I tried the Viviscal Gorgeous Growth System for 6 months. Here’s what happened.

This blog post is sponsored by Viviscal. All experiences and opinions are my own.

I bet you thought hair loss was only something men worried about. Turns out, hair loss is something that can affect women too. Factors like stress, diet, hormones, major life changes or medications can all have an effect on our hair (1) and oftentimes our confidence. I am one of these women affected by hair loss, experiencing pretty life-shattering hair shedding and hair thinning in my late 20s. Seems like everyone had a suggestion for how to stop my hair woes. I got all kinds of advice: castor oil, relaxation, B-vitamins, exercise, yoga, eat salads, biotin gummy bears, egg whites (you read that right)...you name it. While sifting through all of these suggestions, a friend of mine ended up mentioning Viviscal. I remember her RAVING about how well it worked, so I started to get curious. I actually heard about Viviscal a few times when I was researching things I could do to help “fix” my hair. I was ready to try anything, probably since it felt more and more like my shower drain and my vacuum cleaner had more of my hair in them than I had on my own head...

Photo taken by Style Apotheca Inc. Permission must be granted before use or distribution.

What is Viviscal and What Is It Supposed To Do?

The Viviscal Extra Strength supplements are a naturally-derived supplement that is taken twice daily with food, and is meant to help promote thicker, fuller-looking hair in men and women (1). The star ingredient in Viviscal is their proprietary AminoMarC marine complex. AminoMarC is the groundbreaking, clinically-proven marine complex available exclusively in Viviscal supplements (1). Derived from key marine protein molecules combined with a blend of Horsetail (Stem) Extract and naturally occurring Silica, it provides essential nutrients needed to promote existing hair growth from within.

Viviscal claims to support new the look of thicker, fuller looking hair in the following steps (1):

Nourishing the hair follicle from within
Strengthening and stimulating existing hair
Hair appearing noticeably thicker and fuller

For best results, Vivisical recommends the supplement be taken twice daily with food for a minimum of 6 months (1).

My Hair Concerns

I used to have “good” hair. It was thick, long, and naturally curly. The kind of smooth “S-wave” curls any Carrie Bradshaw fan would adore. My hair was “good” all the way up until the end of high school. I never even dyed my hair until I was well over twenty.

Then I discovered hair straighteners, boxed hair dye, curling wands, crimpers, hair extensions, bleach, sulfates, parabens and whatever else ultra-damaging, ultra-drying ventures one could put their hair through. And girl, I put my hair through it all deep into my twenties.

I’m a Millennial now, in my early 30s. I guess with the stress of trying to own real estate in today’s housing market, securing a strongwoman career and maintaining my fitness, my social life, a zen sense of inner peace, doing the #selfcare with bath bombs and red wine, brunches, avo toasting, perfecting the mirror selfie and trying to look good in Millennial Pink, I noticed my hair was starting to get thinner. It felt like more of my hair would end up in a fluffy pile on the floor after styling it, or end up in my shower drain...than was on my head. I noticed my hairline looked particularly thin and was almost receding. I never wanted to wear it in a sleek Kim-K bun, for fear of pointing out my progressively sparse hairline. My hair would grow verrrrrry slowly, and then would always end up breaking and looking like straw once it grew past my shoulders.

Before I started Viviscal Gorgeous Growth System My Main Hair Concerns Were:

Fine texture

Shedding
Breakage
Thinning
Visible patchiness

So! Given all of these claims, clinical results and testimonials, your shedding, thin-haired girl was curious. This is my 6 month experience using the Viviscal Gorgeous Growth system. Here we go!

BELOW: My hair before taking Viviscal. All photos were taken in early January 2019.

Ingredients

The key ingredient in Viviscal is AminoMarC, a clinically-proven marine complex available exclusively in Viviscal supplements.

The AminoMarC complex, together with the added vitamins and minerals in Viviscal (e.g. Vitamin C, silica) work to help nourish hair, promote hair growth and reduce hair shedding over time. Viviscal has even done their own clinical research into how it works for hair - you can check some of those out here here.

Dosage and ingredients of Viviscal Extra Strength Hair Nourishing supplement. Modified from www.vivscal.ca 2019.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the marine ingredients in the AminoMar Complex, Viviscal is not suitable for vegans and should be avoided in those who have allergies/intolerances to shellfish.

