At this point we’ve already seen minoxidil work to improve thousands of men’s beards. If you haven’t, a quick Google search can show you plenty of results. As well, joining the Facebook group The Minox Beard Spot is a good option to see progression of guys going from nearly nothing to fully bearded. But what if you already have a beard?
We get the question a lot. “If I already have a beard, will using minoxidil help me fill it in more?” The answer is essentially always “yes,” but there are some caveats.
Minoxidil works differently for everyone
Firstly, you should understand that minoxidil doesn’t work the same for every person that uses it: some people may see substantial facial hair gains, while others only see moderate progress. The one thing in common is that just about everyone will make some progress.
There are cases where maybe only a few extra hairs grew for a guy that had absolutely nothing. In this case, he did make progress. But he did not make he progress he would have wanted to make.
Also read: Foam or Liquid Minoxidil; Which is Better?
The length of time you apply minoxidil doesn’t change for those that already have a beard
When you already have a full beard, you can assume that you’ll make “less” progress than someone that went from only being able to grow a weak mustache and goatee. Of course, this is because you had started off with more facial hair than that person in the first place.
Those that are trying to improve relatively full beards are also still under the same requirements as someone without one; from applying minoxidil once or twice per day, to how long you should apply minoxidil for (until the journey is complete).
Having more facial hair at the start doesn’t mean that you’ll be applying for less time — the process isn’t linear in terms of hair count. It’s about each individual hair follicle reaching maturation in order to become permanent.
Keep in mind that the time frame for how long one should apply minoxidil for is dependent on that person and that person alone. Comparing yourself to someone that may have only needed 8 months to grow a permanent beard with minoxidil might skew your perception on when you should be finished.
It might be harder to notice progress when you already have a beard
Since your facial hair might be quite full, it will be harder for you to notice progress in terms of more vellus hair sprouting and those hairs becoming terminal. This is something to keep in mind and will play a psychological factor in whether you continue pursuing a fuller beard with minoxidil or not.
Take progress pictures every couple of weeks or so, particularly in the sections that need the most improvement. By comparing these pictures every few months, you’ll be able to see the improvements more objectively than by eyeballing your progress. Those little changes that happen throughout the process are hard to notice when you’re looking in the mirror every single day.
In conclusion…
Virtually everyone can improve their facial hair with minoxidil, even those that already have beards. How much is very individual and you can’t really know without trying. There’s no true methodology to determine how much facial hair you can grow.
Also read: Can Everybody Grow a Beard With Minoxidil?
From everything we’ve seen, just about everyone makes at least some progress by using minoxidil. Whether they end up happy with the amount they got is another story.
Convinced and want to hop into the journey? Learn everything you need to get started by reading the Minoxidil Beard FAQ on the wiki.