If you’re one of the millions of women suffering from hair loss, you know there’s no shortage of over-the-counter solutions. From hair growth oils to red light devices to supplements, options abound. You probably also know that some of these solutions are, at best, ineffective and, at worst, flat-out snake oil. So, when I got word that there was a new ingestible hitting the market that delivered strength and new growth in a totally different way, I was intrigued—and skeptical.
Could it possibly live up to its promises? The only way to find out was to get the product into the hands of Women’s Health editors for testing.
And test we did: For eight weeks, three members of the WH team—executive health & fitness director Jacqueline Andriakos, associate news editor Charlotte Walsh, and executive fashion director Kristen Saladino—tried the product daily as directed. Their incredible results, memorialized in some pretty staggering before and after photos, have convinced me it’s real deal.
So, what is this product? Meet the OMI WellBeauty Hair Growth Peptides, a novel peptide blend that studies suggest may stimulate new hair growth, reduce hair loss, and enhance the strength of individual hair fibers in just 90 days. Developed by wellness pioneer and best-selling author Naomi Whittel, who herself experienced hair loss in 2022, the product was born of a dream team of professionals, including Chief Hair Innovation Advisor, celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham, and Chief Medical Office Mike Hoaglin, MD.
And their collective experience—as entrepreneurs and health and beauty experts—shows in the formula: All three of our testers experienced noticeably fuller when the testing period ended and plan on continuing to use OMI. The product has also caught the attention of celebrities like Kris Jenner, 69, and Khloe Kardashian, 40, both of whom have used the product and have an interest in the company. “I’ve been using OMI hair growth peptides for four months now and the growth I’ve seen from taking the product is phenomenal,” Jenner tells Women’s Health exclusively. “But in addition to growth, I’ve noticed that my hair is stronger at the root and feels and looks significantly healthier.”
Do I have your attention now? Great. Here’s everything else you need to know.
These once-daily capsules contain a novel peptide complex that brand scientists claim reverse follicle damage to stimulate new growth and stronger strands.
First off, OMI is not a supplement, a term that implies a product will supplement for nutritional deficiencies that may contribute to hair loss. To be clear, poor nutrition—especially vitamin D, zinc, and iron deficiencies—can play a secondary role in hair loss, but that’s not exactly the way OMI scientists claim this product works.
Though it does contain essential vitamins and minerals such as niacin, biotin, zinc, and copper, OMI also features a patented hair growth peptide blend, which the brand claims is clinically shown to improve hair follicle function, reducing hair loss and promoting growth and strength. As a refresher, peptides are short chains of amino acids—sometimes lab-synthesized, sometimes naturally derived—that can target specific skin and hair issues topically and from the inside out. Whittel describes them as keys, unlocking biological functions that have gone dormant with time—in this case, optimal hair growth.
Using AI technology, OMI’s science team claims they were able to suss out the key factors that contribute to follicle damage, and pinpoint a peptide blend to help reverse that damage. The brand is calling this their Intermediate Filament Peptide (IFP) and sources it from the wool of grass-fed sheep in New Zealand in an ethical, sustainable, and farm-traceable way.
At face value, the clinical results tell an impressive story. In double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies, participants experienced a 46% reduction in hair loss, a 93% reduction in hair breakage, a 59% improvement in gloss and shine, and a 16 times greater improvement in hair strength overall. But sometimes, the numbers that appear on paper just don’t add up. So, we wanted to put OMI to the test the best way we know how: Using our editorial team.
Shop the Omi WellBeauty Hair Growth Peptide on Amazon
Last November, I asked our three intrepid testers—all of whom were experiencing some form of hair loss or thinning—to begin using OMI once daily as directed (two capsules with food). New mom Andriakos, 33, was experiencing the postpartum shed the affects many women after delivery. “By five to six months postpartum, the shedding was absolutely unreal,” she says. “Giant clumps of hair would come out every time I brushed.” She noticed it especially around the hairline, where her strands are naturally sparser. “Those patches completely fell out.”
