Musely Reviews: Does it Work?

Reviews on Musely Hair Loss Treatments & Dark Spot Cream

Musely’s dark spot cream and hair loss products are comparable to other leading brands in terms of ingredients and effectiveness.

Musely’s dark spot cream contains hydroquinone, tretinoin, vitamin C, and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients are all proven to be effective in reducing the appearance of dark spots. Hydroquinone is the most effective ingredient for lightening dark spots, but it can also be irritating to the skin. Tretinoin is a retinoid that helps to exfoliate the skin and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from sun damage and fade dark spots. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that helps to hydrate the skin and improve its overall appearance.

Review Musely Dark Spot Cream Before and After 30 Days

After 30 days

Musely’s hair loss products contain minoxidil and finasteride. These are the two most effective medications for treating hair loss. Minoxidil is a topical medication that helps to promote hair growth. Finasteride is an oral medication that helps to reduce the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that can cause hair loss. Compare Musely to Keeps vs. Happy Head vs. Hims hair loss treatments. Musely also made the list for the top 5 best hair loss treatments in 2023.

Review Musely Hair Loss Treatment Before and After Customer Picture

Source: Facebook,

Other leading brands of dark spot cream and hair loss products also contain similar ingredients.

For example, the following products are comparable to Musely:

• Dark spot cream: Hydroquinone 4% Cream by Differin, Tri-Luma Cream
• Hair loss products: Rogaine Foam, Propecia (finasteride), Hims, Roman

The main difference between Musely and other leading brands is that Musely offers a personalized approach to skincare and hair care. Musely customers complete a questionnaire about their individual needs and concerns, and then a dermatologist prescribes a personalized treatment plan. This includes selecting the right products and dosages for each individual.

How good does Musely work? Customer reviews answer that question better than even the best experts can. So let’s turn to Musely customer reviews!

Musely Spot Cream Customer Reviews:

• 1,700+ Google reviews on Musely’s spot cream with an average customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars

Musely Hair Loss Treatment Reviews:

Musely’s hair loss treatment pills have a rating of 5 out of 5 stars on Google.

Its “Hair Pill Oral Hair Loss Treatment” is a DHT blocker for women and men. Customer reviews talk about seeing results in as quickly as one month after using the product.

Why You Can Trust Hair Loss Treatment Reviews From TCR

Thousands of readers rely on Trusted Company Reviews for the up-to-date, unbiased info they need to make decisions about their health. Our reviews are written by experienced healthcare professionals with one goal in mind: to cut through the fluff and bring you the unvarnished facts.

How We Evaluate

We want our readers to get the whole story, so when reviewing hair loss companies like Musely, we look at the following:

1. Treatment Selection (40 points)
   What treatments are available? What’s in them and where do they come from? Are they safe and effective? Are there flexible options for patients with specific needs?
2. Convenience (20 points)
   Is their website/app easy to navigate and understand? Is the onboarding process intuitive? Are options available that make treatment more convenient and accessible?
3. Service Quality (20 points)
   Is customer service easy to contact and responsive? How do they handle the administrative and logistics part of the business such as Rx processing, shipping, and returns/refunds? Are telehealth services and medical support provided?
4. Cost (20 points)
   Are their prices reasonable? How do they stack up against competitors? Are there added costs or fees? How do subscriptions and bulk pricing work? Are discounts available?

Company Overview

Musely is a telehealth company specializing in dermatology for men and women. They offer two prescription hair loss treatments: The Hair Pill and The Hair Solution. These are available in different formulas and compounded fresh right before being shipped to you. Despite this “high-end” feature, Musely is surprisingly less expensive than other compounded hair loss treatments from companies like Happy Head.

Musely’s medical team is made up of board-certified dermatologists and pharmacists, with years of experience in treating a wide range of skin conditions and hair loss. Musely team members include – 

• Dr. Mahir Patel–a dermatologist in Dallas, Texas.
• Dr. Kenyatta Mireku–a graduate of Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology.
• Dr. Brandon Kirsch–a board-certified dermatologist.
• Dr. Ravi R. Ubriani–a dermatologist in Brier, Washington.

Product Selection

Musely’s product menu may be limited to just two treatments, but the flexibility of these compounded medications means your doctor can tailor them to fit your personal hair loss needs and medical history. Here’s their line-up standard lineup:

Other Ingredients

All Hair Pill formulas are compounded with added supplements, including:

• Biotin 1 mg
• Vitamin C 100 mcg
• Vitamin D 62.5 mcg
• Folic Acid 400 mcg
• Zinc 8 mg

Inactive Ingredients

A list of inactive ingredients in these products is available on the Musely Help Center site. The Hair Pill contains magnesium stearate, silica gel, and cellulose. The Hair Solution contains citric acid, spearmint, propylene glycol, and ethyl alcohol.

