Divi's Scalp Serum Claims to Spark Hair Growth—We Put it to the Test

Though once hair care products focused only on the strands growing out of your head, scalp care has skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years. Divi Scalp Serum is among the slew of scalp care products that claim to improve your hair growth.

Scalp serums typically include natural ingredients such as rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree oil, but Divi one ups much of the competition by adding amino acids and peptides. It's a small bottle that packs a big punch and can be used to remove product buildup from your scalp to prevent hair thinning. I put this viral product to the test, incorporating it into my daily routine for a week. Read on for my honest review.

About My Hair: Thick and curly

I have thick hair with multiple curl patterns. I bleach it from black to blond to dye it, so I use many products to help keep it healthy. I typically wash my hair once a week, using Pureology and Leaf & Flower shampoo and conditioner, along with Aphogee products including the curl and keratin treatments. I dry my hair with a heat protector and Leaf & Flower curl enhancer, then use hairspray because otherwise, my curls tend to fall out overnight. This means there is no shortage of product in my hair, and on my scalp, on a regular basis.

This Divi Scalp Serum should be used on dry or towel-dried hair, so I found it easy to incorporate into my hair routine. I usually wet my hands and massage my scalp to revitalize my curls each day, so this serum took the place of my usual water. This is meant for daily use, and the quantity in the bottle is more likely to last you an entire month if you only use it on problem areas. When I used it all over my head (because I don't have any specific problem areas), it took two to three droppers full to reach all areas.

The Experience: Not for the sensitive

Neither heavy nor greasy when applying, the Divi Scalp Serum feels water-based despite containing an assortment of oils. That said, I can't say it didn't weigh down my hair at all, and my hair did get greasy by the end of the week, which is something that I typically never experience. I noticed a slightly flatter look throughout the week than my hair normally has, which I combatted after a few days by using the product only in certain spots instead of all over.

I'd recommend avoiding this product if you have a sensitive scalp or you are sensitive to smell. I found the smell to be medicinal and a bit harsh. I wondered if I was alone in being taken aback by the odor, so I read through online reviews on a few different retail sites. Many online reviewers noted that they couldn't handle the smell, or that their family members complained about it.

Additionally, inasmuch as it's meant to reduce product buildup, it is a product itself and you're applying it daily to your scalp. So it may be better suited for people with hair types that benefit from more frequent washing than my curly hair does.

The Results: Curls intact

After one week of daily usage, I brushed my hair in preparation for washing (something I only do on wash day, as otherwise, it would obliterate my curls). I noticed that there wasn't any more or any less hair on my brush than usual.

The difference you'll notice in my before and after pic is from a single use, as it hasn't been nearly long enough for me to see an actual difference in either my hair growth or thickness. The product does not remove any of my curls, but it does make my hair slightly flatter at the roots. I considered adding a root booster to my routine to combat that, but since Divi Scalp Serum removes product buildup, I worried it would be a waste of product.

Full disclosure: I used this product for one week, which isn't nearly long enough to get the full benefits of it. The company suggests two to three months of regular, consistent usage in order to see the best results. While I'm not seeking much by way of thickness, I do hope for a faster growth rate. I admit that I'm hesitant to smell like this product for that long, but I am hoping I—and others I'm in close physical proximity to—get used to it.

Because this comes in an opaque bottle, it's challenging to tell how much is left in it. The dropper is very small, so you may notice that it's impossible to cover areas all around your head in the recommended 3/4 droppers full the bottle says to apply. The tiny size is excellent for travel, though if you're going to travel with it I'd strongly suggest placing it inside Ziploc bags. If it dripped or spilled onto anything, the smell would presumably permeate the fabric.

The Value: Comparable to the competition

While nearly $50 for a single ounce of product might sound quite high, this scalp serum is priced on par with its competitors. It's marketed as more of a luxury product than a drugstore one and contains similar ingredients to others in this market. However, there are scalp care and hair growth products available at drugstores from brands like Shea Moisture that contain many of the same ingredients at a fraction of the cost. I noticed in an array of online reviews that customers didn't think this product could last an entire month, so I wasn't alone in that concern. Even after scaling back, it felt like I'd used a surprising amount of the bottle in just a week.

Similar Product: Divi Scalp Serum vs. Vegamour Gro

I used Vegamour GRO Serum for several months in 2021 until I got tired of the daily application because it didn't do enough to continue using indefinitely. It smelled much less strong than the Divi, and more importantly, it didn't weigh my hair down the way the Divi did. While it didn't accelerate my hair growth, it did reduce the amount of shedding during my weekly brushing pretty significantly.

The two scalp serums contain similar ingredients, and they're priced similarly. Vegamour GRO costs an additional $10 per bottle, but the $10 discount for a monthly subscription brings it down to being on par with Divi. Vegamour GRO has a different blend of herbs, but its ingredients include peptides, similar to Divi. The Divi Scalp Serum smells like what I'd expect a strong dandruff shampoo for men to smell like, whereas the Vegamous GRO Serum is nearly odorless. As dense as my hair is, I didn't stop smelling the Divi throughout the day after application.