wait, recboi what do you mean by "bad foam?"
i know what he means, though. i think it's a little different then buying tampons. i mean, i'm in no position to say how embarrassing something that can be or is, really.. but it doesn't quite seem like hair loss is at that kind of acceptance stage yet. at least not for a relatively young person. it's not like something that everyone has to do every month. it's a special sort of treatment. if you're a young man, it's especially difficult because not only are people going to be surprised that you're using at this age.. it's sort of a double-edged sword, because then it's there's this guilt that you're a dude and you're not especially supposed to care. seems like more of a privilege than a necessity. and it's still slightly more of a taboo right now, i feel. this is why the internet is so great for things like this.
for me personally, it took a long time for me to work up the guts to go in store and buy something. i'd looked, but never purchased. but it seemed easier than talking to a doctor and going through all the hoops. i had to get to a point where i felt like i knew i needed to do something if i wanted to get at it early, before anyone noticed but myself.
i went to rite aid after work one night right as they were closing (i don't think closing time is necessarily the best time if you're trying to inconspicuous, by the way. i do think it's better, because you avoid the crowd. but say you're one of three people in store, and one of those people is someone you know? how do you avoid them seeing you buying hair loss products? also, it leaves more room for comments from clerks.). i grabbed what i needed and brought it to the front where two ugly, trashy middle aged women work lolly-gagging behind the counter. my hair looked fine at this point, but i wore a hat anyways, just to avoid seeming paranoid. what do you know - the lady rung me up, smirked, and said, "but you're so young to be using ROGAINE." i know it's stupid, but i got pretty embarrassed and typically managed to stutter out, "i, uh.. it's for my.. uh.. it's not for me." she just kind of laughed and the two of them gave each other a look. i walked out wishing i had thought to say, "you're so old to be working a closing shift at rite aid on a weeknight!" you always think of the good snap backs after the fact.
what i did with my second month's supply.. i happen to be really close with an ex-girlfriend. we're practically siblings, and we share an apartment with one other girl. we do each other favors all the time, and she knows how i am about my hair. so i gave her money and asked her to pick me up some and she was kind enough to do it for me. i figured it'd just look like she was getting it for her dad. i asked her how they reacted, and she said she put all her stuff on the counter and when she got to the rogaine the lady (probably the same one) looked at her and then looked at a guy that was her age and standing near her in line and just kind of smirked and laughed.
so basically, i know what recboi means. it's not exactly an easy thing to do, but i'm sure you do get over it. i'm hoping to drop the minoxidil at some point and not have to deal with this, at least for a while. either that, buy online, or make the jump to 3 month supplies.
Or go in there really late, just before closing, when mostly all the customers have gone home. You'll feel SO much better about yourself.