Active Ingredients

Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a clinically-proven, FDA-approved hair loss treatment. Originally tested as a blood pressure medication, patients reported unusual hair growth while taking it. Eventually this side effect was put to good use as a hair loss treatment.

How minoxidil works isn’t clear, but it seems to increase blood flow to hair follicles and promote the growth (anagen) phase of the hair cycle. Minoxidil 6% is available in The Hair Solution and all three formulas of The Hair Pill.

Dutasteride

Dutasteride is an anti-DHT drug similar to finasteride. Studies suggest it may be more effective than even the highest approved dose of finasteride. While it isn’t FDA-approved for hair loss, doctors can prescribe it off-label for that purpose.

Spironolactone

Spironolactone is another blood pressure drug that can be used off-label to treat hair loss. It stops hair loss and promotes growth by blocking hormones that trigger pattern hair loss in women. Spironolactone is available in The Hair Pill and The Hair Solution.

Tretinoin

Tretinoin is a retinoid, a group of drugs derived from vitamin A. It’s used topically for its own hair loss-fighting activity, but it also boosts the effectiveness of minoxidil by helping it penetrate deeper into the scalp. Tretinoin is available as part of The Hair Solution.

Convenience

Availability

Musely is available in all 50 US states and Washington, D.C., but they aren’t able to ship to military/government addresses (e.g. APO, FPO, DPO). Prescriptions are compounded and dispensed by Musely’s partner pharmacies. They don’t accept outside prescriptions or send prescriptions to other pharmacies to be filled.

How Do I Get Started?

Musely has a fast ordering process called an “Online Doctor Visit” that takes as little as 5 minutes. After testing on both smartphone and computer, we recommend using the smartphone app. It’s easy to use, intuitive, and allows you to take pictures of your hair without leaving the app.

1. Select a Treatment
   Use Musely’s website or app to add the treatment(s) you’re interested in to your cart.
2. Take the Questionnaire
   Next, they’ll ask you a few questions about your medical and hair loss history. Your answers will help your dermatologist choose a treatment plan that will be both effective and safe for you.
3. Upload Hair Pics and Payment Info
   The last step is to upload a few pictures of your hair so your dermatologist can assess your treatment needs. If you use the app, just tap Take Picture to snap the pics without needing to drag and drop files. After that, submit your payment details to complete your order.
4. Treatment Consultation
   Musely telehealth and prescribing is a little different from their competitors. All their treatments require a prescription and an Online Doctor Visit, but there are no in-person or virtual appointments required. Instead, after you place your order, your assigned dermatologist will review and design a treatment plan for you within 24 hours.
5. Pharmacy Fill and Shipping
   Once your doctor writes your prescription, they’ll send it to one of Musely’s partner pharmacies to be compounded and shipped out to you. You’ll get emails keeping you up to date with every stage of this process too.

How Much Does Musely Cost?

Musely’s prices are surprisingly reasonable considering their treatments are compounded from scratch and use more expensive active ingredients like dutasteride. Pricing is straightforward and transparent: $28/month for The Hair Pill, $30/month for The Hair Solution, and $58/month for both. There isn’t a price difference between the Hair Pill formulas. They require ordering a three-months supply at a time, so here’s how your total costs will shape up:

Telehealth Costs

Unlike its competitors, Musely doesn’t include the cost of telehealth services or prescriptions into their treatment price. Instead, there is a $20 visit fee for your first order that covers your initial review and treatment plan, prescription (if approved), and a Consultation Period that lets you message your designated dermatologist as much as you like for 60 days.
Beyond that, you’ll also pay added fees for other medical interactions. Musely states that fees are legally required and nonrefundable. We were bothered by this at first, but quickly realized that Musely isn’t charging for anything their competitors don’t, they just keep it out in the open versus hiding it in the treatment price.
It’s also possible to pay less in fees by ordering multiple treatments in one visit or using Musely Rewards—more on that in the next section.
To keep from getting burned by surprises, here’s a handy table of fees to expect:

Musely Rewards

After we got over the initial doctor fees sticker shock, we looked into the Musely Rewards program and found it does a decent job of off-setting some of those fees.

How do I earn Rewards?

You earn 8% back on each refill, where every 1000 points equals $1 off. Rewards can be applied to future refills, new treatments, fees, and product orders, and expire after 12 months.

