For many men, a beard is a rite of passage to masculinity. Unfortunately, it’s also not always easy for everyone to grow one. As a result of the rise in beard popularity and the demand for dudes to have bushy beards on their faces, a whole host of products have hit the market.

The majority of these fall under the category of beard care products, but there’s also a section of the market dedicated to those males who have a harder time growing fuller, thicker facial hair.

If you’re part of that group who have a tough time growing your beard out, it could be well worth your time checking out some of the options there. The most popular ones on the market are Vitabeard and Beard Czar, but a more traditional contender by the name of Minoxidil has also entered the arena.

When concerning head hair, Minoxidil is often referred to as Rogaine, as it’s the primary ingredient within that product. It has, however, also shown incredibly promising results for those looking to grow out their beards. From a variety of online reviews, men are claiming to actually be seeing the results. That’s a really promising start.

So it’s pretty clear that Minoxidil gets the job done. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that Minoxidil can help to influence growth spurts of hair in males, which is great news for all of you dudes who suffer from patchy beards.

That’s not all you need to know, though. In this article, we’re going to cover all of the information surrounding Minoxidil, including potential side effects, how you can maintain a healthy beard during treatment, as well as some other plausible alternatives.

How Well Does Minoxidil Work?

I’ve never tried Minoxidil, mostly because I’ve never needed to. Despite my shortcomings, I’ve always been able to grow a strong beard very quickly. From what I’ve heard from friends and researched online though, it’s pretty damn clear that Minoxidil beard treatment works.

What I will say, however, is that you need to patient with the amount of time that it takes to work. A lot of online reviews are from customers who’ve purchased the product, taken it, and expected to wake up the following morning looking like some kind of bearded Rapunzel. If you can find any product in the world that does that, let me know, because we’ll make some serious money together.

When taking Minoxidil beard treatment, you shouldn’t prepare yourself to wait 5 days. In fact, you shouldn’t even expect to see explosive results within 5 weeks. Studies have shown that men experience the biggest growth spurts after 6 months of continuous Minoxidil usage. Sure, it’s a long-term commitment and you’ve got to be prepared to take regular applications, but you’ll most likely see results that you’re happy with.

Eric Bandholz of BeardBrand has made a short but sweet video about using Minoxidil for beard growth. You can check it out below

Can You Get Minoxidil to Work Faster?

If you’re not too happy with the idea of sitting around for the best part of a year waiting for a beard to appear on your face, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can have up your sleeve to boost the speed at which Minoxidil works.

Firstly, the easiest is going to be to buy a higher-concentrate of Minoxidil. The product typically comes in two versions – 2% and 5%. If you want dramatic effects quicker, it might be worth you picking up the stronger version of Minoxidil.

How to Apply Minoxidil

Once you’ve picked up your Minoxidil, you’re going to want to start the application process as quickly as possible. To do this, you’ll need to get the pipette included with the bottle and apply it to your face twice a day – in the morning and in the evening.

Start rubbing the product into the base of your hair follicles, and work your way out to the outer hairs.

To apply Minoxidil, you’ll need to start rubbing the product into the base of your hair follicles, gradually working your way out to hit the outer hairs. Getting it into the roots of your hair is a key part of the process, as it’s what’s required to get Minoxidil absorbed and start working on a thicker, fuller beard.

Does Minoxidil Have Any Side-Effects?

As with the vast majority of available drugs on the free market, Minoxidil does come with a few side-effects. Although they’re not prominent, we strongly advise that you read up on them to see if they could have an adverse effect on you.

Some of the more common side-effects of Minoxidil include increased or irregular heartbeat, itching and irritation (due to hair follicles becoming dry), redness, and the occasional bout of weight gain. I’m by no means a doctor so make sure you read the labels carefully, but in my opinion, those side-effects seem pretty manageable considering the end prize.

If you shed a bit of hair, don’t worry…

This might sound a bit alarming at first, but it shouldn’t be a cause for concern. As previously discussed, this isn’t an overnight treatment – it’s something that’s going to take several months to achieve and your body’s going to need to prepare for this. For that reason, you might notice a couple of instances of shedding, where hair falls out of your beard. This is completely natural and is just your body’s way of preparing for continuous future hair growth. Rogaine even address it on their website:“Rogaine products stimulate hair follicles to shift from the resting phase to the growth phase. Thus, it is not uncommon to see a temporary increase in shedding during the first 2 weeks using Rogaine products. This occurs in some people as the new hair pushes out the older hairs, when the hair follicle shifts into the growth phase.”

Keeping a Strong Beard Whilst Using Minoxidil

When growing a beard, it’s essential that you take care of it properly. This is no different when using Minoxidil – in fact, it’s even more important.

Beard oil is one of the best ways that you can prevent and treat beardruff. Beardruff is caused by your hair follicles running out of the naturally produced sebum oil that keeps your beard in top condition. When using Minoxidil, your hair is going to grow faster than normal, meaning your hair follicles will run out of sebum oil more

One of the most prominent ingredients in beard oils are carrier oils, which are very chemically close to sebum oil. By washing your beard and applying beard oil daily, you’ll be able to keep it in top condition. Trust me, it’ll be incredibly effective at treating your beardruff and it’ll even give your beard a lovely, healthy sheen to it.

What Else Can You do to Accentuate Minoxidil’s Effects?

There are a couple of other things you can do to help give your Minoxidil beard treatment that added boost. If you’re looking to get your beard thicker, consider the following:

Up Your Protein Game

As well as being a key building-block for muscle mass, protein also helps hair follicles to grow. If you work out, you might have noticed an upturn in your beard growth. Some people think that this is down to testosterone, when studies have actually shown that testosterone doesn’t have as much influence as previously thought.

Your hair follicles are some of the fastest growing cells in your body, so by eating protein, you’re going to speed up their growth time.

Do Your Best to Remove Stress

Stress is your body’s non-specific response to basically any demand made upon it (thank you, college Psychology class). For some, it kicks you into gear when you’ve got a deadline looming over your shoulders, for others, it just keeps them awake at night.

Either way, stress isn’t great for you if you’re trying to grow a beard. It’s going to hamper your facial hair growth, so you won’t see the results that you want to. One great way to destress is to work out, so if you’re not doing that already, give it a go. I also tried out yoga for a little bit, but I’ve got a hardwood floor in my apartment and it made my knees hurt (I did it once then quit).

Get Some Rest

To get the most out of Minoxidil beard results and your general beard-growing escapades, you need to ensure that you’re getting your 8 hours of sleep every night. With all of life’s trials, tribulations and constant commitments, this is a tall order for most people. Getting a full 8 hours every night will make you feel good all-round though, so give it your best shot.

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I hope you’ve found this article useful. We’ll be covering more and more beard growth products over the coming months, so stay tuned for the latest installments!

Also, a word of caution – although the plethora of positive online reviews have led me to believe that Minoxidil is worth your time, always consult with your doctor before trying out any new medicines. After that, stay strong, live well and as always, happy growing dudes!

Have you had an experience with Minoxidil that you want to share with us? Let us know how you got on in the comments box below!