Viviscal traces its story to a Scandinavian idea about marine proteins, and it now sits next to liquid and gummy formulas from MaryRuth's. Here is how I think about Viviscal and its neighbors, the other hair supplements, and the scalp serums that go on alongside them.
Viviscal, MaryRuth's and the Slow Business of Growing Hair
Viviscal has one of the more unusual origin stories in beauty. The story starts with a Scandinavian discovery about marine proteins in the Inuit diet, which became its proprietary marine Collagen Complex. Later, the Galway company Lifes2Good acquired the branding rights and relaunched Viviscal in Ireland, the UK and the US in 2008, with Australia following in 2013. In January 2017 it was sold to a US company. That is a long road for a supplement, and it explains why so many people already have an opinion about it.
Viviscal's Hair Growth Supplement comes in a Women's version and a general one, and both are daily supplements. Its Thickening Shampoo is the topical companion, and I like it for how ordinary it is: it does the washing part and stays out of the way.
Then there is the MaryRuth's side. MaryRuth Ghiyam founded MaryRuth's Organics around 2014 with her mother, and the first products were a raspberry liquid morning multivitamin and a coconut liquid nighttime multimineral. That is how the brand got known for liquids, and why the Daily Liquid Hair Formula and the Liquid Morning Multivitamin + Hair Growth exist. The Multivitamin + Hair Growth Gummies are the easiest version for anyone who dislikes swallowing pills.
Anyone looking up mary ruth hair growth options will find the same idea across the range: gentle, everyday formats you can keep up, which is why Mary Ruths liquids and gummies are where many people start.
&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.viviscal.com%2Fproducts%2Fwomans-hair-growth-supplements%3Fphia%3D1)
Other capsules, gummies and boosters
Not everyone wants a capsule in the Viviscal style, and the middle of this edit is for the people who prefer other shapes. The point is the same: something you will actually take every day, for months, without dreading it.
Virtue's Flourish Density Booster is made for healthy hair growth, and it is a nice option if you already use the brand's shampoo and conditioner and like keeping the routine in one family. Vegamour's GRO Biotin Gummies are made for thinning hair, and they are sweet enough to feel like a treat, which is exactly why I stay consistent with them.
Act+Acre's Thick + Full Hair Capsules are made for fuller-looking hair, a straightforward capsule for a straightforward habit. Grande Cosmetics has a GrandeGUMMIES Vegan Collagen Booster, and it is the least hair-specific of the group, more of a general collagen gummy that some people like to pair with the rest.
Read the label before you start. Check the serving size, look for anything you know you react to, and be honest about how easily it fits into the same time every day. Habit matters more than the brand on the front. Keep a small notebook by the mirror too. Take a quick photo of your part and your temples at the start, so that in three months you can compare in the same light.
Scalp serums for the other half of it
Hair starts at the scalp, so it makes sense to treat that skin as part of the plan. Scalp serums are the quiet part of a routine: a few drops, a gentle massage, and a lot of patience.
Fable & Mane makes HoliRoots, a Pre-Wash Scalp & Hair Treatment Oil to use before shampoo, worked in with the fingertips. Vegamour's GRO Hair Serum is made for thinning hair and is easy to fit into an evening routine. Act+Acre's 2% Stem Cell Scalp Serum is aimed at thicker-looking hair.
Nécessaire's Scalp Serum with 5% Capixyl is made for thicker, fuller, healthier hair, and it is the one I would pick if you like a label that puts the active up front. Kérastase's Genesis is a strengthening serum for scalp and hair, and OUAI's Hydrating Scalp Serum is the hydrating option of the six.
What I would skip: switching products every couple of weeks. Any scalp product needs a few months of steady use before you can say anything about it, and pulling hair back tightly all day will undo the good. Ease up on tight ponytails and hot tools, and be gentle when you wash. Massage the serum in with the pads of your fingers, not your nails, for a minute or so, since that little ritual is also what makes people remember to do it.
Scalp serums
HoliRoots Pre-Wash Scalp & Hair Treatment Oil
Fable & Mane
$38
GRO Hair Serum for Thinning Hair
Vegamour
$165
2% Stem Cell Scalp Serum For Thicker-Looking Hair
Act+Acre
$55
The Scalp Serum - 5% Capixyl For Thicker, Fuller, Healthier Hair
Nécessaire
$48
Genesis Strengthening Scalp and Hair Serum
Kérastase
$66
Hydrating Scalp Serum for Healthy, Fuller Looking Hair
OUAI
$54
Giving it enough time
Hair grows slowly, so treat this like a long project. Pick one supplement, one scalp product and one gentle wash, stick with them for at least three months, and keep notes.
Eat properly, sleep, and do not ignore the basics that no bottle can replace. If you see sudden shedding, patches, or thinning that worries you, speak to a doctor first. Hair changes can have causes that a supplement will not touch, and it is always worth ruling them out before you buy anything. Iron levels, thyroid changes, stress, a new medication or a recent illness can all show up in the mirror months later, and only a professional can tell you which one is at play.
On the practical side, keep your supplements somewhere you will see them, like next to the toothbrush. Reassess after the three months with your before photos, and if you see no change, that is useful information too. Then you can stop, switch, or ask for advice, rather than carrying on out of habit.
