Hairmax Red Light Therapy: Does It Really Work? (Yes)

HairMax has a good success rate with people with the right types of hair loss and the right skin types. Not everyone grows hair using light therapy. When it does work, it works well.

Wear the cap for half an hour, three days a week. That’s it! Hair regrows about 1/2 inch per month. There are 11 baldness patterns that do well with low-level light therapy (LLLT) to regrow hair, but there are several types of hair loss that do not do well.

Takeaways

• The principle of shining red light on hair follicles goes back to the 1960s.
• In human and mouse studies, the HairMax LaserComb increased hair growth rate and strength over controls.
• Make sure you have a receptive type of hair loss before buying any hair regrowth product.

Does HairMax Really Work?

HairMax devices use lasers to cast red light onto the scalp. At-home low-level light therapy (LLLT) wellness devices usually include LEDs rather than lasers. Scientific studies have shown that LEDs can accomplish most if not everything, lasers can achieve in LLLT. Some practitioners disagree and think lasers are better. Lasers can be faster because they are capable of outputting more power.

Products in this Article

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• Hairmax LaserBand 82
• Hairmax PowerFlex

HairMax Regrows Hair on 11 Baldness Patterns

There are nine female and 12 male baldness patterns. The Ludwig-Savin Classification describes female hair. The Norwood Hamilton Classification describes male hair. HairMax products grow hair in four female hair loss types and seven male baldness types. For men, HairMax can work for Norwood levels IIa, III, IIIa, III-vertex, IV, IVa, and V.

For women, HairMax can work for hair loss types I-4, II-1, II-2, and Frontal.

HairMax is Tested on Lighter Skin

The Fitzpatrick Scale describes six skin types. HairMax has tested its laser hair growth devices on four out of the seven skin types. Studies show that lasers grow hair on white and brown-skinned people. Although HairMax has not published science on using its products on black skin, its website says that It has thousands of customers with dark skin who grow hair back with Its products.

The company says that its device works on darker skin.

How Long Does it Take to Grow Hair?

Using HairMax products for the proscribed time three days per week, users see hair growth between three and four months. You continue to use the device to keep your gains. It’s debated, but generally, hair stops progressing at 26 weeks. For many people, the gains reached at 26 weeks are the peak progress using HairMax products.

How Often Do You Use HairMax?

Use your HairMax three days per week, every other day. Do not use red light therapy more or less than instructed. Not only do you not grow hair faster with more treatments, but you can also quickly stop progress with too much light. Studies show that light therapy works when enough but not too much light cast on the target. If there is not enough light or too much light, hair does not grow.

What About Hair Growth Side Effects?

There are no reported side effects of using HairMax hair growth products. The lasers do not give off heat, so there is no chance of burning. Thousands of studies show that red light in hair growth products is safe. HairMax and light therapy, in general, are non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, and painless.

Dampen the Hair Before Use

Use HairMax on damp but not wet hair. The lasers are most effective when the hair is towel-dried, damp, but no longer soaking. People often use hair growth lasers after washing and towel drying them.

FDA Cleared Red Light Therapy for Hair

HairMax LaserCombs do work to grow hair. The HairMax Company was the first to achieve FDA Cleared status with the FDA. Companies that came after HairMax could state that their products were substantially similar to HairMax products. However, before the FDA, HairMax had to prove to be a “novel” use. HairMax ran multiple tests on animals and humans to demonstrate the effectiveness of the hair growth lasers.

How to Use the HairMax LaserComb

Allow the LaserComb teeth to reach the scalp. This is your starting spot. You hold the device on each spot for 4 seconds. After each four-second segment, move the LaserComb 1 inch to the next place you want to treat. It looks like a brush, but you do not “brush your hair.”

1. Remove the charging plug from the LaserComb handle.
2. To start the laser, press the bottom and then the top button.
3. Hold the LaserComb at your hairline.
4. Start on your right side.
5. Push the comb to your scalp so you feel the soft teeth.
6. Hold the comb on your hairline.
7. When the device beeps, move it one inch backward.
8. Hold until the device beeps.
9. Continue until you reach the middle back of your head.
10. Repeat the process from the top of your head.
11. Repeat the process on the left side of your head.
12. Repeat the left, top, and right cycles two more times.
13. Plug the comb in for recharging.
14. Use the HairMax three times per week, no more, no less, exactly as instructed.

The Differences Between the HairMax LaserComb 9 and 12

• The HairMax 9 is a LaserComb with nine lasers and 11 minutes of treatment time; the HairMax 12 is a LaserComb with 12 lasers and 8 minutes of treatment time.
• The LaserComb 9 is the cheapest HairMax device you can buy. The more lasers a product has, the faster its treatment times and the more expensive it is.
• LaserComb 9 has the fewest lasers and the longest treatment time, and it is the cheapest device.
• LaserComb 12 is one level up from Laser 9. It has a few more lasers, a shorter treatment time, and a slightly higher cost.
• The LaserComb 12 has a 37.5% faster treatment time than the LaserComb 9 and costs approximately 45% more.
• You spend 11 minutes using the LaserComb 9, or 8 minutes using the LaserComb 12. The extra 3 minutes add up when your arm gets tired, which is why the LaserComb 12 is a good deal.
• The LaserComb is a handheld hair growth device that is not hands-free.

