Can You Use RU58841 and Minoxidil Together? Yes, and Here's Why It Works Better

Yes, you can use RU58841 and minoxidil together. You should. They do two completely different jobs.

I'm Charlie, founder of RUrestore. I've used RU58841 with minoxidil in my own routine for years. Not because I'm hedging my bets, but because they cover each other's gaps. Here's how each one works, why they work together, how to use them, and why I put them in one bottle called RUstim+.

How minoxidil works

Minoxidil started life as a blood pressure tablet. People taking it grew hair in places they didn't expect. That side effect became the main event, and the liquid you put on your scalp followed.

Here's what's known. In animal studies, minoxidil shortens the resting phase of the hair, pushing resting follicles into a new growth phase early. It may also make the growth phase last longer and make follicles bigger (Messenger 2004). Exactly why it does this still isn't fully worked out.

Does it work? Yes. In a 48 week trial of 393 men, 5% minoxidil grew 45% more hair than 2% (Olsen 2002).

What it doesn't do is touch DHT. DHT is the hormone shrinking your follicles. Minoxidil forces growth while the shrinking carries on underneath. That's why so many men hit a wall on minoxidil alone, and lose what they gained when they stop. More on that: Minoxidil Stopped Working?

How RU58841 works

RU58841 doesn't push growth. It blocks the damage.

Your body turns testosterone into DHT. DHT binds to receptors in your hair follicles and slowly shrinks them. Each cycle the hair comes back thinner and shorter, until the follicle gives up.

RU58841 sits on that receptor so DHT can't bind. Something's trying to attack your follicle. RU just puts a barrier up and stops it binding.

It goes on the scalp. In the animal studies it didn't lower testosterone or DHT in the blood (Battmann 1994, Ye 1997). In balding human scalp grafted onto mice, far more follicles restarted growth on RU58841 than on plain alcohol (De Brouwer 1997).

RU works at the scalp. It doesn't lower your DHT. That's the big difference from finasteride, which lowers DHT across your whole body.

RU58841 vs minoxidil: the differences

They're not rivals. They're teammates.

RU58841 and minoxidil compared

	RU58841	Minoxidil
Main job	Blocks DHT at the follicle	Pushes hair to grow
Stops the cause?	Yes, blocks DHT	No
Grows new hair?	Lets shrunk follicles recover	Yes
How you use it	On the scalp	On the scalp (or a tablet on prescription)
Best for	Stopping further loss	Thickening thin areas

Lay it out like that and "RU58841 or minoxidil?" answers itself. Both.

Why they work together

Right now you've got a leak in your bucket. Minoxidil won't stop that leak. You stop the leak first. That's the DHT blocker. Then you use minoxidil to fill it back up.

Minoxidil on its own is holding a bucket under a tap with a hole in it. RU58841 on its own plugs the hole but doesn't turn the tap up. Together, you protect what you've got and grow more.

Using more than one treatment for a problem with more than one cause isn't a fringe idea. It's normal in medicine. Hair loss has the hormone side (DHT) and the growth side. These two cover both.

How to use RU58841 and minoxidil together

Two ways. The long way, and the simple way.

The long way: two separate products

RU58841 on its own, plus your own minoxidil. Put them on at different times of day, one in the morning and one at night, so each one dries properly and doesn't water the other down.

It works. But it's two products, two applications, every day. And if you're mixing your own RU58841 from powder, you're also guessing the strength and the liquid. Get that wrong and you're wasting money or irritating your scalp.

The simple way: one bottle

That's why I made RUstim+. RU58841 and 5% minoxidil in one liquid. 1ml, once a day, morning or night. Any time works, as long as it's every day. About 60 seconds. Done.

Already on minoxidil and happy with it? Just add RU58841 5% at a different time of day.

What's in RUstim+

Four ingredients. Each one's there for a reason.

RU58841: the DHT blocker

Blocks DHT at the follicle. This is your defence.

Minoxidil 5%: the growth driver

Pushes follicles into growth and thickens thin hairs. This is your attack. 5% grew 45% more hair than 2% in the big trial (Olsen 2002).

Caffeine: the underrated one

In the lab, testosterone slowed the growth of hair follicles taken from balding men. Caffeine cancelled that out, and on its own it made the follicles grow more (Fischer 2007). Caffeine put on the scalp also gets into the hair follicles within two minutes (Otberg 2007). That's lab and skin research, not a hair growth trial in men. But it's why it's in there.

Peppermint oil

In a 2014 study on mice, 3% peppermint oil grew hair faster than 3% minoxidil over four weeks, with more and deeper follicles (Oh 2014). Mice, not men. It also gives a cool feeling on the scalp, so you know you've put it on.

Add a weekly dermastamp

This is the bit most people skip. Don't.

In a study of 100 men, weekly microneedling with 1.5mm needles plus minoxidil grew far more hair in 12 weeks than minoxidil alone: about 91 new hairs in the test patch against 22 (Dhurat 2013).

Use a 1.5mm dermastamp, once a week, two minutes. Then wait 24 to 36 hours before your next application.

How well does each one work?

Here's what each piece brings on its own. Here are the real numbers from the studies, each one linked so you can check it. Every study measured things a bit differently, so read each line on its own.

