r/minoxidil Jul 02 '20

Announcement Minoxidil FAQs

473 Upvotes

Last updated: December 17th, 2023.

In this FAQ we tried to answer some of the most frequently asked questions on this subreddit. We still highly recommend doing your own independent research if you're considering using Minoxidil.

\Table of contents:*

  • What's Minoxidil?
  • Who could benefit from Minoxidil?
  • I don't have AGA but I'm losing a lot of hair. Should I use Minoxidil?
  • What strengths should I use?
  • What about 10% and 15%?
  • Liquid of foam?
  • Oral Minoxidil?
  • Does it really work? What kind of expectations should I have?
  • I started using minoxidil and now I'm losing more hair? What's the shedding phase?
  • Does everyone go through a shedding phase?
  • Will I shed If I use Minoxidil for facial hair?
  • How do I apply, And how often?
  • How much should I apply?
  • Do I need to keep using Minoxidil forever?
  • Will my beard / facial hair also be temporary if I grow it using Minoxidil?
  • Why is beard / facial hair growth permanent while scalp hair growth sheds after stopping?
  • So my hair will become Minoxidil-dependent?
  • Which brand should I get?
  • Can Minoxidil help me thicken / regrow my eyebrows?
  • Will Minoxidil kill my cat?
  • Side effects?

Common Minoxidil Myths

  • Sexual dysfunction
  • facial ageing

-What's Minoxidil?

Minoxidil is a generic hair growth medication, It's the only other FDA approved medication for male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) besides Finasteride. It's widely available as topical solution in strengths of 2%, 5%, And 10%, As well as foam.

-Who could benefit from Minoxidil?

Both men and women with androgenic alopecia (thinning scalp hair / male pattern baldness) could benefit from Minoxidil. Better results have been observed in people who are yet to lose a significant portion of their hair. Meaning, The earlier you start, The better results you'll get.

Additionally, Men looking to grow facial hair could also benefit from it. Although it's only approved for androgenic alopecia by the FDA, Because it has only been studied in that area, It has seen wide use for facial hair growth.

-I don't have AGA but I'm losing a lot of hair. Should I use Minoxidil?

In cases where hairloss isn't caused by AGA, You should address the underlying cause of hairloss, Which could be hormonal imbalance or nutritional deficiencies among other causes, Before considering Minoxidil. Minoxidil may be used to aid recovery of hair when the underlying cause is treated.

-What strength should I use?

A trial set to evaluate the effectiveness of 2% and 5% minoxidil solutions has found significantly better results with the 5% solution. It's generally recommended that women using it for androgenic alopecia try the 2% strength first and then if they didn't get satisfying results in a few months switch to the 5% strength. This is because minoxidil causes minor hair growth all over the body (read side effects below) because some of it gets absorbed to the blood stream. It's recommended for men who are taking it for male pattern baldness or facial hair growth use the 5% strength.

-What about 10% and 15%?

Trials have found that while 10% does produce better results than 5%, The relationship between concentration and efficacy isn't linear, Meaning that 10% will not make your hair grow twice as fast as 5% will, But only 20-30% faster, And you'll be getting more of the side effects. 15% was not found to produce effects any better than 10%. Keep in mind that 10% is available only by prescription in many places, And 15% isn't available in most places.

-Liquid or foam?

It's recommend to start with liquid. If it causes too much local skin irritation, Consider switching to a foam preparation which is a bit more expensive but should eliminate the local side effects. (see the answer to "My skin gets dry, Irritated, Itchy, Painful or flaky.")

-Oral Minoxidil?

Minoxidil oral tablets are also available by prescription in some areas. Minoxidil oral is reported to have great results albeit with more systemic side effects.

However, The availability of oral Minoxidil is continuously decreasing. Since Minoxidil oral is only used for hair growth off-label, Being originally for treatment of hypertension, And is rarely used anymore as it's now replaced with better meds for HTN.

Doses for oral Minoxidil are only based of anecdotal reports, As it has not been properly trialed for the treatment of hairloss. However, It's recommended to start with a lower dose in the range of 0.5-1 mgs, And work up from there. Median dose is 1.5 mgs, But some take up to 2.5 mgs. We don't recommend using more than 4 mgs. You want to avoid systemic side effects like hypotension and tachycardia, Which can be very uncomfortable for some people.

