10 Best Hair Growth Gels

What Causes Hair Loss?

You can categorize the causes of hair loss into three different groups – nutritional, genetic, and medical.

Nutritional causes mainly point towards deficiencies and lifestyle-related causes. For instance, if your regular diet lacks a particular nutrient, then the deficiency may end up affecting the health of your hair as well as its longevity. Similarly, if your lifestyle is such that you regularly get your hair colored or chemically treated, then over-processing can cause damage to your hair too.

Hair growth gels and all other hair growth products in the market can be very potent against these types of causes because most of them contain the kind of nutrients that hair needs to repair itself and grow stronger. Further, if you eliminate the actual cause of hair loss from your daily routine, these products become even more effective.

The problems caused by genetic causesare more difficult to deal with than those caused by nutritional causes. The foremost genetic cause for hair loss is androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness.

In male pattern baldness, accumulation of DHT in the scalp causes hair follicles to become dormant. Hair growth gels and similar hair growth products that contain DHT blockers can be very useful against hair loss caused by DHT accumulation.

Medical causes of hair loss can be of different types. These can include side-effects of specific medications as well as diseases that affect hair growth. For instance, scalp infections can often cause hair loss as microbial growth blocks hair follicles and prevents them from receiving the nutrients they need to flourish.

When infections or similar causes lead to hair loss, the best thing to do is to treat the infection. However, along with medical treatments, hair gels and similar products containing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents can come in very handy too.

What Should You Expect from a Hair Growth Gel?

The first thing you should remember when looking for hair growth gels is that all of them will not be labeled as “gels”. Many of them will carry alternate names on their labels such as pomades, balms, or serums. However, theymay still have the same physical consistency as gels.

In fact, many of the best “hair growth gels” on this page are, technically, “serums”, “pomades”, “balms”, or even just “treatments”. What you can be sure of, though, is that each of these products has a gel-like consistency.

Another thing to remember about hair growth gels is that, like all hair growth products, they cannot offer you a 100 percent success rate. In different words, there is no surety that they’ll help you slow down hair loss or regrow hair.

At the same time, every product listed on this page has the potential to boost hair growth and slow down hair loss. In fact, each of them has helped the majority of people who have used them. Therefore, if one doesn’t work for you, you may have to try another one.

10 Best Hair Growth Gels Comparison Table

 

Top 3 Budget Hair Growth Gels: Detailed Reviews

1. Nature’s Blessings Hair Pomade

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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This is a hair pomade that works well as a hair growth gel because of two reasons. The first is that it is fairly effective in helping people grow hair and the other is that it offers a decent hold when it comes to styling.

This hair pomade is particularly useful for people looking for that cool slicked-back look. It can hold hair slicked-back because of its oiliness. The fact that it is oily also means that it is very good at hydrating hair. This makes it a wonderful choice for you if you have extra-dry or damaged hair.

In contrast, it makes this hair pomade a poor option for people with who already have oily hair. However, if you don’t have oily hair, you’ll find this to be a fairly lightweight hair product that can be used daily.

This product’s smell is conducive to daily use too. It has a minty, herbal scent that won’t bother you or the people around you. Further, regular use of this product is recommended because it will soften your hair.

Its formula is based on multiple naturally-occurring ingredients such as bergamot oil, coconut oil, virgin olive oil, alfalfa, thyme, peppermint, sage, rosemary, and nettle. Each of these ingredients helps protect and strengthen hair with some even having specific qualities.

For instance, rosemary and nettle are both DHT blockers that can help slow down hair loss. Nettle, further, canhelp hair follicles regrow hair. Similarly, peppermint is a natural vasodilator that helps with hair growth by ensuring blood supply to hair follicles.

This is a completely natural product that doesn’t contain any of the harmful chemicals and compounds you find in most hair care products these days. This makes it very gentle and suitable for even the most sensitive individuals. In fact, this product is so mild and gentle that it can be used all over the body, including skin, lips, and face.

Who’s it for: If you don’t have very oily hair and are looking for a completely natural hair growth gel, get this hair pomade.

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2. OmBotanical Organic Conditioner and Styling Gel

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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This hair product from Om Botanical is uniquebecause it can be used as a conditioner and as a styling gel both. From this perspective, it offers a lot of versatility. However, for this guide, we’ll treat this product as a styling gel.

Since it is meant to be a conditioner too, its hold isn’t ideal. At best, it offers soft hold, which may or may not match your requirements. At the same time, this product is quite good at dealing with hair loss.

