A minoxidil Regime for NW2-3 Pattern, opinions?

[templesofdoom]

Hey guys,

Long time lurker here, been losing my hair very slowly in the temple and hairline region since I was about 22. It wasn't very noticeable for awhile and I've got quite thick hair so I could always hide it but now (almost 25) it has gotten to the stage that I need to start doing something if I want to hang on to my hair. I'm pretty clued up on all the treatments from reading these forums and others like it, although I think they can squew your perspective a bit unless you ask your own questions, so this is why I'm posting.

My regime:
I have been using nizoral for about 2 years and got a bit desperate last year so got on Finasteride but it gave me definite sides every time I tried it, i guess i'm sensitive to it or something, so that is off the cards unfortunately. I also gave up smoking 2 two years ago which I can say DEFINITELY made a big difference to the state of my hair, and a bunch of other things for that matter, although things are back to they were before now with my hair.

However I am currently beginning to use S5 cream on my temples EOD (started 2 weeks ago twice ED, GOT SIDES for applying too much, tapered down to once EOD, now fine so far) and want to add Minoxidil (Regaine foam) to my regime. I intend to apply it only to my hairline and temples. I am about a Norwood 2.75 at the moment. At this point I'd count success as thickening up my existing hairline, and a stabilization of shedding. Any regrowth would be a bonus.

I have a couple of questions regarding rogaine/minoxidilif you don't mind:

1. What can I expect shedwise? i know you're supposed to ride out a finasteride shed but is that the same deal with minoxidil? would shaving my head to hide a shed be a good idea?

2. How many people here are using Rogaine as their main hair loss treatment? I know spironolactone is in my regime but tbh i don't think it's gonna make that much of a difference, especially at a reduced dose, so i was wondering for those of you who don't take finasteride but use Rogaine if
a) you feel minoxidil alone is working for you and
b) whether you feel it is a viable long term treatment

3.Any hairline success? yae or nae or somewhere in between?

4. What do you make of all these other minoxidil products? I've seen Spectral-DNS, Xandrox bandied around a bit on the forums, are these somehow better than the Regaine foam or is it just regular minoxidil mixed with other things that may or may not work so they can charge more?

Thanks guys for reading, eagerly awaiting you're collective wisdom. btw probably starting Min in the new year so i can keep track of how long I've been using it.

Cheers

Doom

 

[Rob1989]

1) I am currently only on minoxidil. I experienced a definite shed for about the first 2 weeks, now I only have about 10-20 hairs in the shower after that. With the shaving your head question, it really all depends on what kind of hair you have. I have thick, dark brown hair which I wear long. My shedding wasn'y visible to other people. I would recommend cutting your hair short.

2) minoxidil is my sole treatment. But recently have been trying out saw. I do feel that minoxidil could be a long term solution. I apply it only at night and have seen visible results.

3) I have little hairs growing where my original hairline used to be, they seem pretty thin though.

4) All those other products will have the same results as any other minoxidil. I use Kirkland 5% and am extremely satisfied with the price and results.

 

[templesofdoom]

Hi Rob, thanks for the reply and the advice. So you have had some minor success on your hairline if I understand correctly, that's encouraging. What effect would you say it had on your hair overall?

Could I ask roughly how long you have been on Minoxidil? Also what Norwood would you classify yourself as before you started and now?

Good luck with the Saw. Didn't do much for me tbh, but I think everyone is different.
Thanks again

--------

Any other minoxidil users out there?

Also forgot to ask if anyone is using a minoxidil-spironolactone combo in what order do I apply them? I've heard conflicting reports..

Cheers

Doom

 

[Rob1989]

Overall, the effect on the rest of my hair has been positive. Besides having random grey hairs growing in, the rest of my hair seems to be healthy. My shedding has stopped, so I am happy about that.

I've been on minoxidil for about a month now, only applying at night. Like I said, I wear my hair long so if I tried applying in the morning, my hair would look ridiculous. I would classify myself at a NW2 transitioning into a NW3.

 

[templesofdoom]

Cheers Rob I'm glad it's working for you and thanks for the replies.

Anyone else have any similar/different experiences using minoxidil only?

 

[Agahi]

Have you looked into CB or RU? I hear they can be a good replacement for finasteride for those who gets finasteride sides.

 

[templesofdoom]

Hey Agahi,

Yeah I've had a look in passing at the RU threads and less so of the CB threads, but to be honest I'm not really in a position financially at the moment to be experimenting with DIY solutions. I have no doubt they may work and do work for people however RU is something I may have to consider down the line when I get some more cash coming in. Also it appears I'm quite sensitive to anti-androgens in general so I would have to be wary of applying things that may become systemic (sorry if this is not what RU or CB does, i've only read about it in passing. Now there's also RUM as well apparently...

Agahi are you on either of those (RU or CB) or minoxidil at the moment?

 

[Agahi]

No I don't get finasteride sides so I use finasteride as my anti androgen(I just hear a lot about RU and CB). I am on minoxidil though so I can give advice on that.

BTW on RU and CB I believe they work as stopping the DHT at the follicle not stopping it from happening altogether and from what I read many people who get bad finasteride sides do quite well on them. Like you said, something to consider when you have the $$.

