Minoxidil Rogaine Shedding Phase

Like I said in my last post the side effect of itchiness from the Rogaine has deftly gotten better thanks to using Nizoral 2%. However, now I’m starting to experience what they call the shedding phase. For the most part from all the recent research I’ve done, it is basically a sign that the minoxidil/Rogaine is in fact working or starting to work. In a nutshell, the basic idea is the Rogaine is pushing out the old hair, and new and thicker hair is supposed to replace that eventually. For the most part, if you read any of the forum posts on Hair Loss Help etc., people talk about shedding in a generic sense. They will talk about how they got used to their normal daily routine and then all of a sudden, they lose some hair, or their hair gets thinner, or they find some balding spots two weeks after starting to use rogaine.

And if all goes well not only is the hair thicker but the Rogaine will also cause brand-new hair growth in areas that you don’t have hair anymore. So, in combination with the shedding phase and the new hair growth in theory the balding process is reversed. Like I mentioned before I will be very happy if it just holds my hair loss or slows it down to a very slow pace. Now I feel that way because I still have a lot of hair on my head as opposed to someone who is watching over every strand possible. I’m trying to prevent myself from reaching that stage as much as I can until father time truly takes over.

My shedding started a couple of days ago. I noticed some hairs falling out in the shower, and it was more noticeable than usual. Then my wife, who was brushing my hair when she noticed that some strands were thinner. So, I did a visual inspection and sure enough, there were some less hairs. However, as I said before, the Rogaine/Minoxidil is working. And while I can say that I don’t have a full head of hair again, the hairs on my head are a lot thicker now. So, from what I can observe so far, the thinning process has stopped completely.

So, in conclusion, the shedding phase is completely normal and for most people should last 2 to 3 weeks but it can last a little longer. I will make some more observations about the shedding phase over the next few weeks. I’m also going back to update this post as time goes on with any additional observations and side effects. And if all goes well the shedding phase should be followed by new hair growth. It is not uncommon to experience some itching during the shedding phase but that itchiness should go away if you use a dandruff shampoo. During this time, you will lose hair at times what will appear to be an exaggerated rate. However, you shouldn’t worry too much, all the hair that is lost should come back stronger and thicker than before. Remember the shedding phase should only last for a couple of weeks if it lasts much longer, I would recommend speaking to a dermatologist or your general practitioner about it. They would be in a much better position to offer advice about your continued usage of minoxidil/Rogaine.