You may lose a few strands of hair every now and then especially when you brush your hair – that is quite normal.
However, this hair should be able to grow back within a short period. That said; we have a feeling that you are here because your hair is thinning out or you are losing large chunks of it at an alarming rate.
The worst part is that you have probably tried hair treatments and supplements all of which have failed you.
Well, we may have the solution you are looking for and it comes in the form of the Viviscal Supplement. In this review, we are going to give our honest opinion of this product and whether it is dependable or not.
Quick Facts
Product: Viviscal
Manufacturer: Lifes2Good
Country: Made in USA
Table of Contents
Viviscal in Review: An Overview
Viviscal is a hair supplement in that contains a special ingredient from the sea, minerals, vitamins, and herbal extracts.
The special ingredient that we have mentioned is known as AminoMar and is not available in other hair loss supplements.
This supplement costs $38 per box of monthly supply, which we found to be quite expensive compared to our #1 hair supplement which costs $25 for a monthly supply.
Related: Just How True Are “Initial Shedding” Claims Being Made on Viviscal?
How it Works
Viviscal is rich in vitamins and minerals and you may be asking how that will benefit you. Well, these work to strengthen your hair roots.
Are you aware that weak hair roots gradually become dormant and ultimately cause hair loss? Therefore, by addressing this problem, Viviscal combats more than just hair thinning.
This product also nourishes the scalp and prevents your hair from becoming brittle. Of course, this helps in preventing hair loss.
The supplement also contains a good amount of zinc, which has been proven to repair weak hair follicles and promote regrowth of healthy hair. Need we say more?
What it Includes
The key ingredients in Viviscal are earth-grown and natural. Let us look at these ingredients in detail and how they may contribute to hair growth shall we?
1. Herbal Ingredients
As far as herbal extracts, Viviscal contains two.
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Horsetail Extract
Just as the name suggests, this extract is derived from the horsetail plant. It looks like a horse’s tail and is rich in silicon, which works to strengthen your hair and reduce breakage.
Ultimately, this extract encourages the growth of new hair and reduces shedding.
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Millet Seed Extract
Millet seed contains sterols such as miliacin and linoleic acid. What these do is to promote hair growth by reinforcing your hair roots.
Miliacin for instance improves scalp health by repairing any damage to your scalp and reducing irritation in your hair roots.
2. Vitamins and Minerals
Viviscal contains 6 minerals and vitamins that are known to promote hair growth.
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Niacin
Also known as vitamin B3, niacin moisturizes and nourishes the scalp. This is vital for the growth of healthy hair.
Niacin also assists your hair follicles to produce stronger hair hence reducing brittleness.
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Vitamin C
This particular vitamin is a known antioxidant that safeguards your system from free radicals. These free radicals can cause oxidative stress and ultimately damage your cells and tissues.
Vitamin C works to protect your hair follicles from the same.
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Biotin
This ingredient is associated with the vitamin B family and therefore plays an important part in promoting hair growth. Besides that, biotin combats shedding and breakage all while giving your hair volume.
That said; Viviscal contains very low levels of Biotin 100mcg. In fact, it is below the recommended daily dosage of 300 to 1000mcg. Its manufacturers probably assumed that you are already getting enough of this vital hair growth vitamin from your daily diet. Yet, that might not be the case!
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Zinc
As we have previously mentioned, zinc contains antioxidant properties that work to promote tissue growth and repair.
Zinc promotes faster growth of hair and eliminates free radicals.
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Iron
Muscle cells and red blood cells comprise about 70% of your body’s iron content. Red blood cells supply all the organs in your body with oxygen so that they can effectively perform their functions.
Therefore, as you can imagine, a deficiency in iron can cause your hair to shed and leave your scalp without the nourishment it requires.
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Calcium
Calcium is known to play an important role in the release of hormones and enzymes required for several body functions.
Most importantly as far as this supplement is concerned, calcium works to promote hair growth.
