Minoxidil for the beard: miracle potion or devil's brew?
Photo by Fares Hamouche on Unsplash
Minoxidil is actually for age-related hair loss but is often touted online as a secret beard growth aid. There is Minoxidil foam and Minoxidil solution. So far, however, not as a special product for the beard. Why not? Is there any truth to the hair-raising stories (pun intended) where Minoxidil stimulated beard growth but caused scalp hair loss?
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What exactly is Minoxidil and how does it work?
Originally, Minoxidil was introduced in the 1970s as a treatment for high blood pressure. A well-known side effect: hereditary hair loss is reduced and even hair growth is stimulated. This also became a money-making opportunity! And so studies were rapidly conducted and a topical solution for hair loss was brought to market.
How Minoxidil prevents hair loss or promotes growth is largely unknown. It is assumed that at least part of the effect is due to improved blood circulation. But why Minoxidil can shorten the resting phase and accelerate the growth phase in the hair growth cycle is not known.
Shedding and Hobbit Feet: The Risks and Side Effects of Minoxidil
From redness to dizziness, there are quite a few side effects. Here we focus only on the hairy kind. Shedding. In age-related hair loss, Minoxidil causes the hair follicle to produce new hairs.
Even if a hair is already growing there. As in real life, old is replaced by new: the new hair pushes out the old one. As a result, hair loss initially increases.
To make the phenomenon less frightening, the English term is simply used. "Shedding" means nothing more than "shedding hair," but sounds much cuter to Germans. Since the new hair is stronger thanks to Minoxidil, shedding in hereditary hair loss is interpreted as a good sign.
Hair everywhere. The manufacturer states that Minoxidil can also cause hair growth outside the application area. This is also reported by many users. Suddenly dark hairs grow on arms, belly, and the tops of feet, which is usually reserved for hobbits.
A sign that even with topical application, part of the active ingredient enters the bloodstream and busily does what it is supposed to do only where applied. The hairs do not appear out of nowhere. The human body is actually fully covered with hair except for lips, palms, and soles.
These are very fine, unpigmented hairs (vellus hairs) that are barely visible. During puberty, about 90% of these vellus hairs in men and about 45% in women are converted into dark, strong "terminal hairs." This is what we commonly call "hair." Minoxidil seems to trigger exactly this transformation.
And so we finally come to the beard.
Minoxidil as a beard growth aid: trade beard for scalp hair?
In age-related hair loss, men rely on Minoxidil for life if they want to keep their hair. For beard growth, it is supposed to be different.
Around the beards of the world, this is explained by Minoxidil converting the fine vellus hairs in the beard area into terminal hairs – exactly making up for what Mother Nature missed during puberty. Once the transformation is complete and the hair follicle is deep enough in the skin, the process continues without Minoxidil.
This is supposed to be achieved after about a year of Minoxidil use. That's the theory. However, practical experiences online sometimes report that beard hairs fell out again after stopping Minoxidil, even after using it for over a year.
Much more frightening, however, is the shedding. Many who use minoxidil for their beard and have never suffered from hair loss report shedding on the scalp. A few even say that the hair loss persisted after stopping and they deeply regret using minoxidil.
Scalp hair burnout?
Es gibt keine ernstzunehmenden Studien darüber, was Minoxidil mit Haupthaar macht, das nicht altersbedingt eh schon ausfällt.
In any case, you can assume that the hair roots on the scalp receive a stimulus they don't need.
Just imagine you're already working at 100% and still being pushed further. I wouldn't want to rely on my scalp hair not burning out. However, this is my very personal opinion and concern.
Minoxidil is used for high blood pressure and hair loss, making it a prime example of pharmaceutical ingenuity covering two problem areas with one active ingredient.
So why isn't there a beard packaging yet? The leap from scalp to beard hair isn't far at all. It makes me suspicious. Some sites report a study proving the efficacy and safety of minoxidil for beard growth (Efficacy and safety of minoxidil 3% lotion for beard enhancement: A randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study, Journal of Dermatology 2016).
That study is definitely a joke. It lasted only 16 weeks, not the widely recommended application period of at least one year. Moreover, it was published only as a "Letter to the Editor." That's — to put it bluntly — the scientific equivalent of a reader's letter.
Minoxidil: should I do it or not?
Well, everyone has to answer that question for themselves. The fact is: there are countless success stories online — but also quite a few where it backfired.
Maybe because they stopped too early. Or maybe not. So the question is: are you willing to take the risk? Could you live with getting a beard but losing your scalp hair? Or would you rather try gentler ways to get denser beard growth first?
Cat owners who decide to try should be very careful. Even small amounts of minoxidil can be fatal to cats upon skin contact.