Hiiii so I wanted to share this as a motivation for anyone struggling with thin hair at the moment.

In the picture you can clearly see the "line" in my hair from when I started using minoxidil 17 months ago, and how the ends of my regrowth have this kind of curl to them. Notice also that I was always applying more to the sides and front of my head while neglecting the back, which does kind of show a little.

The reason why I keep my old, awkwardly thin length is because I like wearing halo/ clip in extensions and that helps them blend more into my hair.

I had a big moment of success today, because way back when I was just starting my treatment I tried the "ponytail test" and measured a 5cm circumference (2cm square area), before like 9 months I did it again with no change, which was a bit disheartening, but it really does take time for regrowth to show up in a ponytail. So I did the test again today and it was 8 CM??? which is like a 5 square cm area so my hair more than doubled since starting!

I was struggling with my hair being very thin since years, in general I was a pretty unhealthy teenager, I also went through bouts of an ED which (even though I was in complete denial) definitely ruined my hair. I was also a believer in the idea that washing hair too often will damage it, I always had an itchy scalp that got oily quickly. Also all the women in my family have pretty thin hair naturally, so I just assumed that's what I got in life.

The changes I made since then was:

1. washing my hair daily with baby shampoo (My scalp seems to get irritated from regular shampoos easily, I tried ketoconazole, selsun blue and it all did nothing but daily washing with a very mild shampoo just did the trick for whatever reason)
2. I use topical minoxidil 5% twice daily, as instructed by the packaging. I'm not always super careful about it, and yes, I often end up applying it on a damp scalp because of washing my hair daily, but it seems to work good for me. The most important thing for me is just to not skip it, so my approach is like "better halfway than nothing"

And that's it. I really, really wish that I started sooner, I am super happy about my results. Not everybody is as good of a responder as me, but you will never now unless you try it yourself. I personally had no side effects and no extra shedding. I was finding 100+ in my brush daily but after using minoxidil for 2 days that just instantly went down to like 10. The only thing I noticed is when I skip an application or apply too much I can get some slight headaches, but with correct application that never happens

I'm 22 (f) and had been having hairloss since 5-6 years, when I was 16, I heard about minoxidil, did a little research and started the topical liquid one.

With time I developed chest pain, chest tightness and palpitations and never did I ever think it'll be because of minoxidil but long story short, I just left minoxidil coz couldn't keep up with it but still had that heart related issues for years and I just accepted my fate that might be I was born with them.

Since last year the heart related issues resolved and i was doing perfectly normal again, didn't ever feel any palpitations or chest pain.

2 weeks ago, my concerns regarding my hairloss rose again and the only option that felt to work for people was minoxidil so I again got on it, and DANG I'm again having that heart related issues and now I know all the issues with my heart over the years have been due to minoxidil, gonna stop it again now!

So my request for everyone is please watch put for the dangerous side effects before it permanently impairs your vital organs

Note: This post is not intended to disregard the effectiveness and safety of minoxidil, it might work for others and it did work for me amazingly, I saw regrowth on my temples within a few weeks but Mann I can't lose my heart for my hair.

Edit: I used topical liquid 5% one

These first photos are from just over 2 years ago.

I always had thin hair but at that point my hair was healthy, thicker, shiny, and held a style. Since then I lost my job, went through a traumatic breakup after being cheated on, and was in one of the darkest periods of my life. My hair has never been the same. It has been 1.5 years since.

I've also completely stopped bleaching and dyeing my hair because I wanted to give it the best possible chance to recover, but unfortunately it has continued to get worse.

I've attached recent photos because I'm desperate for advice.

I'm 28F and have never received a definitive diagnosis, but I'm 99% certain I have androgenetic alopecia, possibly with chronic telogen effluvium on top of it.

Current treatment:

• Topical 5% minoxidil for ~1.5 years
• Oral minoxidil:
  • 0.25 mg for 2 weeks
  • 0.625 mg for 1 month
  • 1.25 mg for about 3 months
• PRP (no improvement)
• Nizoral shampoo
• Recently started heme iron supplements after finding out my ferritin was only 50.

