Just thought I’d put it out there because I feel like it would be neglectful of me not to: minoxidil fucked my skin and aged me by a good 5-10 years. And I was only using it topically on my scalp for balding! The effects on my face would have been from the residue on my pillow as I roll around in my sleep. I can’t imagine what would have happened to me if I put it on my face. Look up “minoxidil collagen breakdown” for more details; I’ll spare you them here, but taking minoxidil for 1.5 years is one of my biggest regrets.

There is very little data on the likelihood that this impacts someone taking it, mostly bc the hair restoration industry is extremely quick to silence anyone who complains of any kind of side effect. I was even told by the Dr who prescribed it to me that I was “imagining things.”

Whether you heed this caution or not, I wish you the best in your journey to glorious beardom.

uh… so, hims minoxidil looks fine. i’ve mostly used costco/kirkland brand (you can get this off amazon too). the bigger concern with minoxidil, imo, is price. shit’s expensive, so try to get the best deal you can, buy in bulk (it’s a long term thing anyways), just make sure it’s a 5% concentration.

anyways, i’ve been on minoxidil for probably 3 years (mostly facial application, too)… and i look my age, tbh i would look older if i didn’t minox my temples too lol (fwiw i’m in my 30s). i think minox is probably pretty safe to take re: aging effects, but everyone’s body is different, and you always take the risk of something weird happening when you consume Chemicals. i’d probably also consider it safer for topical use than rosemary oil, but i tend to be suspicious of those kinds of oils anyways

btw, it doesn’t really matter if you do oil or foam. i’ve done both, i tend to prefer oil because i feel like it’s easier to apply to specific areas. but the foam was… fine. most people seem to prefer foam more, from what i’ve seen. i don’t think it really matters