Fast drying minoxidil?

[doubleindemnity]

I am thinning very badly in a Norwood 5-6 pattern (seems like a high NW6). The frontal and crown thinning are particularly bad, but the whole top is very thin. I got a buzz cut and it's pretty bad. It's a 2 on top and 1 on the back and sides, but the top is completely see through and, in the right light, clearly thinner than the back and sides. I still have a Norwood 1.5 hairline and so I am hoping that I respond well to minoxidil. Anyway, my main worry about minoxidil was that it wouldn't dry on time and would get onto my face, into my hats, etc. With this haircut, it should dry as quickly as possible. But, anyway, what's the fastest drying formulation? I'm currently looking at Lipogaine and Rogaine foam. I heard that Kirkland liquid takes long to dry so I am not considering it. Thanks for your help.

 

[debyne]

I've had the same exact problem with Kirkland liquid, but I've found it works better than the foam...at least for me. So, I've built my life and regimen around trying to make it work 2/day.

In the mornings before work, I get up from bed right away and shower, use a hair dryer to dry my hair completely, and apply minoxidil. Then I go eat breakfast and do whatever else I need to do before I actually leave for work. Right before I leave, I use a hair dryer again to completely dry my hair before styling. By this time, minoxidil will have been sitting on my head for about 45 min to 1 hour in the shortest case scenario. I know it's not perfect, but I figure that 1 hour has done something positive as opposed to skipping the routine altogether.

In the evenings, I rinse my hair from the product I use (American Fiber) as soon as I can, let my hair air dry, and then apply minoxidil. I try to do this as early before bed as possible so that it has a chance to set it and not get all over my pillow and/or face while I'm sleeping.

This has seemed to work really well for me (plus I take finasteride 1mg/day) for the last 5 years or so.

If anyone has an alternative product that dries in 30 minutes, I'd be heaven (especially for my morning routine)

 

[mr_robot]

I mix my own fast drying minoxidil by taking 30ml generic 5% liquid (Q-gain) and adding 30ml ethanol which gives a 2.5% solution. I then use 2ml to get to 5% which is fine for me as I use it all over my scalp. It dries very quickly and has a less oily looking texture.

 

[Iopu]

Products like lipogaine that contain more ingredients than the simple minoxidil. Will be worse for drying / leaving a residue.

 

[abovedagame]

Rogaine foam would likely dry fastest of any of the products you mentioned because if does not contain the ingredient propylene glycol which is in the liquid formulations. Also, in my experience, the foam leaves less visible residue on the scalp compared to the liquid.

 

[mr_robot]

Rogaine foam would likely dry fastest of any of the products you mentioned because if does not contain the ingredient propylene glycol which is in the liquid formulations. Also, in my experience, the foam leaves less visible residue on the scalp compared to the liquid.

The foam is hard to apply if you have longer hair as most of it dries on the hair rather than the scalp and for a lot of people the liquid works better than the foam as PG assists with penetration. The generic Q-gain brand liquid I use does not leave any visible residue from what I have observed.

 

[Alpaca]

Hi there,

I'm new here. I've started using Lipogaine almost a week ago, and no matter how careful I am when applying the solution, my hair is always wet afterwards, and it makes my temples look thinner than they actually are. How do you do it without wetting anything but the scalp itself?