Keeps is a subscription service that says it can save you money on the best hair loss treatments for men, but is that really the case? Not if you ask me.
I pay only $25 a year for finasteride, the generic version of Propecia. That’s it!
Keeps Hair Loss Treatment Review: It’s Not the Best Deal!
Through its website, Keeps sells the exact same drug — finasteride — as part of its hair loss treatment kits for $25 a month.
Take Your Pick: $25 a Year or $25 a Month…
You can skip the subscription services that say they can save you money and follow the steps that I took to actually save money.
Here’s how I lowered my hair loss treatment costs to just $25 a year.
1. I Went to a Doctor
I’m not a doctor, so you need to book an appointment with a primary care physician or a dermatologist to talk about your hair loss.
If you hate going to the doctor, see if your insurance offers telemedicine.
I went to my dermatologist because I felt like he would have more experience treating men who were losing their hair. The insurance copay was $50.
2. I Asked for a 5 mg Finasteride Dose and Split the Pills
My doctor prescribed me 1 mg of finasteride a day for hair loss, but I did some research and found that it comes in a 5 mg dose.
I asked if I could split the 5 mg pill into quarters and my doctor said yes.
He wrote me a prescription for 5 mg of finasteride instead of 1 mg, which means fewer trips to the pharmacy because one pill turns into four pills.
3. I Found the Lowest Price on GoodRx
With my prescription in hand, I downloaded the free GoodRx app and entered the name of the drug and the dose to find the cheapest price.
When you use GoodRx, you skip your regular insurance and just show the app at the pharmacy.
I’m able to get 30 pills of 5 mg finasteride for $8.60, which is a 120-day supply since I split each pill into quarters. That equals only $25.80 for a year’s supply!
Someone who signs up for Keeps’ $25/month plan would pay $300 a year.
My Hair Loss Experience
My hair began thinning when I was 31 years old, especially at the back of my scalp. I haven’t noticed much hair loss at the temples yet.
Here’s a timeline of what happened after I started taking finasteride:
- 3 months: Hair strengthened
- 6 months: Hair started to regrow
- 12 months: Hair looked like it used to
I chose not to use minoxidil (generic Rogaine) along with finasteride because I wanted to see if the pill worked on its own — and it has so far. (Update: Five years later, I’m still only taking finasteride.)
If you decide to take minoxidil, stock up when you find it on sale or try Costco. No prescription is required.
The Bottom Line
Since I first wrote this article and uploaded a YouTube video about my experience, I’ve heard from dozens of guys who have followed the steps above and are saving money. Here’s a recent comment:
Hey man, I just wanted to thank you because I thought this hair loss thing was a lost cause. With my Dr’s prescription for 1 mg finasteride it would have cost me $47 out of pocket/month. I was about to bite the bullet and pay Keeps $25/month which is much more reasonable. For some reason I stumbled upon your video and now I got a 90 day supply of 5 mg finasteride for $14. Seriously, thank you for making this video.
Comment left on my YouTube channel
Subscription services like Keeps are all about convenience, not real savings. Ask your doctor about my plan and save money on your hair loss treatment.
I’m bald, have hair on the sides and back. I’ve been taking 5 mg of Finasteride for a year for my prostate. The hair on my head is barely fuzz and can’t really be seen. Finasteride does not produce a full head of hair on me no matter what you or anyone says, period!
I did not say it will work for you. I shared that it worked for me.
It won’t work if you are already bald..
That’s true
You don’t seem to understand what Finasteride is. It was never meant to “produce a full head of hair.” In fact, it never promises to produce any hair at all. Finasteride prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone which shrinks your hair follicles, causing hair LOSS. By decreasing DHT by up to 70%, it is hoped that your natural hair growth — or with help from Minoxidil, LLLT, etc — can restore your head of hair. In other words, Finasteride does NOT grow hair. It only prevents hair from falling out prematurely. If you’re totally bald, Finasteride will do nothing because you have no hair to fall out. In all likelihood, your hair follicles are dead and beyond restoration from Finasteride, Minoxidil, LLLT or any other nonsurgical means. Your only hope is a hair transplant, which replaces your dead follicles with active ones.
You don’t seem to understand what Finasteride is supposed to do. It was never meant to “produce a full head of hair.” In fact, it never promises to produce any hair at all. Finasteride prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone which shrinks your hair follicles, causing hair LOSS. By decreasing DHT by up to 70%, it is hoped that your natural hair growth — or with help from Minoxidil, LLLT, etc — can restore your head of hair. In other words, Finasteride does NOT grow hair. It only prevents hair from falling out prematurely. If you’re totally bald, Finasteride will do nothing because you have no hair to fall out. In all likelihood, your hair follicles are dead and beyond restoration from Finasteride, Minoxidil, LLLT or any other nonsurgical means. Your only hope is a hair transplant, which replaces your dead follicles with active ones.
Do you know who will ship to Australia at a lower price? The cheapest I can find in Australia is $20 for 28 pills.