The LaserBand is partially hands-free, and the LaserCap is hands-free.

The Differences Between the HairMax LaserBand 41 and 82

The HairMax 41 is a LaserBand with 41 lasers and 3 minutes of treatment time; the HairMax 82 is a LaserBand with 82 lasers and 90 seconds of treatment time. The LaserBand 82 has twice the lasers as the LaeserBand 41, but the LaserBand 82 price is only 45% higher than LaserBand 41. When you buy a LaserBand 82, you get 100% more lasers and a 50% reduction in treatment time, which costs 45% more than the LaserBand 41.

Each LaserBand treatment affects one-third of the head, so you do three treatments per daily session to apply red light therapy to the whole scalp. You can skip that third if you do not need therapy in an area. If you do all three, the actual time per day is 9 minutes for the LaserBand 41, and 4.5 minutes for the LaserBand 82. That’s one session times three areas.

The LaserBand is a toothed semi-circle on your head at the top, middle, or back. The teeth are similar to those you see in the LaserComb. To use the LaserBand, you place the device on your head so that the teeth part your hair and touch the scalp. Allow the device to treat your scalp for 3 minutes (LaserBand 41) or 1.5 minutes (LaserBand 82). After that section, you do the other two sections for 3 minutes each.

The Differences Between the HairMax PowerFlex Laser Cap 202 and 272

The HairMax PowerFlex 202 is a laser cap with 202 lasers and 15 or 30 minutes of treatment. The PowerFlex 272 is a laser cap with 272 lasers. Treatment time is 15 or 30 minutes. The PowerFlex 272 has 70 (35%) more lasers than the PowerFlex 202.

Why get a Laser Cap over a LaserBand or LaserComb?

• The LaserCap is hands-free, and the other devices require active participation for the entire treatment.
• The Laser Cap treatment time is longer, but you must use your hands during the session.
• The Laser Cap is a different experience than the LaserComb and LaserBand. The Laser Cap does not have teeth to part the hair. The interior is lined with a soft, clear silicone insert.
• The LaserComb treats a small portion of the head each pass, the LaserBand treats one-third of the head each pass, and the Laser Cap treats the entire head at once.
• The 15 or 30-minute treatment time reflects continuous or pulsing wave modes. In continuous mode, the lights shine for a 15-minute long treatment. In pulse mode, the lights pulse on and off for a 30-minute treatment. The lights pulse at 1 Hz (Hertz) or once per second. There is good evidence that pulsing works in light therapy; however, I am not sure that the pulsing advantage applies here. It might have an advantage I have not seen yet in the literature.
• The #272 has 35% more lasers than the #202, costing 12% more than the #20. HairMax does not claim that 35% more lasers speed up hair growth. The extra 70 lasers each session may stimulate the follicles to grow thicker hair. That would be the assumption.

The Differences Between the HairMax Flip 80 and the PowerFlex Laser Caps

The HairMax Flip 80 is a cheaper way to get the hands-free benefits of the PowerFlex caps. The Flip 80 is lined with lasers on half of its interior. A session includes two treatments, one with the cap forward, and one with the cap flipped the opposite way. Each session is 15 minutes for a total treatment time of 30 minutes. The Flip 80 does not have a choice between continuous and pulsing that the laser caps have. Therefore, your choice is two 15-minute sessions with the Flip 80, compared to one 15-minute continuous wave session with the PowerFlex laser caps. The Flip 80 takes twice as long, but it is hands-free and significantly cheaper than the PowerFlex caps.

How to Use the HairMax Flip Laser Cap

1. Remove the charging cable.
2. Press the button to turn the cap on.
3. Put the cap on so the lights are in the front.
4. Allow the cap to sit for 15 minutes.
5. Reverse the cap so the lights are in the back for another 15 minutes.
6. Plug the cap back into its charger.
7. Repeat the process three times per week, every week, no more, no less.

How to Use the HairMax PowerFlex Laser Cap

1. Unplug the battery controller from the wall.
2. With the cap on your head and plugged into the controller battery back, press the bottom button on the controller.
3. The lights will come on for a 15-minute timed session.
4. When the session is done, take the cap off, and plug the battery pack into the wall to recharge.
5. Do one 15-minute treatment per day, three days per week.

Test HairMax Products

If you have dark skin or you are not sure of your “hair loss type,” then check with HairMax before buying a hair growth device. HairMax splits the risk of you wanting to return your device. If you do return a device within 6 months, you pay a 20% (LaserComb and LaserBand) or 25% (PowerFlex and Flip caps) fee, plus shipping and insurance. HairMax states they have a 93% success rate with customers who qualify for the treatment and follow the protocol. The chances of you wanting to return the device are small, so long as you take a few simple steps before you buy. Before purchasing the laser hair growth product from HairMax, ensure you have the type of hair loss that the devices are known to treat. If you have dark skin, or you are not sure of your “hair loss type,” then check with HairMax before buying a hair growth device.