Happy Head vs Musely for Hair Growth

I’ve had firsthand experience with how dealing with hair loss can feel. One day you’ve a full mane of healthy hair, the next you’re standing in front of the mirror desperately trying to comb the few strands you have left into place.

I’m happy to tell you that help is at hand in the form of modern telehealth platforms, which offer effective, science-backed hair growth solutions.

Two of the most advanced platforms in this space are Happy Head and Musely. They’re both well-known for offering dermatologist-formulated, prescription-strength hair loss treatments. 

However, the two also differ in some crucial ways, like common ingredients, personalized solutions, and overall user experience. Having gone through this process myself, I know that finding the right solution isn’t always easy, particularly if, like me, standard options don’t work for you, and/or you have scalp sensitivities.

This is why you need to understand the two platforms’ features in detail if you’re considering either Happy Head or Musely to help on your hair restoration journey.

Bottom Line Up Front

If you’ve been down the road of taking standardized hair loss treatments for a spin only to find they made your scalp red or just plain didn’t deliver, then you’re not alone. I’ve been there myself.

That’s why Happy Head stood out to me after I had a bad reaction to standard minoxidil, as its prescription formula can be customized to your specific needs. For me, that made all the difference for my comfort, plus, I started seeing some results in less than five months.

Still, that was my hair loss journey, not yours. Musely can be a solid option if you just need a streamlined, dermatologist-led treatment that’s easy to access. I also think it’s a great choice if you want to combine your hair and skin care solutions. 

Both platforms have their strengths, but if you need a truly tailored approach, as I did, then Happy Head is likely to be a better fit. This is particularly true if you’re struggling with stubborn hair loss or have very specific sensitivities.

At the end of the day, though, only you can decide based on your scalp’s needs, your hair goals, and your personal preferences. 

At a Glance

Happy Head

This platform specializes in highly customizable dermatologist-crafted hair regrowth treatments for both men and women.

Upon registration, users are asked to complete a detailed questionnaire, and then they receive a consultation with a board-certified dermatologist.

This means that the formula used for hair-loss treatments like topical solutions can be tailored to your hair loss history, sensitivities, and preferences using a range of powerful ingredients. The dermatologist can even adjust the concentration of formula components to match your needs. This is where I fell in love with Happy Head as another platform’s standard minoxidil had set my head on fire. The dermatologist suggested a special aqueous base for the formula to make it more soothing. 

Happy Head offers topical and oral medications, as well as supportive supplements. Any prescribed treatments include free follow-up consultations with dermatologists, so solutions can be adjusted to meet your needs, as I did to have them add a little extra hydrocortisone.

All of this means that Happy Head offers some of the very best targeted solutions for hair growth. I stand by what I said above: it’s an excellent choice for people who haven’t had any luck using standardized treatments or who need a more personalized approach.

Musely

Not to be confused with the nutritious breakfast cereal muesli (pun intended but instantly regretted), this telehealth platform offers a range of prescription treatments to address a variety of skin conditions, including what it euphemistically refers to as ‘aging hair’. 

Like Happy Head, treatments are designed by qualified dermatologists using powerful, clinically proven ingredients. 

Both topical and oral solutions are available, plus consultations are very simple. Users undergo a quick consultation and then receive a treatment containing a custom blend of ingredients. 

What I found most remarkable about this platform is its overall approach to skin health: hair regrowth solutions can be combined with products like anti-aging creams containing tretinoin. As such, in my opinion, Musely places a greater emphasis on your overall wellness than other platforms I’ve tried that only focus on hair loss.

Product Offerings

Happy Head

The exact product you’ll receive from Happy Head will vary, as the platform’s core strength is its high level of customization.

As we’ve learned, upon signup, users have to provide detailed information about their medical history as well as a photograph of their scalp. (I found this part the trickiest – have you ever tried to take a picture of the back of your head?) 

Anyway, this information then feeds into the consultation with a qualified dermatologist who can then create a formula tailored to your needs.

Some popular Happy Head options include:

• Topical solutions
• Oral medications containing FDA-approved medication like minoxidil. Happy Head also sells ‘SuperCapsules’ containing combined ingredients like finasteride, minoxidil, and vitamin D3.
• Thickening shampoos and conditioners containing natural ingredients like biotin, collagen, keratin, saw palmetto, ashwagandha, as well as vitamins A & D.

Although prescription treatments are tailored to your needs, if you find one to be ineffective or is causing adverse side effects, as I did, you can schedule a follow-up consultation with a dermatologist. They can then change the formula as necessary. 

Another thing I really like about Happy Head: shipping for all orders is free within the USA.

Musely

Like Happy Head, Musely offers dermatologist-formulated hair loss treatments for both men and women. 

