The Gardener
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 25
Old timer here who used to be a regular on this forum. This forum has been a godsend.
Anyways, I was a long time Dr Lee minoxidil 12 and minoxidil 15 user, and was distressed when his operation was shut down. You guys were awesome in suggesting some alternatives, and I've tried two of them. I feel the least I could do to repay the karma is to post some product reviews from the perspective of a long time minoxidil user. Here goes...
Perfect Image minoxidil 15
First off, the look and viscosity of this product was quite different from what I've been used to. It's an almost clear/amber liquid, and had an intially light and greasy viscosity that slowly turned gummy and thick as it dried. It very much reminded me of the viscosity of Dr Lee's Xandrox 15 product, which felt like I had droplets of coca cola dispersed onto my scalp. It's definitely a nightime product, you can't go out in public at all after using this stuff. The upside is that you don't have to worry much about dripping, but the downside is that the syrupy texture in the hair isn't all that compatible with a girlfriend who enjoys playing with my hair in bed at night.
MOPC minoxidil 15
I much preferred the MOPC minoxidil 15 product. This stuff is awesome. It has a much lighter viscosity upon application, which means that you need to be more careful to avoid dripping, but it isn't as syrupy as the Perfect Image product. The Perfect Image product seemed to have glycerin-like base, or a really heavy PPG base, similar to how the Xandrox felt, whereas the MOPC product I believe feels more like a more conventional PPG and alcohol base. I think there is glycerin in the MOPC, but it must be in a FAR smaller amount than was in the Xandrox. It leaves a light greasiness in the hair that is detectable to someone running their hands through your hair, but it is FAR less intrusive and there is NO clumping of hair together like the Perfect Image product seemed to create.
About a month ago or so I ended my regimen of using both products in a comparative study, and I've been sticking solely with the MOPC. The results have been pretty good, in fact I believe I'm seeing a little "sprout patch" regrowth in the upper temple corners. Now, I know that this sprout patch of little hairs is usually a temporary phenomenon, but I did find it a bit curious. It leads me to believe that the minoxidil absorbtion from the MOPC products was better than what I was receiving from the Dr Lee products. Perhaps the higher alcohol% base is a better formula for absorbtion than the glycerin/alcohol base of the Dr Lee product I was using? This is just an anecdotal observation, of course, but what I CAN report with CONFIDENCE is that after three months of using the replacement products, I am still maintaining my hair and have had NO sheds or thinning... which means that I've found success in finding an effective replacement for the Dr Lee products I was used to using.
As I am now running out of my remaining DR Lee minoxidil 5 for daytime use, I think I'll start ordering the 5% from MOPC as well.
Hope this helps... and if any of you ex-Dr Lee clients have experiences with these products, or any other replacements you have tried in lieu of the Dr Lee stuff, please post so we can all learn from each others' experiences.
I do have another question I'd like to raise here... I also used Dr Lee's 2% Ketoconazole shampoo 2 or 3 times a week. Do any of you know of a good replacement for this? I know I can get 1% Keto in the form of Nizoral over the counter, but I'd really like to continue to use the 2% Keto formula so as not to disrupt what seems to be a good regimen for me. Additionally, I'd REALLY like to find some product that, in addition to the 2% Keto, also has some Salycilic Acid in it, like Dr Lee's shampoo had, so that I can get the scalp exfoliation element from it, which I believe helps the scalp absorb the minoxidil more effectively.
So, do any of you know of a good 2% Keto and 3% Salycilic acid shampoo out there on the market? And if not, then what is a reliable way for a US resident to at LEAST get a 2% Keto shampoo delivered?
Thanks all! Keep up the good fight!
Anyways, I was a long time Dr Lee minoxidil 12 and minoxidil 15 user, and was distressed when his operation was shut down. You guys were awesome in suggesting some alternatives, and I've tried two of them. I feel the least I could do to repay the karma is to post some product reviews from the perspective of a long time minoxidil user. Here goes...
Perfect Image minoxidil 15
First off, the look and viscosity of this product was quite different from what I've been used to. It's an almost clear/amber liquid, and had an intially light and greasy viscosity that slowly turned gummy and thick as it dried. It very much reminded me of the viscosity of Dr Lee's Xandrox 15 product, which felt like I had droplets of coca cola dispersed onto my scalp. It's definitely a nightime product, you can't go out in public at all after using this stuff. The upside is that you don't have to worry much about dripping, but the downside is that the syrupy texture in the hair isn't all that compatible with a girlfriend who enjoys playing with my hair in bed at night.
MOPC minoxidil 15
I much preferred the MOPC minoxidil 15 product. This stuff is awesome. It has a much lighter viscosity upon application, which means that you need to be more careful to avoid dripping, but it isn't as syrupy as the Perfect Image product. The Perfect Image product seemed to have glycerin-like base, or a really heavy PPG base, similar to how the Xandrox felt, whereas the MOPC product I believe feels more like a more conventional PPG and alcohol base. I think there is glycerin in the MOPC, but it must be in a FAR smaller amount than was in the Xandrox. It leaves a light greasiness in the hair that is detectable to someone running their hands through your hair, but it is FAR less intrusive and there is NO clumping of hair together like the Perfect Image product seemed to create.
About a month ago or so I ended my regimen of using both products in a comparative study, and I've been sticking solely with the MOPC. The results have been pretty good, in fact I believe I'm seeing a little "sprout patch" regrowth in the upper temple corners. Now, I know that this sprout patch of little hairs is usually a temporary phenomenon, but I did find it a bit curious. It leads me to believe that the minoxidil absorbtion from the MOPC products was better than what I was receiving from the Dr Lee products. Perhaps the higher alcohol% base is a better formula for absorbtion than the glycerin/alcohol base of the Dr Lee product I was using? This is just an anecdotal observation, of course, but what I CAN report with CONFIDENCE is that after three months of using the replacement products, I am still maintaining my hair and have had NO sheds or thinning... which means that I've found success in finding an effective replacement for the Dr Lee products I was used to using.
As I am now running out of my remaining DR Lee minoxidil 5 for daytime use, I think I'll start ordering the 5% from MOPC as well.
Hope this helps... and if any of you ex-Dr Lee clients have experiences with these products, or any other replacements you have tried in lieu of the Dr Lee stuff, please post so we can all learn from each others' experiences.
I do have another question I'd like to raise here... I also used Dr Lee's 2% Ketoconazole shampoo 2 or 3 times a week. Do any of you know of a good replacement for this? I know I can get 1% Keto in the form of Nizoral over the counter, but I'd really like to continue to use the 2% Keto formula so as not to disrupt what seems to be a good regimen for me. Additionally, I'd REALLY like to find some product that, in addition to the 2% Keto, also has some Salycilic Acid in it, like Dr Lee's shampoo had, so that I can get the scalp exfoliation element from it, which I believe helps the scalp absorb the minoxidil more effectively.
So, do any of you know of a good 2% Keto and 3% Salycilic acid shampoo out there on the market? And if not, then what is a reliable way for a US resident to at LEAST get a 2% Keto shampoo delivered?
Thanks all! Keep up the good fight!
