Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. As such, I can only discuss my experience and results, potential side effects and what you can expect in the hopes that your decision to either use or discard the information in this post is an informed one.

Beards are awesome. 5 out of 4 doctors agree and countless bros, men and children dream of having one. Why wouldn't you? They can accentuate your facial features to make you look more powerful, manly, mature and even hide a weak chin if that is a concern of yours! Throughout history, facial hair has always been worn by men with pride, much to the envy of those who can't grow theirs.

I couldn't naturally grow a beard worth shit so I turned to something else to get what I wanted: Minoxidil.

If you're one of the those guys who can't grow a beard, this post is for you.

If you're under 21, this post is not for you. Give your body and natural testosterone a chance for a couple years to do its thing before resorting to what essentially is beard steroids.

If you're under 18, you're still in puberty, so don't even consider it. Be patient and apply other RP principles to your life. If a beard is the only thing keeping you back from success, you got issues with everything else.

Brief History of Minoxidil

Minoxidil, commonly known under the brand name Rogaine, was originally used as heart medication, to treat hypertension. It was then noticed that there was an unexpected growth of hair on patients that were consuming it. The drug worked so well that patients were prescribed an early version by their doctors for hair regrowth. Finally, in 1998, a 5% solution was approved by the FDA for nonprescription sale.

But Rogaine/Minoxidil Is For Hair Regrowth!

Well it seemed that way, given the lack of research supporting topical usage of the drug on your beard hairs, but some men took it upon themselves to test it out. Here are a couple testimonials that I've seen:

-Minoxidil Beard Growth Journey [Before And After]

-minoxidil for beards Before and after - миноксидил для бороды

-Minoxidil Beard - MONTHS 1-6

-Asian Beard Minoxidil Journey with Commentary

-24 Men Who Grew Beards Using Minoxidil

This has worked for me personally, taking my beard from a patchy beard that looked like this to one that looks similar to this one (of course, not gonna be posting my actual beard/face, so you'll have to take my word for it unfortunately). This kind of progress took around 5 months or twice daily usage of Minoxidil 5% strength.

How Does It Work?

The hair making up your beard is different than the one on your head. Beard and body hair, are a type of hair called Androgenic hair, which depend on testosterone to grow and mature from a vellus hair to a terminal hair. The latter one is what makes a beard look good. They're darker in color, noticeably thicker and in our case, do not depend on Minoxidil to continue growth, unlike the former vellus hairs. Topical application of Minoxidil will speed up the growth cycle, maturing the hairs much quicker than naturally possible by your body. (I could go into much more details about the mechanism of action but it is not needed for this post.)

Side Effects

Minoxidil is a drug. I want this to be as clear as possible. Almost every drug has potential side effects and this one is not an exception.

Potential side effects include, but are not limited to:

-Burning/Irritation of the eye

-Itching or irritation at the treatment site (by far the most common side effect)

-Redness/puffiness at the treatment site in case of allergic reaction

-Unwanted hair growth in other parts of your body

-The alcohol and Propylene Glycol in the solution may create dandruff and/or contact dermatitis on the treatment site (will go into more detail down below on my experience with beardruff with what I did to get rid of it)

-Swelling of the face and/or extremities

-Rapid and irregular heartbeat (remember that this was used as heart pressure medication and that you are now applying it to your face)

-Loss of vellus hairs if treatment is ended prematurely (will go into more detail below)

-Potential aging of the skin

-Darker eye bags

-Issues with male sex hormones. Just kidding, that's Finasteride. Minoxidil encourages hair growth without interfering with DHT which makes it better for growing facial hair than it's marketed purpose of saving head hair. (Credit to TRP2017)

What Side Effects Did I Have to Deal With?

