Hims vs Happy Head Subscription Compared

Dealing with hair loss can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to find the right treatment.

Hims and Happy Head are two very popular subscription services that offer hair loss solutions, but they approach it in different ways.

I’ve dug through both to do a detailed comparison, so hopefully you can decide which one best fits your needs.

Long Story Short

I’ll cut to the chase: if you want a straightforward, affordable range of men’s products for hair loss/hair care, then Hims is a solid choice.

But, if you want a highly personalized treatment plan with tailored ingredients and concentrations provided by certified dermatologists, then Happy Head might be worth the extra investment.

Hims vs Happy : Head to Head

Focus

Winner: Happy Head

Hims offers a very wide range of men’s health products to treat everything from mental health problems, erectile dysfunction, and skin care. In other words it’s a one-stop shop for pretty much every male-related health concern.

Happy Head, on the other hand, maintains a laser focus on hair care only. Specifically it promotes personal care specifically for hair growth. If that’s your main concern, then Happy Head definitely keeps its eye on the ball.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Hims won’t be able to prescribe effective hair loss treatments. It just isn’t as specialized as Happy Head.

Product selection

Winner: Happy Head

Both Hims and Happy Ingredients use well-known ingredients to treat hair loss like minoxidil and finasteride. Many of these are also FDA-approved, though admittedly not specifically for treating hair loss in every case.

Hims provides more standardized formulation, which can be effective. Still, the fact that there’s very limited personalization means it may not be the best choice for this with specific hair loss patterns or sensitivities. (As in my case).

Popular Hims product categories include:

• Topical Minoxidil
• Finasteride tablets
• Minoxidil foam (5%)
• DHT-Blocking Shampoos
• 2-in-1 sprays (Minoxidil and Finasteride)

As I outlined earlier, Happy Head stands out for its customizable formulas. These include FDA-approved ingredients like minoxidil but also more off-label ones like dutasteride and latanoprost. This makes for much more targeted hair loss solutions, which is why Happy Head’s product selection wins in this category.

Happy Head’s product categories include:

• Customizable topical solutions using ingredients like Minoxidil, Finasteride, Dutasteride, and Latanoprost in varying concentrations.
• Dermaroller kits
• ‘SuperCapsules’ (oral medications combining Minodixil, Finasteride and vitamin D3)
• Finasteride tablets
• Minoxidil tablets

Customization

Winner: Happy Head

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Happy Head comes out on top when it comes to customizing products. 

New subscribers complete a detailed questionnaire, then do a consultation with a dermatologist who can then recommend a treatment on their age, sex, medical history, and hair growth plan.

Existing customers can request a followup consultation with their dermatologist at any time, either to switch out their hair growth treatments or to tweak the formula to their needs, as I did to make sure the topical solutions didn’t irritate my scalp.

Happy Head also has a six-month guarantee meaning you can return your most recent order for a full refund within that period. However, this doesn’t apply to non-prescription products.

As I outlined in the ‘Product selection’ category above, Hims offers much more standardized hair loss treatments. Customers still complete an intake form but are recommended one of the products in Hims’ existing range such as oral capsules, sprays, or chewables. The products themselves can’t be customized to a subscriber’s specific needs.

Pricing

Winner: Hims

None of us want to pay any more for a product or service than we have to. Hims products are generally more affordable than those of Happy Head, making it a good option for people on a budget.

Prices range from $15 to $60 per month, the higher end being for bundled products. The exact price will depend on the exact treatment and subscription plan.

Happy Head prices start at around $24 for oral finasteride. However, its personalized topical treatments range between $59 and $119 per month, depending on the combination and concentration of ingredients. It also offers bundled packages to keep costs down. (See below).

Naturally, there can be a difference between overall cost and value for money. If Hims’ range of products are effective at treating your hair loss though, you can save some serious cash. 

Bundling

Winner: Tie

As we’ve just seen, you can enjoy some serious discounts with both Hims and Happy Head by purchasing bundles of products.

I’ve been very impressed by the offerings from both platforms so will simply lay out what’s on offer and let you decide for yourself.

Hims impressed me with its ‘non-prescription hair loss kit’. This bundle includes the following  for $37 per month.

• Minoxidil (2 fl. oz bottle)
• Thick Fix Shampoo (6.4 fl. oz bottle)
• The Vitamin (30 Biotin Gummies)

One of Happy Head’s bestsellers is its ‘Hair Growth Gift Set’. This costs $98 but the site is keen to point out that when purchased separately  include products that would otherwise cost $210, namely:

• Thickening shampoo (8 fl. oz)
• Thickening conditioner (8 fl. oz)
• Hair supplements (120 capsules)
• $50 off your first Topical Solution Subscription

Naturally how much value Hims or Happy Head bundles represent to you will depend on your specific needs. This is why I’ve scored both companies equally in this category.

Subscription Models

Winner: Hims

Both Hims and Happy Head offer subscription plans but the two platforms have different approaches.

Happy Head follows a basic monthly subscription. This means you generally pay the same fee each time. The platform does offer some discounts for those willing to pay up front e.g. six months for select Rx topical solutions but this doesn’t apply to every product. Obviously this also means you can cancel your monthly payments at any time. 