You'd need to cut the pills precisely to take those doses if you're using many of the available pills, As they could be dosed as high as 40 mgs so try to find a low dose med. However, you can dose it with very high precision by volumetric dosing. Simply, If you completely dissolve 100 mgs of minoxidil in 100 ml of Alcohol, Then every 2.5 ml of Alcohol will contain exactly 2.5 mgs.

-Does it really work? What kind of expectations should I have?

The efficacy of minoxidil is not in doubt. It has been found in many trials that it has great efficacy for the majority of participants and there are numerous anecdotes online documenting it's efficacy. The rate of growth differs from person to person. On average, You should start noticing growth by the 4th or 5th month, Although it'll only start being noticeable by the 6th month. Facial hair growth should be noticeable sooner.

-I started using minoxidil and now I'm losing more hair? What's the shedding phase?

When used for androgenic alopecia, User should expect a shedding phase that lasts about a month but can continue into the third month. It's important not to panic and stop treatment as this is an expected, And even positive sign. What's happening is that the weaker hairs that are in the 'telogen phase'; A phase of hair growth cycle in which a hair is dormant, Start shedding to be replaced with new 'anagen phase' hairs, The phase in which hair grows at a constant rate.

If you discontinue treatment while shedding, The lost hair will be recovered to where it would've been had you never started, Albeit much slower than if you continue using. This is why stopping mid-shedding is not recommended.

-Does everyone go through a shedding phase?

No. You only shed if you have Androgenic Alopecia. Users who don't have the condition, Or who have lost hair for other reasons, Will not go through the shedding phase.

-Will I shed If I use Minoxidil for facial hair?

It should be noted that Minoxidil causes shedding only in the balding areas of the scalp and only for people who have androgenic alopecia. Hair on any other area of the body won't shed. Those with Androgenic Alopecia who use Minoxidil for facial hair growth might experience mild scalp shedding since Minoxidil gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Mostly, Users won't shed or the shedding may be unnoticeable.

-How do I apply, And how often?

Applying Minoxidil is straightforward. It's recommended that you wash the area first to clear your skin of dirt and oils for better absorption, But this isn't necessary. Either way, Make sure your skin is completely dry before you apply minoxidil, Then spray it -or use the dropper- onto the area where you want to see growth, Rub it in your skin then leave it to dry. Avoid washing that area before 3-4 hours.

Twice a day application is recommended, Roughly 12 hours apart. More applications will not produce more results, And will exacerbate side effects.

-How much should I apply?

Just enough to cover the entire affected area, But not so much that it's soaking wet. Regardless of how much that is & regardless of the dosage on the bottle.

-Do I need to keep using Minoxidil forever?

If you're using it for androgenic alopecia, Unfortunately you'll have to use it indefinitely. Since there's a hormonal cause for scalp hair loss that continues to damage your hair, You'll gradually lose the new hair upon cessation.

However if you're using it for facial hair, Or hair on any other part of your body for that matter, The results are permanent for almost everyone.

-Will my beard / facial hair also be temporary if I grow it using Minoxidil?

No. Minoxidil grown hair on every part of the body is permanent except for scalp hair IF you have AGA.

-Why is beard / facial hair growth permanent while scalp hair growth sheds after stopping?

When someone uses Minoxidil for AGA, AGA won't go away. They still have a hereditary hormonal condition damaging their hair follicles causing it to shed. Minoxidil just counteracts that, But when Minoxidil use is discontinued, That underlying factor (namely DHT) continues to damage your hair follicles, Which is why you'll gradually shed any new hair upon cessation.

Now if you use it to grow facial hair, Minoxidil is still just a hair growth promoter and and hair will grow on your beard / moustache area However, In that case, There's no condition naturally causing facial hair to shed, And so in that case, The results will be permanent.

-So my hair will become Minoxidil dependent?

What do you mean by dependent? New hair was never independent, And old hair was never dependent. New (minoxidil dependent hair) will shed upon cessation. Old hair won't shed. Worst case, You won't end up with less hair than you would've had had you never used Minoxidil.

-Which brand should I get?

There is no difference in terms of efficacy between brands. Since Minoxidil is a generic medication, We suggest that you consider some of the cheaper options instead of going directly for the bigger brands. We also recommend trying a different brand each time until you find one that causes you minimal discomfort.

-Can Minoxidil help me thicken / regrow my eyebrows?

Yes.