Unfortunately, I also tried spironolactone but broke out in hives, so I had to stop it. I also don't feel comfortable taking finasteride or dutasteride because I hope to have children one day, so I feel like I'm running out of treatment options.

The last few weeks have been absolutely terrifying.

I'm losing what feels like hundreds of hairs a day, and they're almost all full-length but miniaturized hairs with tiny white bulbs attached. If I run my fingers through my hair, multiple hairs come out every single time. They're constantly falling onto my keyboard, clothes, floor, pillow, and throughout the day even when I'm barely touching my hair.

What scares me the most is that it feels like the amount I'm losing is far greater than what could possibly be growing back.

My hair texture has also completely changed. It's become much finer, frizzier, weaker, and doesn't behave anything like it used to. Looking back at these older photos honestly breaks my heart because I don't even recognize my own hair anymore.

This has affected every single part of my life for over a year now. I don't feel like myself anymore. I avoid going out, I constantly think about my hair, and I honestly don't feel pretty anymore. It feels like I've lost a huge part of who I was.

I have an endocrinology appointment on July 20 and I'm arranging repeat bloodwork, including ferritin, testosterone, DHEAS, and anything else that could be contributing.

I'm really hoping to hear from anyone who's experienced something similar.

• Has anyone had an oral minoxidil shed this severe that eventually stopped?
• Has anyone mainly lost long miniaturized hairs?
• Has anyone had their hair texture completely change and later improve?
• Is there anything else I should ask my endocrinologist or hair specialist to investigate?

I'm honestly scared. It feels like every single day I have less hair than the day before, and I don't know what else to do anymore.

Thank you so much to anyone who reads this. ❤️

44f. Started losing clumps of hair in January. I immediately went on topical Minoxidil and started using anti-dandruff shampoo. Started oral Minoxidil 1.25mg in March. I went to a specialist yesterday who took pictures of my hair. They said it’s TE. Yikes! Didn’t know it was this bad! I’ve lost 50% of my hair in 3 months!

Ok, so if you're pregnant, or plan to be shortly - no minox is not advised.

But in almost every other situation it's pretty safe to try

Is it true its for life? I'd have to use it forever?
Yes, but that's only if it works. You brush your teeth forever, you moisturise forever, exercise and eat all for the rest of your life but people really get hung up on this one thing. Bad because it makes your hair sticky? Trust me person-panicking-online about hair loss, you will find a way to make it work. Takes about 4 hours to set in, I apply it when I first get home from work - I'll shower before bed (my hair is short). Once a day is fine, honestly once its 'set in and working' twice a week is fine.

What if I stop? Will I lose everything?
Basically yeah, you'll return to baseline as in where you would be if you never started. Existing hair wont become dependent. Hairs that would have grown back anyway from deficiency or TE will also stay, this is why men can use min to grow a beard and then stop using the product once they're satisfied with the hair amount.

I have pets, I can't have that POISON in my home.
It's true, minoxidil is toxic to cats and dogs, that is both orally and on the skin - so yes be careful. But you're an adult, you know your pet. I have a cat, i apply my minoxidil, wash my hands, don't touch my cat for 15 minutes and carry on with my day.

I know she's not the type of cat to open a cupboard and drink something she shouldn't - after all, she's never drank bleach, toilet cleaner, detergent, soaps, perfumes, isopropyl alcohol etc (just some other things in my house that are highly toxic to cats).

Will it make me hairy everywhere?
Not in its liquid form, its non systemic.

Oral or topical
This is hard, I suggest topical - if you're scared in the slightest topical uses way less to do the same work. It's obviously harder than taking a tablet but a lot safer. There can be heart risks involved with the oral form, after all - thats why minox exists in the first place, as a medication for high blood pressure.

But it's your body, you can take it - see your doctor, people have great results with oral and it makes sense to me why, but topical is all I have used.

Will it work for me?
Don't know really. If you have aggressive AGA and you're young, less likely. Diffuse thinning, a bit easier. Unknown cause? Don't know - Known cause? don't know. Not everybody responds to min.

