When do we truly stop and look at our scalps? With such a hectic life that’s encouraged these days, most people hardly get the actual time to truly have a look at their hair. When was the last time you got the time to stop and examine your scalp and hair?
It all comes to a standstill when you’re suddenly standing in a lift one day, trying to get a breather and finally being able to truly look at yourself. Although, under those harsh white lights? Probably not the best idea. Suddenly you’re able to see that there’s some thinning of hair at your crown area. Maybe your hairline has moved back a little and your three-head is starting to look like a forehead after all.
This is not just one day in the making though, it is many, many days, even years maybe. Hairloss is hardly something that can affect your appearance overnight. It takes over strand by strand until you finally notice that your older haircare products are just not working anymore.Â
Here’s the thing though, there are tons of hair regrowth treatments available in the market. There is almost a decision fatigue happening amongst people now, at least the people who are able to afford these products. The West has finally started using essential hair oils, that pyramid scheme employee on TikTok has just told you about a miracle serum that has changed their hair game, the Google search engine is cluttered with sponsored ads. The world of hair regrowth treatments is pretty noisy at the moment.
Despite this plethora of hair care products that are available to us, very few of them are actually backed by good science, and even fewer can even qualify as a good hair regrowth treatment.Â
That’s why we present to you a guide that’s able to cut through this clutter of products and look at what actually works, why they work, and how you can choose the right product for your baldness treatment or hair thinning.
Best Seller
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Rogaine Men’s 5% Minoxidil Foam for Hair Regrowth (Male)
Hair Care Price range: $30.00 through $50.00 -
Rogaine Women’s 5% Minoxidil Foam for Hair Regrowth (Female)
Hair Care Price range: $30.00 through $57.00 -
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How does hair loss happen?
Before looking into any thinning hair solution or a hair regrowth treatment, let us first have a look at what factors can lead to you losing your hair. Like most conditions, hair loss is caused due to a multitude of reasons. Some of them being:
- Genetics: This is the most common cause of hair loss that happens hand in hand with aging. It’s called androgenic alopecia, also known as male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness. The hair follicles shrink over time and lead to a receding hairline and bald spots for men and hair thinning along the crown for women.
- Telogen effluvium: After a huge physical or emotional shock, like a stressful event, a major surgery, or some severe illness, many people may experience a general hair thinning for the 2-3 months after.
- Hormonal imbalance: Drastic changes in hormones due to pregnancy, childbirth, thyroid, or PCOS can lead to temporary or permanent hair loss. This is a major contributor towards women’s hair loss.
- Nutritional deficiencies: A certain lack of components like iron, protein, zinc, biotin, or vitamin D can also lead to hair thinning or loss.
- Hairstyles & Treatments: Too many hair treatments or pulling the hair too tight with hairstyles like pigtails or cornrows can lead to traction alopecia. The chemicals in hair dyes and other treatments like perms or heat styling can also very well lead to hair loss.
Each of these different causes ends up needing a different hair regrowth treatment, the solutions are hardly ever one-size-fits-all, different problems require different solutions.
Minoxidil hair regrowth treatments
Minoxidil continues to be the first-line defense that many people use against hair fall, it’s a pretty standard over-the-counter hair regrowth treatment. Like a lot of medications before it, minoxidil was actually formulated as a blood pressure medication. However, several people reported excessive hair growth and even hair regrowth as a frequent side effect of using it.
Since then, it has become a popular hair regrowth treatment. It works by improving blood flow to the hair follicles and also extending the anagen phase, i.e., the hair growth phase.
Minoxidil does the following:
- Increases follicle size
- Encourages oxygen and nutrient delivery
- Helps in reactivating hair follicles which have gone dormant
Minoxidil comes in different concentrations depending on how much the person will have to rely on it for their hair loss. While men are usually recommended variants that have 10% minoxidil, several women are recommended to use a 5% concentration of minoxidil.Â
Benefits of using Minoxidil hair regrowth treatment:
- It has clinical validity and reliability since its launch in 1986
- Minoxidil has extreme versatility and can be used for men and women both
- It reverses hair miniaturization which is when hair follicles shrink and end up producing thinner and shorter hair
- It’s also considered beneficial for eyebrow and beard hair, again making it a very versatile hair regrowth treatment
Men are recommended to apply minoxidil twice a day to the scalp, and women are advised to apply it just once a day. When it’s applied directly onto the scalp, it will thicken your hair over time and also help cover up bald spots.
