Is Oral Minoxidil The Secret To Fuller, Thicker Hair?

There’s a moment every woman secretly dreads: watching more strands gather in the shower drain than you care to admit. Sometimes, it can start as a trickle—occasional hair fall that can be explained away by stress or seasonal change . But sometimes, hair loss is more than that. That's where a discreet little pill—oral minoxidil—may be able to help.

“Oral minoxidil is a prescription heart medication used off-label in low doses to treat hair loss,” says dermatologist Ritu Saini, MD . “The way it works is by dilating blood vessels, thereby allowing nutrients better access to the hair follicles and stimulating growth factors. It is also thought to have an anti-androgen effect, meaning it can reduce the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which has been connected to both mal