Hair Growth Products for Women

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By Ysabel Doran
eHow Contributing Writer

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As many as one in four women will experience thinning hair at some time in their lives. While plenty of products claim they promote hair growth, a lot of them will do little more than shrink your pocketbook. The surest and fastest route to hair regrowth is through the use of FDA approved products that have been proven in a clinical setting.

Misconceptions

Manufacturers of vitamin supplements or special shampoos and conditions sometimes claim that their products can stop or reverse hair loss. However, hair growth cycles are genetically and hormonally determined and cannot be changed by nutritional supplements or shampoos.

Minoxidil

Hair growth products containing minoxidil are the only over-the-counter FDA-approved topical treatments shown to halt hair loss and regrow hair for women.

Effects

Minoxidil counteracts the effects of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is the underlying cause of genetic hair loss. Minoxidil works only on hereditary hair loss.

Significance

Minoxidil hair growth products for women contain 2% minoxidil, as opposed to 5% minoxidil for men. Five percent concentration has not been shown to be more effective than 2% for women; yet side effects--like growth of facial hair--may be greater.

Propecia

Some women wonder if they can take the prescription hair growth medication Propecia or its generic, finasteride. Unfortunately, because Propecia can cause birth defects, it is suitable for men only.