Minoxidil Brand And Peppermint Oil Questions

[John_29]

I've done a lot of reading around this forum before posting but I have a few specific questions so decided to post.

I’ve always had a high hair line and double crown but I’ve noticed over the past 12 months that my hair is rapidly starting to thin, especially in those two areas.

The (albeit very remote) possibility of PFS has completely ruled-out finasteride for me, particularly because I’m in a very people-focused job. The risk of brain fog, depression or erectile disfunction isn’t worth it. So now I’m pretty much just looking at scalp treatments to try to prolong the life of my hair.

I read that peppermint oil is excellent for hair regrowth so I’ve bought some and mixed with a carrier oil (extra virgin olive oil) for treatment but that’s pretty annoying as it gets oil everywhere and forces me to wash my hair every day which isn’t ideal for it either.

So my first question is: can I just mix the peppermint oil into a normal shampoo or something like Alpecin or Nizoral which are supposed to help?

Second question is if I were to try Minoxidil with a derma roller, does brand matter at all? Regain is expensive as hell in the UK, Kirkland is a bit cheaper and Foligain is a bit cheaper still (although it appears to be an oil not a foam which again might be annoying when it comes to applying it then leaving the house).

Finally, I've read that Minoxidil can caused increased shedding in the short-run and doesn't even work on around 50% of people so how do I test it to see if it's going to be a good option for me?

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[John_29]

Is 3 months long enough to test the effectiveness of Minoxidil or do you need 6?

I ask as it's cheaper to buy 6 at once but I wouldn't want to do that and discover after a few months that I'm one of the unlucky people that it doesn't work for!

 

[ButWhyTho]

Peppermint oil may help because it too is a vasodilator like minoxidil.
I doubt there is much differences between generic and brand version of the drug.
Mostly the differences are the vehicle, or the manner in which the drug is delivered.
Just start something and you can always change the brand to see what you respond to.

4 months of use may be required before results become apparent if you're using the 5% solution.
It it may take 12 months for if using the 2% solution.

 

[John_29]

Peppermint oil may help because it too is a vasodilator like minoxidil.
I doubt there is much differences between generic and brand version of the drug.
Mostly the differences are the vehicle, or the manner in which the drug is delivered.
Just start something and you can always change the brand to see what you respond to.

4 months of use may be required before results become apparent if you're using the 5% solution.
It it may take 12 months for if using the 2% solution.

Thanks for the response! Sounds like I'd need to go for the 6 month supply to be sure whether it's working or not.

The peppermint oil, can I just drop a load of that into my normal shampoo then? Save me mixing it with another oil and having greasy hair?

 

[ButWhyTho]

Thanks for the response! Sounds like I'd need to go for the 6 month supply to be sure whether it's working or not.

The peppermint oil, can I just drop a load of that into my normal shampoo then? Save me mixing it with another oil and having greasy hair?

I haven't used the oil myself. I've seen lots on "how to apply" on youtube though. But I have used the Nioxin hair loss shampoo and conditioner which has peppermint oil/menthol in it's active ingredients.

 

[hairnohair]

If anyone is interested, menthol is the biggest component in peppermint oil. You can rub Vicks vaporub on your temples/bald areas. Not sure if it does anything for male pattern baldness but black women use it to grow their hair longer and recover from traction alopecia. I'm trying it because I love the smell or it.