Products with minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or slow the rate of hair loss or both. It'll take at least six months of treatment to prevent further hair loss and to start hair regrowth. It may take a few more months to tell whether the treatment is working for you.
Minoxidil (Rogaine).
This medication is a foam or a liquid that you put on your scalp. You can buy it over the counter without a prescription. You may have to use it for several months before your hair starts to thicken. If you do regrow hair, you'll lose it again if you stop taking minoxidil.
Thankfully, technology has advanced so that you can actually grow your own hair back with a minimally-invasive, more heavy-duty treatment. With a follicular unit extraction (FUE) treatment, surgeons can transplant viable hair follicles and implant them in bald spots.
Minoxidil Has Long Been the Gold Standard Hair Regrowth Ingredient in the U.S., But New Options Are Gaining Steam. In the United States, topical minoxidil is an oft-recommended chemical hair growth ingredient, and it's one of the only approved by the FDA for hair regrowth.
Minoxidil is available as Rogaine or Theroxidil, or in generic form. It's sold as a liquid or foam and in two strengths: 2% and 5%. Effectiveness: Minoxidil works for about 2 out of 3 men. It's most effective if you're under age 40 and have only recently started to lose your hair.
There are a variety of methods available for the regrowth of hair follicles, from using medication to massaging your scalp to stimulate your hair directly. Currently, the most effective way to reactivate your hair follicles is by using medication, such as finasteride and minoxidil.
One of the most widely used and proven treatments is minoxidil (Rogaine and various generic products). It's available in liquid, foam, or shampoo options. Stronger forms of minoxidil are also available by prescription. Minoxidil may cause side effects like skin irritation or unwanted hair growth on skin near the scalp.
Biotin. Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is a complex B vitamin that is often touted for having hair growth benefits. And some of that hype may actually be worth it. Biotin has functions in “creating red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles,” says Dr. Green.
Here's the hard truth: Little can be done to permanently change the diameter of individual hair strands. Thickening products can do wonders to temporarily plump hair strands, but when it comes down to it, fine hair is genetic and can't be changed.
It depends. “If a follicle has closed, disappeared, scarred, or not generated a new hair in years, then a new hair wouldn't be able to grow,” Fusco says. But if the follicle is still intact, yes, it is possible to regrow the hair—or to improve the health of the existing thinner hairs.
Use minoxidil
Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) is an over-the-counter liquid or foam applied to the scalp twice a day. It encourages blood flow to the hair follicles to stimulate hair growth (Badri, 2021). Minoxidil seems to work best on younger men (under 40) who've been experiencing hair loss for less than five years.
This can help prevent a dry, flaky scalp and dandruff, as well as split ends and hair breakage. For these reasons, coconut oil might make your hair look shinier, stronger, and longer. However, there's not yet evidence that coconut oil can make your hair grow faster or longer.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss.
Sources of Biotin
Foods that contain the most biotin include organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, and certain vegetables (such as sweet potatoes) [2,12].
Most bald spots are treatable, there are hair products for bald spots, either using medication, by making changes to your lifestyle or by undergoing surgery to transplant hair to the area that's affected by hair loss.
Can Male Pattern Baldness be Reversed? Male pattern baldness has no cure, but hair loss may be temporary where the hair eventually grows back. For men who have experienced hair loss, treatments like finasteride and minoxidil can help stop hair loss and, in rare cases, stimulate hair regrowth.
"ACV unblocks follicles in the scalp so that strands have freedom to thrive," Ruggeri says. (Note: If you do use dry shampoo, Ruggeri advises spraying it on the mid-lengths of hair, rather than the roots, to prevent clogging the follicle).
For most people, the most obvious sign of hair follicle damage is hair loss. As your follicles become damaged, they may stop growing new hairs, resulting in a receding hairline, bald spot at your crown (the area at the top of your head) or diffuse thinning.