Do you remember the old days when your grandmother used to tell you to sit down so that she could give you a head massage with coconut oil? Those were good and healthy days for our hair, but passing hair fall and hair loss has become a very big issue for both men and women. In this article, we will be talking about another hair-related issue known as Minoxidil Shedding. This article will help you know more about Minoxidil Shedding, its causes, and how to prevent it.
What is Minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a chemical introduced to treat high blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension. It was previously known as Loniten. Minoxidil was soon used for hair loss treatments. But, just like many other chemicals, it had its side effects. Many people felt that it aggravated their hair fall issue rather than solving it in the initial months of use. The hair loss due to Minoxidil was termed as Minoxidil Shedding or Rogaine Shedding.
What is Minoxidil Shedding?
While using Minoxidil for hair treatment purposes, hair fall at the initial stage is a side effect. Especially in the first few weeks or so.
Causes of Minoxidil Shedding
There are three phases of hair growth-
- Anagen( most active hair growth phase )
- Catengen
- Telogen
So when you start using Minoxidil for hair treatment, it causes a large number of hair to move from Telogen to the Anagen phase, resulting in the Shedding of those in the telogen phase. Or in simpler words, your hair is forced to leave the resting phase for the growing phase. Thus, many people complain of experiencing hair fall during this period. But eventually, they are replaced with healthy hair. It would help if you were patient, as this cycle needs to be completed by passing each stage.
How common is Minoxidil Shedding?
Many people ask, does Minoxidil always cause Shedding? The answer is yes, it does. Shedding from Minoxidil is a natural process, so you should not be worried about it. It is something that happens in the initial days of using Minoxidil. It lessens as you go further into the treatment. Many people leave the treatment in fear of losing more and more hair. They need to show patience, and they will see the change in the density of their hair.
When does Rogaine Shedding stop?
The amount of Shedding will defer with the hair quality of different people. On an average, around 100-150 hairs shed per day during the first few weeks of the treatment. There are chances that the number may increase with days, but you don’t need to worry as it will lessen as you go further into the treatment, and if you stop, then the hair fall will continue.
Studies say that Minoxidil takes roughly 3-4 months to show its effects on your hair. But if you still experience frequent hair fall, you need to consult a doctor, as the hair fall may be caused due to some other reason.
Advantages of using Minoxidil
- Many young people face pattern baldness, which they get from their father or grandfather; Minoxidil gives them the best chance to avoid this. It works best for mid-twenties people.
- You don’t need any doctor’s prescription to buy a Minoxidil, and you can directly buy it from a medical store. Although taking advice from your doctor is recommended before using it, it is not suitable for every hair type.
Disadvantages of using Minoxidil
- It is very costly
- Applying it on the scalp is not easy, that too twice a day
- It is not for every hair type, and it works best for young men who have recently started experiencing hair loss
- One who is already bald cannot regrow hair by using Minoxidil
- It shows different results for different people; for some, it helps you grow dense hair, for some, it will only help you in reducing your hair fall, and for some it won’t work at all
- If you stop using Minoxidil, then your hair fall rate will grow even more
Ways to lessen Minoxidil Shedding
It is very rare that you could avoid Minoxidil Shedding completely, but you could try to lessen it. There are 3 ways you could do so-
Use Scalp Stimulation
It is a physical way to manipulate your scalp by means of massage or microneedling. These methods have shown results by inducing hair growth or by increasing the hair growth rate in both men and women.
It won’t help you avoid the Minoxidil Shedding completely, but it will surely fasten the process which will lessen the hairs Shedding.
Use along with other medication
Using only Minoxidil for hair treatment could be damaging some types of hair, so they should go for various complementaries that could lessen its side effects. There are many alternatives available like finasteride and dutasteride, there are many others as well which are easily available in the market.
Use natural alternatives as well
There are many alternatives to use with Minoxidil, but the best ones are the natural ones. The most commonly used alternatives are pumpkin seeds, rosemary, and peppermint. The result of using natural alternatives with Minoxidil and still unknown in long term and short term effects.
I know hair fall is one of the most disturbing things, but while using Minoxidil for hair treatment, you need to be patient especially when you are in the initial stages of using it. Shedding from Minoxidil will cease after using it for 8-9 weeks continuously without any halt. For lessening the Minoxidil shedding, ways have been written above in this article.
