Hi. Thanks for posting your concern at HCM Minoxidil is a non-specific hair growth promoter. In males it is commonly prescribed for Male pattern baldness. It is FDA approved for this indication. Initially some patients (not all) do not notice any improvement in hair fall for 2-4 weeks but that is not a bad news for them! New hairs that start to grow due to minoxidil pushes out old hairs from follicles that were already going to be shed on their own sometime sooner or later. This is due to ANAGEN SURGE! and is actually a sign of response to minoxidil. So actually Minoxidil causes the hair follicle to enter back into growing phase (Anagen) and thus in the process pushes out dead hair(Telogen hair) which may seem as lack of response to minoxidil!! but actually it is not. It is advisable to continue minoxidil for at least 2-3 months to be able to appreciate its benefits. Shaving and massage has no role whatsoever in arresting hair fall. After shaving the scalp, though you won t notice hair fall but it will still happen. Massage increases the blood circulation and thus nutrition to hair but this effect is transient and is not reported to arrest hair fall OR improve hair growth. hope this information helps. take care regards