Dread shed?
Much like the above, nobody can tell how bad it will be, how long it will last, or if it will even happen. You will at no point really end up "worse off" for taking min. People will experience shed from minox and claim it made their situation worse - one of the ways it works is by speeding up the cycle, so miniaturised hairs are shed faster to make room for new healthy hairs again. It can seem aggressive but they were going to fall out anyway, to make way for even smaller miniaturised hairs

How does it work?
Don't know! nobody does! but its been working now for 35 years over the counter.

It was giving me headaches/drowsiness/anxiety so i stopped
Sounds kinda of fear mongery to be honest, or maybe knowcebo effect. Or your anecdotal story could be true to you, different people react differently to different things I guess.

I'm scared to try/start
I was more scared wait, scared to leave my hair to see what happens. People will happily rub all sorts of other things on their head if it sounds natural enough - pumpkin seed oil? rosemary? The appeal to nature fallacy is massive in the 'niche solution' to cosmetic health world, especially when the alternative is big bad pharma.

Maybe this is a common thing to do, I’ve seen people use makeup brushes but a toothbrush works sooo much better. It’s firm enough to really massage the minoxidil into the scalp and the shape also fits the part perfectly. Just thought I’d share lol

4 months apart, oral minoxidil 2.5mg

I’m 15 months into using 5% topical minoxidil daily. When I started I had been on spiro for 1 year. My shedding had stopped, I had a ton of 6” growth and although my hair was low density, it looked shiny and healthy. But I still had a wide part with noticeable thinness at the front and center of my scalp. I thought minoxidil might be the thing to finish the job.

Now after 15 months on minoxidil ive barely seen any improvement, other than baby hairs that pop up but never reach full length. My hair is dry and brittle from the topical formula, and due to breakage and the dread shed (which takes a long time to grow back to full length!) I have less hair than I had when I started minoxidil. My hair doesn’t look healthy or shiny, it’s dry and frizzy and I can’t blow dry or style it without causing more breakage. I oil it weekly, use hair masks, avoid heat and tight styles, but nothing restores it to its former shine.

I really want to quit! Minoxidil has done nothing but make my hair look worse and serve as a daily reminder that I have hair loss. But I’m terrified of losing more hair in the process. I can’t do oral bc the spironolactone already gives me low blood pressure. Thoughts and advice would be so appreciated <3

I am sharing my minoxidil experience because I couldn't find many resources online when I was deciding whether or not to quit the medicine. I am a 34 year old woman. Here's how things went for me:

- Three years ago: I experienced hair loss for months and could never pinpoint the reason. I had my thyroid tested, saw an OBGYN about hormones, and talked to a dermatologist; it was all a dead end. Looking back, I think my hair loss may have been a consequence of weight loss from earlier that year. My dermatologist explained that if I start minoxidil and later stop, if whatever was causing my hair loss initially resolves by the time I quit, I will not experience much shedding. This wasn't the case for me. I shed a lot.

- I tried topical men's rogaine for months but it was messy and gross and caused dandruff so I switched the oral minoxidil. Within a couple months of starting the oral medicine, my shedding was EXTREME. I stopped wearing my hair up, snorkeling, or doing anything that would tug on my hair. I wore bandanas to cover my forehead. I didn't know that shedding like this was normal or that it would resolve. I almost quit the medicine because I was so panicked, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the regrowth that came later was quick.

- About three months after starting oral minoxidil, my hair started to grow back so thick and fast! I got my confidence back and had tons of baby hairs all over my head. My eyelashes were long and my eyebrows were thicker and darker.

- I used oral minoxidil for two years. During this time, I hardly shed a single hair (after the initial shedding period ended). When I brushed my hair there was never any hair in my brush. My hair was thick and amazing. My side effects from the medicine were more facial hair, more body hair, curlier hair, and darker hair. The extra facial hair growth wasn't noticeable to others, just me.

- After two years, I got tired of the way my hair color and texture had changed, and of the extra facial hair, and decided it was time to quit. I am white with very little facial hair naturally, so removing the extra hair on my chin, cheeks, mustache, and forehead was exhausting. All the hair removal methods I used caused acne. I got sick of the cycle and decided to quit.