Hims offers more flexibility when it comes to subscriptions with three, six, and twelve month plans. Some products even offer a five month option.

Products still ship monthly but you can save cash by paying up front. For example, Hims’ Hair Loss Duo is $39 per month on the three-month plan ($117 total) but comes down to $32 per month on a 12-month plan ($384 total). This represents a total saving of $84 per year if you choose a 12-month subscription over four 3-month subscriptions.

Expertise

Winner: Happy Head

Both Hims and Happy Head offer consultations to potential new subscribers but they don’t do so in the same way.

The Hims platform can connect customers with General Practitioners, who can assess their level of hair loss and recommend standardized treatments.

This can make for a very quick consultation, provided a subscriber has no major health issues. However, these medical professionals don’t necessarily specialize in hair loss.

This is why I’ve awarded this particular category to Happy Head, which uses board-certified dermatologists to carry out consultations. 

In case you’re wondering, dermatologists aren’t just run-of-the-mill Doctors. They undergo years of additional, specialized training to understand hair and skin conditions like hair loss. This gives them a much better understanding of hair growth mechanisms, making it more likely they’ll be able to recommend a treatment plan that works best for you.

In fact, using dermatologists is exactly what allows Happy Head to offer so many customized formulations with up to 200 different ingredients, last I checked. These guys have plenty of experience with prescribing and monitoring more exotic hair loss treatments like dutasteride and latanoprost, which aren’t typically offered by general practitioners.

All of the above makes for much more advanced (and powerful) hair loss treatments. While Hims offers live chat and support, Happy Head actually provides 24/7 access to dermatologists too, so customers can adjust their formula or change their products quickly.

Support for Women

Winner: Happy Head

One of the biggest misconceptions is that only men can experience hair loss. This is down to terms like ‘male pattern baldness’.

This ignores the fact that many factors can cause women to lose hair, including postpartum shedding, hormonal changes, and the menopause.

When it comes to Hims, the clue’s in the name – hair loss treatments are standardized and almost exclusively designed for men.

Admittedly, the site does sell topical minoxidil which can be used to treat hair loss in women. However, Happy Head offers more flexibility for females given that during the consultation process its dermatologists can provide customized topical blends.

These can include ingredients besides Minoxidil like Finasteride, Spironolactone, and Latanoprost to address women’s specific hair loss patterns. They can also prescribe oral Spironolactone, which can also stimulate hair growth by blocking DHT.

In fairness to Hims I should also mention that the company has a partner brand for women, which as you can probably guess is named ‘Hers’. It does have a dedicated hair health section but also specializes in other health issues like skin care and weight loss. 

Form Factors

Winner: Tie

I should probably explain that when I say ‘form factors’ I’m referring to the variety of methods you can use to treat hair loss.

When I first started using Hims, the website offered a much greater variety of products than its competitors. This included simple oral treatments like Minoxidil, all the way up to foams, serums, sprays and shampoos. 

In recent years Happy Head has really upped its game. True, it’s mostly known for its topical hair loss solutions that are designed to be applied directly to the scalp itself by way of a dropper. 

Still, as we saw earlier with the ‘Hair Growth Gift Set’, Happy Head also now offers a range of foams, shampoos, conditioners, and even oral supplements.

Shipping Options 

Winner: Happy Head

The good news is that both Hims and Happy Head offer automatic shipping to subscribers. I also found that both platforms use discrete shipping, so I was able to hide my hair loss shame from the neighbors.

Still, I’ve placed the crown on Happy Head here, as shipping is free for all orders – both prescription and non-prescription. This means you can save some cash if you’re making multiple purchases and/or are signed up for multiple subscriptions.

Shipping is done at regular 25 day intervals by default, though you can change this from the ‘Subscriptions’ section of your online account. 

The company mostly uses USPS First Class / Ground Advantage for deliveries. These are tried and tested courier companies, but Happy Head only ships within the United States. 

This is one area where Hims shines, as they have a partner website in the UK. (This is where I first signed up, so I know it works well.) The platform also uses DHL SmartMail, FedEx SmartPost, or USPS for international shipping, depending on the product you ordered.

While non-prescription Hims products are shipped free of charge, there’s a $5 fee for over-the-counter meds. This is on a per-product basis, so if you order multiple small items like shampoos regularly it can mount up.

The Final Verdict

When it comes to choosing between Hims and Happy Head, you need to decide what you value the most.

In my own case, I wanted to go for a cost-effective and straightforward solution first, which is why I opted for Hims. Unfortunately, the standardized product that arrived on my doorstep caused scalp irritation.

This is what led me to understand the importance of personalized hair-loss treatments drawn up by a qualified dermatologist. Using custom formulas allowed me to stimulate hair growth, but not at the expense of my scalp.

Of course, this came at a higher price so you have to decide if this is the right choice for you. What really tipped the scales in Happy Head’s favor for me though was the six-month guarantee. In other words, if the treatment hadn’t worked, I knew I’d get my money back.

Still, your hair regrowth journey may be different from mine. If you’ve tried one or both of Hims or Happy Head, please feel free to write about your experiences in the comments!