I Tested This At-Home Hair-Growth Device for Months So You Don’t Have to (2024)

obsessive tester Nov. 12, 2024

By Hanna Flanagan, a Cut Shop editor who covers all the best fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products that are actually worth your money. Before joining the Cut, she wrote for Cosmopolitan and People.

I Tested This At-Home Hair-Growth Device for Months So You Don’t Have to (2)

Photo: Hanna Flanagan

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I’ve had more conversations about hair loss with girlfriends, family members, and co-workers in the past two years alone than I had previously in my entire life. “Whole clumps just falling out every time I take a shower,” I hear them say. “I have bald spots!” Other friends, who once relied on the always-chic slicked-back bun in between washes, have scrapped the style from their routine completely in an effort to hide their “bald spots.” I can’t scroll TikTok without seeing a Nutrafol review or a video about at-homethinning-hair remedies. I’ve even noticed thinning around my own hairline in the past six months. (At first, I thought I was just being paranoid after hearing everyone else talk about it. But upon further investigation, I realized I do, in fact, have sparse areas around my hairline. *Cries.*)

I Tested This At-Home Hair-Growth Device for Months So You Don’t Have to (3)

Photo: Hanna Flanagan

Beauty brands have certainly tapped into our collective concern. New hair-growth supplements, shampoos, and serums are launching left and right. And these days, it seems like consumers are taking hair care just as seriously as (if not more seriously than) skin care. So it make sense that one of the trendiest skin-care advancements in recent years, LED light therapy, has made its way into hair care. Enter red-light hats and helmets, which can help reduce hair shedding and visibly increase the growth of thicker, healthier, and faster-growing hair over time.

I Tested This At-Home Hair-Growth Device for Months So You Don’t Have to (4)

HigherDOSE Red Light Hat

How do red light caps work?

Hair loss can be hereditary, but it can also be caused by other factors including age, hormonal changes, stress, or certain medical conditions. Red-light caps can treat all types of hair loss by harnessing the power of red-light wave lengths to help stimulate hair follicles. It increases blood flow to the scalp, reactivates dormant follicles, and helps increases cell turnover. The HigherDOSE device, specifically, also claims to promote a strong and healthy scalp.

This type of advanced technology is expensive, plus it takes several months of consistent use to see results. So I tested a red light hat from HigherDOSE to see if it lived up to the hype before you went spending your time and hard-earned money on one. Keep reading for my full review.

Does the HigherDOSE Red Light Hat actually work?

The news is: I was super-impressed with this product. The bad news is: It’s definitely a slow process but I started to notice results after about three months of wearing it four to five times per week. I can’t say there’s been a ton of new hair growth — although, keep in mind, I didn’t have visible bald spots to begin with — but I have noticed that my hair feels thicker and stronger. I’m hopeful that the spareness around my hairline will be visibly gone after a few more months of using this device.

My hair is not falling out in the shower as much as it used to, and I don’t see loose strands all over my clothes after brushing my hair in the morning. The shedding hasn’t completely stopped, but it’s definitely improved.

The HigherDOSE cap gets a solid 10/10 based on convenience and overall comfort. So many red-light therapy devices I’ve tried for the face come with (what feels like) millions of miscellaneous charging cords and confusing buttons, but this one is completely cordless and user-friendly. All you have to do is press and hold the power button and wear it for ten minutes. The button beeps when the treatment is over, which I love because I can go about my day without keeping track of the time. The charging process is also super-easy: Plug the battery (which is magnetically attached to the back of the hat) into the USB cord or an iPhone charger. I can get about two weeks of wear out of each charge.

How long should you wear a red-light cap?

Each device is different but the HigherDOSE one should be worn for ten minutes daily for at least 16 weeks. Continued use for six months-plus will yield even better and more visible results, according to the brand’s website.

Is there a downside to red light caps?

Medically, no: Red-light caps are widely considered safe, since the level of red light and infrared light they emit is low. My one complaint with the HigherDOSE hat is that there’s a large power button/battery attached to the back of it, which defeats the purpose of this being a discreet treatment disguised as a regular baseball cap. The hat looks pretty normal from the front (it’s slightly bulky, but that’s just me being nitpicky), so I don’t mind wearing it on Zoom calls throughout the workday. But the clunky attachment in the back keeps me from wearing it in public.

Other than that, the biggest con is that you really do have to be consistent if you want to see results. If you’ve ever used LED light-therapy skin-care devices, you know that wearing one a few times per week — or even every day for a month, then never again — won’t do anything. The HigherDOSE red-light hat is no different. You have to wear it as directed, which is somewhat annoying and time-consuming, to see results.

So is the HigherDOSE Red Light Hat worth it?

Yes, particularly if you really struggle with hair loss but don’t have access to costly clinical laser treatments or a surgical hair-transplant procedure. This product is definitely an investment, but it’s completely safe, non-invasive, and much more affordable than the alternatives. It’s also an effective treatment you can do from the comfort of your own home, which is always a bonus.