Is Minoxidil good for hair growth?

Minoxidil helps increase new hair growth in cases where hair loss is caused by male/female pattern baldness. Applying a topical solution or foam on the affected area of your scalp can help promote hair growth1.

Can Minoxidil grow hair permanently?

Minoxidil (REGAINE®) can work to regrow your hair if you keep using it consistently. But even then, it only works for male/female pattern baldness and won’t work for everyone7.

What are the hair growth results for Minoxidil?

It depends on the individual. Some people might start to see results from REGAINE® after around eight weeks to four months of use8.

When is it too late to use Minoxidil?

While there is no set date when Minoxidil might not be effective for hair growth, hair loss treatments work best when they're used as early as possible — ideally, as soon as you notice the first signs of hair loss emerging. The sooner you act, the better4.

Minoxidil for Hair Growth: How it Works

REGAINE^®, one of the most widely recognised treatment options for hair loss in the UK, contains the active ingredient ‘Minoxidil’.

Available over the counter in various strengths, Minoxidil helps promote hair growth¹ by treating male/female pattern baldness².

In this guide:

What is Minoxidil?
How Minoxidil works
Using Minoxidil for hair growth results
Potential Minoxidil side-effects
Minoxidil for hair growth FAQs

What is Minoxidil?

Originally introduced in the 1970s, Minoxidil was found to help promote hair regrowth in balding patients2. This discovery led to the official launch of Minoxidil solution as a commercial treatment for male pattern baldness. While initially developed to treat hair loss in men, it was later expanded to treat hair loss in women too³.

How Minoxidil works

Minoxidil helps to increase blood flow to the hair roots.⁵ Minoxidil also helps to strengthen and encourage existing hairs to grow, by increasing the supply of blood and nutrients to the hair follicles.

Minoxidil helps to promote hair regrowth in 4 ways:

Reverses the miniaturisation of follicles.

Increases blood flow around follicles.

stimulate follicle movement to growth phase

Stimulates follicle movement to growth phase.

Extends each follicles growth phase.

While scientists are still researching the exact mechanism by which Minoxidil works, we know it can help promote hair growth and reverse androgenetic alopecia by the following means:

Helps to reverse follicle miniaturisation
Helps to improve blood flow around follicles
Helps to stimulate follicle movement to growth phase
Helps to prolong the growth phase of each follicle

Male/female pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is a genetically predetermined disorder that can affect up to 50% of men by the age of 50, and up to 56% of women by the age of 70. Individuals with this condition often start displaying gradual hair loss from the scalp any time after puberty⁶.

Using Minoxidil for hair growth results

Minoxidil is the only over-the-counter active ingredient clinically proven to help stop and even reverse hereditary hair loss, by reactivating your inactive hair follicles. Minoxidil is most effective for men experiencing hereditary hair loss⁷.