TheLastHairbender
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 5
Hi guys,
I've been having really good results three months in on 1% nizoral, 1.25mg finasteride, 5% minoxidil (Rogaine foam), and 5% spironolactone (S5 spironolactone from this site which also contains .025% ambiguous 'Retinoic Acid').
I added the spironolactone a few weeks into the big 3, added 3mg/day MSM after the first month, and started using the Rogaine foam all over instead of strictly on the crown after the second month. My results to date are very good all over, although the temples have lagged the rest a little bit. This is understandable, besides the finasteride they've only been getting minoxidil for about a month, and spironolactone for a little over two months. Here's just a sample before-and-after, there's a ton more pics in my story:
I have been very structured in my treatment approach, but had actually planned for the worst of nothing showing any promise and as such was going to integrate an additional treatment in each month for the first few months until I was using a combination of everything reliable before concluding that I was doomed. Now that I'm responding so positively to just the big 3 & spironolactone I'm not quite as interested in layering on the treatments. Continued general improvement and growth on the crown and temples would be my main goals at this point.
The thing is I've already purchased a tube of .025% Retin-A (the Retino-A knockoff) and a bottle of Folligen therapy spray. I also got a prescription for 2% keto to supplant the 1% over-the-counter keto I've been using for several months. I've already made the move up to the 2% keto this month, and I'm not sure if I want to start using the Retin-A, the Folligen, or neither and hold off for another month with the current regimen. Here are my thoughts:
- I don't have any irritation or noticeable inflammation that may benefit from using the Folligen. I've heard others like it mainly for the cool feeling and the suppression of any itching or dryness from keto or minoxidil. I don't have any of these issues so I may not stand to benefit as much from Folligen in this respect, but I ultimately want to take advantage of the copper peptide / spin trap technology for its potential as a growth promoter, even if the inflammation-reducing benefits aren't vital.
- I actually already tried out the Folligen a few times, spraying it on a while after applying minoxidil and spironolactone before going to bed. At this point I'd say it's not very user-friendly. It smells like rotten feet and turns the scalp a very visible and distinctive greenish yellow color. One time I put it on long before bed, slept in til noon, and didn't shower until mid-afternoon, so it was on for probably 16 hours. Before I got in the shower I could peel a layer of solidified greenish goo off my scalp that was the consistency of dried rubber cement. Even after 5 minutes with 1% Nizoral the green tint still didn't come off. I had to shampoo again and really scrub the scalp the get rid of the tint - not a good feeling to have be so aggressive to my new babies. Maybe it's not supposed to stay on as long, but the stuff didn't come with any directions so it's hard to tell. Either way I'll definitely re-google the best method of use now that I have the product in hand before continuing on. I also picked up the recommended Emu Oil which literally says it 'pushes down' other topicals into the follicle, which sounds like total b.s.
- The spironolactone may already contain Retin-A. The ingredient is listed as ".025% Retinoic Acid" which is somewhat ambiguous - Retin-A is a type of retinoic acid, but it is not the only one. There are stronger forms like Isotretinoin (Accutane) and weaker ones too, so I'm not sure where S5's retinoic acid falls on the spectrum of potency, or whether it's sufficient to achieve the benefits of Retin-A when combined with minoxidil. So I picked up a tube of the pure stuff because I'd like to optimize the benefit of minoxidil, especially in the temple area.
So which do you think I should incorporate next, the Folligen or the Retin-A? It's probably not a critical decision since I'll end up using them both at some point, and I'm already getting great results from the major treatments. But in the spirit of constant improvement, which would you advocate for first? I've already committed the resources to maximizing my hair's potential, and have developed the curiosity about which treatments really work, so ultimately arriving at a 'kitchen sink' treatment plan isn't a major concern for me. I'm interested to hear what you think, thanks for the advice!
I've been having really good results three months in on 1% nizoral, 1.25mg finasteride, 5% minoxidil (Rogaine foam), and 5% spironolactone (S5 spironolactone from this site which also contains .025% ambiguous 'Retinoic Acid').
I added the spironolactone a few weeks into the big 3, added 3mg/day MSM after the first month, and started using the Rogaine foam all over instead of strictly on the crown after the second month. My results to date are very good all over, although the temples have lagged the rest a little bit. This is understandable, besides the finasteride they've only been getting minoxidil for about a month, and spironolactone for a little over two months. Here's just a sample before-and-after, there's a ton more pics in my story:
I have been very structured in my treatment approach, but had actually planned for the worst of nothing showing any promise and as such was going to integrate an additional treatment in each month for the first few months until I was using a combination of everything reliable before concluding that I was doomed. Now that I'm responding so positively to just the big 3 & spironolactone I'm not quite as interested in layering on the treatments. Continued general improvement and growth on the crown and temples would be my main goals at this point.
The thing is I've already purchased a tube of .025% Retin-A (the Retino-A knockoff) and a bottle of Folligen therapy spray. I also got a prescription for 2% keto to supplant the 1% over-the-counter keto I've been using for several months. I've already made the move up to the 2% keto this month, and I'm not sure if I want to start using the Retin-A, the Folligen, or neither and hold off for another month with the current regimen. Here are my thoughts:
- I don't have any irritation or noticeable inflammation that may benefit from using the Folligen. I've heard others like it mainly for the cool feeling and the suppression of any itching or dryness from keto or minoxidil. I don't have any of these issues so I may not stand to benefit as much from Folligen in this respect, but I ultimately want to take advantage of the copper peptide / spin trap technology for its potential as a growth promoter, even if the inflammation-reducing benefits aren't vital.
- I actually already tried out the Folligen a few times, spraying it on a while after applying minoxidil and spironolactone before going to bed. At this point I'd say it's not very user-friendly. It smells like rotten feet and turns the scalp a very visible and distinctive greenish yellow color. One time I put it on long before bed, slept in til noon, and didn't shower until mid-afternoon, so it was on for probably 16 hours. Before I got in the shower I could peel a layer of solidified greenish goo off my scalp that was the consistency of dried rubber cement. Even after 5 minutes with 1% Nizoral the green tint still didn't come off. I had to shampoo again and really scrub the scalp the get rid of the tint - not a good feeling to have be so aggressive to my new babies. Maybe it's not supposed to stay on as long, but the stuff didn't come with any directions so it's hard to tell. Either way I'll definitely re-google the best method of use now that I have the product in hand before continuing on. I also picked up the recommended Emu Oil which literally says it 'pushes down' other topicals into the follicle, which sounds like total b.s.
- The spironolactone may already contain Retin-A. The ingredient is listed as ".025% Retinoic Acid" which is somewhat ambiguous - Retin-A is a type of retinoic acid, but it is not the only one. There are stronger forms like Isotretinoin (Accutane) and weaker ones too, so I'm not sure where S5's retinoic acid falls on the spectrum of potency, or whether it's sufficient to achieve the benefits of Retin-A when combined with minoxidil. So I picked up a tube of the pure stuff because I'd like to optimize the benefit of minoxidil, especially in the temple area.
So which do you think I should incorporate next, the Folligen or the Retin-A? It's probably not a critical decision since I'll end up using them both at some point, and I'm already getting great results from the major treatments. But in the spirit of constant improvement, which would you advocate for first? I've already committed the resources to maximizing my hair's potential, and have developed the curiosity about which treatments really work, so ultimately arriving at a 'kitchen sink' treatment plan isn't a major concern for me. I'm interested to hear what you think, thanks for the advice!