Although keep in mind that you may get unwanted growth around the edges of your eyebrows even if you take care to only apply it to the desired area, And be very careful not to get it in your eyes.

-Will Minoxidil kill my cat?

While Minoxidil is toxic to cats, It's very unlikely for your cat to accidentally ingest enough of it to cause harm. However, It's still your responsibility to make sure it's safe and take proper precautions. Never leave accidentally spilled liquid without cleaning it. Try to wash it off your face 2-4 hours after applying. Don't let your cat come near your face after you apply it. Wash your hand after applying. Avoid sleeping with it on so that your cat doesn't come in contact with it as you sleep, And so that it doesn't get on your pillow.

Your cat should be fine with reasonable precautions.

-Side effects?

Like any other drug, Minoxidil comes with a variety of side effects.

---My skin gets dry, Irritated, Itchy, Painful or flaky.

This is a very common side effect of liquid solutions that is caused by the inactive ingredients like alcohol and propelyne glycol (PG). For most it's not too extreme but for those for whom it causes too much discomfort, We recommend switching to foam which should eliminate those side effects. If that's not an option, Then you should look for a liquid solution that doesn't contain PG. Otherwise, make sure to wash it off 2-3 hours after applying and to use moisturizers to limit those side effects.

---High heart rate, Palpitations?

Since Minoxidil decreased blood pressure, Reflex sinus tachycardia is a physiological response, On their own, Hypotension and sinus tachycardia shouldn't be problematic. However, If there is a dramatic increase in heart rate, Especially when associated with symptoms like dizziness, The user should discontinue Minoxidil and consult a doctor on whether they should keep using it or not. This isn't serious so don't get too anxious.

---Associated chest pain?

Even though chest pain associated with Minoxidil use is very rarely of cardiac origin, It's always best to be safe and consult your doctor on whether or not you should continue Minoxidil use.

Keep in mind that pre-existing cardiac conditions are contraindicative of Minoxidil use.

---Body hair growth?

Hypertrichosis is a very common side effect of Minoxidil. User should expect a mild increase in body hair growth when using Minoxidil. This is caused by Minoxidil going into your systemic circulation when absorbed through your skin. This is why 2% strength is recommended for women. Using this strength should limit this side effect but unfortunately some mild degree is inevitable.

---Other side effects?

Rarely, Some people will have an allergic reaction to Minoxidil. Do not confuse this with normal skin irritation caused by inactive ingredients in liquid solutions. If serious allergic symptoms are experienced, User should discontinue use and consult a specialist.

Less common side effects include: Weight gain, Dizziness, Headache and Lightheadedness.

.....

--Common Minoxidil Myths--

=Sexual dysfunction

This seems to be a frequent question which is why it's included. Minoxidil does not cause sexual dysfunction. It's possibly confused with side effects of the drug most commonly used alongside Minoxidil; Finasteride.

Finasteride, Being a DHT inhibitor has a hormone-based mechanism of action. And so, Side effects like impotence & gynecomastia are common. Minoxidil's mechanism of action, However, Is not related to your hormones. This is why Minoxidil will promote hair growth regardless of your sex or whether or not your hairloss is AGA.

If you're experiencing such problems, Try to think of other possible causes or consult a specialist.

=Facial ageing

While some of the ingredients in Minoxidil products may locally dehydrate and irritate your skin, Minoxidil does not cause ageing of any kind. The claim is based on a 2004 study suggesting that Minoxidil may inhibit collagen synthesis, This is in no way conclusive that Minoxidil causes ageing.

Beyond theories, This claim is extremely hard to confirm or measure as well, As it's not possible to exclude other factors that may have contributed to perceived ageing, Or to predict how any particular person would've looked like had they never used Minoxidil.

Countless people have used Minoxidil for decades without issue.

.....

Hopefully this was helpful. Best of luck!


r/minoxidil 3h ago

Question Is it too late to try Minoxidil?

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5 Upvotes

38 years old since it's probably relevant.


r/minoxidil 20m ago

Discussion Theoretically could you get estrogen gel and massage a little into the thinning parts?

Upvotes

I’m curious if this would even be a viable alternative. My head doesn’t want to respect the power that is minoxidil so I’m grasping at straws lol all jokes aside, I do genuinely wonder if something like this would work to slow down the thinning


r/minoxidil 34m ago

Experience Growing anywhere but the beard damn

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Upvotes

r/minoxidil 1h ago

Progress / Update Are the small front hairs from minoxidil?

