How long does Minoxidil take to work? The answer is it takes between 4 and 12 months to see a good effect. What you also should know is that you need to keep using Minoxidil after your hair regrows otherwise you may start losing your hair again (called shedding).
Before I can tell you why it takes this long to have an effect you have to first understand how your hair grows and what Minoxidil actually does to your hair.
Contents
How Long Does It Take For Minoxidil To Take To Work For Beards?
The hair in your scalp and the hair in your beard are different with your beard hair being dependent upon androgens (male hormones) similar to testosterone. The androgen dihydro testosterone (DHT) is primarily responsible for beard growth – see here.
For this reason the amount of time depends on if you are using DHT blockers or not. Some people say it doesn’t matter though so it’s a personal choice.
This is obviously an outside influence on the Minoxidil so it’s your call but personally I’d give it up if you are taking any DHT blockers just to give the Minoxidil that extra fighting chance. It’s your call.
So to answer the question – 4 months but this could be affected by anything else that you are taking at the time.
Does Minoxidil Stop Working Over Time?
Not usually no, unless there are other factors affecting it such as:
- Your hair loss is faster than Minoxidil can help regrowth
- Another factor comes into play such as a thyroid problem
- You didn’t need Minoxidil to begin with and you are now experiencing normal growth rates
- You switched brands
Dr Jeff Donovan also addressed this issue on his blog for the Donovan Hair Clinic.
How Long Before Minoxidil Starts Working?
Clinical trials and all of the people who bought Minoxidil say that it starts to work around the four month point and continues to grow hair for as long as you use it. Of course results will always vary and no two people are the same but in order to get the results you need it is important that you follow the instructions for each product properly.
How Your Hair Grows
When your hair starts to grow it is considered to be the anagen phase it then moves onto it’s catagen and telogen phases which in plain english is the phase in which hair regrowth occurs as the hair itself shrinks and becomes detached from it’s follicle and is replaced by another hair.
The final phase is called the exogen phase which is when your hair actually falls out.
When people first start using Minoxidil they may actually experience their existing hair to fall out and this is exactly for the reason stated above – you are entering the anagen phase and your hair is being replaced with new hair, it’s normal hair growth occurrence.
It can take somewhere in the region of three to five years for hair to grow (the anagen phase) to it’s full and natural length before it starts to regrow again (the catagen / telogen phase).
Is Rogaine Minoxidil or Regaine Minoxidil Better Than Other Brands?
Not really because the active ingredient is the same but people do report differences so it is somewhat subjective.
Minoxidil & Hair Loss – How Minoxidil Works
Minoxidil was discovered by accident. It was supposed to be a drug to tackle hypertension (high blood pressure) but it was discovered instead to stimulate the blood flow to hair follicles instead which caused them to spark back into life and regrow new hair.
Here’s a video from Regaine which explains this in clear terms.
Minoxidil is an ingredient which has found it’s way into many commercial hair regrowth products including Regaine, Rogaine and Kirkland Signature to name a few. Some work better than others and it is recommended to check out reviews of the various brands before committing to any particular one, it is then recommended to stick with what you know. Here’s a list of commercial Minoxidil products along with their reviews from users.
Do I Need A Prescription For Minoxidil?
Minoxidil is available without a prescription and can be bought widely from reputable websites and stores throughout the world, it is the only FDA approved product that has undergone clinical trials to test how effective it is.
Is Minoxidil For Men And For Women?
Yes it is available for both men and for women although in difference strengths so please make sure that you buy the correct product.
Here’s a list of Minoxidil products for males.
Here’s a list of Minoxidil products for females.
Is Minoxidil A Shampoo?
Minoxidil comes in different types, you can buy it as a foam or as a gel like substance. It depends how you intend to use the product as it is available for male pattern baldness (bald at the front, like myself) thinning hair / bald scalps and also for beards.
Summary
The amount of time it takes for Minoxidil to work varies from person to person but the reviews from people who use it regularly and the clinical trials that take place show an average of four months for regrowth to start being noticeable. This means it could work for you in less time but it also means it could take longer.
For full hair growth rate to occur it is advisable to keep using the product for at least 12 months.
If you stop using it you are likely to see your hair follicles revert back to their dormant state and no new growth will occur.
It’s also likely that in the initial phases of using Minoxidil that your hair will shed and this is perfectly normal as your hair is acting as it should. This shedding is caused by the existing hair becoming detached from it’s follicle and making way for a new hair to take its place.
People Also Ask
What is the best brand of Minoxidil?
This is a question that people will answer differently so if you want my opinion you should check out people’s reviews on the likes of Amazon and YouTube from people who use the various products. Just to be clear – I’m not a doctor and I’m not here to test the Minoxidil products myself, I’m a writer looking to collate the facts together to help you. With that in mind I intend to write a blog post which will bring together reviews from all of the various Minoxidil brands out there, hopefully this will help your own fact and data gathering easier.
Which is the best form of Minoxidil to buy?
Minoxidil regardless of brand tends to come in both foam and liquid. The main difference is the drying time with liquid taking longer to dry (because you shouldn’t be washing it off) and the foam clearly taking a shorter amount of time to dry.
People tend to go with whichever suits their lifestyle better because if you are using a liquid in the morning before going to work you’ll be going to work with a wet scalp or beard. The same is true if you are going to bed, you’ll have wet hair / beard.
Some people say that when you start using Minoxidil you should start with the liquid and then progress on to foam but from what I can see there can be some dangers of the product stopping working if you start switching things around so it may be better all round (and this is just my opinion) to start with foam and stick with it. I also wouldn’t change brands either as they do contain various other ingredients just to make them dissimilar products and your own hair follicles may react to this change.
