While a clean shaved look may be a trendsetter for many, many men love to wear a moustache and beard look, but sadly, some are not happy with the results. The growth of a beard depends on person to person, which again depends on factors such as genes. One thing that may help you grow a beard is minoxidil for beard - one thing in recent science that has gained prominence in stimulating hair growth for people struggling with balding and hair loss.
Do you know what minoxidil is? It is a medication that helps stimulate hair growth and stop balding. Minoxidil for beard is available under the brand name Rogaine® that helps with beard growth. This medication is a well-known name sold over the counter to remedy hair growth on the scalp. Rogaine® primarily works on holding back the existing hair rather than restoring the hair that has already left the scalp. That said, Rogaine®, as a hair stimulating medicine, has approval by the FDA for beard hair loss, but then some people believe and swear by it and think it’s worth a try.
Your facial hair is different from your scalp hair, and your beard only gets sparser as you age. Both the beard and the moustache hair forms post-puberty. The growth of both are influenced by the hormones like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone or DHT than scalp hair is. Since minoxidil has proven its path by stimulating hair growth and stopping balding, it is assumed and found that minoxidil for beard will have the same effect on facial hair growth for men. That said, there isn’t sufficient research or ample trial on this.
While some men are struggling to increase the diameter of their hair, others struggle to make their patchy beards thicker. There have been hundreds of clinical experiments and researchers proving how minoxidil has helped people stimulate their scalp hair and have prevented hair loss. But does minoxidil for beard work on patchy beard or growing facial hair for that matter? Actually, minoxidil for beard does work on growing a beard. Some men who couldn’t grow their facial hair naturally used minoxidil for beard to promote minoxidil facial hair.
Currently, several tests have been conducted to see minoxidil for beard growth results. In one of the recent studies of 2016, a group of Thai researchers tested if minoxidil was somehow able to grow facial hair. They divided forty-eight male subjects into two groups and named them minoxidil and placebo groups. After about sixteen weeks of using minoxidil for beard, the minoxidil group showed almost an increase of five times more new facial hair than the placebo group. So you see, people have profited from minoxidil for beard for growing their facial hair.
But then how effective is minoxidil for beard for everyone wanting to grow facial hair? Can it work on a patchy beard? This blog will try to find out the causes behind the patchy beard and if minoxidil is useful for growing facial hair. If you think whether minoxidil is safe to use on facial hair, read this blog to learn more about minoxidil.
Causes of Patchy Beard
A full beard is a great way to add to your gentleman's look, but the problem is that not all men can grow fuller beards on the face. Most men have thicker hair on the face, but there are patchy beards in a certain part of the beard. A patchy beard can be annoying when you are trying to grow a full beard. It means you are facing thinning of facial hair on a certain part of the hair. But then, you are not alone. Several causes lead to a patchy beard. Let us understand some of these causes-
Genes are wonderful, aren't it? We cannot control certain things in our lives, and genetics is one of them. If men in your family have a problem growing a fuller beard, then there is a possibility that it prevents you from growing facial hair. Your genetics impacts the thickness, colour, thickness and length of your beard. Although you cannot change your genetics, you can do some fixes such as beard oil, minoxidil for beard, brushing your beard, hair care tips for men, and some prescribed hair growth supplements.
For some men, the patchy beard is a temporary phase. Although summarizing the exact cause can be difficult, multiple factors are responsible for patchy beard growth. If you are working to grow your beard for the first time, maybe you need to give it some more time. It can be a temporary phase for you, too, before you can grow a full, healthy beard. Rogaine® for facial hair growth may help. That said, you should speak to your doctor before adopting this hair growth solution.
Alopecia can be the reason behind the patchy beard. It creates spots of baldness on areas of your body that have hair. Alopecia can create baldness on your beard too. Sometimes this problem disappears on its own. However, if it prevails for a more extended period, one should speak to the doctor for possible solutions. Minoxidil for beard is one ideal solution that can support the growth of facial hair.
Hormones are responsible for hair growth. Hormonal imbalance is another factor accountable and contributes to hair growth. If you are fighting with a patchy beard, possibilities are there that you have hormonal imbalance. Your testosterone levels control your male characteristics, and an imbalance of the same can cause a patchy beard. There are specific hormonal therapies that your doctor will suggest you undergo to overcome the problem of a patchy beard. That said, you must also consider your genetics.
Is Minoxidil Good for Facial Hair Growth?
While you will find several test results to back up your eagerness to use minoxidil for scalp hair growth, there is still very little evidence that minoxidil for beard is a sure shot to try for beard growth. Earlier in this blog, we discussed the minoxidil and placebo test conducted in the year 2016. No doubt it is promising, but then scientifically speaking, a single study isn’t reliable enough to prove that it works every time and for every beard type.
