An unbiased review of men’s healthcare startup Hims. How does Hims hair loss, erectile dysfunction and other subscription medicine compare to what you get from your local pharmacy? What does it cost? What is it like to have a “virtual” doctor’s visit with a Hims physician? Learn about our experience.
Is Hims right for you?
Hims is an online pharmacy and doctor’s office all smooshed into a single, quirky platform. With pictures of phallic looking cacti and happy-looking twenty and thirty something men, Hims is an innovative healthcare company that delivers prescription medicine to your home for a low cost.
In this article, we review Hims’ hair loss treatments, including their 2-in-1 topical spray, and discuss how well they work.
What conditions does hims treat?
As you can probably guess from the name, Hims focuses on male “problems,” and offers treatments in the following areas:
They also offer different types of adult gummy vitamins, which may or may not actually provide any medical benefit. But they are yummy.
Why get hair loss meds from Hims?
This is actually a pretty good question: why not just go to your regular doctor to get a hair loss prescription? What’s the advantage of going with Hims?
First, if you have any major medical conditions, you should probably organize your treatment through your primary care physician. Online telemedicine providers like Hims are really set up to treat otherwise healthy people.
That beings said, Hims offers an extremely convenient way to get treated for ED, hair loss, male skin issues and anxiety. Here are some of the key reasons I’m a loyal customer:
- Cost: You can get started with Hims for as little as $5, including the doctor’s visit. Unless you have amazing health insurance, your physician’s visit copay is going to be way over that! And because they source low cost, generic medicine, your drug prices are going to be much lower.
- Convenience: You can get a visit with a real, licensed doctor, get a prescription and get your meds delivered directly to your house – all without leaving your couch. Unless you have endless free time, setting up a doctor’s appointment, hanging out in the doctor’s office lounge, waiting in line at the pharmacy every month… this is all a waste of time. Doing the whole process online is really a huge time saver.
- Quality medicine: There has been a lot of disturbing press recently over the quality of generic medicines manufactured overseas – do a quick Google search to see what we mean. But Hims is committed to quality testing their products, and says, “We subject the portfolio of prescription products offered by pharmacies through our platform to testing by an independent, FDA approved, ISO accredited analytical laboratory in order to confirm whether the active ingredient(s) are present and at what concentration.” You can read more here, but that’s pretty awesome. The generic drugs you get at your local pharmacy don’t have this level of oversight.
- More Form factors: In addition to oral meds, Hims offers a 2-in-1 topical spray that includes both finasteride AND minoxidil. Unfortunately, your local doctor likely won’t be able to prescribe these two combined into a convenient spray, unless of course you’re willing to pay a ton for a custom compounding pharmacy to create a custom formulation. (No thank you).
- Subscription: These are medicines you have to take regularly. If you get them from your local pharmacy, you’ll end up spending a lot of time waiting in line. It’s so much better to just have the meds show up on time every month. Personal side note: I’ve been a customer for a few years now, and my prescription has been at my door on time, every time.
- Less embarrassing: Some of these problems are pretty personal in nature. I’m sure we all aspire to have a totally open relationship with our primary care doctors, but the truth is that it’s embarrassing to talk about some of these problems. In most states, you don’t even have to have a live conversation with a doctor to get a prescription from Hims – it’s all done through online questions and forms. Don’t avoid getting help because of embarrassment; getting this done online is very low stress.
- Discreet. Hims ships medications directly to your house in discreet packaging. So your neighbor isn’t going to know that you are getting treatment for hair loss, and they also aren’t going to overhear the pharmacist telling you to seek help if you have an erection that lasts longer then four hours.
What does Hims packaging look like?
One of the key reasons to choose Hims is the convince of getting your medicine delivered directly to your home, without having to go to a pharmacy. And if we weren’t blogging about it, we probably wouldn’t be telling the world we need some of these meds. Here’s us opening a package so you can see what it looks like upon arrival. This happens to be the “Complete Hair Loss Kit,” but all their packaging is equally low-key.
Hims Hair loss Unboxing Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQm093lTCVU
How to get a hair loss prescription from Hims
The basic process take <5 minutes and enables you to virtually “meet” with a doctor. The doctor will likely approve you for Finasteride prescription, if applicable. Then, you’ll have to pick the treatment package that you want – just the Finasteride, or Finasteride + Minoxidil, either taken orally or combined into a convenient topical spray.
Here are the steps to get a hair loss prescription:
- Select your package, such as the Finasteride only package, 2 in 1 topical spray, or the “Complete Hair Loss Kit”
- Provide contact info, such as name, DOB, email address and physical and address
- Enter payment info – which is slightly nerve racking, since you haven’t yet gotten medical approval.
