Minoxidil

Medication topical vasodilator skin

Aka: Regaine, Rogaine, Regro, Growell

Brands seen in Singapore: Regaine, Regro, Growell, Vello-5

Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.

How to use

What it’s for

Treatment of hair loss in men and women, per the SG label

When to take

Twice a day on a completely dry scalp, per the SG label

Take with

Nothing else — topical use only, hands washed afterwards

Pros & cons

Pros

General sale list in SG — all 7 registrations
Cochrane 2016: rr 1.93 vs placebo for regrowth
Cochrane: +13.18 hairs per cm² over placebo

Cons

SG label: at least 4 months before visible change
SG label: stopping returns hair to how it was
Cochrane: extra hair elsewhere with 5% twice daily

Sources

MOH National Drug Formulary — REGAINE EXTRA STRENGTH (5%) [SIN08213P], indication, dosing and contraindications (page last updated 28 Jul 2026) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“REGAINE is used for the treatment of hair loss in man and woman … Apply one dose (1 mL) … two times a day, preferably morning and night … More frequent use or larger doses have not been shown to speed up hair growth … Do not use REGAINE if … You are under 18 or over 65 years of age … You are pregnant or breastfeeding”
MOH National Drug Formulary — REGAINE EXTRA STRENGTH (5%) [SIN08213P], product information fields · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Active Ingredient and Strength MINOXIDIL - 5.07% W/W (5% W/V) … Dosage Form SOLUTION … Forensic Classification GENERAL SALE LIST … Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code D11AX01”
HSA register of therapeutic products (data.gov.sg d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084) — 7 minoxidil rows, filtered locally from the cached copy on 27 Aug 26 · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“REGAINE Regular Strength (2%) … General Sale List … REGAINE Extra Strength (5%) … General Sale List … REGRO LOTION 5% … GROWELL SCALP LOTION 2% w/v … GROWELL SCALP LOTION 3% w/v … GROWELL SCALP LOTION 5% w/v … VELLO-5 TOPICAL SOLUTION 5% W/V … D11AX01”
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Interventions for female pattern hair loss (van Zuuren, Fedorowicz, Schoones 2016; PMC6457957) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“a greater proportion of participants treated with minoxidil … reported a moderate to marked increase in their hair regrowth when compared with placebo (risk ratio (RR) = 1.93, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.47; moderate quality evidence) … an important increase of 13.18 in total hair count per cm² … a reported increase of adverse events (additional hair growth on areas other than the scalp) with minoxidil (5%) twice daily”

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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

In Singapore

Classification
HSA register

general sale

This is the Singapore classification, taken from the HSA register. Dosing stays with the label and your pharmacist or doctor — this page never tells you how much to take.

What the label says

The Singapore regaine extra strength (5%) label [SIN08213P] reads 'apply one dose (1 mL) of REGAINE to the hair loss area of your scalp two times a day, preferably morning and night' and 'this dose should be used no matter what the size of the bald spot is. More frequent use or larger doses have not been shown to speed up hair growth and may increase your chances of side effects' — 1 mL twice a day is the largest amount the label states, and it caps by frequency rather than by area treated; the SAMe label says 'it has been shown that twice daily use of REGAINE may be required for at least four months before you will see the evidence of cosmetically acceptable hair growth' and 'once REGAINE is stopped, the appearance of your hair will return to how it was before you started'; as directed on the label or by your pharmacist or doctor

Who should check first

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking this if any of these apply to you.

Under 18 or over 65: the SG regaine label says not to use it
Pregnant or breastfeeding: the SG regaine label says not to use it
A red, inflamed, irritated, infected or painful scalp: the label excludes it
Patchy or sudden hair loss, or hair loss of unknown cause: the label excludes it

Documented interactions

With medicines and supplements

Any other topical medicine on the scalp: the SG regaine label lists current use of topical scalp medication as a reason not to use it¹
Nothing else documented on the SG registration: the ndf regaine page publishes no interaction section — untested, not shown safe¹

Only combinations someone has written down appear here. A pair that is missing is unrecorded, not cleared.