• RU58841 on the scalp: strong. In bald monkeys, RU58841 5% raised growing follicles by 103% and turned 26% of thin hairs into thick ones. The finasteride pill got 88% and 12% in the same study, and RU did it with no hormone change. On real balding human scalp grown on mice, 28% of follicles started a new growth cycle with RU, against 7% without it. (Uno monkey study, not on PubMed; same team: Pan 1998, De Brouwer 1997)
• Minoxidil 5%: good. 393 men, 48 weeks. 5% beat the dummy and grew 45% more hair than 2%. It doesn't touch DHT, so it works best next to a DHT blocker. (Olsen 2002)
• Oral minoxidil: good, but not better. A 5mg pill against 5% liquid for 24 weeks: no clear winner. 49% of men on the pill grew extra hair on their face and body. (Penha 2024)
• Dermastamp (microneedling): a big boost. 100 men, 12 weeks. Weekly microneedling plus minoxidil: hair count up 91.4. Minoxidil alone: up 22.2. 82% said their hair was more than 50% better, against 4.5% on minoxidil alone. (Dhurat 2013)
• Finasteride pill: strong. 1,553 men. After two years, men on finasteride had 138 more hairs in a one inch circle on the crown than men on a dummy pill, who kept losing hair. It cuts the DHT in your blood by about 71%, which is why some men get side effects. (Kaufman 1998, Drake 1999)

Short version: stop the DHT first, then grow the hair. That's a DHT blocker plus minoxidil, with a dermastamp once a week. RUstim+ does the first two in one bottle.

What results to expect

This isn't overnight. Nothing is. Anyone selling you instant results is lying.

• First 6 to 8 weeks: you might shed. Weak, shrunk hairs get pushed out to make room for thicker ones. It's normal. Don't quit.
• Months 2 to 3: shedding settles. Fine new hairs start to show.
• Months 3 to 6: thin areas fill in. Real visible change.
• Months 6 to 12 and on: keeps thickening for a lot of people. Every day, no breaks.

Full timeline with customer photos: How Long Does RU58841 Take to Work?

Frequently asked questions

Can I use RU58841 and minoxidil at the same time?

Yes. They work in completely different ways. Use them separately at different times of day, or use RUstim+, which has both in one bottle.

Is RU58841 better than minoxidil?

They do different jobs. RU58841 stops DHT doing damage. Minoxidil grows hair. Pick one and you're leaving results on the table.

Does RU58841 have side effects like finasteride?

Finasteride lowers DHT across your whole body, and its sexual side effects are documented in trials. RU58841 goes on the scalp and, in the studies, didn't lower blood DHT. The most common side effect is an itchy or dry scalp. Full detail: RU58841 Side Effects.

How long until RU58841 and minoxidil work?

A shed is common in the first 6 to 8 weeks. New growth from months 2 to 3. Proper density from month 6.

Morning or night?

RUstim+ is once a day, any time, as long as it's every day. Using two separate products? One in the morning, one at night.

Can I use RU58841 and minoxidil with finasteride?

Some men run all three. Whether you need finasteride depends on how fast you're losing hair and how you feel about a pill. Plenty of our customers find RU58841 and minoxidil enough. Talk it through with your doctor.

Stop choosing between defence and attack

RU58841 vs minoxidil is a false choice. Block the damage at the source. Push new growth. Do both.

That's exactly what RUstim+ is for. RU58841, minoxidil, caffeine and peppermint oil in one bottle. One application a day. No mixing powders, no juggling bottles.

Sources

1. Messenger and Rundegren (2004). Br J Dermatol. How minoxidil works on hair growth. PubMed 14996087
2. Olsen and colleagues (2002). J Am Acad Dermatol. 5% minoxidil grew 45% more hair than 2% in 393 men. PubMed 12196747
3. Battmann and colleagues (1994). J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. RU58841 worked where applied, no effect on testosterone level. PubMed 8136306
4. Ye and colleagues (1997). Skin Pharmacol. No change in rat blood testosterone or DHT. PubMed 9449168
5. De Brouwer and colleagues (1997). Br J Dermatol. Balding human scalp on mice responded to RU58841. PubMed 9415227
6. Fischer and colleagues (2007). Int J Dermatol. Caffeine cancelled out testosterone's effect on human hair follicles in the lab. PubMed 17214716
7. Otberg and colleagues (2007). Skin Pharmacol Physiol. Caffeine reached hair follicles within two minutes. PubMed 17396054
8. Oh and colleagues (2014). Toxicol Res. Peppermint oil and hair growth in mice. PubMed 25584150
9. Dhurat and colleagues (2013). Int J Trichology. Weekly 1.5mm microneedling plus minoxidil against minoxidil alone. PubMed 23960389
10. Uno and colleagues. Conference abstract, Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. Follicular regrowth with 5α reductase inhibitor (finasteride) or androgen receptor blocker (RU58841) in the bald scalp of the stumptailed macaque. Not on PubMed. Same team's published RU58841 paper: Pan 1998, Endocrine
11. Penha and colleagues (2024). JAMA Dermatol. Oral minoxidil 5mg against 5% minoxidil liquid for 24 weeks. PubMed 38598226
12. Kaufman and colleagues (1998). J Am Acad Dermatol. 1,553 men: finasteride 1mg gave 138 more hairs than a dummy pill after two years. PubMed 9777765
13. Drake and colleagues (1999). J Am Acad Dermatol. Finasteride 1mg cut blood DHT by about 71%. PubMed 10495374

I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice.