About three years ago, I decided to start my minoxidil journey. I was pretty hesitant at first, mostly because I wasn’t sure how effective it would be, what side effects I might get, and whether the results would even stay. After all, for scalp hair it’s usually a “use and lose it” situation.
But I went for it anyway.
What I Did
For two full years, I applied 5% minoxidil foam twice a day. Alongside that, I did microneedling (0.5 mm) every other day, at least for the first three months. After that, I got lazy and did it way less consistently (sometimes I skipped entire months).
My routine looked like this:
- Morning: minoxidil
- Afternoon: microneedling (every other day)
- Evening: minoxidil
I always left a few hours between microneedling and minoxidil because applying them too close together irritated my skin. Minoxidil itself didn’t give me any noticeable side effects. Microneedling did sting a bit, but only temporarily.
Tapering Off
During the last few months, I slowly reduced my usage:
14× per week → 10× → 7× → 4× → 0.
I’ve now been off minoxidil for about a year, and I haven’t noticed any shedding or thinning. The gains seem to be permanent.
Important Note
Before I started, I already had a lot of baby hairs / peach fuzz on my face. I personally think this helped a lot. Those tiny hairs were probably ready to be converted into terminal hairs. If your face is completely smooth, I honestly don’t know what your results would be. But if you’re considering it, I’d still say: give it a try.