Do Natural Products Really Work for Hair Growth?

Dr. Kim Drolet L.Ac.
Sep 19
9 min read

Everywhere you look, there are products promising to regrow your hair “naturally.” Serums, vitamins, shampoos, gummies, oils, devices. You name it. People spend thousands of dollars chasing these promises, only to be disappointed. You may be one of them, and I sincerely want to help and change that situation for you.

So, do natural products actually work to grow hair? As a doctor of Chinese medicine specializing in herbal therapy, my honest answer is: it depends. Some do work, but not all. And what truly works is not a gimmick or a quick fix. (That’s what drugs like minoxidil do, but they come with side effects.) With the right natural approach, your hair can regrow while also improving your overall health. Let me explain why, how, and what really works (and what doesn’t).

Why Is My Hair Thinning? The Garden Analogy that Underpins Natural Hair Growth

Think of your hair like a garden. The scalp is the soil, the follicles are the roots, and your blood and nutrition are the water and fertilizer. If the soil is depleted or a storm is raging, the flowers won’t bloom, no matter how much you spray the leaves.

That’s because the body, like a garden, is intelligent. Under stress or perceived nutrient deficiency, your body prioritizes organs and survival, not “flowers” like hair and skin. Stress alone is one of the biggest reasons hair growth is an issue for many.

Deeper “nutritional reserves” also play a profound role. And I’m not just talking “how are your iron numbers”. Many people are depleted even when bloodwork shows vitamin levels. Diet, stressful work environments, bad relationships, loss and grief, aging, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, history of eating disorders, a stressful childhood or adult life, and long periods of “giving, giving, giving” can all drain the body’s reserves. A combination of these factors impact both female and male hair quality. Often problems don’t show up on basic lab tests, yet the garden is still starving.

What Works and Doesn’t Work

My Best Recommendation

Chinese Herbs + Whole Food Vitamins: Effective, Affordable

Here is what I use myself and recommend to patients: Combine time-tested hair growing Chinese herbs and whole-food vitamins (in short - concentrated, dehydrated, encapsulated organ meat). Nothing synthetic. This dual approach restores deep nutritional reserves and helps modulate stress. In modern terms, it’s both nourishing and adaptogenic. In Chinese medicine, we call this strengthening Yin, Blood, and Jing, the foundations of vibrant health.

My method addresses stress effects and deep nutrition. And results are obvious and continue over time. My patients feel results in 1-3 months.

What herbs specifically do I use? Concentrated, medical grade, capsulized Sheng Di Huang, Gou Qi Zi (Goji Berry), He Shou Wu, Sang Shen (Mulberry), and Niu Zhen Zi that works from the inside out. Depending on your situation, you may need 2, 4, or 6 capsules a day. These herbs are known for hundreds or more years to help grow hair, replenish reserves like a natural deep fertilizer for the whole body. The results show up in your hair (and skin!) as the “soil” becomes fertile again and stress effects are reduced. Two of them have been identified as adaptogens by modern science, and are helpful to modulate cortisol and stress effects on the body. All of them in one way or another help issues associated with aging and hormones, and useful for menopausal (per-, pre-, and during menopaus) symptoms (but those things are good for younger folks too). My point? They are profoundly good for you overall.

While these herbs work alone, especially for people who have minimal or minor hair loss, I often recommend pairing these herbs with organ meat supplements (heart, liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas, providing rich sources of heme iron, B vitamins, collagen, minerals, and more), or if vegan or vegetarian, with Sea Moss or another Whole Food vitamin. Sometimes if hair loss is minimal, these alone can help. If you are iron deficient, for example, a regime of these supplements can often be enough to reverse anemia (but consult your experienced herbalist or qualified health practitioner first. There may be other things you need, such as probiotic or higher doses of either Spleen (did you know the spleen organ has more iron than the liver?), or other tweaks to your system to absorb the nutrients, and get higher doses of the ones you most need (each organ has its specialties in terms of what nutrients it has. Read THIS if your interested to learn more).