From what I’ve seen, its hair loss treatment product lineup isn’t as wide as Happy Head, but it does include:

• The “Hair Topical Solution” available both in ‘Modern’ and ‘Classic’ varieties.
• Oral hair loss treatments, including the ‘Hair Pill’ (I can’t help but feel they could have come up with a more imaginative name!)
• A range of shampoos containing natural ingredients like organic rosemary essential oil, thyme, guava, and chrysanthemum. 

When it comes to obtaining prescription products, Musely requires users to pay a $20 ‘legally required’ fee. This covers the cost of the consultation and any prescription product, though I didn’t like the fact that it’s non-refundable, as clients might feel pressured to go through with treatment so as not to waste their money

Still, the cost also covers a follow-up period of 60 days for more free consultations, e.g., to make any changes to prescribed treatments.

Like Happy Head, I was pleased to see that Musely offers free shipping in the USA.

Ingredient Analysis

As I said before, the final product you’ll receive from both Happy Head and Musely will likely contain a combination of different ingredients in varying strengths to tackle your hair loss. 

This means that the ingredients I’ve listed below shouldn’t be seen as definitive or exhaustive lists – just ones I’ve found are used by both platforms.

Happy Head

All of the formulas prescribed by Happy Head are built using combinations of FDA-approved and clinically-proven ingredients. These include:

• Minoxidil which can increase blood flow to hair follicles in the scalp. Happy Head offers it in concentrations of 8%, which is more than the standard 5% used by most competitors.
• Finasteride, which can block DHT, the hormone chiefly responsible for shrinking hair follicles in the case of genetic hair loss like male pattern baldness. Happy Head offers it as part of both its topical and oral solutions, and I’ve found it more effective than minoxidil at triggering regrowth.
• Dutasteride, which blocks DHT more strongly than finasteride.
• Spironolactone, an antiandrogen that can reduce DHT and is especially useful for treating women experiencing hormonal hair loss.
• Latanoprost, which can stimulate hair follicles, thereby increasing hair density. 
• Retinoic Acid to enhance absorption and improve scalp health.
• Hydrocortisone to reduce inflammation and irritation, making Happy Head formulas more suitable for people with scalp sensitivities. I had this added to my formula to reduce irritation, and it worked like a charm. 

As you know by now, Happy Head can customize the type and concentrations of ingredients like these based on your previous responses to hair loss treatments, allergies, and your personal preferences. 

Musely

Like Happy Head, Musely also uses prescription-strength, FDA-approved ingredients to tackle hair loss. 

For instance, the ‘Classic’ Hair Topical solution can include both minoxidil (8%), tretinoin (0.1%), ketoconazole (2%), hydrocortisone (1%), and dutasteride (0.3%), depending on what the Musely-appointed dermatologist includes in the formula and in what concentrations.

Musely’s ‘Modern’ Topical Hair Solution contains more natural ingredients. These can include iPSC Exosomes – tiny vesicles that include proteins and growth factors designed to tackle hair loss. Other active components include latanoprost (0.004%), caffeine 0.5%, cetirizine (1%), and melatonin (0.1%). As with the ‘Classic’ solution, customers may be prescribed a treatment containing fewer active ingredients, and/or different concentrations of the same.

The aforementioned imaginatively-named Musely ‘Hair Pill’ can also contain spironolactone for treating hair loss in women under 45.

Other ingredients include:

• Tretinoin which can boost cell turnover as well as absorption of other active ingredients, for treating hair loss. Available in Musely’s topical creams, gels, and liquids. 
• Ketoconazole, an antifungal that can reduce inflammation and may soothe some scalp conditions related to hair loss. I’ve used this before in other products and found it’s very kind to the skin.
• Latanoprost, Caffeine, Cetirizine, and Melatonin. These all feature in Musely’s ‘modern’ Topical Hair solution and can stimulate hair follicles as well as promote scalp health. 

During my research for this comparison, I couldn’t find any Musely products that use finasteride. I later stumbled onto the FAQ on Musely’s site, which cites research published by the National Library of Medicine that dutasteride is much more effective than finasteride at blocking DHT.

Looking at it head-on I’d say that Musely’s overall approach is to combine ingredients for treatments in various formulas, though not with the same granular customization I’ve seen offered by Happy Head.

However, its use of more exotic ingredients like tretinoin and ketoconazole may give certain Musely formulas an edge when it comes to supporting overall scalp health and/or better absorption of active ingredients.

Personalization and Customization

Happy Head

Based on my experience, Happy Head wins hands down at personalized/customized treatments.

This is because each formula is tailored to your specific needs based on your intake questionnaire and consultation with the dermatologist.

If you want to optimize results or are experiencing systemic side effects, then free follow-up consultations are also available. I took advantage of this myself, and the process is extremely simple. 

