Evidence-Based Hair Supplements for Different Root Causes of Hair Loss

Marine collagen has quietly become one of the most searched ingredients in hair supplements. Patients ask me about it often, usually with two questions back to back: does it actually work, and Isn't collagen just broken down into amino acids in your gut anyway, so how would it reach your hair follicles at all? Both are fair questions, and both deserve a straight answer rather than a marketing one. Here's what the research actually shows.

Creatine is one of the most widely used supplements for strength, exercise performance, and muscle development. For years, I was telling patients with hair loss to avoid it. But the evidence has shifted and I've had to update my position. Here is what the research actually shows, including the first controlled trial to directly measure hair parameters during creatine supplementation, published in 2025.

Telogen effluvium is a form of diffuse hair shedding that may occur after the normal hair-growth cycle is disrupted by a physiological or emotional stressor. Common triggers include illness, high fever, childbirth, surgery, rapid weight loss, restrictive dieting, significant emotional stress, medication changes and nutritional deficiencies. Shedding commonly becomes noticeable two to three months after the triggering event.