The body can often benefit from a whole-food daily vitamin—nutrient-dense, balanced, and easy to absorb. I’m confident these do not just make expensive pee. Taken once a day, they are simple, effective, and affordable—without the gimmicks. They are also almost always cheaper than standard vitamins out there. Most people need to take 2 or 4 a day only.

This combination of herbs and organ meat/bone marrow is an herbal tonic bone broth made in your stomach. When taken with warm or room temp water, you are just making the broth in your stomach itself. (Warm water is best, room temp is ok, but definitely not cold!)

Other Approaches: My Honest Opinions

Acupuncture: Effective with Consistent Treatments

Acupuncture is more than just needles—it’s a whole-body treatment that addresses the underlying issues contributing to hair loss. By improving circulation, reducing stress, and boosting yin, blood, and jing (the foundations of healthy hair in Chinese medicine), acupuncture helps create the conditions your body needs for hair to regrow. It can also ease common problems that often go hand-in-hand with thinning hair, such as fatigue, chronic colds, digestive issues like IBS or acid reflux, bloating, headaches, and menstrual imbalances. As the saying goes, “it’s all related,” and acupuncture works by restoring balance across the whole system. The main drawback is cost—results for hair typically require a series of 10–12 weekly treatments, which can add up. But if it’s accessible for you, acupuncture can be a very effective and lasting part of a natural hair growth plan. If you’d like to schedule a consultation with me for acupuncture for hair growth or any other issues, you can do that HERE.

Microneedling: Effective with Enough Treatments

Microneedling is a simple procedure where a small roller or pen with very fine needles creates tiny micro-channels in the scalp. These micro-injuries stimulate healing, boost circulation, and wake up dormant follicles—encouraging new hair growth. It’s different from acupuncture because it focuses only on the scalp surface, while acupuncture goes deeper to balance the whole body. A common plan is one microneedling session per month, with weekly acupuncture sessions in between to reduce stress, strengthen reserves, and help results last long-term. Microneedling can be highly effective, but its biggest drawback is cost—regular treatments can feel expensive or out of reach for some. In our offices, Ericka Olson is the person to contact for microneedling!

Topicals: Helpful, but Limited Effectiveness

There are endless oils, serums, and sprays for hair growth. Some improve circulation, reduce inflammation, or support scalp health—and they can help when used consistently. But they take time, can be messy, and on their own won’t create lasting results, because scalp nutrition depends on your internal reserves. I haven’t made one myself for my patients because the results with herbs and organ meat are profound. And topicals can be a hassle, be expensive, and only help minimally. So, I don’t want to recommend products I don’t believe strongly in.

Popular natural topical ingredients include rosemary oil, peppermint oil, pumpkin seed oil, aloe vera, hibiscus, ginseng or other herbs. Common applications include massage oils, hair masks/packs, herbal rinses. These can support scalp health, but they’re like misting leaves while the roots are starving. Without nourishing the soil, results are minimal.

Hair Vitamins and/or Collagen Supplements: Limited Effectiveness

Brands like Nutrafol dominate the online hair supplement market. While they sometimes help by supplying standard synthetic or non-food based vitamins, minerals, and adaptogens, the reality is:

Many people see little to no change.
They are expensive.
They don’t address stress, hormones, or digestion.
Collagen is part of the equation, and in the spirit of using the organ meat supplements I recommend, but collagen alone is just a piece of the issue. Additionally, organ meats and bone marrow supply collagen plus a complete range of nutrients for deeper support (or if vegetarian, sea moss is a good alternative). So I prefer those to collagen supplements.

Whole-food supplements (dehydrated, concentrated, encapsulized food) such as organ combinations (heart, liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas), bone marrow, sea moss, whole-food multivitamins, are far more powerful than synthetic isolates, and also help modulate stress effects. Just dumping synthetic vitamins often creates nothing more than expensive urine. And the monthly price tag adds up—especially if you’re also buying shampoos and topicals.