Viviscal is cruelty free. Viviscal states the supplements are not recommended for pregnant or nursing women, or anyone under the age of 18. Ask your pharmacist or doctor if Viviscal is right for you.

How Much Is It?

3-month cost and convenience breakdown of Viviscal

My Experience

Viviscal suggests to take one tablet twice daily with food for a minimum of 6 months to see the best results. One box contains 60 tablets, a one-month supply of supplement. Heads up, I’m NOT a very good pill-taker at all. I definitely missed doses here and there, especially on weekends when my routine is all over the place. I also missed a good 3 weeks in April when we were going through an incredibly stressful and sad time with our family dog. Despite this, I still noticed improvements in my hair from baseline.

The tablets are tiny and easy to take: about the size of a Sweet Tart or Smarties candy. Despite the marine ingredients, the pills don’t have a fishy taste, aftertaste or smell. There are no fishburps to worry about! The tablets are coated, so are easy to swallow (if you have troubles with pills!), and almost have a sweet taste to them.

I usually take my doses after breakfast and after supper. The evening doses were always challenging for me to remember, so I would highly suggest finding a way to work the supplement into your daily routine for best results and to stay consistent. I usually workout in the evenings, so started taking the second dose after my post-workout smoothie once I got home. That seemed to do the trick for me in terms of sticking to the regimen.

I didn’t really change my diet, exercise or supplement routine throughout this course. I tend to eat a fairly “balanced” Mediterranean-style diet, and do consume alcohol socially. In addition to Viviscal, I was also taking a B50 complex, magnesium, MCT powder in my coffee, and the occasional bovine collagen powder shot in my smoothies to help with joint stiffness. I work out 4-6 days a week of moderate-to-high intensity activity. And I eat chocolate. A lot.

If you have a sensitive stomach, I would try taking each dose with your largest meals of the day. Or start slowly at once daily for a couple of days, then work your way up to the recommended twice daily dosing once you know it’s well tolerated.

My Results

SO, like I said above, I was definitely not the perfect user when it came to taking my Viviscal supplements 100% of the time. I’d say my average adherence through this 6-month experience was probably taking as directed approximately 4-5 times a week. And guess what? I STILL saw results and even had other people notice (especially with my baby hairs around my hairline when I wear my hair in a bun)!

I’m kind of kicking myself now, because had I been “optimally” adherent, who knows how much more improvement I’d be seeing in my hair, and probably my overall confidence, because I am pretty self-conscious about my weird hairline and shedding hair.

The most noticeable result for me was in the shower. When I first noticed my hair shedding, it was in the shower drain; when first I noticed my Viviscal results, it was also in the shower drain. The mesh drain catcher in our shower would get clogged with what felt like every wash, where before I knew it, I would be standing in a pool of water because my hair kept blocking the drain. Now, I only see a couple of hairs in the drain each time, and see a lot less hair stuck in my hairbrush or on the floor. In addition to less shedding, my ends seems to look less “witchy” and straw-like than usual between my hair cuts.

Will I Continue?

Once I built it into my routine, I found Viviscal pretty easy to take and well-tolerated. I started to notice changes about 3 months in, I noticed more baby hairs started to come in (so much so my hairdresser has commented on this!), and I most notably experienced A LOT less shedding after styling or in the shower.

I’m really curious to see how much more improvement I can get in my hair, so I definitely will be continuing to take Viviscal, probably in conjunction with other supplements (e.g. like collagen powder - I just like it in my coffee lately to make it creamier!) just to optimize the maintenance of my results. After my experience, I would definitely recommend giving Viviscal a try. It’s easy, fairly non-invasive, and you may see some amazing results! Always ask your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new supplement to ensure it is safe and right for you.

All while using the Viviscal Extra Strength supplements, I also used the Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Range, which consists of the Shampoo, Conditioner, and Elixir. Unlike the supplements, which work over time, the Gorgeous Growth Densifying Range works almost immediately to give your hair a nice volume boost – this was a great addition to the supplements, as it allowed me to see results quickly while waiting for the supplements to take effect.

Have you ever tried Viviscal before? What were your results like? Let me know in the comments!