Last year I experienced a period of extreme hair shedding. This was not ordinary shedding, which happens to everyone and is a regular part of the hair growth cycle. This meant waking up with clumps of hair on my pillow in the morning and thick clumps appearing in my hands during wash days. To say I was stressed about this was an understatement. Counterproductive, of course, as stress is not conducive to improving the situation and only exacerbates the hair loss. My hair is already very fine, and so I began a mission of hair growth.
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To begin with, I tried PRP. I had one session a month for three months. At DrMediSpa, my blood was drawn, centrifuged and platelets extracted and injected rather painfully into my scalp. At the same time, I was using nourishing hair masks, avoiding heat and making a conscious effort to reduce my stress levels. The results were great, but the PRP treatments are expensive, and so my hunt for a more affordable solution continued. And that’s where red light therapy entered the equation.
I have long been a proponent of LED face masks. In fact, you could say they are a sort of obsession. I have tried every single one – and I have extensively written about them in my capacity as a beauty editor here at . But other than applying a silicone face mask to my head every once in a while, I hadn’t explored what they could do for my hair growth. Enter BeautyPie’s Red Light Therapy Cap.
“Red light therapy, also known as low-level light therapy (LLLT), uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate cellular activity within the scalp and hair follicles,” explains trichologist and hair loss specialist Sofia Baig. “This can support cellular energy production and create a healthier environment for hair growth. It may also help support the hair growth cycle by encouraging follicles to remain in the active growth phase (anagen) for longer.” She adds that, depending on your hair loss type, there is evidence to support its use, particularly for androgenetic alopecia, but cautions, “it should be viewed as a supportive treatment rather than a standalone solution. The underlying cause of hair loss should always be identified first.”
Unlike the CurrentBody helmet, which I had seen all over TikTok, BeautyPie has a more subtle hair growth gadget. It looks just like a normal baseball cap from the front with a pared-back grey colourway, but if you look inside, it is dotted with 125 LED lights and on the back there is a less-than-subtle circular power pack. The cap delivers 655nm red light therapy to the scalp. This is a clinically proven wavelength said to leave the hair thicker and healthier, and crucially, for me, reduce shedding. “When choosing a red light therapy device for the scalp, I would look for red light wavelengths around 630–680nm, which are commonly used in hair growth devices,” Baig confirms. But she also flags to consider “how well the device delivers the light to the scalp, how much of the scalp it covers and whether it can be used consistently as part of your routine.”
I have been using BeautyPie’s hair growth device for three months, and this is what I’ve learnt.
Using 655nm LED light therapy, the cap is designed to provide a healthy environment for hair regrowth with a subtle, hands-free design. All hair types can use it, and the treatment is entirely non-invasive. The brand says that it provides three times more power density than the leading red light therapy cap from HigherDose (20mW vs 5mW).
The treatment process could not be simpler. There are no programs to choose from; you simply turn it on, and after 10 minutes, it turns itself off, alerting you to the fact that the session is over with a helpful beep. It should be used daily for eight to 12 weeks. Consistency is key.
To maximise results, Baig recommends getting to the bottom of why you are experiencing hair loss. “If you’re experiencing sudden shedding, noticeable thinning or changes to the scalp, I would advise seeing a trichologist for a scalp and hair health analysis so the underlying cause can be properly assessed.”
She also stresses that results take time. “Hair biology works on a much slower timeline than skin, so I always tell patients to think in terms of months rather than weeks. Some people may notice changes in shedding or hair quality earlier, but visible improvements in density generally take several months. I would typically assess progress around 3 to 6 months, with longer term consistent use often needed to properly evaluate the response.”
All Systems Grow H-Wave LED Hair & Scalp Treatment
- Why it’s -approved: Beauty Pie’s All Systems Grow is a more subtle hair growth gadget. It looks just like a normal baseball cap from the front with a pared-back grey colourway, but if you look inside, it is dotted with 125 LED lights. The cap delivers 655nm red light therapy to the scalp. This is a clinically proven wavelength said to leave the hair thicker and healthier, and reduce shedding. Over three months, I combined daily red light therapy sessions with a follicle-stimulating hair oil (honourable mention to Scandinavian Biolabs), and I was shocked by the results. The combination was extremely effective in encouraging regrowth, with my hairdresser pointing out just how thick, shiny and strong my hair had grown in this time. It was starkly obvious when comparing the three inches at the roots to my lengths, which were far thinner. We were both seriously impressed.
- Best for: all hair types to thicken, add density and leave hair looking healthier
- Optical power density: 20mW
- Treatment time: 10 minutes
I combined daily red light therapy sessions with a follicle-stimulating hair oil (honourable mention to Scandinavian Biolabs) for a three-month window, and I was shocked at the results. The combination was extremely effective in encouraging regrowth, with my hairdresser pointing out just how thick, shiny and strong my hair had grown in this time. It was starkly obvious when comparing the three inches at the roots to my lengths, which were far thinner. We were both seriously impressed.
According to the expert, this is down to my consistency. “At-home devices can also be beneficial, but I always say consistency is key. They need to be used regularly over a sustained period of time, so an occasional treatment is unlikely to deliver meaningful results. The biggest mistake is inconsistency. People can expect to see results within a few weeks, use the device sporadically and then assume it isn’t working. Results take time.”
While the hat makes for a more subtle option than some of the more garish red light therapy devices on the market, it still isn’t subtle enough to pop to the shops wearing. You can’t actually see that the light is on when you’re wearing it, but the power pack at the back is very obvious. That being said, the treatment time is only 10 minutes, so it has been easy to slot into my routine when I’m pottering around the house, so I don’t feel the need to go out in public wearing it.
On that note, Baig wants to point out that a common mistake is “thinking that more is better.” The treatment time is there for a reason. “Using the device for longer or more frequently than recommended isn’t necessarily going to speed up results, so I would always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.”
My only gripe is that there is no way of knowing the battery life. When it is time to charge, the device often comes on and then switches off almost immediately, but as I have already put it on my head, I am unaware of this. It requires regular charging, but this is easy enough as it just plugs into any USB-C charger.
Best of all, when compared to PRP, the price is far more affordable, and it’s entirely painless. “Ultimately, red light therapy can be a useful addition to a hair-loss treatment plan,” Baig believes. “But it works best when it is matched to the individual’s diagnosis and used consistently over time.”
I now spend a portion of each day with my LED face mask, red light therapy hat and sitting in front of my red light therapy panel. My obsession with red light therapy continues.