If this were the only option, it might be worth trying. But Chinese herbs combined with organ meats don’t just help your hair—they improve your entire health and resiliency. Visible changes in hair growth can begin in as little as 1–3 months, depending on your situation. And they are generally much cheaper over time (because you’ll also need spend less on all the shampoos and conditioners and hair products!)

Shampoos and Conditioners: Helps Appearance Only

There’s no shortage of shampoos, conditioners, gels, sprays, and hair treatments promising thicker, fuller hair. The truth? They can improve the appearance of thicker hair. They can also improve some aspects of scalp health, reduce buildup. But they don’t regrow hair over the long haul.

If your body isn’t absorbing nutrients via food sources which get into your blood stream, or if stress is redirecting resources, no shampoo will overcome that. Remember: a garden in a storm won’t send nutrients to its flowers.

Red Light Therapy: Helpful, but Not a Full Solution

Red light therapy (sometimes called low-level laser therapy) can help by stimulating the scalp, improving circulation, and activating hair follicles. It’s similar to topicals in that it can support growth, but it doesn’t address deeper reasons for thinning like stress, nutrient depletion, or hormonal imbalance. It also takes time—sitting under a device several times a week for months—and not everyone finds that realistic to fit into their lifestyle. As a supportive tool it can help, but it’s not a stand-alone solution.

In Summary: What Actually Works (My Sincere Opinion)

From my 15+ years of practice, here’s what consistently delivers the best results:

Chinese Herbal Medicine – The foundation. This time-tested combination nourishes the body, enriches blood, modulates stress, and supports natural hair growth. Known for hundreds of years to help grow hair. Affordable, sustainable, and health-building overall.
Organ Meats / Whole-Food Supplements – Fill modern nutritional gaps and strengthen long-term resiliency. Can replace a daily vitamin. For minor hair loss, adding these alone can make a difference.
Weekly Acupuncture (12-week series) – Stimulates the scalp, reduces stress, and addresses root imbalances. Transformative not just for hair, but also for mood, sleep, and digestion. Can be costly, but worth the investment to turn your health around and get on a better path, hair included!
Microneedling the Scalp – Monthly sessions for 6 months, with whole body acupuncture in between sessions, can be very effective, especially when combined with herbs or acupuncture afterwards to maintain results. Can be costly, but results are long-lasting when maintained.

Stop Wasting Money

You’re already losing your hair—don’t lose more money. I see women and men spending unbelievable amounts on gimmicks and “miracle” fixes that don’t deliver. Meanwhile, their hair continues to thin.

The good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With Chinese herbs and whole-food vitamins, hair growth is not only possible: it’s sustainable. Nourish the soil, calm the storms, and the garden will bloom. And the bonus? This approach makes you healthier overall, improving digestion, sleep, mood, and energy over time.

Want more Information?

If you're still reading, perhaps you are ready to take some steps. Here's some options:

👉 Start Grow Hair Herbs. For more information about the Grow Hair Herbal Formula (starting at just $33/month), visit Grow Hair Herbs.

👉 Start Organ Meat or other Whole Food Vitamin Supplements. For affordable, high-quality organ supplements and whole-food vitamins (cheaper than Amazon, with vegetarian/vegan options), explore my vetted dispensary HERE. No obligation and open to the public. You can scroll down to see some recommended whole food vitamins. Or you can search and buy supplements you may already be taking (such as Magnesium or Vitamin D) by vetted suppliers who may also be on Amazon, but here they are less expensive in my dispensary.

👉 Free Disovery Call and/or Ready for Personalized Herbal Consultation. For those with questions regarding personal situations, if you have other symptoms in addition to hair loss, or you would like a more personalized herbal approach, I offer a FREE 15 minute Hair Discovery Call to answer any of your questions. Available to anyone in the U.S. via telehealth appointment. I am available in office in San Diego (for acupuncture and herbal appointments). And I am available to anyone in the U.S. via telemedicine. If you’re ready in San Diego, you can also schedule an office Herbal Consultation without need for a discovery call, you can do that HERE.