Minoxidil 5% Foam.

"I was using Rogaine, also known as minoxidil, a topical hair growth serum, [...] in combination with the laser band, because research showed the combination worked better than either one alone. I never really loved using it, and I never really used it consistently because it makes your hair look and feel so dirty, and anything that makes my hair look and feel dirty, I'm just not into it. [...] So I actually stopped using it over the last year."

"I used the 5% Rogaine Minoxidil. This has a roller ball applicator, which works better than I expected. I just directly get it on my scalp where I want it to go. I also love that the consistency of this formula is also really bouncy, like a good serum or essence. So you can have a very precise application and it will not drip down your face. The minute you touch it to rub it in, it's just so light. It becomes so watery, just sinks in. So I apply it down the parting and towards the front of my hairline, especially on the sides, which is where I tend to lose it. You can see how much that area is filled out. My only issue with this is if you apply too much and it gets on your hair, then the next day it kind of hardens and looks like you have dandruff."

"Minoxidil is the only FDA approved topical for scalp hair regrowth and it works by prolonging the anagen phase or the growth phase of the hair follicle and also driving better blood flow to the follicle. When I am using Minoxidil on my eyebrows, I'm technically using it off label, but we actually have many good clinical papers now that show that consistent application of Minoxidil to the brows helps with growth there as well. For me, I just find this to be a very easy, high yield thing I can do in my routine. [...] If you're trying to help promote brow growth or regrowth, minoxidil is a really nice, safe, well-tested option."

"The 5% minoxidil foam marketed as Rogaine for men, but [...] women can use 5% minoxidil and often will end up getting better results than they would from 2%. [...] If you have androgenetic alopecia, which is pattern hair loss, it is definitely a go-to established treatment for that. When you first start using it, you will experience an increase in hair shedding. That is normal. That's to be expected because minoxidil works by putting more hair follicles into the growing phase and it helps to get hair follicles that have miniaturized into the growing phase. You have to give it some time. But with consistent use, you can see improvement in regrowth, hair density, hair thickness. Unfortunately, it can be a bit irritating. As far as a hair loss treatment, it's a go-to. Do be aware, however, that if you have little pets, the residue, if it gets on your pillow and they lick it or they come in contact with something you used in applying it to the scalp, it can be very harmful to them, especially to cats."

"The gold standard topical treatment for thinning hair is Minoxidil, better known as Rogaine. Now, it used to be prescription only, but now it's available over the counter, and you can even get it on Amazon or at Costco. It comes in both serum and foam versions, but I recommend the foam, and I actually use the foam myself everyday. And here's a great tip from the dermatologist, Dr. Shireen Idris: you can apply it using a toothbrush to get more of it onto your scalp and less of it on your hair where it won't do anything. Now, it can take around four months or more to see a noticeable change, but I encourage you to stick with it. It works. And keep in mind that Minoxidil is toxic to cats and dogs."

"One of the most common over-the-counter treatments you can get is Rogaine, or minoxidil, the generic. It comes in a 2%, marketed toward women, and a 5%, marketed toward men. The 5% is absolutely going to work better, and I generally recommend that for my female patients as long as we've covered all the risks and benefits, because at those higher percentages there might be a little more risk of irritation. I generally find that they charge more for the 2%, and it definitely doesn't work as well as the 5%. So if you are a candidate for Rogaine, I would just start with the 5%."

"I like the foam. I don't care for the solution because the foam I think adheres better to the scalp. When you use it in combination with [tretinoin], it can definitely help trigger your hair growth, especially if you have a thinning hairline. Is it going to be the most elegant solution? Probably not. If you have long hair, it's going to be annoying. You're not going to want to do this every night because you don't want to wash your hair every morning. But the reality is, if you have thinning hair and you are desperate, it's worth a shot."

"Rogaine is the brand name and this helps to stimulate hair growth. Clinical studies show that 5% topical minoxidil is very effective with approximately 40% of women experiencing significant hair regrowth. Minoxidil is applied directly to the scalp usually twice a day. It's important to be patient as it can take about four months or more to see changes. Minoxidil is supposed to increase blood flow to the hair follicle promoting hair growth and keeping it in its natural growth phase. The side effects are quite common: you can get scalp irritation, and if that happens when you're itching your scalp you're likely to get more hair loss. It can also lead to a dry scalp, which is annoying because the more irritated scalp the less strong the hair strands are. Often the side effects are just mild and tend to resolve themselves with continued use. Start slow and low and work your way up is the best way."

"Minoxidil, or goes by the brand name Rogaine, is the best most evidence-based product without a prescription to truly effectively stimulate hair growth. I recommend the foam because it's far less irritating. If you put the solution that has propylene glycol in it, it can cause irritation and may flare dander of psoriasis. The foam is a little bit greasier and is also easier to apply, so less likely to drip down and cause unwanted hair growth. The percentage for everyone, regardless if you're female or male, is the 5%. 5% has been shown to be safe and more effective for both men and women. I just tell all my patients to get the most affordable 5%, whatever formulation you prefer, and then just use that regularly."

"I have personally used the Rogaine brand and I have applied the foam at bedtime and not had a problem with greasy hair the next morning at all. I have really fine hair that gets greasy really easy and I have not found this to be a problem at all. [...] I do recommend 5% for women as well. I think 5% is much superior to the 2%. The minoxidil will work really well on androgenetic alopecia. It will also help with telogen effluvium if you're somebody whose hair is falling out from stress and you just can't wait for it to stop falling out and new hair to grow, this will help. Also if you have alopecia areata or there's little circular patches of hair loss from stress, it will help all three of those types. With every treatment for hair loss you need to be patient. It can take four to six months to start seeing significant improvement in hair growth. Yes, if you do stop using minoxidil, the hair that grew because of minoxidil will probably go back to what it was before. This is the case for androgenetic alopecia, but if you are using it for telogen effluvium or if you're using it for alopecia areata where the underlying cause of hair loss is not an ongoing process rather it's an acute process, then you will not need to use Rogaine forever."

"The foam can be less irritating than the liquid so you can choose accordingly. I always tell patients to choose 5% minoxidil solution or foam, don't go for the wimpy 2%, just go for the 5% because that is what is the most efficacious. I definitely recommend investing in and using Rogaine. The cheapest formulation you can just find it on Amazon, just use it until your telogen effluvium is over, which is about 6 months, lasting up to a year."

"I think there's Rogaine Minoxidil 5% Foam, it's readily available, it's cheap, it's very effective. I love it. I love it for everyone, males and females. They should all use 5%. And there's this misunderstanding that if you use Minoxidil then when you stop your hair kind of drops. That's not the case. Think of it like fertilizer for your hair. So it keeps your hair strong and thick, and once you stop you'll go back to where you were supposed to be without the fertilizer."

"I still always recommend the 5% minoxidil preferably the foam. This is tested for androgenetic alopecia but because of the way that it works by prolonging the anagen phase and by increasing blood flow to the scalp it probably will help to some extent with telogen effluvium. If you have androgenetic alopecia, it is a long-term commitment. It's not going to send you way back, it's going to just kind of reset your hair loss. If you stop using it, you'll lose the benefit. If you have telogen effluvium you probably can get away with stopping this and not having to use it forever because telogen effluvium is a self-resolving condition. Androgenetic alopecia is a permanent problem where the underlying cause never goes away, so it is a long-term maintenance requirement. This directly helps the anagen phase, the growth phase of your hair cycle. It is probably the most direct treatment from a physiological standpoint and what is going to help your postpartum hair loss out of anything."