How do I use Rewards?

Rewards can be applied to future refills on the Musely Cashback page on the website or app. They can be used for other purchases or fees by selecting the option at checkout.

Can I Order A Larger Supply?

Musely only fills treatment orders for three months at a time. You can buy each treatment as a one-time, 3-month supply or as a subscription that automatically refills every 3 months.
We say pick the subscription plan for two reasons. First, it takes 3-6 months of consistent treatment to see results, and subscribing ensures your treatment plan isn’t interrupted. Second, Musely offers steep discounts of up to 30% for subscriptions versus one-time orders. Since you aren’t locked into a subscription and can cancel whenever you want, we really can’t think of a scenario where a one-time order is the better choice…maybe if you hate saving money?

Billing and Subscriptions

After completing your order, your dermatologist will review your case. You’ll only be charged for the treatment if they determine that a prescription is right for you.
Musely accepts credit and debit cards (even Diner’s Club!), PayPal, and Apple Pay through a secure processing service that safeguards your payment information. For subscriptions, anticipate being billed up to a week before your fill date to give the pharmacy time to make and ship your treatment.

Discounts and Pricing

There don’t seem to be any discounts or promos for Musely beyond the subscription discount. There are lots of “promo codes” and coupons out on the web, but spare yourself the frustration—we already tried a ton of them and struck out on every single one.
The exception: We signed up to receive emails and texts from the Musely Insider program and immediately got an email with a code for 10% off our first order. Nice! You’ll need to sign up for both email and text to nab the discount, but you can always opt out later.

Insurance and Payment

Musely doesn’t accept insurance. While they accept payments from health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs), treatment for normal male pattern baldness is considered cosmetic and not eligible for reimbursement. Musely recommends consulting with your insurance carrier to see if your benefits can help with the cost of treatment or fees.

Service Quality

Getting In Touch

General Customer Service (non-medical issues)
For fast answers, your best bet is to check Musely’s comprehensive list of FAQs in their Help Center. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, you can ask their chatbot by clicking the bubble icon on the webpage. In our experience though, we would’ve been better off asking a loaf of sourdough bread for help—the bot couldn’t handle even basic questions outside its little chat prompts.
If you prefer the sanity of working with another human, you can also send a support request through their website to get a response by email, or reach out by phone Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm Pacific.

Medical Questions
For non-emergency medical questions, patients can message their assigned dermatologist through Musely’s secure messaging center. This service is free during the 60-day Consultation Period included in the visit fee.

Scheduling

You can request schedule changes on your account management screen. From there, you’re able to turn off automatic refills for subscriptions, delay or expedite your next order, or change your shipping frequency.

Shipping

Musely ships for free via 2-day USPS, and you’ll get an email with a tracking number once your order ships.

Refunds and Replacements

Musely does not accept returns—all sales are final, and fees are non-refundable. They encourage customers to get in touch with customer service if they feel an error was made with their order or if it was damaged in shipping.

Guarantees

Musely offers a 60-day money back guarantee, but unfortunately it doesn’t apply to hair loss treatments. We mention that to prevent confusion if you see the guarantee being touted elsewhere on their site

Canceling a Subscription

You can cancel refills or subscriptions any time and receive a refund for orders that haven’t shipped yet, but you won’t be able to cancel orders that have already shipped.

Who Is Musely For?

Can I use Musely for other kinds of hair loss?

The Hair Pill and Hair Solution are mainly intended to treat male and female pattern hair loss, but Musely claims they can help with other causes of hair loss too, including:

• Chemotherapy
• Infection (including COVID-19)
• Autoimmune diseases
• Telogen effluvium (hair loss after experiencing a stressful or traumatic event)
• Postpartum hair loss

Although Musely is effective for pattern hair loss, we suggest you take their claims for other types of hair loss with a grain of salt. They make some pretty bold statements but don’t elaborate on them or provide clinical evidence to back them up.

Can Women Use Musely?

Musely says that their treatments can be used by both pre- and post-menopausal women. Although they don’t mention it anywhere, you should know that dutasteride is a Pregnancy Category X medication and contraindicated in women who are pregnant or able to become pregnant due to the risk of serious birth defects. If you’re a woman, your dermatologist will determine if you can safely take dutasteride or if another formula without it would be a better choice.

Does Musely Work?

Topical minoxidil is one of the two treatments with FDA-approval for hair loss and there is plenty of reliable clinical evidence that it’s one of the best hair loss treatments for both men and women. Results should become noticeable after 3–6 months of using minoxidil daily.
Musely doesn’t prescribe finasteride, the other FDA-approved treatment for hair loss. Instead, they use a more potent drug called dutasteride that works the same way (lowering DHT). Musely also uses other off-label active ingredients, including spironolactone, oral minoxidil, tretinoin, and ketoconazole.