Sorry I don’t
If the Keeps cost includes the doctor consultation, then you should include the cost of your doctor consultation in the total cost of your alternative. That would bump you up to $75/year, not $25/year. For someone without insurance or with a high deductible, even a once-yearly visit could push the total cost above $200/year.
No, that’s wrong. Their “consultation” consists a few questions online and probably a few photos of your head. People without insurance can get telemedicine from many sources for as little as $25. You’re just basically paying for a prescription. And with a harmless medication like finasteride, you may even be able to get 2 refills from the same prescription. Much cheaper than Keeps.
For example, the respected Lemonaid telemedicine site only charges $25 for a hair loss consultation.
https://www.lemonaidhealth.com/services/hair-loss
From the Q&A:
“Our consultation fee is typically $25, which covers the evaluation and a prescription, but not the cost of your medicine. Some of our services – such as depression and anxiety – are a flat monthly fee that covers consultations and any medicines that we prescribe and ship…
If you’ve asked us to ship your medicine, we’ll simply charge your card on file for your medicine! Delivery is fast and free.
If you want to get your medicines from your local pharmacy then you’d pay your local pharmacy directly. Keep in mind that all local pharmacies set their own retail prices for medicine so we can’t control or guarantee what you’ll pay at a local pharmacy. Retail prices at local pharmacies tend to be higher than what our own pharmacy charges to ship your medicines.”
Sam, your comment is also good feedback and should be incorporated into the article. Either way, the author’s $25/year figure is still not accurate.
Most general doctors and dermatologists will give you a prescription for Finasteride, so if you go for a yearly exam you can ask for a prescription. For people who choose to not go to doctors for preventive care or don’t have insurance, they can add in the cost of the consultation. (FYI: Other online pharmacies provide consultations for Finasteride that are cheaper than Keeps or Hims.)
Hey Michael I recently reached out to you on Instagram, can I have your email so that I can contact you on there? I need to personally speak to you about the little hair recession I have going on near my hairline. I texted you a brief description and 2 pictures on instagram. Please reach back at me when you have a chance. Thank you
michaelsavesmedia@gmail.com is my address
I stumbled across this article while researching solutions for my husband and decided to give it a go. We used SkyMD for a $80 consultation with a dermatologist instantly (at 8pm on a Sunday), sent two pics, asked for the 5mg finasteride and got a prescription for $25, 360 doses. Amazing recommendation!!! Thank you!
Great savings!
Like virtually all baldness treatments, Finasteride takes many months to work. Too many men don’t have the patience to wait and give up after a month or so. That’s not realistic. However, I will point out that one study showed that an extremely aggressive treatment plan did show results within 30 days for some men. If I’m not mistaken, it used Minoxidil, oral Finasteride, topical FInasteride and ketoconazole shampoo simultaneously . Needlessly to say, it’s a very expensive regimen and should only be done under a physician’s monitoring. Minoxidil and ketoconazole are pretty safe but you need to check up on the FInasteride, especially oral Finasteride.
Keeps is a scam and rip off! I tried cancelling my subscription and they decided to process my 2nd installment anyway. More interested in getting my $108 renewal instead of doing what is right. Don’t buy into what they’re peddling. It’s all a scam to get your money.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I hope that if the treatment was showing promise that you’ll seek it elsewhere using the methods in my post.
Any before & after pics for proof?
Bill, I’m not sure why you would want “proof.” The point of this blog entry is not to promote the use of Finasteride, but how to save money if you choose to use the drug. That has nothing to do with whether the drug works or not. Regardless, he did post before and after photos.
thanks!
I don’t have insurance can I get this stuff without a prescription?
No you need a prescription.
Oral Finasteride requires a prescription, which can usually be gotten from a simple questionnaire, i.e. through email or a online chat with a health care provider (physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant). A Rx is needed because oral Finasteride can have significant side effects including sexual ones and even cancer. Topical FInasteride has significantly fewer side effects since its effects are localized on the scalp (I also know someone who is using it on his pubes and rectal area). Preliminary research shows that it can be just as effective as oral Finasteride. Unfortunately, topical FInasteride is not generally available in the US so it must be custom-made by a compounding pharmacy, which of course requires a prescription. Some people make their own topical version from the pills.
Men who don’t want to get a prescription often buy Finasteride from India, where the topical version is available over the counter. However, buying medication internationally is risky because there are A LOT of fakes out there, taking advantage of desperate men. Some fakes reuse legitimate bottles with legitimate labels so it’s nearly impossible to know that the contents inside is nothing more than water, alcohol,, etc.
You don’t need insurance. In fact, many sites don’t even charge for the “consultation” since they make their money from selling the medication, not from the doctor “visit.” As for the med itself, insurance does not pay for Propecia (the name brand), but it may pay for Finasteride (the generic version). If you don’t want to buy from a baldness website — which often costs more as Michael points out in this blog — then you do need to find a physician. Most telemedicine sites will only charge you around $79 for a 15 min consult and prescription. Make sure to ask for the 5mg generic, as per this blog’s instruction. Shop around and read the fine print!