For Walsh, 25, it was a little tougher to pinpoint why the loss was happening—she just knew her hair felt thinner than ever before. “I was always the girl with a lot of hair,” Walsh says, “but since graduating college, I’ve noticed my hair is falling out a lot more in the shower and thinning around the temples.” It eventually got to the point where Walsh was insecure about pulling her hair back into buns or ponytails out of fear of exposing the patchy areas. “I resorted to always brushing out my hair or doing blowouts to make it appear fuller,” she says.
Saladino’s story is similarly ambiguous: “I’ve always had fine, thin hair, but as I hit my fifties, I started to notice some significant changes,” the now 51-year-old says. “My hairline began to recede gradually, and in certain areas, the thinning became more pronounced, making my scalp visible. It wasn’t just the usual thinning I had dealt with over the years—it felt like my hair was losing its density and fullness in ways that were hard to ignore.”
All three of our testers have daily vitamin and supplement routines, so working OMI’s two capsules into their lives was easy. “I use a weekly pill organizer, so I just added these in,” says Saladino. “They’re completely tasteless and odorless, making them super easy to take. The size is perfect—not too big—so I don’t have to worry about choking on them or getting them lodged in my throat.”
Shop the Omi WellBeauty Hair Growth Peptide on Amazon
For Walsh, the results crept up slowly, but as soon as she saw her before and after photos side by side, she was amazed with the outcome. “While taking the supplements, I didn’t really notice a huge difference in my hair,” she says. “There was a little less breakage in the shower, but I didn’t notice much of a difference in my temples. Now, looking at the before and after photos, I think you can tell it appears a little fuller and more filled-in. I’m less afraid to put my hair into ponytails.”
Associate news editor Charlotte Walsh before (left) and after (right) testing the Omi WellBeauty Hair Growth Peptides for two months.
The results came slowly for Saladino too, but after a month of taking OMI, she noticed peach fuzz growing in what was normally barren spots of hair loss. Now, nearly three months in, she told me that two friends and her hairstylist have noticed that her strands appear thicker—and then promptly begged me to get her another bottle. “I can feel my hair getting thicker and my ponytail getting heavier,” she says. “I’m committed to continuing to use these.”
Executive fashion director Kristen Saladino experienced a noticeable improvement in the sparse spot at her part.
Andriakos had a similar experience. “I noticed results after the first six weeks, by December,” she says. “It’s very clear to me that the sparse areas around my temples are starting to fill in. There’s an inch of hair that’s already grown in those two bald spots, and I noticed that the most.” And while Andriakos can’t completely rule out that her new hair is simply the natural regrowth process starting to kick in, “the timing lines up to when I started taking these capsules, so I really think they work.”
Jacqueline Andriakos, WH executive health & fitness director, experienced some incredible before (left) and after (right) results.
At $79 for a one-month supply, OMI’s hair growth peptides aren’t exactly inexpensive, but compared to other solutions on the market (red light therapy devices, for sure, and even some other hair growth supplements), the price is competitive. Our testers noted no unpleasant side effects from taking the capsules or barriers to seamlessly working these into their daily routines (of course, if taking a pill or capsule orally isn’t your thing, these aren’t for you).
And the results? Well, they speak for themselves. Andriakos—not a fan of overloading her system with too many ingestible pills and supplements—is even considering paring back other parts of her daily vitamin routine to make room for OMI indefinitely. “For me, there’s no question that these worked, and I think my photos prove it,” she says. “I’ve had friends and coworkers comment on how my hair looks voluminous and healthy when I wear it down, so that’s a big win, especially since some of those postpartum hair changes were getting me down.”
What’s clear from all three of our testers’ stories is that patience is key: It can take several weeks of consistent use to notice change, so if you’re not committed to fully embracing the process or are looking for a fast fix, these won’t be for you. As always, it’s best to check with your health care provider before beginning any new vitamin or supplement regimen.
Hair loss can be an emotionally challenging experience, and one that may take a considerable mental toll, but being proactive with any solution can provide a sense of control. So, if you’re struggling with thinning, know that there are effective solutions out there—many at the click of an “add to cart.”
Shop the Omi WellBeauty Hair Growth Peptide on Amazon
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Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.
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