- But, it does say: “Your order will be processed immediately and products will be shipped after medical review”
- Asks for your gender – pretty easy question for me!
- Long telemedicine consent form – Next, you have a long consent form, where you agree to receive telemedicine. The form wants to make it clear that you have to pay for the service.
- Virtual doctor visit – Next, the Hims doctor’s visit begins and you answer a series of questions online. The questions are easy to answer, and basically cover things like when you started noticing hair loss, where the hair loss is happening, more on your medical history.
- Photos of your head – This was the hardest part of the Hims process, you have to take photos of your head (note that you can use your computer’s camera):
- Face
- Top of head – this wasn’t all that easy!
- Back of head
- Government ID – Then, you need a photo of your ID to confirm that it’s you requesting the medicine.
- Doctor’s visit confirmation – finally, Hims confirms that you’ve had a doctor’s visit and gets you a confirmation code.
- Wait for Doctor Review – It took about 2 days for the doctor to review my visit, but I never had to speak with her. Everything was done virtually, although she did ask via chat if I had any questions.
- Shipment – I’ve gotten confirmation that the hair loss medicine is on the way!
Hims Pricing
One of the things to note about Hims is that they do seem to “hide” some processing fees in their price. For example, the advertised price for the non-prescription hair loss treatment is $30, but as I am signing up I see a $5 “processing fee” added in. Just be careful as you check out to make sure your total matches what you expect.
- $44 per month: The Complete Hair Loss Kit, with Finasteride, Minoxidil, DHT Shampoo and Biotin Gummies
- $30 per month: Non-prescription hair loss kit, with Minoxidil, DHT Shampoo and Biotin Gummies
- $50 per month: 2-in-1 Topical Finasteride Spray with both Minoxidil and Finasteride
- $28.50 per month: Finasteride subscription, only contains Finasteride
- $6 to $14 per month: Shampoo only, contains DHT shampoo in one of two sizes
- $15 per month: Minoxidil only subscription
Which meds does hims prescribe?
The primary prescription medicine this company offers for treating hair loss is finasteride. This drug, called “Fin” in a lot of online forums, was originally developed to help treat enlarged prostates, and can not be purchased without a prescription. The various startups in this space are “innovating” by allowing consumers to virtually meet with a doctor and get a prescription, and get the medicine delivered directly to the home with out having to visit a pharmacy.
Finasteride blocks DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone derived from testosterone. This hormone shrinks follicles and is likely the main cause of male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The primary use of finasteride is to maintain a man’s current hairline, not to promote regrowth after it’s already gone. The patient needs to take a pill daily. Balding is highly likely to begin again if treatment is stopped.
Hims Non-prescription hair loss meds
Several non-prescription treatment options are offered by the startup, with the two main ones being Minoxidil, and DHT Shampoo. We’ll ignore the Biotin Gummies since there is not a lot of clinical evidence to support that those actually do anything.
Minoxidil
DHT Shampoo
Minoxidil: Also sold under the brand name “Rogaine,” Minoxidil has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to treat and help prevent baldness.
The way that Minoxidil works is that it relaxes the blood vessels on your head, which allows more oxygen and nutrients to flow to the follicles.
It is not a pill – instead, it is a fluid that gets applied to the head, usually twice daily.
DHT Blocking Shampoo: The company claims that some of the ingredients in this shampoo are known to block the DHT pathway on your head.
The company does try to be honest with it’s health claims for this DHT shampoo, saying:
“Saw palmetto and ketoconazole – the two DHT blocking ingredients we listed above – may be effective for stopping hair loss. However, neither of these substances have a measurable effect on the speed and thickness at which your hair grows.”
Review of Hims DHT blocking shampoo
Ok, so the more I’m using their DHT blocking shampoo, the more I’m starting to like it. Not just for the anti-balding mojo, but also for the way it smells and works and makes my hair feel thicker. When I originally wrote this review, I was only focused on the science behind the hair loss claims. I didn’t really notice one of the major benefits of the shampoo, which the company lists on the back of the bottle:
“this shampoo… causes hair to appear thicker…”
I also like the shampoo’s eucalyptus scent. Hims shampoo is maybe worth the upgrade to the complete hair loss kit, in my opinion, after having used it for a few months now.
Hims Reviews: What are men saying online?
With as much press as the company is getting, you’d expect that the internet would be buzzing with reviews. However, it’s actually a bit harder to find Hims reviews than you might think, so we’ve scoured Reddit to find what other men are saying:
If you’re looking to stop yourself from going bald, Hims is a great solution. You can get started with a free doctor’s visit and 33% off hair loss meds — just click the banner below to get going!
Hims Alternatives – How Does it Compare?
