A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck in adults and children who have reached puberty. Some women with hirsutism, a hormonal condition of excessive hairiness, may develop a beard.
A full beard can take 2 to 4 months to grow, as facial hair tends to grow between 0.3 and 0.5 millimeters (mm) every 24 hours. This works out to between one-third and one-half an inch per month.
Many factors can affect the growth of your beard, but there are some lifestyle strategies you can try to enhance your beard growth. Read on to learn more about what influences beard growth and if it can be influenced.
What is minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a medication used to stimulate hair growth and to slow balding. It is most effective for people under 40 years of age whose hair loss is recent. Minoxidil has no effect on receding hairlines. It does not cure baldness; most new hair is lost within a few months after the drug is stopped. Minoxidil belongs to a class of drugs known as vasodilators. It is not known how minoxidil causes hair growth.
Minoxidil was first introduced as an antihypertensive medication and the discovery of its common adverse event, hypertrichosis, led to the development of a topical formulation for promoting hair growth. To date, topical minoxidil is the mainstay treatment for androgenetic alopecia and is used as an off-label treatment for other hair loss conditions.
How to use minoxidil for beard
Minoxidil comes as a liquid to be applied to your scalp. Minoxidil usually is used twice a day. There are no specific guidelines on how to use minoxidil for beards or how many times to apply minoxidil to beards.
Most people who use minoxidil for beards, apply minoxidil-containing product to a damp beard skin to help it penetrate better but experts warn against this practice.
Follow the directions on your package or prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use minoxidil exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than directed by your doctor.
Exceeding the recommended dosage does not produce greater or faster hair growth and may cause increased side effects. You must use minoxidil for at least 4 months, and possibly for up to 1 year, before you see any effect.
Three special applicators are provided: a metered-spray applicator for large scalp areas, an extender spray applicator (used with the metered-spray applicator) for small areas or under the hair, and a rub-on applicator.
Remove the outer and inner caps from the bottle, choose an applicator, and screw it tightly onto the bottle.
To use the extender spray applicator, first assemble the metered-spray applicator and then follow the instructions provided to attach the extender spray applicator. Pump the metered-spray or extender spray applicator six times for each dose. Try not to inhale the mist. Place the large cap on the metered-spray bottle or the small cap on the extender spray nozzle when not in use.
To use the rub-on applicator, hold the bottle upright and squeeze it until the upper chamber of the applicator is filled to the black line. Then turn the bottle upside down and rub on the medication. Place the large-cap on the bottle when not in use. If you use your fingertips to apply the medication, wash them thoroughly afterward.
Do not apply it to other body areas, and keep it away from your eyes and sensitive skin. If it accidentally comes in contact with these areas, wash them with lots of cool water; call your doctor if they become irritated.
Do not apply minoxidil to sunburned or irritated skin.
Does minoxidil work for beard?
If hair growth is going to occur with the use of minoxidil, it usually occurs after the medicine has been used for several months and lasts only as long as the medicine continues to be used. Hair loss will begin again within a few months after minoxidil treatment is stopped.
There’s very little evidence that minoxidil works for beard growth. Only a single study tested minoxidil for the beard. The 2016 study, published in the Journal of Dermatology, found that a 3 percent minoxidil lotion performed just a little bit better than a placebo. That’s promising, but scientifically speaking, a single study isn’t reliable enough to prove without a doubt it works every single time.
See minoxidil beard before and after photos below:
Are there good alternatives to minoxidil for beard growth?
Yes, there are several alternatives to minoxidil for beard growth, most dermatologists do not recommend the use of minoxidil for beard growth. Some effective treatments for beard hair include coconut oil, cinnamon lemon mix, eucalyptus oil drops mixed with sesame or olive oil, and amla oil.
Castor oil is also safe to apply directly to the beards, as well as to the hair. Castor oil works against dandruff strengthen the roots and promote hair growth. You could use castor oil for hair loss beards, but you’d be better off talking to your healthcare provider about therapies that are proven to get results
