There’s not baldy-headed chap alive who doesn’t vividly remember the moment he looked in the mirror and realised for the first time that his beloved hair was retreating from battle. It’s a harrowing moment in which a man learns two unsettling things simultaneously. Firstly, his looks are about to change forever. And secondly, he’s not invincible after all.

This dawning realisation can put guys under considerable mental strain. The type of mental strain that makes them highly susceptible to spurious claims made by so-called “hair-loss shampoos” promising to restore their lustrous locks back to their former glory.

All that existential angst and dread resolved for less than a tenner from Boots? Surely it can’t be that simple…Or can it?

What Hair Loss Shampoos Claim

For as long as men have been bothered about losing their hair, others have been claiming to be able to fix it. But how do we know who is telling the truth?

In 2018, well-known haircare brand Alpecin found itself on the naughty step at advertising standards. Commercials for the company’s thickening shampoos and serums have long promised the products will “provide caffeine to your hair”, which can “actually help to reduce hair loss”. However, the watchdog found that the claims were unsubstantiated and banned Alpecin from making them. Case closed, right? Wrong.

In light of the complaints, Alpecin hit back claiming that it had conducted countless internal studies to determine the effectiveness of the formula. Not only that, but the endless consumer reviews should speak for themselves.

And it’s not just Alpecin. There are countless hair loss shampoos on the market, many of them aimed at balding men and the vast majority of which making similar claims. Some promise to roadblock the hormones responsible for your thinning thatch, others are based on suppling your scalp with increased circulation or your body in general with the vitamins and amino acids that your hair needs.