 

[templesofdoom]

Cool, yeah I'll have a look when I start raking in the cash, so most likely not for awhile, but good to know there are options out there, albeit expensive ones.

Agahi what is your overall opinion of minoxidil if you don't mind me asking?
I had a look at your thread and we have similar ish hair, although the 'inner thinning' as you call it hasn't started for me yet, it's mostly on the temples. I'd be interested to know as you used minoxidil alone for awhile if I'm not mistaken.

Cheers

Doom

 

[Agahi]

I used minoxidil alone for several years. It helped to at the very least keep all my hair that I lost to a "small white hair" phase. I suppose that may be why the hairs have responded so well now that I have been on finasteride for a few months.

I cant say for certain if it slowed my loss or if I just natural receded as slow as I did. Most of my male family went to a good NW4 during the period I kept a Norwood 2.5 on MIN alone. Still it got bad enough for me to jump on finasteride the moment I knew it existed.

You may consider topical spironolactone it is up in the air whether it is very effective at stopping dht at the follicle, but something is better than nothing.

 

[Primo]

1. What can I expect shedwise? i know you're supposed to ride out a finasteride shed but is that the same deal with minoxidil? would shaving my head to hide a shed be a good idea?

I had long hair at the time and got a significant shed for the first 6wks, nobody else seemed to notice though, ride it out.


2. How many people here are using Rogaine as their main hair loss treatment? I know spironolactone is in my regime but tbh i don't think it's gonna make that much of a difference, especially at a reduced dose, so i was wondering for those of you who don't take finasteride but use Rogaine if
a) you feel minoxidil alone is working for you and

Yes, I've used minoxidil with nizoral and Tricomin (which I only really use as an anti-inflammatory conditioner) and have gone from NW3-NW2.5 in 18months


b) whether you feel it is a viable long term treatment

Long term results on minoxidil alone are proven in studies to begin slowly declining after a year or so as the pace of male pattern baldness begins to catch up with the growth of minoxidil, this is why an anti-androgen is necessary.

If you were to begin using minoxidil alone now for the indefinite future, your hair would most likely end up in it's December 2011 baseline position after around 5 or 6 years, so long term it does make a difference, but won't work miracles obviously.



3.Any hairline success? yae or nae or somewhere in between?

Yes! Went from NW3-NW2.5. Might not sound like a lot but male pattern baldness at the hairline is very aggressive, so any regrowth there is a bonus. The regrown hair is however, quite thin and you can see through to my scalp in harsh light, I'm hopeful Revivogen will add some thickness there.



4. What do you make of all these other minoxidil products? I've seen Spectral-DNS, Xandrox bandied around a bit on the forums, are these somehow better than the Regaine foam or is it just regular minoxidil mixed with other things that may or may not work so they can charge more?

Not convinced by Spectral yet, but like you say with RU and CB, if you've got the money, then why not experiment?

I'd love to try both RU and CB, but I'd be extremely pissed if after spending a relative fortune, they gave my sides after the first few applications.

Definitely stick with the regular minoxidil formulas if you're beginning a regimen, who can actually prove how well these "special" formulas work? The extra sh*t they put in, may even end up counteracting the benefits of minoxidil, which you definitely don't want

 

[templesofdoom]

Hey Agahi thanks for the fast reply. Also thanks for the info regarding your experience. For me I'd be happy to maintain what I have at the moment for the next few years, so something like your experience is definately encouraging.

I am actually already currently using spironolactone S5 cream EOD, (with nizoral 2% twice a week an PO shampoo).
Only been on the spironolactone a couple of weeks so obviously nothing to report apart that the cream gave me some sides (tiredness,brain fog, depression) when I got a bit overzealous and used too much of it (2/3x a day on wet skin). To be honest I'm not expecting much from it thats why I'm looking into Minoxidil.

Thanks man and good luck on your hair journey.

Cheers

Doom

 

[templesofdoom]

Primo,

Thanks for the answers mate, glad you've has some success. I'm in the same boat with the RU and CB, would love to be in a position where I can afford to invest that kind of money, time and effort but would be kicking myself if it didn't work or I got a bad batch or something.

I'm 24 soon to be 25 at the moment, so 5 years would sort me out for my twenties at least and hopefully then I could reassess and get a small FUE done or something. Or if we're all lucky one of the HM companies gets their product to market. I'm Norwood 2.75 ish and would be absolutely happy with a NW2 as my face suits that kind of hairline anyway. (I'm aware my experience may be different to yours but it's good to know it's possible).

Primo If i remember correctly from a previous thread you got sides from spironolactone? Did you try using it EOD, as I also got sides (Brain fog) when I used it according to the recommended dosage (2x a day) but now am using it 3-4 times a week I seem to be tolerating it. I got the EOD idea of a bodybuilding forum as many people there seem to use it against steroid induced hair loss, and they only use it EOD. It's powerful stuff that I think has an estrogenic effect if you use too much of it. the EOD doesn't give me any sides however. Can't tell you how good it is for hair loss though.

Anyway the answers are much appreciated man.

Cheers

Doom