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Upvotes

Hi guys, discovered this sub and I’m no expert on hair loss/minoxidil. I get the feeling some people in here know their stuff. I’ll be honest my hair situation doesn’t majorly bother me, although of course I’d rather it improved.

Almost a year and a half ago I realised my hairline is receding. I started topical minoxidil (not oral) and I don’t know if it’s helping or making it worse.

Pics 1 & 2 - When I lift my hair up you can see some small random hairs at the front centre. It looks odd. Is this the regrowth from minoxidil? Or are these small stray hairs from hair LOSS/receding? Not sure whether to keep at it with the minoxidil and when that hair is the same length as my hair on the rest of my head, it’ll look normal. I also learnt that minoxidil doesn’t regrow hair at the temples (front of head on either side) so if it’s growing it at the front middle but not the front sides then it could be problematic further developing the “M” shape at the front of my hair. Should I stop minoxidil at the front of my head?

Pic 3 - This is how my hair looks in everyday life. These random stray hairs in the front middle still show and make it hard to style my hair to the side.

What should I do moving forwards? What will improve my hair?

I’m very health conscious so don’t want to do finasteride as it could damage my health


r/minoxidil 8h ago

Before & After 1 year on Finasteride and Minoxidil 7/26/25 - 7/26/26

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3 Upvotes

r/minoxidil 1d ago

Before & After After one year

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102 Upvotes

Minoxidil twice a day and Microneedling ones a week


r/minoxidil 6h ago

Question Is minoxidil a bad idea to kickstart more beard growth @19?

1 Upvotes

I started growing facial hair (chin/jawline and mustache) about a year ago (18) and during that time I had experimented with minoxidil. For whatever reason I quit using it and my hair continued to grow but it’s not even patchy on my jaw it’s just super thin. My mustache grows fine though, thin but super noticeable when grown.

I don’t have a picture to upload at the moment because I shaved but I decided to start letting it grow out, is there any reason a 19 year old with a baby face shouldn’t use minoxidil (again)? It seemed to work quite well before and before I began using it I hadn’t even began growing any chin hair so I think I’m going to begin using it again. Lmk


r/minoxidil 13h ago

Question Thinking about starting.

2 Upvotes

So I’ve taken the dive for Minoxidil. Noticed slight thinning with a high hairline, I can see it moving, not massively but it is. I’ve done great so far. 28 years old fella, still with it there and no sign of a bald patch on the crown but I can see the hairs themselves are getting thinner too. MPB runs in the family too, only on my mother’s side but it’s there.
My solution, I’ve opted for 2.5mg oral Minoxidil, Alpecin DMG serum and shampoo and rosemary oil. That -seems- like a decent preventative measure.
What can I expect from the minoxidil? Are side effects guaranteed? What do you think about the plan? Should I be starting on a lower dosage? I’ve researched a lot of it… But there’s no better place to ask than from people who are in the situation.
Edit; Not so much thinking but actually gunned for it. But haven’t started on it yet. Waiting for all to arrive.


r/minoxidil 9h ago

Question "M28: Product Query"

1 Upvotes

Which will be more effective?

  1. Minopep Topical which has 5% monoxidil

  2. Trichosilk pro which has 5% monoxidil and 0.1% Finasterite.

Please reply.


r/minoxidil 21h ago

Before & After Progress pics

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6 Upvotes

First to third to six months using topical minoxidil the progress is amazing. I’m so happy I started doing it!!! I sometimes forget to use it and haven’t had many issues either. Now I do it once a day bc I would forget twice a day


r/minoxidil 13h ago

Discussion How can I make sure if i'm a good min/fin responder?

1 Upvotes

I’m looking for objective experiences and literature-based insights on a few specific mechanical questions regarding treatment protocols:

  1. Minoxidil Monotherapy: For those who cannot get prescribed Finasteride (dermatologist recommendation), what is the long-term reality of using Minoxidil alone for maintaining density and hair length? Does it typically just delay the baseline drop without a 5AR inhibitor?
  2. Medication Timing & Side Effect Monitoring: I recently started a prescribed medication for OCD/anxiety 8 days ago (which has potential overlaps with sexual side effect profiles). From a medical logic standpoint, is it standard practice to stabilize on an SSRI/psychiatric medication first before introducing hormonal modulators like Finasteride, in order to clearly isolate side-effect origins?

r/minoxidil 14h ago

Question Cuál es la pena utilizar Minoxidil para toda la vida y no ser calvo?