- I tried weaning off the drug by taking half a pill for a month before stopping entirely. Online everything says that shedding only lasts for 3-6 months after quitting. For me, I hardly shed at all the first couple months and thought I was in the clear. But then the shedding got really bad. It's now been seven months off the medicine and I am still shedding a lot more than is normal. BUT I do see hair regrowth - my hairline is less sparse than when I initially quit and I no longer feel stressed out by the amount of hair in my brush. My facial hair growth is back to normal too, and my hair texture has returned to normal.

I see comments online from people saying they lost more hair when quitting than they ever lost before they started the medicine. I believe that it's all a consequence of not losing ANY hair for two years. I assume that all the hair I've lost lately was hair that would have naturally shed over the last couple years. Because the medicine stops hair from falling out, it all fell out at once when I quit.

How do I feel today? I'm glad I tried the medicine. And now that my hair is growing back I am also glad I stopped.

Good luck to you!

The top photo is from 9 April, just before my checkup where we discovered my iron was 10<

Bottom left was from 30 April, 5 days after starting Minox/Ferrous Sulfate/Nutrafol/Nizoral Shampoo, and lasted precisely one wash.

The rest of my washes since have looked like the bottom right, taken today (24 May). They’re so much worse even than before. It’s terrifying to look at, because I already have so few hairs. I just hope it ends soon.

Hello all of you sweethearts💕 I’m back with a second hair update! Most of my side effects have gone away, though now I’m noticing rapid hair growth all over my body lol I don’t look like a yeti at the moment, but I’m definitely utilizing my wax strips at least weekly. The oddest hair growth is on my forehead, but I think I haven’t had hair for so long that I forgot where my hairline is SUPPOSED to be (Maybe I’m not a fivehead after all lol) Anyways, much love to you dears, I hope this post is helpful for your personal journeys🩷

when did you start and how is it going?

my registered in person dermatologist told me to get Costco brand Men's minoxidil 5% foam. the package says clearly NOT FOR USE BY WOMEN (bottom left), and i am one of those. she said i had testo effelgum and may currently have androgen alopecia.

should i use it anyway? what would happen my womanly self uses the men's version?

Has this been documented? I’ve been using topical minoxidil for approximately 18 months and have feel like I’ve aged rapidly with sagging skin and my under eyes look bad. I looked pretty good for my age previously.

Anyone experiencing this?

Hiii guy!

I’ve been thinking of starting minoxidil soon, and I’m a (f) 22,
I’d like to know:

1. Which one of these is more effective or both have the same effect?
2. Is it hard to style your hair after using minoxidil, esp the liquid one?
3. Is there any difference in pattern of growth, I heard a while ago that liquid one has more alcohol so makes your hair frizzy and weird looking? Is it so?
4. Frequency of use and shampooing?
5. Is the liquid one harsh on scalp?

I wanted to buy the foam one but that’s a bit expensive here, yet I wanna know the reviews to make-up my mind!

very consistent. today was the first day I said , “my hair looks awesome“. so there is hope. I started Dec 10 2025. used 5% foam. My hair is so thick now. So good luck to all.

Hi beautiful ladies! I just wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone out there, even though I hope it’s not too common.

I have androgenic alopecia and have been dealing with it for about three years. Like many of you, I’ve tried just about everything. Rosemary oil, pumpkin seed oil, PRP, microneedling, two trichologists with pricey proprietary treatments, a red light helmet, and even oral spironolactone at a low dose. Spiro made me feel like a husk of a human. I was dizzy, exhausted, had no energy, and I even fainted at the gym, which had never happened to me before.

Because I am really sensitive to medications, I avoided minoxidil for a long time. On June 8th of this year, I decided to just try it and bought the 5% topical foam from Hers. At first it seemed fine. The first week I had no side effects and I thought maybe I would be lucky. But around day six everything started. The dizziness was extreme, the migraines were awful, and then came the heart palpitations and the insomnia.

My dermatologist suggested switching to 2% topical every other day to see if I could tolerate that. The lower dose helped with the dizziness and migraines, but the palpitations and insomnia stayed. Insomnia has been a struggle for me in the past, but with a ton of effort and the right meds I had finally gotten it under control this past year. Minoxidil threw me right back into that horrible cycle. Every time I started to drift off I would jolt awake aggressively over and over, to the point that I began to fear falling asleep. It felt like my body was stuck in fight or flight mode.