It contains broad-spectrum DHT blockers. These substances block excess DHT in your scalp from bonding with your hair follicles. This is important because when DHT interacts with hair follicles, it gradually forces them to become dormant and stop growing hair. Since DHT accumulation is one of the foremost reasons for hair loss today, this styling gel will be useful for the majority of people suffering from hair loss.

The formula of this product is highlighted by argan oil and pumpkin seed oil but also contains vitamins B5 and B3 along with ayurvedic herbs like bringraj, neem, and brahmi. These ayurvedic substances are particularly effective against scalp inflammations and dandruff.

As you can see from its formula, this product is 100 percent natural. It doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, silicones, or any other kind of artificial chemicals and compounds. This means that everyone can use this product without worrying about its side effects. This even includes gluten-sensitive individuals since this product is completely gluten-free.

In terms of smell, this product is a little divisive. Its floral, herbal scent divides opinion mainly because it is very strong. While many of you will like the smell, some of you may find it a bit too strong to stomach.

You don’t have to worry if you buy this product and don’t like the way it smells, though. The company offers a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee that you’ll be able to use to return the product. This product can also weigh down your hair if you already have oily hair. The guarantee will help in such a scenario too.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a styling gel that can double up as a conditioner, get this one from Om Botanical.

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3. SheaMoisture Strengthen & Restore Edge Treatment (Best Budget)

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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SheaMoisture is a hugely popular brand in the haircare market. Its shampoos and conditioners have garnered considerable loyal following over the years. The majority of the products from this brand, as its name suggests, revolve around shea butter.

While the Strengthen & Restore Edge Treatment also includes shea butter in its formula, its ingredient list is headed by Jamaican black castor oil instead. Black castor oil is one of the best natural hair conditioners on the planet. It is also known for nourishing the scalp and the hair follicles in it.

Therefore, while it doesn’t stop hair loss or influence hair growth directly, it promotes hair growth by ensuring the health of the hair follicles. However, in addition to black castor oil, this product also contains what the company calls “reparative omegas” designed to promote healthy hair.

Between the castor oil and shea butter, this product is especially useful against frizz, flyaway hair, and dandruff. More importantly, it offers all these qualities without weighing down the hair.

We find this surprising in a product that contains both shea butter and castor oil, but it is very true. This gel has a very light texture and you don’t even need to use a lot to get its benefits. As a result, only a little of it goes a long way and the jar will last a long time.

However, while its texture is light, it is also quite unconventional. The best way to describe this product’s texture is to compare it to Jell-O. It is like a very thick jelly and behaves in the same way too. A lot of people don’t like this Jell-O like texture so you should be wary of that.

In terms of smell, this product has a fairly sweet scent. It still manages to be fresh and clean, though. Further, the scent isn’t overpowering so you won’t be moving in the world stuck within a miasma of your own.

While the use of this product causes light hair growth, as all hair growth products, there’s no certainty that it will work for you. Moreover, it is nowhere close to what you would want if you were suffering serious hair loss. However, if you just wanted edge treatment, then this gel can be really useful.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for an edge treatment and styling gel that offers hair growth qualities, get this product.

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Top 3 Value Hair Growth Gels: Detailed Reviews

4. Strong HairPro Hair Styling Gel

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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This Hair Styling Gel from Strong HairPro has been specifically developed for people with thinning hair. It is one of few hair growth gels in the market that boast of containing all the latest hair growth blends.

These include blends like Procapil, Capixyl, Redensyl, Keravis, and Phytelene EGX 292. Each of these blends is clinically proven to offer benefits against hair loss and towards hair growth.

Procapil is a natural botanical blend that offers two benefits. The first is that it improves blood circulation in the scalp, allowing more nutrients to reach hair follicles and strengthening their performance. The other is that it naturally prohibits excess DHT from interacting with hair follicles and stunting their ability to grow new hair.

Phytelene EGX 292 is similar to Procapil in the sense that it is also a botanical blend based around plant extracts. This blend can increase the length of hair inside the bulb as well as improve hair strength.

Capixyl is a protein-rich blend that is designed to improve how well rooted the hair follicles are in the scalp. It strengthens the protein matrix surrounding the hair follicle and also works directly against DHT buildup.

Keravis is another protein-rich blend whose purpose is to make the hair strand stronger from the inside out. Its ingredients penetrate deep into the cortex as well as coat the hair with key proteins.

Finally, the purpose of Redensyl is to stimulate hair follicles by reactivating or boosting the stem cell function inside them.

This styling gel from Strong HairPro is suitable for all hair types and not designed for any particular category. It is also odorless, which makes it perfect for fragrance-sensitive people. The consistency of this gel is smooth and thick.