This means it’s very likely that you’ll also find Happy Head solutions to be effective, regardless of your gender or specific condition, e.g,. postpartum, menopausal, or androgenetic hair loss.

In particular, people like me with sensitive scalps can benefit from the option to include aqueous or liposomal bases in formulas.

Musely

I found many glowing reviews online praising this platform for its bespoke approach towards hair loss treatments.

Don’t get me wrong – these are personalized, but the options are more rigid than Happy Head, which composes formulas from scratch. Most of the customization options I saw are limited to the ‘Classic’ or ‘Modern’ blends of Musely’s Topical Hair solutions, as well as certain combinations of ingredients in oral pills.

Follow-up consultations are available, though only within 60 days of starting treatment. 

I did see that the platform offers an automated ‘eNurse’ program in the Musely app, which asks questions about your progress. The program can offer some tips and use algorithms to analyze photos, but Musely cautions that its eNurse bot can’t give medical advice in the same way as a qualified professional. Besides, I don’t know anyone who’d rather talk with AI than a real doctor about sensitive medical issues. 

If you’re old-fashioned like me and prefer to speak to an actual human being, you can also message your designated Doctor after the first 60 days by paying an extra $10 fee.

If you start to experience side effects or find a treatment isn’t working, you can request a prescription change. I was a little irritated to see that this means you’ll need to pay another $10 fee for a ‘Doctor visit’ to ask for a formula change or new product, from within the available options.

Pricing

Happy Head

The prices for Happy Head’s custom topical solutions can vary between $59 and $149, depending on the specific ingredients and their concentrations. I found that you’re given the price sometime after your consultation. (In my cas,e the day after).

The platform also offers some over-the-counter solutions like oral minoxidil. This is ordered in three-month batches for $66 i.e., $22 per month.

Happy Head’s range of SuperCapsules contain different ingredients but all follow a similar price plan: $59 for the first six months, then $79 per month thereafter.

You can also save money by buying bundles of products instead of purchasing them individually. For example, Happy Heads ‘Hair Growth Gift Pack’ includes its hair thickening shampoo, conditioner, hair growth supplements, and $50 off your first topical solution subscription. Individually, these products would cost $210, but as a bundl,e they’re $98. I went for this after realizing I’d save a cool $112.

As I said, shipping is free for all orders, but is only available within the USA.

Crucially, Happy Head offers a six-month guarantee on all products. This went a long way towards persuading me to sign up, as if you’re unhappy with any treatment, you can cancel your subscription and receive a full refund for the last delivery. I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a try, and neither will you. 

Musely

Given the vast amount of virtual column space given to them on the main site, I reckon that Musely’s two most popular products are its ‘Hair Topical’ solutions.

The ‘Classic’ variety costs $97 for a three-month supply, which works out at around $32 per month.

The ‘Modern’ solution is also ordered three months at a time but costs $108, or exactly $36 per month.

The now-infamous ‘Hair Pill’, which can contain different ingredients based on your hair loss pattern, costs $91 for a three-month supply or just over $30 per month.

New patients can also currently provide a cell phone number or email address to receive a 25% discount on their first order, though I think this offer is likely to make people feel nervous that they’ll be bombarded with spam or sales call.

The initial consultation with a medical professional is $20 (non-refundable). You can message the Doctor within 60 days of your treatment plan beginning; however, if you need to talk to them again after this you have to pay a $10 extension fee.

Who should choose Happy Head?

Happy Head is the best hair regrowth solution if you:

• Want a fully personalized, dermatologist-created hair loss treatment.
• Have suffered in the past from stubborn hair loss that hasn’t responded to standard treatments.
• You want ongoing support from a qualified dermatologist without having to pay extra.
• You have a specific hair loss pattern, e.g, menopausal, so need a customized approach.

Who should choose Musely?

Musely can be a solid choice for treating your hair loss if you:

• Need a powerful, prescription solution for hair loss using proven ingredients.
• Enjoy a fast onboarding process with minimal questions. 
• Prefer more affordable (if not highly customized) hair loss solutions. 
• Are comfortable using mobile apps to request further support, e.g., via eNurse.

Final Thoughts

Both Happy Head and Musely stand out as clear leaders in the telehealth hair loss treatment sector. Despite my successes with Happy Head, I can’t ignore that both platforms offer effective, prescription-based solutions that have been designed by dermatologists.

Happy Head stands out for its excellent customization, ongoing support, and the fact you can personalize hair restoration formulas for even the most complex of cases.

I also feel Musely deserves special mention for its multi-ingredient blends, streamlined process, and relatively inexpensive treatments.

Ultimately, the best solution will depend on your own preferences, as well as your hair loss patterns, sensitivities, and budget.