Products like Tugain 2% solution, Hairjoy Foam, and Rephair 10% Topical solution are very popular minoxidil products that are recommended by a lot of medical professionals.
Tugaine 2% solution
Tugaine 2% solution is a vasodilator that’s used to lessen hair loss and also promote hair growth. Tugaine should be applied directly onto a clean scalp as directed by a healthcare professional. The Tugaine 2% solution takes about 2-4 months to show a visible difference, the timing may vary depending on the person.Â
The solution is not suitable to be used for people under the age of 18 and above 65. The Tugaine 2% solution might not necessarily work for you if your hair loss is due to medical procedures like chemotherapy, for instance, or due to any other nutritional deficiency which requires a specific care regimen.
Common side effects may include:
- Itching
- Hypertrichosis which means excessive hair growth in places where it’s not needed
- Dermatitis which is basically skin irritation or inflammation of any kind
Hairjoy Foam
Hairjoy Foam is another vasodilator which works in a very similar way to the Tugaine 2% solution. It mainly targets the male pattern baldness condition and helps in hair regrowth. The application process is also similar to the solution and should always be applied on a clean scalp twice a day. Since it’s a foam, the hair can be dry or wet when it’s being applied.
The Hairjoy Foam may not work for sudden and unexpected hair loss situations, it mostly only works with androgenic alopecia, which has been talked about before. You may not necessarily see the results if you have been bald for many years and have a larger area of hair patch that needs to be treated.
Side effects of the Hairjoy Foam are similar to those of the Tugaine 2% solution, there isn’t any major difference.
Rephair 10% Topical Solution
The Rephair 10% Topical solution also belongs to the class of vasodilators and works the best for pattern baldness. Since the active is again minoxidil and it belongs to the same class as the other two, its working mechanism is the same, and it has to be applied in a similar way too.
This may work the best for crown thinning but not necessarily a receding hair line. During the first 2 weeks of use, your hair may fall out, but you’ll be able to see a noticeable difference within months. Other side effects of the solution are similar to the other two as well.
Since the Rephair 10% Topical solution contains alpha hydroxy acid, i.e., AHA, it may increase the skin’s sensitivity to sun exposure. If you’re stepping out into the sun after applying this, make sure you use proper gear to protect the application site.
The takeaway
Hair loss can feel frustrating, which it rightfully is. Even the treatments are a painstaking process which have very long periods of the person just waiting to see the results. In today’s world, which rewards instant gratification, having to wait almost 3-4 months for something feels like torture. It’s very hard to stay consistent without actually seeing the results for yourself.
While waiting is torture, hair loss is also extremely treatable. The key is to go for hair regrowth treatments which are backed by science and not rooted in TikTok trends. Hair regrowth treatment products like the Tugain 2% solution, Hairjoy Foam, and Rephair 10% Topical Solution prove to be effective and use clinical data and actual science to help in hair regrowth.
When used consistently, these hair regrowth treatments can work wonders along with sufficient nutrition and medicated shampoos. Remember, you’re not alone in this journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is minoxidil 10% better than minoxidil 5%?
The concentration depends on the person’s needs. Minoxidil 10% may provide results for people who have persistent hair issues, but it may also lead to more irritation due to the higher concentration. Minoxidil 5% can be helpful in those cases.
How long will it take for my hair to regrow?
The initial regrown hair may be colorless and a little thinner, but rest assured, they’re still growing. It can take around 2-4 months for the regrown hair to be visible. It can fully depend on the person, their diet, and just how their body reacts to minoxidil.
Can the hair regrowth treatments completely reverse my baldness?
The products may not work if the follicles have been completely inactive for years and have exited the hair growth cycle.
Will the hair regrowth treatments help with my hair thinness?
While the products will work towards growing thick hair, a lot of it also depends on one’s diet and their nutritional intake. One can also depend on dietary supplements or other protein treatments to increase their hair thickness.