Personally, I tolerated Minoxidil very well. The first month had only a handful of instances (2 or 3) where I felt my heart rate increase for a couple seconds, kind of like when you overdo it with caffeine. This faded very quickly and has never been an issue since. The only side effect currently affecting me is the dry skin, which is due to the alcohol contained in the solution. Every morning, I gently use a rag drenched in hot water to mop up some of the skin flakes and use some lotion to re-hydrate my skin (personally use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Unscented Lotion, bought from Amazon for next to nothing) and I don't look like someone took sandpaper to my face. Any beard oil or moisturizer will work here. I have also bought a derma roller that I use weekly just for that extra collagen boost to prevent aging skin.

How to Get Minoxidil

There are two varieties of this drug: 2% and 5%. I strongly advise to skip the 2% and go straight to 5%, because you'll get quicker results (the percentage is only the concentration of actual Minoxidil in the solution present in the bottles you buy. More Minox = More gains, but also more potential for side effects obviously).

The product can come in an aerosol format or as a liquid in a bottle, typically 2oz per. I much prefer the liquid form, as you usually get a 1mL dropper with your purchase, making application easier. Plus you actually put the amount that you need with no excess.

The brand doesn't really matter, but I personally use Kirkland brand Minoxidil 5% Extra Strength, mostly because it's not the original Rogaine, therefore it's much cheaper. It has worked very well thus far. I get a 6 month supply, or 6 bottles (1 2oz bottle per month).

You can get Minoxidil on Amazon, Ebay (its where I get mine), beauty websites, etc. Hell, you can probably even pick some other brand at your local pharmacy, but it might be more convenient to order online than to go on a scavenger hunt for your beard steroids.

How to Use Minoxidil.

The product you buy should include a 1mL dropper. If not, get one and don't buy the from the same buyer/brand again.

Every day, twice a day you'll draw 1mL of Minoxidil and apply it. I like to squeeze out a couple drops and use the dropper to rub the drug into my skin. You will do the exactly that onto your bald spots first, and use the rest on areas that need work. For example, if you have thick, fully matured sideburns, but a weak goatee, you'll want to use it on the goatee. This order is important, as you may run out of that 1mL before you get to your "stronger" areas.

Ensure that you do not wash your face for at least 4 hours in order for the Minoxidil to fully absorb into your skin.

This routine takes at most 3 minutes of your day so you honestly don't have an excuse to slack off. Shower, put some on. Put your second application before you go to bed, easy.

What Should You Expect?

Nothing. It might not even work for you if you don't have the genetics for it. It might work, like it did for me. You can only know after at least 4 months of consistent usage. You will notice that you are growing plenty of hair, but DO NOT BE FOOLED, those are vellus hairs, which are dependent on Minoxidil and WILL FALL OUT IF YOU STOP TREATMENT BEFORE THEY HAVE FULLY MATURED.

You NEED to stay consistent in order to maintain the beard that you desire, for upwards of 6 months to indefinitely. I personally am not going to risk wasting my time, money and energy by hopping off after 5 months total when I have gotten the beard that I always wanted. I will be using for at least 2 years, even if I shave the beard off to ensure that the hair follicles mature, so that if I do want a beard further down the road, I can grow a full beard once again.

If you don't lift (start lifting obviously) or watch your diet too much (start watching your diet obviously), you might benefit from more exercise and a higher protein intake, as hair follicles are among the fastest growing cells in the human body, meaning there is a possible correlation between an increase in blood flow and higher protein with a higher hair growth rate. There's more to it, but that's not the point of this post.

You should expect a bit of shedding from your head hair, but that is because Minoxidil is making hair around your body grow more, so it is just your older hairs being replaced by newer ones, so no, you aren't going bald. But your arms, eyebrows, etc might get bushier too. I didn't really have hand hair until I started Minoxidil, but now I have a thin layer of hait across the back of both of my hands. I admit I kind of like the look though, but your experience may vary.

In Conclusion

I hope that sharing my experience and what I know will help at least one person on here. I have definitely noticed a night and day difference ever since I've committed to growing out a full beard in my social circle, from people not recognizing me to girls walking up to me and complimenting my beard.

I have had a very successful and positive run with Minoxidil, which is the reason why I'm sharing in the first place, but it is a drug that you are using to affect your body. As such, I tried to be as transparent as I could in order to properly inform your decision.