One thing you need to remember is that hair growth gels generally don’t offer the same kind of hold that mainstream gels do. As a result, this particular product only offers a medium-level hold. However, you won’t have to use a lot of this gel to get that hold. Most users say that a little bit of it is enough for the right effect.

There are two variants of this hair gel available in the market. One variant offers extra hair strengthening properties while the other offers extra hold. You can choose to try them both and send one back after trying it out. The company makes it easy with its 90-day 100 percent money-back guarantee.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a hair growth gel containing clinically proven blends, get one from Strong HairPro.

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5. ORS HAIRestore Fertilizing Temple Balm (Best Value)

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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If there is any single hair growth gel out there that helps the largest percentage of its users, it is this one from ORS. ORS stands for “Original Root Stimulator”. The HAIRestore Fertilizing Temple Balm is an incredibly effective product from the ORS brand.

Even though it says “balm” on the label of this product, the company itself often describes this product as a gel. Its consistency is close enough to gel for us to feel comfortable, including it in our guide.

This product’s formula revolves around two primary ingredients. These are horsetail extract and nettle leaf, both of which contain silica. Silica is a very beneficial nutrient when it comes to human hair, nails, and even bones. In fact, the silica content of horsetail extract is the main reason why it is celebrated as a solution for hair loss.

While nettle leaf also contains silica, it has other great qualities that benefit the hair too. Nettle leaf contains several nutrients other than silica that can help combat hair loss and encourage hair growth such as numerous fatty acids, antioxidants, and minerals.

Further, nettle leaf can enhance blood circulation in the scalp. This makes it easier for hair follicles to receive the nutrients that they need to grow stronger. We should also add that nettle leaf has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory qualities that work against infections and even dandruff.

These two ingredients in this hair gel give it a soft, sweet, and minty smell. However, the scent has a distinct medicinal note to it that can put many users off. Therefore, if you’re averse to medicinal smells, this gel may not be ideal for you.

On the other hand, if you like the tingle that many hair products produce in the scalp, then this is just the right styling gel for you. It creates a very refreshing tingle that should please you well.

The best bit, though, is that this product brings all these qualities together while providing the kind of hold that you may be used to from more mainstream gels. Moreover, you’ll even be able to get this product in different sizes.

It comes in two-ounce jars,but you can get packs of multiple jars as well. Apart from the single jar, you can get packs of two jars, three jars, six jars, and even 12 jars. The single jar is great for trying the product while the 12-jar pack is ideal if you want to save money.

Who’s it for: If you want the most potent, natural hair growth gel in the market, get this one from ORS.

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6. Bounce Curl Light Creme Hair Gel Lotion

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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If you have a very specific hair type, then you will know that hair products are often developed for different hair types. In the majority of cases, though, this isn’t the case with hair styling gels. The exception here is curly hair.

People with curly hair need their hair gel to be stronger than normal. More importantly, they need the hair gel to enhance their natural curls, define them further, and even make them bounce.

However, if you have curly, thinning hair, then styling becomes a huge challenge. If you’re facing this challenge right now, this product from Bounce Curl should have you sighing with relief.

This is a hair gel that is not only meant specifically for curly haired people, but also for those whose curly hair is slowly thinning. It is, in fact, a hair growth gel for curly haired people.

The key ingredient in this curl enhancing and defining product is ginseng root extract. Ginseng root is an Asian ingredient that has multiple benefits for hair. Its biggest quality, though, is its ability to increase the number of dermal papilla cells in the scalp.

Dermal papilla cells are found in hair follicles and an increase in their number can make the follicles stronger. Strong hair follicles mean a reduction in the rate of hair loss and an increase in the speed of hair growth.

In addition to its ability to boost dermal papilla cells, ginseng root also contains ginsenoside. Ginsenoside has two benefits. It is antimicrobial and it can eliminate dandruff and dryness.

In terms of hold, this hair gel offers mid-level strength, but that is okay because you want some bounce in your curls too. With respect to smell, you’ll find this hair gel to be quite interesting. It has a very light mango scent that doesn’t linger. Even so, people who are not big fans of mangos may not appreciate the scent.

This hair gel is also completely natural. It doesn’t contain any artificial substances or fragrances, including parabens, sulfates, and silicones. Further, it is also a cruelty-free product so your conscience shouldn’t bother you either.

Its biggest problem is that it cannot grow hair in every person. A minor problem is that, like all hair products meant for curly hair, this one also tends to make the hair a bit too dry. This shouldn’t be anissue if you’re using a good conditioner, though.

