s always possible to react to a particular ingredient.

Ashwagandha, for example, can help promote restful sleep, but it also might make you feel drowsy. And there’s potential for digestive discomfort when introducing new ingredients to your body.

While you’ll probably feel okay taking Nutrafol, there are a few things to be aware of:

• Saw Palmetto has anticoagulant properties. Since it can cause blood to take longer to clot, saw palmetto can potentially interact with blood thinners. If you’re also on blood-thinning medication (like NSAIDs, heparin, or warfarin, the latter two of which can cause hair loss), speak to your provider about using saw palmetto in any form.

• Avoid taking an additional biotin supplement alongside Nutrafol. High levels of biotin slow the absorption of vitamin B5. This could potentially cause skin rashes or acne (although research on the link between biotin and acne is limited).

• The pills may have a slight aftertaste. While not a side effect per se, the marine collagen in Nutrafol might taste a little fishy.

Finasteride doesn’t cause side effects in most men, but it’s important to be aware of them. Potential side effects of finasteride include:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED)

• Decreased libido (lowered sex drive)

• Ejaculation disorder (aka ejaculatory dysfunction)

• Dizziness

• Depression

• Breast tenderness or enlargement

• Skin rashes

Sexual side effects occur in three to 16 percent of men and typically resolve with time. And just one percent of the men who took part in the FDA clinical trials for finasteride discontinued the medication due to adverse sexual side effects.

Research shows that side effects of topical finasteride are rare and are usually limited to contact dermatitis (skin rash or allergic reaction) and redness.

There’s no official guideline on whether you can use Nutrafol and finasteride together — but since they work differently, it’s likely safe.

Still, our stance is to always check with a healthcare professional before using finasteride and Nutrafol together.

TL;DR? No hard feelings.

Here’s the takeaway on Nutrafol versus finasteride:

• Efficacy and approval. Finasteride, an FDA-approved medication, has extensive clinical backing proving its effectiveness in treating male pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia). Nutrafol is a drug-free supplement that shows promise in promoting overall hair health but lacks the same level of scientific evidence.

• Ingredients and side effects. Nutrafol contains natural ingredients like saw palmetto and ashwagandha, aiming to address multiple factors of hair loss with minimal side effects. Finasteride, with a single active ingredient, is potent and effective but, in rare instances, may cause sexual side effects.

• Usage and cost. Finasteride is a cost-effective, once-daily pill that requires a prescription. Over-the-counter Nutrafol calls for taking multiple pills daily and is generally more expensive.

• Consult a professional before combining treatments. You should always speak to a dermatologist or another healthcare provider before combining these two hair loss treatments, especially if you have any medical conditions.

Still have questions or decided you’re interested in finasteride? Connect with a licensed healthcare practitioner with our online hair loss consultation. They’ll help match you to the right hair loss treatment options.