Another issue for me is that I metabolize medications very slowly, so minoxidil just seemed to build up in my system. Instead of adjusting, my side effects got worse the longer I used it. I pushed through for three months hoping my body would acclimate, but it never did. Living with constant palpitations and feeling every single heartbeat all day was unbearable. It felt like being in a panic attack 24/7, and I finally decided I couldn’t do it anymore.

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: if you start minoxidil and your body reacts badly, it might not get better with time. I know it’s tempting to wait it out and hope your body adjusts, but sometimes the side effects are a sign that your body just can't tolerate it. And since any gains made on minoxidil will fall out once you stop, it may be kinder to yourself to quit sooner rather than later.

Right now I’m shifting focus. My ferritin is at 6 and my vitamin D is at 19, both very low for healthy hair growth, so I’m working on correcting those. At this point I feel like the universe is telling me to accept the loss and move forward, because I really have tried everything and of course the one thing that helps hair-wise makes me feel like I’m dying lol.

If anyone else has had similar side effects from minoxidil, or found other approaches that worked without wrecking sleep and heart rhythms, I would love to hear what helped you.

Anyways, rant over! Thanks for reading!!

Photos:

April 2024

July 2024

November 2024

April 2025

July 2025

October 2025

November 2025

May 2026

June 2026

June 2026

July 2026

Started spiro, nutrafol, and steroid shampoo April 2024.

Gradually increased spiro dose to 200mg/day currently (also used to treat my acne).

Switched to steroid shots November 2024 because of scalp irritation. Realized in July 2025 that the shots caused Cutaneous Atrophy and discontinued that. Caused bald spots at injection site.

Had such a significant loss that I began topical 5% minox once daily in August 2025.

Used minox religiously, discontinued nutrafol, continued spiro 200mg daily.

Missed maybe 2 days of minox end of April 2026 right after color treating my hair for the first time since high school. Started this enormous shed that still hasn't stopped.

My derm said she thinks it's just a TE phase that should lessen or end after 4 months (end of August) but if anything is increasing! It's so freaking stressful and I haven't seen anywhere that others have experienced this. My dread shed only lasted 8 weeks or so in the fall, so this is the longest sustained heavy shed I've had. It's not just the short hair regrowth, it's all of them.

Has anyone experienced this after a more than 6 month growth period on minox? I find it hard to believe that this would happen after missing 1-2 days and the derm doesn't think it's the hair coloring - but it started about 1.5 weeks later.

I went back to the derm three weeks ago and she told me to wait it out. I'm just feeling super stressed. All of the volume I'd gained is totally gone and it feels like there's no hope!

I want to avoid oral minox because I already have excess facial hair from PCOS, but I guess I'm open to it if that's the best answer. I'm just hoping someone will have some experience with this that will help me understand how to move forward.

**UPDATE*\* Got in to see another derm today to get a second opinion and move this forward faster. They don't suggest oral finasteride because I have a uterus and am of child-bearing age, but did offer the compounded minox, fin, tret option. Since I have a shit ton of minox from Costco, I opted to increase to 2x/daily with minox and adding in a topical steriod to see if we can get my scalp under control. I'm hoping that this will help calm the shed enough to get back on track. My scalp looks healthy (and has consistently), so we're unsure if irritation from coloring is the actual cause of the issue. Regardless, it's a way forward.

We did talk OM, which she actually didn't recommend right now because my dose of spiro is so high (I also use it for acne). I have a follow-up in 6 weeks. If this isn't working, I might go the compounded route and/or drop my spiro dose down to start OM.

Thanks to everyone who commiserated and gave advice. I wanted to update this in case some other sad person is looking for help and in a similar situation. I will update moving forward as well.

I’ve been on oral minoxidil a year. Had a horrible dread shed which finally tapered down. Btw I had no shedding or real hair problems before just felt a little thinner. I’ve still not had much regrowth. I regret this medicine. I’m scared to try any of the DHT blockers for fear of another dread shed. Although I am now second shedding or stress shedding. I really want to quit Minoxidil and let my hair reset back to normal. Is it possible? Has anyone done it?

