Guest post by Lauren Shilton

There's no worse feeling than losing your hair.  Trust me, I know!  I have suffered from thinning hair since I hit my mid twenties, and now at 36, I still have reoccurring problems that just won't go away.

Treating hair loss can be a very complicated process. If ony it was as easy as nipping up to the local pharmacy to purchase a one-time-only treatment that could make all your problems vanish. Unfortunately, it's far from easy - in fact, treating hair loss effectively can be a very long process indeed.

Having noticed my hair was thinning, I made the initial decision to try Minoxidil. This medically approved topical solution has been proven to stimulate hair growth in men and women.  I had already heard of Regaine (Minoxidil branded as Regaine), but I always thought Minoxidil was something only men could take.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Minoxidil could also be used by women, so I gave the 2% solution a try, and I have used it on and off ever since.

Now, I have to say, this stuff won't perform miracles on your hair, but it can give some results, even if on a small scale. I did notice slight improvements in my hair from using Regaine for Women, but certainly nothing to get too excited about.

It was at this point when I knew that tackling hair loss was going to be a much more complex and time-consuming process than I initially thought.  So, I guess you could say my eyes were opened, and I was ready for the long journey ahead.

How to choose the right hair loss treatment

We are all different, and when it comes to hair loss treatments, that fact holds quite a lot of significance. What works for you may not necessarily work for me, and that's why finding the right treatment for your hair loss can be difficult.

Multi-vitamin hair supplements like Viviscal and HR23+ are hugely popular treatments for thinning hair, but results will always vary from person to person.  A good friend of mine uses Viviscal supplement for her hair, and she swears by it. It works for her in ways so many hair loss sufferers could only dream of, yet when I tried it, it had little success for my hair.

HR23+ is a supplement that I use for my thinning hair, and it is by far the best treatment of its kind that I have tried. However, that's not to say it will work just as well for you or the next person. Finding the right hair loss treatment can be challenging, and very time consuming.  You'll need to have a lot of patience, and a willingness to try different products and treatments.  You'll likely have to spend a few quid too, because these things aren't cheap!

There isn't a cure for baldness, or any form of hair loss for that matter, but that's not to say that treating hair loss effectively is an impossible task. If you tackle hair loss at its earliest stage possible, then you'll have every chance of slowing down the shedding, and maintaining your locks.

Affordable treatments for hair loss

There isn't a 'best hair loss treatment' as such, but there are some products out there that have universal success in treating thinning hair.  If you've not tried it, then Minoxidil should be one of your first go-to-treatments.  It's more likely to work, and worst case scenario, it will offer you a temporary solution while you keep searching for the right hair treatment.

Natural vitamins and extracts can play a key role in halting the balding process. Biotin (Vitamin B7) is an effective solution that helps support the function of healthy hair growth.  It is also good for the skin and nails.

Saw Palmetto has been shown to block the formation of DHT (the cause of hair loss). The same can be said of Folic Acid, Ginkgo Biloba, and Zinc - all great for the hair, and all beneficial if taken regularly.

You can either buy these ingredients separately, or you can try a multi-vitamin supplement that contains them all, for a safe and effective daily dosage. Either option is worth trying, and it's likely you'll notice visible results in your hair in a matter of weeks, if not days!

Expensive hair loss treatments

Purchasing treatments like Minoxidil and vitamins is an easy and affordable way to treat hair loss. However, if this proves to be unsuccessful, or you are suffering from more advanced stages of hair loss, then your next option would be to consider trying more expensive treatments, including surgery.

You've got a few options here, the most popular being the scalp laser therapy. This is a procedure where you use infrared hair laser to help stimulate hair growth where previously lost. You can either get it done at a hair clinic, with regular sessions, or you can purchase a hair laser brush for you to use from the comfort of your own home.

Expect to pay well over £2000 for the hair laser procedure, or alternatively you can purchase the laser brush for around £1000.  Either way, nothing is guaranteed. It is a risk, financially more than anything else.  

Hair surgery seems to be a growing trend, particularly with men. But plenty of women are turning to the knife too, and it appears to be working.  Hair surgery is a complicated process whereby the hair grafts are taken from one area of the scalp (usually the back), and then implanted into thinning areas of the scalp.

This is a very expensive process that will likely cost you in between the region of £10,000-£30,000, depending on your individual case. Much like all the other treatments available on the market, hair transplant procedure is not guaranteed to work, therefore make sure you are able to afford it, if this is something you are seriously considering.

How I found a hair loss treatment plan that works 

It took me a good couple of years (which is actually quite quick) to settle on a hair loss treatment plan that works well enough for me to be content. It's not perfect, but it does leave give me the confidence to live my life freely, and worry less about my hair.

As I said, I do still use Minoxidil from time to time, usually in the winter time.  The only problem with Minoxidil is that you may experience quite severe shedding when you first start using it.  The shedding does stop, but even so, it's not ideal, especially when your hair is already thinning.

However, I am quite pleased with the solution overall, as it does seem to do more good for the hair than bad, but it doesn't work miracles, and you should be realistic when using it.

Having tried a bunch of supplements and vitamins for my hair, I decided to settle on the multi-vitamin supplement, HR23+.  It's a popular product, and it seems to have done an excellent job on my hair.  Since taking HR23+, my shedding has reduced dramatically, and my hair grows in thicker.  I have been hugely surprised at how effective it has been.  I would recommend it highly.

Having tried any different types of vitamins, I still take a daily dosage of Biotin.  HR23+ already contains Biotin, as well as Saw Palmetto, but I decided to take the extra dosage of Biotin, as it does have so many hair growth benefits. 

As far as shampoos go, I haven't really had any success with them when it comes to 'treating' hair loss. There has been no scientific evidence to suggest that any type of shampoo can treat or reverse the effects of baldness and thinning hair, so it really is a case of which shampoo you like, and what works best for your individual hair type.

I have always found that caffeine based shampoos work well on my hair. So, I have been using Plantur 39 shampoo, simply on the basis of how it smells and lathers into my hair. I honestly couldn't be sure how effective it has been for treating the thinning problem.


Remember, what works for me may not work as effectively for you, so you're going to have to try a few treatments out there to see if they work. Unfortunately, it is likely you'll spend more money than you'll want to, but don't see it as a waste of money. 

I spent a fair bit of money on products that had absolutely no impact on my hair, but at least I could cross them off and move on to something that could potentially work better. It's a trial and error process, and if you're relatively lucky, like me, then you might just stumble upon a good hair treatment plan that works for you.