Minoxidil
Hair loss treatment in Health & fitness
People recommend it for regrowing hair on bald spots and stopping shedding, often paired with finasteride. Critics say it won't help advanced hair loss unless you're a super responder.
5 people recommended Minoxidil in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
These are opinions from Hacker News comments, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor.
Summary written by Claude from 8 comments.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 1
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 4 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 4 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 40% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
- A health productHealth and money products are never badged, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 8 of the 8 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works well combined with finasteride
“Topical minoxidil / finasteride has roughly zero side effects (due to the limited systemic exposure) and has something like a 90% efficacy rate.”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Human hair grows through 'pulling' not pushing, study shows” “I saw a friend who went bald at 28 get all of his hair back from Minoxidil + finasteride”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Humans May Be Able to Grow New Teeth Within Just 4 Years” “I am now on Minoxidil and Finasteride, with no creatine, and no longer have shedding.”
Comment from 31 May 2026 in “Creatine raise brain energy levels and slow Alzheimer's cognitive decline by 30%” - Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “Don't be a scary old guy: My 40s survival strategy with charm”
Regrows hair on bald spots
“Many people have success regrowing hair on bald spots with minoxidil and/or finasteride.”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Humans May Be Able to Grow New Teeth Within Just 4 Years”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Carries risks, along with finasteride
“There are definitely less risks in not taking finasteride and minoxidil.”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “Don't be a scary old guy: My 40s survival strategy with charm” “there are risks associated with these unfortunately”
Comment from 27 Nov 2025 in “Don't be a scary old guy: My 40s survival strategy with charm” Won't help Norwood 5–7 hair loss
“If you're Norwood class 5–7, it won't help you unless you're a super responder (an outlier”
Comment from 4 Dec 2025 in “Human hair grows through 'pulling' not pushing, study shows”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finasteride | 7 | 3 | 6 | 54% | 5 | — | — |
| MinoxidilThis page | 5 | 1 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 8 opinions about it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I am now on Minoxidil and Finasteride, with no creatine, and no longer have shedding.”
“Many people have success regrowing hair on bald spots with minoxidil and/or finasteride.”
“I saw a friend who went bald at 28 get all of his hair back from Minoxidil + finasteride”
“If you're Norwood class 5–7, it won't help you unless you're a super responder (an outlier”
“Topical minoxidil / finasteride has roughly zero side effects (due to the limited systemic exposure) and has something like a 90% efficacy rate.”
“There are definitely less risks in not taking finasteride and minoxidil.”
“there are risks associated with these unfortunately”
“Finasteride and minoxidil are a lifesaver”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.