Hims vs Roman vs Keeps: Which is Best for Hair Loss? |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Online Doctor’s Visit? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Finasteride Price (Oral 1mg generic Propecia®) |
$26 per month | $20 per month | $20 per month |
| 5% Minoxidil Price (Topical 2 fl oz bottle) |
$15 per month | $7-10 per month (Liquid solution OR aerosol foam) |
$16 per month (Liquid solution) |
| Bundled Price (Topical Minoxidil + Oral Finasteride) |
$44 per month (includes biotin gummies + thickening shampoo) |
$35 per month | $35 per month |
| 2-in-1 Price (Topical Finasteride + Minoxidil) |
✅ Spray ($50 per month) |
✅ Gel ($40 per month) |
✅ Spray ($50 per month) |
| Biotin Gummies (Vitamin B7) |
$16 per month | ❌ | ❌ |
| Refund Policy | 90 day money back guarantee | ❌ | ❌ |
| Website | Hims | Keeps | Roman |
After a brief online consultation with a licensed doctor, Hims, Roman, and Keeps will recommend a personal hair loss treatment plan. All three generally offer the same remedies to be taken daily:
- Finasteride — 1mg pills ingested orally or a solution, cream, or gel that’s applied topically to scalp to halt hereditary balding.
- Minoxidil — the generic version of Rogaine, typically applied topically to the scalp to fight alopecia.
- Biotin — a chewable gummy vitamin that guards against any diet deficiencies that may be at the root of your thinning.
- Tretinoin — a topical retinoid that is believed to enhance your scalp’s ability to absorb minoxidil.
My experience with Hims
As a guy who started noticing my thinning scalp at age 16, I’ve (unfortunately) had lots of experience with various hair loss treatments. In fact, I’ve tried treatments from many online providers, and can attest that while each offers quality medications that worked well to regrow my thinning hair, I’m a loyal Hims customer because their experience has been the best.
I started my hair loss treatment journey as so many do with 5% minoxidil solution (Rogaine and hims, then Keep’s foam option). Soon I graduated to oral Finasteride via hims. I noticed more results than with just minoxidil, and my best results came when using both active ingredients in combination.
Wary of potential side effects, I switched from oral pills to topical to avoid finasteride entering my blood stream. Even though it’s more expensive than oral finasteride, I’ve been using Hims 2-in-1 topical finasteride + minoxidil (i.e. “finoxidil“) ever since because I only have to apply it once to get healthy doses of both.
How Does Finasteride Work to Stop Hair Loss
Finasteride works by blocking DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a hormone derived from testosterone that is known to shrink hair follicles and cause male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia).
Hair follicles begin shrinking again the minute you stop taking finasteride, which is why patients often report hair loss immediately after pausing treatment. The key takeaway is that while you’re likely to see results from diligent application, continued use of finasteride is required to maintain your results. Since you have to take it likely indefinitely, the choice of who to buy it from — Hims, Keeps, or Roman — is that much more important.
How effective is Finasteride for hair loss?
In a clinical study involving ~1500 balding men over two years, 1 mg/d of finasteride slowed the progression of hair loss and increased hair growth in the balding vertex (i.e. the crown area most commonly associated with male pattern hair loss). Meanwhile, the control group experienced progressive hair loss. Efficacy was evaluated by scalp hair counts, patient and investigator assessments, and review of photographs by an expert panel.
A similar study demonstrated an equally significant increase in the hair count in the frontal scalp of finasteride-treated patients (i.e. the hair line neat the forehead region, not just below the crown).
Learn more about finasteride with Dr. Jonathan Rick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk0Y332fWb4
Methodology
We conduct extensive research to evaluate the pricing, effectiveness, accessibility, overall quality, and user experience of every telehealth service we review. This also includes examining and comparing each provider to comparable telemedicine alternatives. We also evaluate usability, treatments, prescription delivery time, and more to determine the best value for those seeking fast and reliable telehealth services.
| Review Process | Key Metrics | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up online | – ease to complete intake form – affordability – upfront commitment or subscription required? – money back guarantee or refund policy? |
0.5 |
| Vitual consult with provider / determine eligibility | – ease to get appointment to determine eligibility – need to leave house for labs or other in-person care? |
1 |
| Shipping + unboxing | – shipping cost – time from order to treatment delivery – discreet packaging to maintain privacy |
0.5 |
| Test + journal for 1-3 months | – ease of application – transition into habitual use – taste / smell / feel / pain |
1.5 |
| Results after 3 months of use | – efficacy / results – lack of side effects – ease of refill / reordering – quality of ongoing clinical support – responsive customer support – willingness to recommend to a friend |
1.5 |