3. L-Cystine and L-Methionine
When combined with other nutrients, L-Cystine is known to repair damaged hair and stimulate hair regrowth.
Your body also needs L-Methionine; a sulfurous a-amino acid is which is considered an essential amino acid.
Nevertheless, the human body cannot produce L-Methionine on its own.
Therefore, you have to get the amount of L-Methionine that the body requires from diet and nutrition. L-Methionine is necessary for the creation of L-Cysteine and building of proteins both of which are crucial in the growth and maintenance of healthy hair.
However…
If L-Cystine and L-Methionine amino acids are taken in large doses, they can be toxic so we would advise to avoid them completely. That said; Viviscal has them in extremely low dosages so they might not do any harm.
4. Procyanidin B2
Another thing you may want to note is that Viviscal contains Procyanidin B2, which is known to be toxic if taken in large dosages. This makes it the third ingredient that is potentially toxic in the supplement.
Although Viviscal contains only a small dose of Procyanidin B2, we would rather avoid any gray areas in the supplements we recommend to our readers.
5. Unique Ingredient (AminoMar)
Viviscal can boast of being the only hair supplement that contains AminoMar as an original ingredient. This special ingredient is derived from marine animals.
Simply put, it is a blend of shark powder derived from shark cartilage and mollusk. Clinical tests have revealed that AminoMar is capable of promoting hair growth.
That said; there is not enough research to establish the long-term effects of using this ingredient.
Advantages
The following are some of the benefits you will get to enjoy when you purchase this supplement.
- It comes with a 30-day money back guarantee
- Viviscal comes in two different formulas for men and women
- There are many positive reviews about the supplement online
- The supplement works on all hair types
- Simple to administer by only taking a pill twice daily
Potential Drawbacks
Everything under the sun has its own drawbacks and the Viviscal supplement is no exception. Here is what we did not like about it.
- It comes with a few side effects such as vomiting and nausea.
- The supplement is not an affordable option compared to similar supplements such as Folexin.
- Results of the supplement may vary from person to person.
Side Effects of the Hair Supplement
Although Viviscal is mostly natural and drug-free as the product label claims, there have been some negative effects reported by some people who have used the supplement.
They include:
Unpleasant After-taste
Some people reported that after ingesting the pills, they remained with a bitter after taste in the mouth that lasted a while.
Considering that you need to take these pills twice daily for six months, this may be a bit uncomfortable.
Constipation and Stomach-ache
It is possible that you will experience constipation or stomach upset upon taking this supplement. Therefore, if you have a sensitive stomach, you may want to consider that.
Allergic Reactions
Some of the ingredients in the Viviscal supplement may cause allergic reactions. For instance, the product label does not state that the supplement contains fish-related ingredients, which is quite unfortunate.
Therefore, if you are allergic to fish, you may want to desist from using the supplement.
Vomiting and Nausea
This hair supplement may cause vomiting or nausea albeit rarely. It would be wise to stop using it if it causes the same.
About the Manufacturer
Lifes2good is the company behind Viviscal and has been in operation since 1997. We like that the company has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau because this makes it reputable.
What Lifes2good does is to obtain from other companies and individuals high-potential beauty and health products that are in the initial development stages.They then use consumer insights to continue developing these products so that they are able to meet consumer needs.
You can access Viviscal on the manufacturer’s official website or purchase it from online stores such as Amazon. The company focuses on producing vitamin supplements that promote hair growth as well as improve hair health.
Conclusion
We cannot deny that Viviscal is a decent hair supplement with ingredients that can actually promote hair growth.
However, this product does not contain a DHT blocker and may therefore not be as effective in combating hair loss caused by DHT, which is common in men over the age of 30.
Folexin on the other hand contains a natural DHT blocker known as Saw Palmetto.
Verdict
Having done this unbiased review of Viviscal, we feel that although it is a good product, better, cheaper, and safer alternatives exist and Folexin is just but one of them. That said; most people out there seem to like it a lot. For that reason, we will not write it off as an non-achiever.
