A hair serum is one of the more concentrated steps in a routine: small bottle, big ambitions.
Whether you're dealing with thinning, dryness or a scalp that just won't settle, there's usually a serum formulated to target that specific issue rather than a general catch-all.
What can a hair serum actually do?
Depending on the formula, a hair serum can be formulated to strengthen, densify or specifically target hair loss, so it's worth choosing based on what your hair actually needs rather than reaching for whichever one's on offer.
Thinning or shedding more than usual?
The Strengthening & Densifying Hair Serum is formulated with anti-hair-loss properties in mind.
Hair feeling weak or prone to breakage?
The Keratin AA, Peptides & Hyaluronic Acid Hair Serum is formulated for hair strengthening, built around biomimetic keratin peptides.
Damaged hair that needs a lighter touch?
The Hyaluronic Acid 3.5% Serum is formulated for both face and hair, helping smooth the cuticle and lock in moisture without any heaviness.
Want a more complete routine?
The Anti-Hair Loss & Growth Duo combines a serum with a food supplement to tackle hair loss from both the outside and within. The Hair Growth Trio goes a step further, adding a scalp massaging brush alongside the supplement and serum, for a more complete approach.
How to apply a hair serum properly?
Start with dry or towel-dried hair, most serums are applied directly to the scalp rather than worked through the full length.
Take a few drops, more isn't necessarily better here.
Massage gently into the scalp, rather than rubbing it in vigorously.
Leave it in, rinsing isn't standard for most formulas.
Repeat a few times a week, rather than daily or sporadically.
Our tip: Consistency counts more than quantity! A serum used every now and then won't do much, but a few minutes a few times a week, worked into an existing routine, genuinely adds up.
How often should I use a hair serum?
Two to three times a week is a sensible starting point for most people.
For hair loss or thinning specifically, patience matters more than frequency, results are usually judged over a few months, not weeks, given how slowly hair naturally grows.
With a strengthening or moisturising serum, there's more room to adjust up or down as your hair feels.
Building hair serum into a proper routine
If hair loss is the main concern, pairing a serum with a complementary product tends to work better than relying on one step alone.
Morning and evening, for thinning hair:
Massage the Strengthening & Densifying Hair Serum into the scalp, then take Enriched Brewer's Yeast daily alongside it, an inside-out approach that tackles things from both directions rather than relying on a topical step alone.
A few times a week, for weak or brittle hair:
Apply the Keratin AA, Peptides & Hyaluronic Acid Hair Serum to the scalp, then use the Scalp Massaging Brush while shampooing to help stimulate circulation alongside it. On the ends specifically, a few drops of the Hyaluronic Acid 3.5% Serum can help lock in moisture, and a weekly oil bath with Haircare Oil With 7 Precious Oils formulated with repairing and strengthening properties in mind, rounds things off nicely.
If you'd rather build your own routine from scratch, our recipe for a hair and ends serum with nourishing avocado oil is worth a look too.
For anything more significant or sudden, it's always worth having that conversation with a GP or trichologist rather than relying on a serum alone.
A few key hair ingredients worth knowing about
Biomimetic keratin peptides
Found in our Keratin AA, Peptides & Hyaluronic Acid Hair Serum, this is a peptide (sh-oligopeptide-78) designed to mimic keratin II, made up of 13 amino acids.
It works its way into the hair cortex to help reconnect the disulphide bridges and keratin chains that hold the fibre together from within, rather than just coating the surface.
Complex of amino acids
This refers to an itaconic acid and arginine complex that binds to damaged keratin fibres to help form new disulphide bridges.
In practice, that means a fibre that's more resistant to porosity and humidity, exactly what frizz-prone or damaged hair tends to struggle with.
Keratin AA
The third pillar of that same hair serum: 100% natural, vegan amino acids formulated to mimic the keratin naturally found in hair.
Rather than using animal-derived keratin, this version works its way into the fibre to help strengthen and hydrate it, while smoothing the cuticle for added shine.
Hyaluronic acid
Naturally present in the human body, hyaluronic acid is best known in skincare, but it has a real place in a hair routine too.
It forms a protective film around the hair fibre, making it more supple, smoothing the cuticle for shine, reducing frizz, and helping prevent breakage, while limiting water loss from the fibre itself.
Moisturises the scalp, helpful for dry, irritated or itchy scalps.
Protects the hair, forming a shield that slows down water evaporation.
Smooths the lengths, improving softness and natural shine.
Strengthens hair, limiting damage from external stress.
Aroma-Zone's Hyaluronic Acid 3.5% Serum is formulated for both face and hair, particularly suited to damaged hair in need of a lighter-weight boost. If you'd rather build your own formula, our Fat-Soluble Hyaluronic Acid active ingredient is designed to be added into homemade masks, serums or finishing oils.
Vitamin B complex
Part of our Hair Growth Trio, this is a full spread of B vitamins, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8 (biotin), B9 and B12.
It's an inside-out approach rather than a topical one, on the basis that hair health starts as much with nutrition as with what's applied directly.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral, included here as part of the wider nutritional formula rather than a targeted haircare active in its own right.
Brewer's yeast
Brewer's yeast is the base ingredient of that supplement itself (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), traditionally taken to help support hair growth and strength from within, alongside the B vitamins and selenium it naturally carries.
Not sure which serum actually suits your hair? Our hair routine assessment points you towards what's worth trying.
And if it's your skin you're curious about too, our find your serum quiz does the same thing for face serums.