Then there is another study that was conducted in 2014 that proved the efficacy of minoxidil for beard that was used to verify if minoxidil can work on eyebrow hair growth. This study was more successful in minoxidil against a placebo than the one tested to check on minoxidil for beard growth. Keeping that in place, the eyebrow hair is much different than that of facial hair, so minoxidil for beard growth cannot be as great.
Some researchers believe that FDA approved minoxidil for beard is for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. The topical minoxidil hair regrowth available in 2% and 5% have been helpful in growing hair on the scalp, and using it for growing facial hair can be technically an off solution. Some optimistic guys have been using off the label minoxidil for beard to see if that somehow affects their beard growth. It is a kind of DIY experimentation, but experts still understand if minoxidil for beard can help.
From a different viewpoint, people who have profited from minoxidil for their beard like to believe that minoxidil works for growing facial hair. It is available under the brand name Rogaine®, which is best known for its hair fall solution for men and women. It starts working by stimulating the hair follicles for thicker and fuller hair. Hair follicles are responsible for all types of hair, be it scalp or facial hair. Minoxidil for beard may work on beard because of its stimulating effects on hair follicles.
Why do some people have a patchy beard? It is because of some hair follicles in the beard that left spaces between the existing hair follicles. By stimulating the hair follicles of the beard, minoxidil can eliminate the patchy beard by increasing the thickness of the hair follicles. There is also speculation about minoxidil vs redensyl, and people question which one is better for hair growth solutions. Redensyl is the newest innovation in the hair care industry. It is the latest, most powerful solution to combat hair loss and is infused with plant-based ingredients.
There is still a lot of research work and comprehensive tests required to conclude which is a better alternative, minoxidil for hair or redensyl. While the risk of applying minoxidil for facial hair growth is less, whether it is suitable for facial hair growth is still unclear. While some swear by how minoxidil for beard has improved their beard growth, some are sceptical about its use as a beard tonic and prefer not to go with it for growing a beard. That said, it is best to speak to your doctor about your beard condition and whether minoxidil is a good alternative for you.
How Long Does It Take for Minoxidil to Work on Beard?
Just like scalp hair, facial hair varies from person to person. Your beard hair is distinct from your scalp hair, which is why the time minoxidil for beard hair may take to grow your scalp hair can be lesser or even more than the time it takes for your beard. Like your scalp hair, your beard also goes through several stages before you can see a fuller beard. The first stage is called anagen, where the length of your beard is determined. Stage two is catagen, where the hair follicle shrinks and detaches from the scalp, and the last phase is telogen, where your beard is at rest.
Minoxidil decreases the time of the telogen phase to the anagen phase, and the old hair sheds and new hair takes its place. Minoxidil for beard is most effective during the growth phase of the hair, which in the case of beard can range from two to seven years. Just because the beard hair grows slowly, minoxidil can be used for an extended period of time. So how long does it take for minoxidil for beard to grow? Watching your hair grow needs patience. It can take anywhere between six to two years of consistent use of minoxidil for beard to develop a full beard. But again, if you already have some beard growing and your hormone levels are good, you’ll see results faster.
Is It Safe to Use Minoxidil on Facial Hair?
More research and tests are required to comment on the safety of using minoxidil for beard for facial hair. However, early observations for minoxidil have been promising for some men. Based on one study conducted, minoxidil is thought to be safe and effective for growing facial hair. The use of Rogaine or Minoxidil for beard on face has soared in the last few years. Amazingly, over fifty thousand men have already applied the solution to their face to grow a beard.
There are incredible before and after images of men who have been using minoxidil and have seen results. After some testing and multiple trials, minoxidil can be considered safe. The FDA has made it available over the counter as a foam-based solution or oral tablet. That said, minoxidil is not entirely safe, and it does have side effects that you should know before you start with your minoxidil regime for your beard.
Are There Any Side Effects of Using Minoxidil on Face?
Minoxidil for beard comes with some common and rare side effects that you should know about. Here is a list of side effects that one may experience on using minoxidil to grow facial hair-
Common side effects include
- Redness on the face
- Swelling on the face
- Acne on the area of application
- Soreness at the root of the facial hair
Rare side effects include
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Rapid weight gain
- Flushing
- Blurred vision
- Swelling of the hands and feet
- Fainting in some severe cases
Minoxidil for beard has gained immense popularity for beard growth. If you are struggling with a patchy beard, you can try minoxidil 5 for beard growth as per the doctor’s instruction. If you are looking for effective and natural hair and beard growth solutions, you can try Traya’s minoxidil 5% and 2% hair serum. You can also choose from Minoxidil 5% and 2% topical solutions to treat your hair fall and thinning issues.
You may also select Traya hair ras, hair vitamins, hair oil and shampoos to treat the hair conditions.
