D2| Saturday/Sunday, February 22 - 23, 2020 **** THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
pealing to look at,” said Mr. Wendling,
who appreciates the “beautiful packag-
ing” of Hims products.
“In the last 20 years [treating hair
loss] has become almost as much main-
tenance as vanity,” explained Dr. Avram,
who doesn’t refer patients to any of the
aforementioned companies but has ob-
served a decrease in his patients’ fear
around hair loss. He summed up their
feelings as “I need to watch my diet, I
need to get my teeth in good shape and
I need my hair to be good too.” (All
three companies also sell medicine for
erectile dysfunction, another ailment
men have long loathed discussing.)
For Bobby Prokenpek, 39, a photogra-
pher in Ventura, Calif., the decision to
use Hims minoxidil products is just part
of a set of lifestyle changes he’s made as
40 approaches. “I wouldn’t call it a mid-
life crisis,” he said. “I’d say it’s more like
I just want to get back to a comfortable
place with my health, nutrition, every-
thing, even just the way I look.”
Discussing treatments is suddenly
fashionable. On Instagram, satisfied
shoppers tag Hims, Keeps and Roman in
photos showcasing their follicle reviv-
als. While it’s refreshing (even jarring)
to witness men discussing their hair
loss in Roman ads or in Keeps’s social
media posts and while there’s clearly
less embarrassment around balding, the
end goal is still to re-establish a full
head of hair. The pop-culture hierarchy
continues to reflect the primacy of men
with a lot of locks, from actor Jason Mo-
moa with his flowing mane to TimothéeChalamet who tosses about an Elvis-like
pompadour. A healthy head of hair is
still seen as an asset.
In an attempt to flip the script, some
men believe the more radical way of
embracing hair loss is to lose it all. “Ev-
ery [piece of] messaging around bald or
balding men was fear-based,” said Kar-
amo Brown, the co-host on “Queer Eye,”
known for his shiny hairless scalp. “It
was, ‘You’re not going to have the girl
you want, you’re not going to have the
life you want.’” He was once so afraid of
being exposed as bald that he drew on a
fake hairline with mascara. This month,
Mr. Brown and his business partners
launched Mantl, a personal care com-
pany peddling products like a two-in-
one face-and-scalp moisturizer and “no-
shine” blotting sheets to bald men. Co-
founder and CEO Peter Ricci said the
company hopes to foster a “community”
around baldness. Mantl’s website has a
section titled “The Bald Journey” with
stories of men embracing the cue-balled
look, and it hosts a private Facebook
group where men can go for tips.
Not all men are focused on shaving
it all off or staving off loss. Some see
doing nothing as the boldest approach.
Jude Law appears to have let his hair-
line recede unimpeded; Prince William
is very publicly letting his locks evapo-
rate; and while George Costanza radi-
ated shame, “Seinfeld” creator Larry
David’s barely there ringlet of hair is an
endearing signature. Perhaps these
men, seemingly at ease, represent the
real dawning of a new hair day.(“baldness can be optional”) and Insta-
gram-worthy packaging.
These companies haven’t eradicated
baldness. But they appear to have less-
ened the stigma around hair loss. The
men I spoke with who use these prod-
ucts don’t bemoan their less-than-abun-
dant coifs. While in line at Walt Disney
World, one related his balding journey
for all his fellow amusement-park lov-
ers to hear. Tyler Wendling, 25, a
graphic designer in Owosso, Mich., said
he’s used Hims’s products for two years
with encouraging consequences and
turned his brother onto them: “I
showed him the results that I was hav-
ing and he’s like ‘I need to start this.’”
Shoppers describe ordering these
products as a painless experience. “You
just go on a website and sign up,” said
Mr. Dos Santos. Over-the-counter mi-
noxidil will be shipped to your house in
days, no questions asked. Though finas-
teride is a prescription medication re-
quiring doctor approval, each company
offers customers the ease of corre-
sponding with a network of doctors dig-
itally. You fill out a questionnaire, snap
some scalp selfies (if required), and if a
doctor thinks you need it, they’ll write a
prescription which the brand will fill.
Andrew Dudum, the founder and CEO of
Continued from page D1
Hair Lost
And Found
Hims, noted that 70% of the company’s
transactions occur on mobile phones.
Digital convenience entices 20- and
30-something men who are used to
buying just about everything off Ama-
zon. According to the American Hair
Loss Association, two-thirds of Ameri-
can men experience some hair loss by
the age of 35, a stat that both Keeps
and Hims representatives cited when
discussing the customers they’re after.
The brands also propose complemen-
tary products: Hims includes a biotin
gummy to “strengthen hair” in its “Hair
Power Pack,” while Keeps sells a keto-
conazole dandruff shampoo. Crucially,
the look of all these products divergesfrom an austere Rogaine sprayer. The
handsome packaging means men can
shamelessly plop it in their bathroom.
Roman’s finasteride bottles are as mini-
malist as an AirPod case; Hims’s tubes
are like a more masculine version of
cosmetics brand Glossier’s packaging;
and Keep’s cherry-red logo calls to mind
Netflix’s. “I could go to a grocery store
and get Rogaine, but it’s not really ap-While in line at Walt
Disney World, one man
related his balding journey
for all his fellow theme-
park lovers to hear.Own These
‘Styles’
Three balding
icons and their
signature
undone ‘dosLarry David’s
scant strandsJohn Legend’s
waning maneJude Law’s
retreating locksSTYLE & FASHION
SHAG SUPPORTA selection of newfangled hair-loss-related products.1.Minoxidil Solution,$10 a month, keeps.com2.Minoxidil Foam,$15 a month, keeps.com3.Minoxidil,$15, forhims.com
4.Minoxidil,$16 a month, getroman.com5.Face and Scalp Cleanser,$17, mantlmen.com6.Biotin Gummy Vitamin,$16, forhims.com7.Shampoo+ for Hair Loss,$19, forhims.com.
1 2 3 45 6 7F. MARTIN RAMIN/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, STYLING BY ANNE CARDENASThe
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