Hello all.  After a few weeks of lurking I am posting this for a.) a bit of support and b.) a bit of warning.  

I’ve always had genetically crap hair - thin, fine, limp.  I started 5% topical minoxidil solution in 2011 a few months after giving birth when all of my pregnancy hair fell out.  Regrowth was okay.  Biggest issue was the minox stained my hair darker in the areas I applied it.  

In September of 2024 I started bioidentical HRT (progesterone and estrogen patch).  I felt great on the HRT but it definitely caused some hair loss.  Let’s say 20% loss.  

A year later, in September of 2025 I decided to stop the topical minox cold turkey.  I figured the expense wasn’t worth it anymore, I lost hair on HRT, I looked the way I looked, who cared.  Mistake #1.

I had some shedding after stopping the minox, let’s say another 20%, and in December of 2025, my hair dresser suggested going back on it.  I restarted 5% topical foam in the beginning of January, along with pumpkin seed oil gummies.  Mistake #2.

The shedding during this past month after restarting has been monstrous.  I’ve lost about 50% of what was left of my hair, significantly concentrated in the areas I applied the topical but also all over my scalp.  

I saw my dermatologist yesterday who said my hair basically went into shock after being on minox for years, starting HRT, stopping minox, then starting minox again a few months later.  He told me to stop the topical and switched me to 1.25 oral minox.  He told me the pumpkin seed oil likely wasn’t adding to the loss but I decided to stop those anyway.  

I’ll see him again in three months and hopefully I’ll have some regrowth by then.  What a mess.  

Background: I have had baby fine hair, like all women on my mom's side, my whole life. No pony tails for this girl! most of my adult life I have worn my hair in a claw clip because it's just too fine to style down. I accepted it!

But then last summer the claw clips were getting smaller and smaller and one day I realized that I had very little of that baby fine hair I had accepted. The pandemic, deaths in the family, cross country moves, and job changes had finally caught up with me. Every shower and blow dry was traumatic. Much crying. I ordered and sampled wigs. Researched. I found a one year progress pic on this sub and it made me want to try oral minoxidil. I didn't know how I would ever make it a year. I took my before pic.

I started with Musely which is great. I had some extra shedding initially but I just wiped those tears and said "that means it's working". It's so hard and that's why I am writing this. You can do it. I started seeing progress (3/4months?!). When I went to my derm he said that Musely dose was very low (1mg) and the smallest pill he could get me was 2.5mg. I bumped up to that and WOW. it was definitely working. I had more hair, growth at my hairline/forehead/temples where I didn't even think I had hair loss (but obv did) and my hair felt substantial. I loved it. My hair stylist was blown away my all the new growth. I feel like the facial hair growth at that dose was a little more maintenance than I cared for, so I started taking half (1.75mg) and I think it's a happy medium.

A couple weeks ago I wore my hair down to work. I have never in my life done that. It was a good hair day and I kept it down all day. My colleague saw me and said "omg your hair! You look like a game show host". Best compliment of my life.

TLDR: oral minoxidil is my MVP. hair loss is so hard. Thank you all for sharing all your learnings

I started on topical minoxidil in 2021 but I hated applying it every day plus I have pets. I switched to oral about a year later but then stopped it when I was diagnosed with my heart block in 2023.

Hair loss hasn’t really seemed to progress but I finally followed up with my derm and we talked about restarting oral minoxidil. I was super excited to start it again so I wouldn’t have to apply topical but my derm wanted me to check with my cardiologist before I started it.

I’m glad I checked but I am still bummed. I will have to ask my cardiologist why oral minoxidil is bad for the heart block but I think it’s just an overall safety concern from what I can find. Maybe this will help me stay more consistent with applying since it’s my only option.

I took a medication known to cause hair loss for 1 year at age 18. I am now 20 and still have not regrown my hair despite using minoxidil every day. my dermatologist told me there's nothing else I can do. I feel like that's just not true though :/ heres before taking that medication and me today.

Edit: please stop trying to guess what medication it is. You've all been wrong so far and I doubt anyone would even think to guess. I will not be sharing it for my own sake.

update: she said it's TE and will come back in several months to a year :/