Who’s it for: If you have curly, thinning hair, get this hair growth gel from Bounce.

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Top 4 Premium Hair Growth Gels: Detailed Reviews

7. Biotin Hair Growth Serum by Pureauty Naturals

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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Biotin is widely known for being very beneficial when it comes to hair health. There are biotin-based options available in the market, regardless of which type of hair care or hair maintenance product you consider. However, there aren’t as many hair growth gels in the market based on biotin.

In fact, we found only two worth any mention. The first of these is this Biotin Hair Growth Serum from Pureauty Naturals and the other is reviewed later on this page.

Not surprisingly, since they’re so effective against hair loss, both these hair growth gels are very expensive. This one from Pureauty Naturals features an advanced topical formula designed to boost hair growth and reduce the rate of hair loss.

The formula is proprietary, but it contains biotin, vitamin B5, and pea sprout extract along with several other nutrients. While incredibly successful in helping people coping with hair loss, even this highly advanced hair growth gel cannot boast of a 100 percent success rate.

Therefore, while the chances of this product giving positive results for you are very high, you still need to be prepared to try other products if it doesn’t work out for you. The company does provide a 90-day money-back guarantee so your investment will be protected while you try this product out.

The formula in this gel is gentle enough to be suitable for everyone, regardless of hair type, the severity of hair loss, or even other mitigating factors such as high sensitivities and allergies.

The company calls this product a serum, but its consistency is such that you can see it as a gel. In fact, its gel-like consistency poses a problem in its use. You see, this product comes in a hardplastic bottle which cannot be squeezed easily. As a result, getting the gel-like serum out of the bottle is a trial. Once you do get it out of the bottle, though, everything takes a turn for the good.

The first thing you’ll notice is how nice this hair growth gel smells. It has a very pleasant, minty smell. Moreover, the smell is transient and goes away as the gel dries in your hair.

After the gel dries, you’ll be left with well-held hair too because this hair growth gel offers a fairly strong hold. In fact, its hold is comparable to most mainstream gels even though the crunchy effect is not there.

Apart from how difficult it is to get this gel out of its hard-plastic bottle, its biggest flaw is its cost. It is very pricey and you may have to evaluate how much you’re willing to spend on a hair growth gel before going for this product.

Who’s it for: If you’re a big fan of biotin in your hair products and want a strong hold hair growth gel, get this product from Pureauty Naturals.

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8. Men’s Premium Pomade Hair Gel from Kaf Grooming

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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Of all the hair growth gels we’re reviewing on this page, this one comes closest to mainstream styling gels when it comes to how strongly it holds the hair in place.

This is why this product is the most suited for people with unruly hair. While it is most useful for difficult to manage hair, it can be used by anyone who prefers strong hold gels.

Even though this gel offers a very strong hold, the hold isn’t really stiff like mainstream gels. You shouldn’t expect to feel the crunch that you’re used to with those gels. Unlike those crunch-producing mainstream gels, this one is completely natural and doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals or compounds.

In terms of thickening hair, it contains a proprietary blend which was developed by the company to revitalize hair growth and strengthen existing hair. Its proprietary blend is based on loquat leaf extract.

Loquat is native to China and an important ingredient in ancient Chinese medicine. While it is beneficial for the human body in a wide variety of ways, it is included in this formulation for its ability to promote hair growth at a cellular level.

While loquat leaf in this blend boosts hair growth, this formula also contains ingredients aimed at slowing down hair loss occurring due to excess DHT. The ingredient responsible for blocking DHT’s adverse impact on hair follicles is caffeine.

The scent of this hair growth gel should especially suit men since it is clean, fresh, and similar to cologne. On the other hand, some of you, especially women, may not like to have that cologne smell in your hair. However, you don’t need to worry because the smell doesn’t linger and fades away as the gel dries.

One quality that makes this particular hair growth gel stand out amongst its competitors is how easy it is to remove from the hair. This hair gel is water-soluble, which means that you’ll be able to wash it out with a single rinse. In contrast, most gels, as you may have experienced, require heavy-duty shampoos to be removed.

On the other hand, this hair growth gel also has a flaw that sets it apart from its competitors. We’re referring to its cost. It is priced far more expensively than other comparable products in the market. Some may even say that it is far more expensive than useful.

Who’s it for: If you have unruly hair and need a hair growth gel that can keep them civilized, get this styling gel from Kaf Grooming.

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9. Nourish Beaute Hair Regrowth Treatment (Top Pick)

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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This Hair Growth Treatment from Nourish Beaute isn’t just the best hair growth gel in the premium market segment, but also one of the best in general. It has delivered such smashing success to its users that we’re compelled to recommend it strongly.

