Xandrox 15% , Xandrox 5% and Spironolactone 5%

[goodtimeben]

I have been using Xandrox 15% , Xandrox 5% and Spironolactone 5% for the last 4 months. I have noticed that my hair is extremely dry and brittle. This seems to get better when I stop using the products or wash the products out of my hair.

From the label the Xandrox 15% is in 80% ethyl alcohol.

The Xandrox 5% contains ethyl alcohol

The spironolactone contains cetyl alcohol.

Could the ethyl and cetyl alcohol be the cause of these dryness? Has anyone experienced this? Can you guys think of any work arounds?

Thanks.

-SD



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[The Gardener]

I had a very similar problem using very similar products.

I thought it was a "moisture" problem, and spent hundreds of dollars on "moisturizing" shampoos. None of them helped. In fact, to some extent, they made things worse, each and every one of them.

I asked my hairstylist, and he suggested that my problem might not be that my hair is dried out, but perhaps all of the products were creating too much buildup in my hair. Hair buildup, when you feel it, makes your hair feel dry and straw-like. This is because the buildup on the hair shafts leave them rough and coarse.

He suggested I try a "clarifying", "chelating", or in other words, a buildup removing shampoo. I picked some buildup-removing shampoo up, and after just one use my hair felt amazing! The dry, straw-like coating was gone and my hair was soft and natural-feeling.

The products my hairstylist suggested were Paul Mitchell Shampoo 3, or Joico Resolve Chelating shampoo. I tried both, the Joico works much better for me. It's not something I use regularly, you can use it once or twice a month and it keeps your hair soft and pliable.

 

[goodtimeben]

dry hair.

The Gardener.

Thank you for your post.

In the PM why are you still using the Rogaine minoxidil? Why not just move over to Dr. Lee's 5% minoxidil for both and am and the pm?

You don't belive that all the alcohol in the products is contributing to this dry feeling?

Is the Paul Mitchell Shampoo 3 in the blue bottle? I don't see any numbers on the Paul Mitchell moisturizing shampoo that I picked up - just the blue labeling. Where can I buy the Joico Resolve Chelating shampoo?

 

[The Gardener]

GTBen,

The Paul Mitchell shampoo I recommended is not a moisturizing shampoo. It is one of their basics that come in a white container.

The Joico is a high quality salon-type shampoo. You might have to hunt around to find it, try looking at your local drug stores/chemists, and if no luck then try looking at the salons. Joico pushes their products most frequently at salons, perhaps someone at an upscale salon can help you locate it.

I had the same suspicion... at the time I was using the 2% spironolactone, which is in a heavy alcohol base and I was sure that all the alcohol was doing the damage. It turns out that it wasn't, my hair was doing a fine job of retaining moisture, but the spironolactone and non-alcohol elements of my regimen that do not evaporate in air like alcohol does were leaving deposits in the hair.

 

[Aplunk1]

Or you could save yourself the expense,
and go to any local Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, whatever, and pick up a bottle of

T/Sal-- the active ingredient in Salicylic Acid.

You can get generics, too.

These easily remove all buildup, will keep your scalp super clean and free of acne, and leaves your hair a bit thicker, too.

 

[The Gardener]

No, not T/Sal for this. T/Sal is a skin exfoliant, it removes dead skin.

The anti-buildup shampoos I am referring to are "chelating", which are designed to remove built up hair product residue from the hair shafts. This isn't done with a fruit acid, but rather, the active chemicals in the shampoos I refer have some sort of, I believe, ionizing property that breaks down the chemical bonds in hair product residue, making them easier to wash out of your hair shafts.

 

[goodtimeben]

Rogaine

Gardener,

Why are you still hanging on to the Rogaine in the PM? Why not 100% Xandrox?