Nutrafol is best known for working on hair from the inside, and now it’s going after the strand itself with the introduction of Strand Serum ($54 for a 90-day supply), the brand’s first hair serum focused on strand health. It’s built to stop breakage, which the brand calls “the missing step between growth and length.”
The idea is pretty simple, but not always easy to remedy: for people with thinning hair, new growth often breaks off before anyone can see it. That’s why it can feel like hair simply won’t grow. “Patients may be growing healthy hair, but if those strands are weakened by heat styling, chemical processing or everyday wear, they’re more likely to break before reaching their full potential,” says dermatologist Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, Nutrafol’s chief medical advisor.
The before-and-after numbers from the brand’s clinical testing are impressive. After five uses on damp and dry hair, the serum cut breakage by up to 83 percent, compared with a non-conditioning shampoo (and it’s not sticky or disruptive to your regular styling products). Used with Nutrafol Shampoo ($44) and Conditioner ($44) on damp hair, it made hair six times stronger than a non-conditioning shampoo did. Testers also saw 62 percent fewer split ends and 85 percent less frizz for up to 72 hours. On top of that, the formula protects against heat up to 450°F.
The formula focuses on porosity, meaning how well hair absorbs and holds moisture. High-porosity hair has a lifted, damaged cuticle, which makes it more likely to break, frizz and split. Nutrafol’s DualFusion Complex has two phases. A water phase gets into the cortex to strengthen the hair, and an oil phase seals the cuticle. Milk thistle seed extract strengthens the cortex, and wild olive extract softens hair and visibly seals split ends. Hemisqualane, a silicone alternative made from sugarcane, helps defend against breakage, and rosehip fruit extract rounds out the formula.
“We’ve never developed products around trends; we develop them around unmet consumer needs and evolving science,” says Kim Biedermann, PhD, Nutrafol’s chief R&D officer. The brand says it tested 36 ingredient candidates across 54 formula versions and ran 18 preclinical studies. Consumer testing covered hair types 1A through 4C, including color-treated, chemically treated and chemically straightened hair. The serum is vegan, safe for color and extensions, and NSF Certified for Sport. It’s made without parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulfates or synthetic fragrance.
Strand Serum is available now on Nutrafol.com and Amazon, and through Nutrafol’s network of haircare and healthcare professionals. Subscribers got early access through the myNutrafol app starting Sept. 30. A Strand Serum + Brush Kit ($54) is sold exclusively at Ulta Beauty.
