Is minoxidil safe to use for women or not?
That’s an important question for women who are looking to battle progressive hair loss. As looks and beauty obviously play a large part in feeling feminine as a woman.
Let me get to the point and answer the question for those who don’t want to read the whole article. Yes, women can safely use minoxidil to combat androgenic alopecia.
The only thing they should be careful about is using higher strength products, as these generally induce more annoying side effects such as the growth of unwanted body hair as well. Needless to say, that is more undesirable for women than men.
Let me explain why women can use Rogaine and why it’s safe to use minoxidil for women.
Is minoxidil safe for women?
So is minoxidil safe for women? Or should they use another product to combat progressive hair loss?
Yes, minoxidil is considered safe to use for both men and women.
As a matter of fact, it’s one of the few hair loss treatments that’s FDA approved for women and men alike. That means that women can use minoxidil to regrow lost hair or to slow down hair loss without losing any sleep over it.
Is it safe for a woman to use men’s Rogaine?
The men’s 5% minoxidil unscented foam should be safe to use for women, since 5% foam is FDA approved for women to use. However, the men’s 5% minoxidil solution is not deemed safe to use since 5% minoxidil solution is not FDA approved for women’s use.
That doesn’t mean that women would necessarily get sick or even notice serious side effects from using 5% topical minoxidil solution. It simply means that there haven’t been enough clinical studies about the safety of 5% or higher % topical minoxidil solution usage in women.
The main difference between Rogaine for men and women is the strength of the product.
Logically speaking, higher strength products should give an increased probability of annoying side effects such as the growth of unwanted body hair, skin rashes, and flaking of the skin.
It should be pointed out though that not all women suffer from those side effects. Not even when using higher percentage products such as the 5% minoxidil.
Does minoxidil work for women’s hair loss?
Yes, minoxidil does work for women’s hair loss.
As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most well known, most researched and studied hair loss treatments with the necessary amount of empirical evidence to back it up.
Minoxidil works to slow down hair loss while simultaneously having the ability to regrow lost hair. However, the potential amount of regrowing lost hair depends on how long the androgenic alopecia has been going on before starting treatment, and how well one responds to the drug, which is genetically determined.
Does Rogaine work for women?
Yes, Rogaine does work to slow down, and even to regrow hair.
Rogaine is a brand of minoxidil. As such, Rogaine works just as well as every other brand of minoxidil since it’s more or less made up out of the same chemicals, give or take.
Rogaine even has a women’s 5% Rogaine topical foam specifically for women. In reality, it’s a 5% foam that can be used by men and women alike.
Can women use minoxidil for men?
Minoxidil for men is usually a higher strength product such as 5%, and in some cases 10%. Minoxidil 5% topical foam is FDA approved for women’s use, while the 5% topical solution is not.
Higher strength products by and large have more side effects due to their increased potency. The unwanted growth of body hair being one of them, and an especially unwanted side effect for women, obviously. Furthermore, men are typically heavier, and thus tolerate higher dosages better than women.
That’s not to say that women using minoxidil for men, will automatically hurt the women using it, or cause side effects, either.
Theoretically, men’s 5% Rogaine topical foam is basically the same as women’s Rogaine 5% topical minoxidil foam. Thus, women should be able to safely use some minoxidil products that’s designed, or rather promoted, for men.
Final note
Minoxidil is safe to use for both men and women. It is an FDA approved medication to fight against progressive hair loss. However, minoxidil is not deemed safe for babies and children who are suffering from hair loss!
The largest difference between Rogaine for men and women is the strength of the product. Women should be careful of using higher % products because of the increased chance of annoying and undesirable side effects such as the growth of unwanted body hair.
That’s not to say that every woman who uses a higher % product will experience those side effects, however. But the risk of doing so will increase.