Users apply Minoxidil to the area where they’re experiencing hair loss twice a day, every day. It’s thought to be so effective as it belongs to a family of medicines known as vasodilators, which widen your blood vessels to increase blood flow and encourage hair growth.
There have been a few studies into the efficacy of Minoxidil that have yielded positive results. For example, in one four-month study, 339 out of 773 participants found Minoxidil to be ‘effective’ and 54 found it ‘very effective’ [2].
Why should I not take Minoxidil?
Although studies have shown Minoxidil to be an effective treatment for hair loss, it’s not guaranteed to work for everyone.
Everyone reacts differently to treatments. So just because some people have a positive experience using Minoxidil doesn’t always mean that you’re going to have the same experience.
Minoxidil does also come with some side effects, including:
If you experience an allergic reaction to Minoxidil products, or don’t see any improvements in your hair loss, you may want to start thinking about other alternatives to Minoxidil you can use instead.
What Minoxidil alternatives are there?
Luckily, there are plenty of other hair loss treatments on the market that have a lot of efficacy research to back up their claims.
Some of these treatments are oral prescriptions, and there is even very early-stage research that has looked into some natural treatments for hair loss.
Here are some of the options you have if you don’t want to take Minoxidil.
1. Dutasteride
Dutasteride belongs to a group of drugs known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, or 5-ARIs. These drugs block testosterone from turning into DHT – a key cause of hair loss in men.
If you are genetically more susceptive to hair loss, DHT blockers can be very effective treatment options, and there is a lot of research to back this up [3].
Studies have found that Dutasteride can increase hair count, hair width, and hair growth more effectively than similar hair loss treatments, like Finasteride [4].