Ultimate Topical???

[JohnnySeville]

Guys,

I have recently started a program to regrow hair in a very thinning portion of my crowm. I began using Rogaine foam about 2 months ago, I have seen a slight amount of growth so far but I want to be more aggressive since there is a good amount of work to do. Anyway, I just added Retin-A, every other day, to help out. I am also using finasteride.

I was thinking of using the foam in the morning and then putting together a custom formulation with the Rogaine 5% solution at night. I have read there are a number of items that can help, such as apple poly, B6, B12, grape seed, the list goes on. What in your opinion do you think I should add to the minoxidil that has proven to be of benefit. Keep in mind it must be compatible with the minoxidil for mixing. Looking forward to your suggestions. Thank you for your time.

 

[sphlanx2006]

I think adding the retin-a in your mix, instead of applying it seperately helps a lot. Many say it doesnt, but my derm really insisted on that, and so far i had very good results. After that i would go for apple poly.

 

[The Gardener]

I would never add anything to a bottle of minoxidil. Doing such runs the risk of destabilizing the solubility and other properties of the minoxidil that make it effective.

It is very simplistic to assume that you can just mix up some topical stuff and apply it and get it absorbed into the skin. This is because topicals do no good unless they are able to be dissolved into a carrier solution (PPG, alcohol, DMSO, etc), and the carrier solution is able to penetrate the skin.

Additionally, mixing carrier solutions and mixing soluble items in the carrier solution can completely change the chemical characteristics and solubility of that carrier, resulting in a critical component of that mixture precipitating out. In other words, adding sh*t to your minoxidil bottle might very well result in the minoxidil ending up in white crystal form at the bottom of your minoxidil container. This is not a favorable situation, as if you encounter this, it means that for the last thirty days you have been applying PPG and alcohol to your scalp that has no minoxidil dissolved in it... and this would not be a good thing, obviously.

Unless you have a firm handle on the chemistry, relative solubility, and potential for reaction, precipitation, and degradation of your ingredients and carrier substances... over time, and in different temperature ranges, I highly suggest keeping them stored in separate containers and applying them separately and sequentially.

 

[Boru]

Topical finasteride?