Dutasteride has good evidence that it works just as well if not better than finasteride. The other actives have a modest amount of clinical evidence to support their use for hair loss. As with minoxidil, they all take at least 3-6 months to produce results, although some actives like spironolactone or ketoconazole can take up to a year. Results for all these drugs only last as long as treatment is continued, and inevitably reverse within 6 months of discontinuation.
Pro-Tip: Minoxidil and dutasteride may cause a temporary increase in the number of hairs being shed as old hairs are pushed out to make room for the new. If you notice that your hair is falling out faster than usual, don’t panic or stop your treatment—the effect reverses after a couple months of treatment.

Is Musely Safe To Use?

As with any medication, there’s always the chance of a bad reaction or side effects, but the ingredients in Musely hair loss treatments are safe when used as directed.

Is there anyone who shouldn’t use Musely?

Women who are pregnant or able to become pregnant should not use or handle products containing dutasteride due to the risk of birth defects in male babies. Musely has other Hair Pill formulas that don’t contain dutasteride.

While oral spironolactone or minoxidil aren’t as dangerous, it’s recommended pregnant women avoid taking these drugs as well because of their potential effects on fetal development.

Men should avoid taking spironolactone by mouth due to its interference with androgen hormones like testosterone.

What are the side effects of minoxidil?

Musely has minoxidil in both oral and topical forms. When taken by mouth, the most common side effect is increased growth and darkening of hair on the face or body. It can also cause low blood pressure, swelling of the legs, and headaches.

Rarely, oral minoxidil can cause serious cardiac side effects in some patients. Be sure to share your entire medical history and current medications with your Musely dermatologist, especially if you have heart or kidney problems.

Side effects of topical minoxidil are limited to the application area and include redness and irritation. The solution may leave a greasy feel to your hair, which Musely says can be cleared up using a dry shampoo.

Does dutasteride have any side effects?

Dutasteride is in the same class of DHT-lowering drugs as finasteride. When taken orally, a small percentage of men (1-3%) may experience decreased libido, depression, or sexual dysfunction as side effects. These usually resolve after discontinuing. Topical dutasteride is likely to have fewer side effects because most of the dose remains on the skin.

Is there a difference between oral and topical minoxidil?

Topical use of minoxidil results in much less systemic absorption—only 2% for topical minoxidil vs. 90% or more for oral. That means the effects and side effects of the drug are limited to the application area. Although this lowers the risk of systemic side effects like cardiac issues, it increases the risk of skin irritation and redness.

Musely Reviews: What Customers Think

Reviews on Musely.com are very positive, with a 4.7/5 average rating. Many customers (men and women) reported that their hair stopped falling out and often significantly grew back, filling in thin areas and even bald spots. Those with less dramatic results still reported being encouraged to continue by the results they had so far. The before-and-after pictures some customers include with their reviews make the results readily apparent.
Now for the dirt. Their site doesn’t present any negative reviews, so we took to the streets (of the internet) to see if there was a dark side to Musely. We’re particularly interested in how the company responds to bad reviews and complaints.

Trustpilot

Customers on TrustPilot roundly thrashed Musely (2.8/5), citing issues related to billing, inattentive customer service, shipping delays or losses, product effectiveness, and the amount of product dispensed. But after a closer look, most of these reviews give us the impression that the person didn’t read the terms (especially the “no refund” policy) or couldn’t figure out how to use the website.
Since most customers mention the easy-to-use site and great customer service, we think the really negative reviews are outliers rather than evidence of an ongoing problem. Musely hasn’t responded on TrustPilot.
Musely did better elsewhere, with a B- from the Better Business Bureau (3.5/5 from customers). Their responses to negative reviews were great, but what really stood out was their service team’s habit of replying to positive reviewers and thanking them. That’s a strong sign that their customer service is doing a solid job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Final Verdict: Is Musely Legit?

Musely is definitely a real contender in the hair loss industry. While their approach is a little different from the competition, it seems to work just as well if not better. Musely offers a powerful menu of ingredients that includes new options for women with hair loss. Their prices and customer service are great, and even though they charge for telehealth, they provide ways for customers to defray those costs. All together, we find that Musely is an above average option for men and women who want high-quality compounded hair loss treatments at better prices than the competition.

Musely Rating Breakdown

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About Author

Randall Higgins, PharmD