Rogaine Topical Solution Vs. Rogaine Foam: Which is the Right Choice for You?

As many of my regular readers already know, I had the unfortunate experience of starting to go bald at the ripe old age of 21. Instead of just letting my hair fall out, however, I've been determined to treat my hair loss and try to keep my hair at pretty much any cost. Luckily, a combination of the prescription drug Propecia and the topical, over-the-counter drug Rogaine, I have been able to stop and even somewhat reverse my hair loss, which I am very happy about.

Propecia is simple enough; it's really just a matter of taking a small, single pill each day. Treatment with Rogaine is a bit more complicated, requiring you to coat the balding/thinning areas of your scalp with a topical medication twice a day. Until recently, Rogaine was only available as a liquid known as Rogaine Topical Solution.

While Rogaine Topical Solution is very effective, it is downright messy. It is very difficult to cover your scalp with just one dropper full of liquid, so I often found myself using more than the recommended dose just to get adequate scalp coverage. In addition, Rogaine Topical Solution takes several minutes to dry and left my hair feeling dirty and greasy. Although it stopped my hair loss, I absolutely hated having to apply Rogaine Topical Solution to my head so frequently...so much so that if I was going out and wanted my hair to look nice, I would often skip that day's treatment and opt for clean looking hair instead.

Then, last fall Rogaine came out with a new formula called Rogaine Foam. Rogaine Foam still has minoxidil, the same active ingredient as Rogaine Topical Solution, but in a much more convenient and less messy delivery mechanism. Instead of a liquid which is hard to control and would often drip down onto my face, Rogaine Foam has an easy-to-control, foamy consistency, almost like hair mousse. You can place Rogaine Foam exactly where you need it, and I found that the foam dried very quickly without leaving my hair greasy like the Rogaine Topical Solution did. The best part of Rogaine Foam was the fact that I could use it and then style my hair like normal--no more skipping treatment days because I wanted my hair to look nice.

If you decide to treat your hair loss with Rogaine, I would strongly recommend that you purchase Rogaine Foam instead of Rogaine Topical Solution. The foam does cost a bit more than the solution, but the convenience and lack-of-mess makes the added investment more than worth it. Both Rogaine Foam and Rogaine Topical Solution are available at drug stores and mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart and Target nationwide. Don't just accept your hair loss--with today's medical technology, there's a good chance you can keep the hair on your head for years to come.