Rogaine?

[Maddy_T]

Does anyone have any experience using Rogaine?! I was wondering if it makes your hair grow FASTER as well as thicker? :) thanks.

[RocketDog]

No personal experience with it, but I have heard that any growth you DO get because of the product will cease when you stop using it, to the extent that the new growth sheds out. Not sure if this is true, or how it would work on someone who wasn't having pattern-baldness issues, though.

[kwaniesiam]

No, it will not make it grow faster and any increase in thickness you gain will fall out after you stop using the prodct. Check out the monistat thread if you're trying to grow your hair faster.

[fluffybunny]

Yes, I use the generic stuff (minoxidil). My hair has grown fast while on it (about 7.5-8" per year) but I think I've always had a fast growth rate, so I'm not sure if that is changed due to the minoxidil or not. Since it is a growth stimulator, I would not be surprised if it does increase growth rate.

It filled in thinning areas at my temples pretty well. It also solved my shedding problem. I'd been having mega-sheds every few months for several years, and when I was using the full daily dose of the stuff I had barely any shedding for an entire year! Unfortunately I get side effects from it at that dose (racing heart, puffy eyes and itchy scalp) so I had to cut back on it. I got some sheds again at lower doses.

I also have thinning at my crown, but I haven't noticed an improvement there yet. Overall I think it's great stuff for hair loss. I probably wouldn't want to try to use it just to increase growth rate. The scalp irritation is too bothersome. What I do is use it daily until my scalp gets itchy, then take a day off.

[enfys]

My DH used minoxodil and it irritated his scalp too badly to continue it. He recently tried EO scalp massage and I can see his growth has speeded up. It's too early to say if there is new growth. I use a castor oil/EO mix on my scalp and that speeds up growth too.

It's also a lot cheaper!

[Purdy Bear]

Rogaine/Minoxidil is a treatment I think to reduce shedding and is often used by those with baldness issues/Alopecia.

I used it for some time, but it had no affect on my Alopecia.

Once you stop using the product your hair will return to its normal shedding, so its a long term thing. For us in the UK, its pretty expensive about £30 per bottle the last time I used it so its probably more now.

I know of one women who used it for 5 years (one bottle per month) before she had any hair regrowth.