Minoxidil Before and Afters: Hairline Growth in Only 2 Months

Hairline Recession

I decided to try using Minoxidil for hair growth because I noticed some hairline recession several years ago. I don’t know the exact cause of it, as it could be related to aging and hormones or a result of how I used to wear my hair. Although I have this hairline recession, the rest of my hair is pretty thick. I hope the information is helpful for anyone looking into using Minoxidil (aka Rogaine) for hairline hair growth.

Warnings

Toxicity to Pets: Minoxidil is said to be extremely toxic to cats and dogs. According to research, “Clinical signs occurred in dogs and cats even with low exposure amounts, such as drops or licks. In patients that developed clinical signs, most developed moderate or major illness (56.0% dogs, 59.7% cats). Death occurred in 8/62 (12.9%) cats that developed clinical signs after the pet owner’s minoxidil use.” This was based on a research review on 211 cases.

Side Effects

Irritation and dry skin are a common side effect, but not serious. If you have heart disease, consult with a doctor before using. Check out all warnings here.

Indefinite Use

This is a topic that’s a bit controversial and needs to be studied more, but in general, it is thought that after you stop using Minoxidil, you’ll lose all the gains you had and be right back where you were before you started the treatment. So in that sense, people feel that they need to use this indefinitely.

A research paper from the late ’80s stated that “Approximately one-third of the treated patients will obtain terminal hair growth using a 2 to 3% solution twice a day.” Terminal hair is thick coarse hair, whereas vellus hair is fine, thin hair often known as peach fuzz. “Patients should receive treatment for a minimum of six months to evaluate the drug’s efficacy. Factors associated with patients who obtained new hair growth include: a thinning versus absolute baldness, treatment initiated at a relatively younger age, and hair growth noted within three months. Following a positive growth response, there may be a reduction in new hair growth gained with minoxidil use for more than one year. Stopping the medication is associated with an exacerbation of hair loss.”

Certain treatment areas also tend to do better long-term, though I don’t believe there is research on this. For example, many men who have used Minoxidil for beard hair growth, then stopped using it fully, have retained much of their hair growth and still have it years later. There are many groups online sharing stories like this. This is something I want to explore with my experiment. After receiving maximum hair growth, at some point, I will likely stop using the product in order to see what happens and if I retain the hair that grew in. It’s all for science!

The Purpose

I am a very curious person who enjoys self-experimentation and documenting what my experiences are. The purpose of this is to see if Minoxidil will work to improve the hair growth on the hairline. In this post, I am sharing my 2 month update. Most doctors will say it takes 4 months to see results with this treatment, but I’ve had some results already and so I’m going to share them with you here.

Treatment Protocol and Timeline

I’ve been using the 2% Rogaine, which I bought from Amazon here. I’ve heard that the generic ones are fine too. I bought the 3-pack as it seemed cheaper than buying a single bottle. I purchased the liquid version and for some people this version can cause dryness on the area applied. I haven’t had too much of a problem with that, as I apply so little. In general though, I tend to have dry scalp issues and I’ve found that this cleansing oil product has mostly fixed that for me. For the application, I use two q-tips dipped in the solution. I’ve barely used one full bottle in this two month period.

11-8-2023 First started using Minoxidil. Initially I applied 2x a day, but within a couple of weeks, I lowered that to 1x daily in the evening. I applied it 4-5x a week. I applied it to the entire hairline, with most of the focus being on the thinned out areas on the sides.

12-15-2023 One month in, and I noticed that the area of recession looked worse and seemed thinner. I then read online that in the beginning, you may end up shedding or losing some hair as the new hair is pushing through. Some doctors say that this means the treatment is working.

1-10-24 Definite hair growth. The hair that grew in on the front of the hairline (not in the areas I was most concerned with) seems kind of thick. The hair growing into the problem areas is thin, but it’s growing in.

I tried my best to take the most similar and accurate photos possible. I had an issue with my main camera and I also redid my studio lighting setup, so this is why things look slightly different with the lighting and the color or tone. I want it to be as accurate as possible so you can see any potential changes. For future updates, I hope to have a very consistent setup and background. I may keep an area in my basement just for before and after photos so it remains unchanged. That is a work in progress.

Full Video

In this video, I share more details about my experience, I show how I apply the product and I also show video clips of the before and afters. So if you want to see videos instead of just the before and after photos, check out my video here.

Click to View My Full Video

Check out my 5 Month Rogaine Update with Before & Afters Here.