There has always been a lot of emphasis put on hair loss treatments for men. In fact, this is a market worth millions of dollars. Men feel old when they start to loss there hair so they will spend almost anything to keep that youthful looking head of hair. Finally, there is a hair loss product that women can use also instead of just trying to cover up the balding area with a wig.

Minoxidil is a drug that has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as being effective for halting hair loss. It is safe as both a men’s hair restoration product and for women hair restoration. It is usually sold under the brand name Rogaine although recently there have been many generic varieties that have become available.

Minoxidil is usually applied in a solution that contains 5% of the active ingredient for men and 2% for women. It is interesting, but the 2% solution seems to be much more effective for women that the 5% solution. For men, on the other hand, 5% seems to be the optimum mixture. This solution is applied to the scalp twice a day and allowed to sit on the scalp and soak in to the cause of the problem, the hair roots or follicles.

Using a solution of this active ingredient is really the best means of preventing hair loss in women available today. There is another drug approved by the FDA, Finasteride, which works well for men but is not prescribed for women due to a concern about birth defects. In fact, women are not allowed to handle the tablets for fear of ingesting the active ingredient through the skin of the fingers.

If you are a female suffering from the effects of hair loss you best bet is to try a solution of Minoxidil twice a day and see if you get the results that other talk about. Men can try either drug but there are some other side effects with Finasteride that should be considered.