This hair growth gel’s anecdotal success is backed by scientific research too. According to the company, this hair gel can grow an average of 10,000 new hair if used consistently and properly for 90 days or more.

Further, the company even says that this increase in hair growth of more than 200 percent is twice the growth rate that minoxidil products can deliver. The reason this hair growth gel is so successful is that it is based on the patented redensyl formulation.

Redensyl helps against thinning hair in two ways. The first is that it directly acts as a DHT blocker and prevents excess DHT from stunting hair follicle growth. The other is that redensyl can support the process of stem cell division in hair follicles.

Along with redensyl, this hair growth gel contains several other highly-beneficial, naturally-occurring ingredients such as silk amino acids, caviar, castor oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, keratin, and biotin. Each of these ingredients offers multiple hair benefits and supplements the active effect of redensyl perfectly.

The only problem is that this hair growth gel takes too long to deliver results. As mentioned earlier, it requires a minimum of 90 days and can take as much as 180 days to make hair grow. This may be far too long for the majority of users, especially if they’re not fully committed to resolving their hair loss problem.

Despite how successful it is, we should add that even this hair growth gel cannot boast of a 100 percent success rate. Effectively, it will always be possible that it won’t work for you even while it shows results for everyone else in your family.

Nourish Beaute has made trials easier for people, though. They provide a 100 percent happiness guarantee with all their products. Therefore, you can try this hair growth gel and if you’re still unhappy with it or it doesn’t work for you, you can get a refund.

As it is, this hair growth gel can be used by anyone. This includes all types of hair, all types of hair conditions, all types of hair problems, and even both genders. You can also use it if you’re very sensitive to fragrances and scents since it is completely fragrance-free.

This hair growth gel is also exorbitantly expensive. In fact, it is one of the more expensive hair growth gels in the market. Despite its cost, though, we do think it is worth a try because of how successful it is in slowing down hair loss and growing new hair.

Who’s it for: If money is not a major concern for you, then this should be the first hair growth gel you should try.

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10. THYMUSKIN Forte Serum

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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Thymuskin Forte Serum is the closest you can get to a prescription-level hair growth gel without a prescription. It is just that powerful.

Even though this hair product is marketed as a serum, its consistency is similar to a gel. It is excellent when it comes to slowing down hair loss and boosting hair growth, but only if you use it in conjunction with the Thymuskin Shampoo.

This serum is a part of a two-step system where the shampoo is responsible for slowing down hair loss and the serum takes care of boosting hair growth. If you only use this serum and ignore the shampoo, you’ll only get half the benefit. In fact, it is possible that you won’t even get that half benefit as very few users say that the serum worked for them when they weren’t using the shampoo.

Further, it is important to note that even if you use the shampoo and serum both, you’ll still have to wait a long time to see visible results. This system can take up to six months to show any viable results.

This is a long time and means that you’ll have to buy the shampoo and the serum multiple times. As this serum is unbelievably expensive, this could set you back significantly when it comes to finances. Resultantly, just its cost can put off many potential users from buying this serum.

However, if you do decide to buy and use the shampoo and serum combo, the results will be impressive. After all, this two-step system has been developed specifically for very severe cases of hair damage and loss.

This serum contains GKL-02 active complex. This complex has clinical backing when it comes to reducing hair loss. It is a biologically active agent that works by inhibiting various enzymes responsible for hair loss such as DHT.

Therefore, the first thing this complex does is that it blocks DHT from pushing hair follicles into dormancy. Further, this complex boosts the growth of keratinocytes in the hair, which makes them stronger and more resilient.

While the GKL-02 active complex is the centerpiece of this serum’s formula, it is accompanied by other naturally-occurring ingredients too. These include caffeine, vitamin E, and nettle, vitamin B5, and plant proteins.

These ingredients supplement the active complex and augment its effects. They’re also responsible for giving this serum its scent. Its smell is a blend of all these ingredients, but it is very mild and virtually negligible.

You can get this serum in two different sizes. There’s a bottle containing around 3.35 ounces of serum and another that can hold 6.7 ounces. This hair product is so expensive, though, that we suggest you go for the bigger bottle.

You also need to be prepared to lose more hair in the initial phase of using this serum. It works by rebooting hair follicles. This means that the rate of hair loss will intensify in the earlier stages of use before slowing down and reversing.

Who’s it for: If your hair loss problem is severe and you’re willing to spend heavily to bring it back under control, get the Thymuskin serum along with the associated shampoo.

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