The £8 Boots buy that's a dupe of posh £49 Kerastase – it makes your hair grow thick and my locks are proof it works
TikTok hair expert Sophia, aka Sofia Hair Health, has revealed an £8.49 miracle product from Asos that could be giving posh £49 Kerastase Genesis a run for its money.
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Sofia, a 24-year-old hair researcher from London, isn't just another influencer flogging the latest fad. She's lived it.
At just 21, she started losing her hair, not just a few strands here and there, but actual bald patches that left her confidence in tatters.
'I'd wake up and see more scalp than hair,' she revealed.
'Then I spotted actual bald patches. I felt like I was disappearing.'
Eventually diagnosed with androgenic alopecia, a genetic condition that causes thinning hair, usually in older women, Sofia was told there was no cure, only ongoing treatments that might help slow it down.
But instead of giving up, she threw herself into studying hair biology and researching every treatment under the sun.
Now, three years on, her glossy, thick locks are proof her efforts paid off.
The hair expert has now put fans onto a humble bottle of L'Oréal Elvive Hair Growth Serum with Aminexil, currently available at Asos for just £8.49.
Buy it here
At Boots, this would set you back £17.
She claims this product has "changed the game".
Sophia said: 'It's got the same powerhouse ingredient as the £49 Kerastase Genesis, aminexil, which helps loosen collagen around the hair follicle and boosts growth.'
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Both Elvive and Kerastase are owned by beauty giant L'Oréal, and according to Sofia, they share more than just a parent company.
She points out that the product also has other key ingredients you'd find in Kerastase, like caffeine and niacinamide, which are both great for stimulating growth and improving scalp health.
But here's where it gets really interesting, L'Oréal reportedly disclosed the concentration of aminexil in Elvive's serum as 1.5%.
In contrast, they've kept quiet about the concentration in the pricier Kerastase Genesis.
Sophia warns this is a red flag and that if Elvive is cheaper and tells you exactly what you're getting, then there's no need to fork out on a £49 "just for a fancy bottle".
Since using the key ingredient in this product her hair has gone from 'lifeless and patchy' to 'thicker, stronger and full of volume.
And judging by the hundreds of glowing comments on her videos, not to mention her jaw-dropping before and after pics, her followers are lapping it up.
Sophia said "you're not missing out on results", just on "the expensive packaging.'
It looks like this hair guru has found our new holy grail and it won't cost half your paycheck.
It's important to remember the prices mentioned reflect the rates at the time of writing.
As prices can change over time, we recommend double-checking before placing an order.
Hair re-growth FAQs
Anabel Kingsley, Consultant Trichologist and Brand President at Philip Kingsley spoke exclusively to Fabulous.
How long does it take for hair to grow back?
Hair grows, on average, half an inch a month. You cannot speed this up.
Do rosemary oil and scalp massages work?
Oils do not promote hair growth. In terms of rosemary oil, the current trend stems from one small study carried out on 50 men in 2015. No women were involved, and the study compared the effects of 2 per cent minoxidil to Rosemary oil. 2 per cent minoxidil doesn't do much for
male pattern hair loss anyway, so the results were not very impressive. Oils do serve a purpose in conditioning hair treatments though. They help add shine and smooth the hair cuticle to lock-in moisture and improve combability. Scalp massages alone won't cure hair loss, but it can help relax you, aid in lymphatic drainage, exfoliate and help topicals penetrate.
Are there any products or foods/vitamins you recommend someone using or eating to help with hair regrowth?
To support healthy hair regrowth, if you are experiencing hair thinning we'd recommend our Density Preserving Scalp Drops clinically proven to help slow hair loss with continued daily use within three months.
Telogen effluvium (hair shedding) due to nutritional deficiencies can often be simply treated with changes to your diet, and nutritional supplements such as our specially formulated Density Healthy Hair Complex and Density Amino Acid Booster.
Iron and Ferritin (stored iron) in red meat, dried apricots and dark, leafy greens. Vitamin B12 in animal products and fortified plant-based foods. Protein from oily fish, lean meat, cottage cheese, tofu, nuts, chickpeas, and beans.
However, there may be an underlying cause for their hair loss and rather than this being masked by using an off-the-shelf product, they should be encouraged to seek the advice of a specialist such as a Trichologist.
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