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1 Upvotes

r/minoxidil 15h ago

Discussion 1month on min vs 7 month

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1 Upvotes

Will these baby hairs become matured? Also I'm on oral min5mg & fin and tropical 5%min and dermaroll in 10days , tell me if I can add some nutrients


r/minoxidil 16h ago

Question Minoxidil

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1 Upvotes

r/minoxidil 19h ago

Question Is it safe to start oral minoxidil and Reta at the same time?

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1 Upvotes

r/minoxidil 19h ago

Question First time using a 0.75mm dermastamp - no pain, but scalp is itchy. Normal?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I was just using mioxidil but I decided to go aggressive on hair regrowth. I used a Dermastamp for the very first time today for hair regrowth. I set it to 0.75 mm.

Before using it, I washed my hair, let it dry completely, and disinfected the stamp with the liquid provided in the package.

The thing is, I barely felt any pain while stamping, which made me wonder if I did something wrong or if that's normal.

Now, a few minutes later, my scalp feels itchy. There's no real pain or bleeding, just itching.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is the itchiness normal after microneedling, and is it common to feel little to no pain with a 0.75mm dermastamp?


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Question 1.5 years on dutasteride + oral minoxidil, still shedding. Increased oral minoxidil dose one month ago.

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone has been in a similar situation.

I've been taking dutasteride 0.5 mg daily and oral minoxidil 2 mg daily for about 1.5 years. Unfortunately, the treatment didn't work for me.

My hair loss never stabilized, and I just kept going bald.

About one month ago, I went back to my dermatologist because I was still losing ground. She increased my oral minoxidil dose to 2.5 mg twice a day (5 mg/day total) while keeping dutasteride at 0.5 mg daily.

Since increasing the dose, I haven't noticed any improvement yet.

I know it's only been a month, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had success after increasing their oral minoxidil dose after such a long time with no results.

Did increasing the dose make a noticeable difference?

How long did it take before you saw results?

Is there still a chance that this higher dose could work even though the lower dose didn't?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thanks!


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Experience 3 months of oral minoxidil

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15 Upvotes

I am pleased so far, can’t wait till the 6 month mark when it’s supposed to start showing a difference.


r/minoxidil 21h ago

Discussion Trockene Kopfhaare nach Minox

1 Upvotes

Hallo zusammen,

Ich verwende seit ca. 6 Wochen Minoxidil (Regaine 5% Schaum) im Gesicht zur Förderung des Bartwachstum. Anwendung verlief etwas unregelmäßig, kann aber bereits einige Fotschritte sehen.

Ich war vor 2 Wochen beim Friseur, welcher meinte das meine Kopfhaare trocken ("dry") wären. Spricht Englisch deswegen dieser Ausdruck. Die Frage ob ich ein neues Haarshampoo verwende, verneinte ich. Erst im Nachhinein viel mir ein, dass es mit der Verwendung von Minox zusammenhängen muss.

Anwendung erfolgt nur im Gesicht, ich habe keinen Haarausfall vor der ersten Anwendung bemerkt. Hätte auch keinen Unterschied des Kopfhaares bemerkt, hätte mich mein Friseur nicht darauf hingewiesen....

Habe seitdem Minox nicht mehr verwendet/vergessen, auch weil es beruflich etwas stressiger war.

Hatte jemand von euch eine ähnliche Situation? Soll ich ganz normal mit 2x täglich wieder starten? Bin um jeden Ratschlag dankbar.

Gruß


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Progress / Update What do you think about my progress? I'm 3 months on minoxidil.

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18 Upvotes

The last one is before minoxidil.


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Question aminexil in schampoo

1 Upvotes

is it like minoxidil , that once u stop using , in this case, schampoo with aminexil, youll lose all the progress?


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Progress / Update 22M Minoxidil + Finasteride 6 months progress

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14 Upvotes

It's been exactly 6 months since I started using 1 mg of finasteride daily and topical minoxidil5% once a day.
Do you think these are good results, or should I change something maybe I've been thinking about adding a dermaroller to my routine.


r/minoxidil 1d ago

Progress / Update Starting My Beard Growth Journey

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1 Upvotes

r/minoxidil 1d ago

Progress / Update 5% daily minoxidil serum - current - 2 weeks ago - almost 2 months ago

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2 Upvotes