Is it possible to mix topical minoxidil with a little bit of water to reduce irritation?

[michel sapin]

I am allergic to topical ( all véhicle), but when i mix it with a little bit of water it reduces it considerably. Is it possible to do this or does it negate minoxidil efficacy

 

[Pentanol]

First and foremost, if you are allergic to the vehicle, then dilution is not the appropriate response to remedy your irritation because the irritants responsible for your scalp reaction are present in large quantities and even a generous dilution with pure water would still cause a reaction. I would recommend looking for foam options or PG-less versions of the topical solution as many minoxidil users find the propylene glycol very irritating to their scalp. Nonetheless, if you are set on going the dilution route:

The generic brands of minoxidil, such as Kirkland, contain 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, and 15% purified water in a 60mL solution. Since you are likely finding the PG and alcohol content irritating, the goal would be to reduce these species while maintaining a respectable amount of minoxidil concentration. First, convert all of your species to milligrams instead of milliliters.

Standard Minoxidil
Total content: 60mL
alcohol: 30% of 60mL = 30% of 60g = 18,000mg / 60,000mg
propylene glycol: 50% of 60mL = 50% of 60g = 30,000mg / 60,000mg
minoxidil: 5% of 60mL = 5% of 60g = 3,000mg / 60,000mg
water: 15% of 60mL = 15% of 60g = 9,000mg / 60,000

By adding 20mL of water, you would reduce the concentrations of the irritant species, PG and alcohol, while maintaining a respectable concentration of minoxidil:

Diluted
Total content: 80mL
alcohol: 18,000mg / 80,000mg
propylene glycol: 30,000mg / 80,000mg
minoxidil: 3,000mg / 80,000mg
water: 29,000mg / 80,000mg

So instead of 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, 5% minoxidil, and 15% purified water, you're diluted solution has 22.5% alcohol, propylene glycol 37.5%, 3.75% minoxidil, and 36.25% purified water. This solution would be less irritating, and more cost-effective, but slightly less efficacious as the minoxidil content decreases from 5% to 3.75%. Hope this helps!

 

[Fontaine]

First and foremost, if you are allergic to the vehicle, then dilution is not the appropriate response to remedy your irritation because the irritants responsible for your scalp reaction are present in large quantities and even a generous dilution with pure water would still cause a reaction. I would recommend looking for foam options or PG-less versions of the topical solution as many minoxidil users find the propylene glycol very irritating to their scalp. Nonetheless, if you are set on going the dilution route:

The generic brands of minoxidil, such as Kirkland, contain 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, and 15% purified water in a 60mL solution. Since you are likely finding the PG and alcohol content irritating, the goal would be to reduce these species while maintaining a respectable amount of minoxidil concentration. First, convert all of your species to milligrams instead of milliliters.

Standard Minoxidil
Total content: 60mL
alcohol: 30% of 60mL = 30% of 60g = 18,000mg / 60,000mg
propylene glycol: 50% of 60mL = 50% of 60g = 30,000mg / 60,000mg
minoxidil: 5% of 60mL = 5% of 60g = 3,000mg / 60,000mg
water: 15% of 60mL = 15% of 60g = 9,000mg / 60,000

By adding 20mL of water, you would reduce the concentrations of the irritant species, PG and alcohol, while maintaining a respectable concentration of minoxidil:

Diluted
Total content: 80mL
alcohol: 18,000mg / 80,000mg
propylene glycol: 30,000mg / 80,000mg
minoxidil: 3,000mg / 80,000mg
water: 29,000mg / 80,000mg

So instead of 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, 5% minoxidil, and 15% purified water, you're diluted solution has 22.5% alcohol, propylene glycol 37.5%, 3.75% minoxidil, and 36.25% purified water. This solution would be less irritating, and more cost-effective, but slightly less efficacious as the minoxidil content decreases from 5% to 3.75%. Hope this helps!

