Hair Growth Laser Hat for $60

Intro: Hair Growth Laser Hat for $60

I have been gradually getting a larger and larger bald spot on the back of my head for the last 5 years. I have tried Minoxidil, but it is messy and has not worked at all, that I can tell. I wanted to try a laser hat, but did not want to spend $700, only to find it did not work. I found 100 laser diodes for $50 on Amazon, put them in a foam pad with holes, added batteries, and put them in a baseball cap. I have been wearing the hat in the car, each day, during my 30 minute commute. This is supposed to take 6-12 months to work, but I am getting small, but noticeable results in 30 days. I am really excited to see what the next few months bring. Here is a video showing exactly what I did.

Supplies: 100 laser diodes ($5/10 doides on Amazon), 4 inch square of foam flooring, battery pack, switch, cap

Step 1 - Drill or punch 100 equally spaced 1/8" holes in foam.

Step 2 - Unscrew and discard all lenses from lasers

Step 3 - Press lasers into foam holes

Step 4 - Connect all red laser wires to switch. Connect switch red battery wire

Step 5 - Connect all the blue laser wires to the black battery wire.

Step 6 - Lace battery pack to outside back of cap.

Step 7 - Lace, or double-stick tape, foam laser pack to inside of cap, where you need it.

Step 8 - Put hat on your head and wear it for 15-30 minutes a day.

TIP - Get some rechargeable Lithium AA batteries. Regular batteries only last a week.

Comments

[HowToLou]

I wondered whether this hair-brained method would really work, but had to take my hat off to a Dateline 12-month investigation into hair growth. Not a glowing report on laser treatment, but good enough to do more than skin deep research. I am too lazy to mess with a laser comb, and didn't want to shave off $700 for the iGrow or LaserCap hats, only to get thin results. $60 is a hair less than I spend taking my wife to dinner, so I figured, it was worth a try. The bald truth is that I am getting slow, but legit, hair-raising results, wearing this hat during my 30-minute commute.

NBC Dateline Hair Growth Challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUeJTjEKHfQ

[gravityisweak]

So many hair related puns, my head hurts!

[slayerofgoliath]

I was watching one of the commercials and I said to the wife, I'll bet someone has figured out how to make one on Instructables. Kudos

[AlexS718]

Hi,
First of all thanks for the instructions on how to make this hat. It’s incredibly useful and have been using a similar (and more expensive) product for years. My hat gets really bright and then reduces the intensity a minute or so after starting it. Is this a problem of wrong wire size used to connect the battery pack to the diodes?
Thank you.

[Fypsigon]

Thanks for this instructable!!!!!

I made this device and I hope it works! I only paid 15 € for the lasers on ebay...

I connected the lasers to an old USB charger and as far as I can tell it works fine....but...the charger is rated for 5V / 1A, I have 100 lasers at 40mA...do I have to connect a different power source with more Ampere?

[HowToLou]

At 1 Amp (1000mA) each doide is getting 10 mA. I run 4.5 volts at 2000 mA, so I am getting about 20 mA per diode. I don't know if brighter is better, but mine are really bright. I bet what you are doing in fine.

[Fypsigon]

...mine are really bright, too....but could this damage the power supply?

[Somethingtotallyrandom]

That was very interesting.

For you nest project, I'd like to suggest using conductive epoxy or glue. I only mention it for those who don't own or want to use a soldering iron. IIRC, there is now even a conductive polymer clay :-)

I don't much care if I have hair or not, but I really like cool hacks and yours certainly qualifies in that regard. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will benefit.

[HowToLou]

Wire wraping works quite well. I have a soldering iron but didn't use it. Thanks for the conductive glue idea. I will get some for my next project.

[Kiteman]

Whose head is in the before & after shots?

[HowToLou]

I'm not sayin :)