Damn man we need more guys like this in the forum. We're a bunch of headless chickens out here

 

[michel sapin]

tha

First and foremost, if you are allergic to the vehicle, then dilution is not the appropriate response to remedy your irritation because the irritants responsible for your scalp reaction are present in large quantities and even a generous dilution with pure water would still cause a reaction. I would recommend looking for foam options or PG-less versions of the topical solution as many minoxidil users find the propylene glycol very irritating to their scalp. Nonetheless, if you are set on going the dilution route:

The generic brands of minoxidil, such as Kirkland, contain 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, and 15% purified water in a 60mL solution. Since you are likely finding the PG and alcohol content irritating, the goal would be to reduce these species while maintaining a respectable amount of minoxidil concentration. First, convert all of your species to milligrams instead of milliliters.

Standard Minoxidil
Total content: 60mL
alcohol: 30% of 60mL = 30% of 60g = 18,000mg / 60,000mg
propylene glycol: 50% of 60mL = 50% of 60g = 30,000mg / 60,000mg
minoxidil: 5% of 60mL = 5% of 60g = 3,000mg / 60,000mg
water: 15% of 60mL = 15% of 60g = 9,000mg / 60,000

By adding 20mL of water, you would reduce the concentrations of the irritant species, PG and alcohol, while maintaining a respectable concentration of minoxidil:

Diluted
Total content: 80mL
alcohol: 18,000mg / 80,000mg
propylene glycol: 30,000mg / 80,000mg
minoxidil: 3,000mg / 80,000mg
water: 29,000mg / 80,000mg

So instead of 30% alcohol, propylene glycol 50%, 5% minoxidil, and 15% purified water, you're diluted solution has 22.5% alcohol, propylene glycol 37.5%, 3.75% minoxidil, and 36.25% purified water. This solution would be less irritating, and more cost-effective, but slightly less efficacious as the minoxidil content decreases from 5% to 3.75%. Hope this helps!

thanks a lot bro, that is amazing! i have appointment with my derm to make a prescription. Do you think that i could make a
-20 % PG
-10 %alchohol
-70 % purified water
Or this would be not enough to get proper minoxidil? thanks a lot i think that i am more allergic to alcohol than PG . I alredeay tried foam / non PH concentration ( with more alcohol)/ glycerin, etc... Trichosol was the best vehcile ( feeling like water), but the smell is too bad for me..

 

[Pentanol]

Your concentration for the vehicle adds up to 100% without a minoxidil concentration, but if I am correct, you are using premade generic minoxidil, and not crushing up oral minoxidil, right? If so, then the fixed milligrams of minoxidil in the base solution is 3,000 mg, and knowing that, you could make your desired solution.

It is important to note the solubility of minoxidil in different vehicles. Since minoxidil is dissolvable in purified water alone at a rate of 2.2 mg of minoxidil per mL, the chemistry and math of a topical minoxidil solution containing 70% purified water would look like this:


Standard 5% Minoxidil:
Total content: 60mL
alcohol: 30% of 60mL = 30% of 60g = 18,000mg / 60,000mg
propylene glycol: 50% of 60mL = 50% of 60g = 30,000mg / 60,000mg
minoxidil: 5% of 60mL = 5% of 60g = 3,000mg / 60,000mg
water: 15% of 60mL = 15% of 60g = 9,000mg / 60,000



Diluted Minoxidil: (70 % purified water):

*Addition of 110mL (110g or 110,000mg) of purified water
*Every compound stays fixed, aside from the purified water content

Total content: 170mL (original 60mL + 110mL purified water)
Total content: 170mL = 170g = 170,000mg of total solution

alcohol: 18,000mg / 170,000mg = 10.6%
propylene glycol: 30,000mg / 170,000mg = 17.6%
minoxidil: 3,000mg / 170,000mg = 1.8%
water: 119,000mg / 170,000mg = 70%

The addition of 110mL of purified water brings down the concentration of minoxidil to the rough equivalent of the women's 2% minoxidil brand. The PG and alcohol are very, very diluted and you would have about 3 months' worth of minoxidil if you took this approach.

 

[michel sapin]

thanks man, i am just looking for the least irritating minoxidil possible with the most minoxidil concentration.

 

[Fontaine]

thanks man, i am just looking for the least irritating minoxidil possible with the most minoxidil concentration.

Have your cake and eat it too eh?