My Experience So Far - Rogaine (liquid and foam) + Nizoral 1%

[CurlyBird]

So I'm starting a topic on this board because I am going bald. I'm 23 and have baldness on both sides of my family. I first started balding around probably age 14. Despite that I still have coverage on my head but have definitely lost some hair in the past few years.

Right now, I have recession at the hair line and a thinning center. My crown has a bit of a bald "crack" although nothing too bad yet.

Soon, I will be trying propecia 1mg. I have read about the possible side effects but I believe the risk of serious side effects is minimal. And I don't want to be bald. My head is large and needs hair to moderate its appearance.

But for now I have been using nizoral and rogaine.

Nizoral 1% -

- Dries out your hair - I find it best to use it ~twice a week. Soon I will be asking for a prescription for the 2%.

- I do not recommend leaving it in your hair for several minutes. I would say use a fair amount and massage it into your scalp with your fingertips. Then rinse and move on.

- Seems to have thickened up my hair noticeably. When i went to get a hair cut the other day it looked somewhat thicker and healthier in the mirror under those bright lights.

Rogaine 5% -

- Tried the liquid first. Horrible stuff. It makes my scalp extremely itchy, and runs all over the place making my hair look greasy and unkempt. No good.

- Tried the foam and haven't looked back. I only use it once per day because I am trying to be consistent and have read that twice a day will only make a small difference. It only itches if I don't wash my hair every day, and even then the itch is very minor. If you are going for rogaine, forget about the liquid. Seriously.

- The only disadvantage is that it does make your hair somewhat sticky but in a much more concentrated area. When I say sticky I do not mean greasy.

- If the stuff is melting too quickly when you go to apply it, then you are not keeping the can cool enough. A few minutes in the fridge is usually enough to fix this problem.

- Have noticed shedding after using it for ~1 month. Have not looked at my head yet but assume that it is doing its job.

So that's my story so far. Glad this board is here. Hope to have some pictures to post some time soon.

[Maradona]

14 !!

that's some hardcore MPB bro.

I don't think you've gone bald since you were 14...if you did it sure was a slow ass balding because DHT is ABUNDANT in teenage years....so maybe it's softcore :P.

Good luck with your regime brutah !!!!

[Tracy C]

Nizoral 1% -

- Dries out your hair - I find it best to use it ~twice a week. Soon I will be asking for a prescription for the 2%.

- I do not recommend leaving it in your hair for several minutes. I would say use a fair amount and massage it into your scalp with your fingertips. Then rinse and move on.

- Seems to have thickened up my hair noticeably. When i went to get a hair cut the other day it looked somewhat thicker and healthier in the mirror under those bright lights.

It is best to allow three to five minutes to allow the medicine to absorb into the scalp. If you are rinsing it out right away, you are not getting the full benefit of the medication. You really only need to use it once a week but I use it twice a week myslef. It is a very good idea to use a good quality moisturizing conditioner.

Rogaine 5% -

- Tried the liquid first. Horrible stuff. It makes my scalp extremely itchy, and runs all over the place making my hair look greasy and unkempt. No good.

- Tried the foam and haven't looked back. I only use it once per day because I am trying to be consistent and have read that twice a day will only make a small difference. It only itches if I don't wash my hair every day, and even then the itch is very minor. If you are going for rogaine, forget about the liquid. Seriously.

- The only disadvantage is that it does make your hair somewhat sticky but in a much more concentrated area. When I say sticky I do not mean greasy.

- If the stuff is melting too quickly when you go to apply it, then you are not keeping the can cool enough. A few minutes in the fridge is usually enough to fix this problem.

It is best to use Minoxidil twice a day. I use the foam myself in the morning and generic women's liquid Minoxidil in the evening. To resolve the "melting" problem with the foam, run cold water over your had before dispensing the medicine. If you apply the medicine while your hair is towel dry, it will resolve the "sticky" issue.

[stylus187]

It is best to allow three to five minutes to allow the medicine to absorb into the scalp. If you are rinsing it out right away, you are not getting the full benefit of the medication. You really only need to use it once a week but I use it twice a week myslef. It is a very good idea to use a good quality moisturizing conditioner.





It is best to use Minoxidil twice a day. I use the foam myself in the morning and generic women's liquid Minoxidil in the evening. To resolve the "melting" problem with the foam, run cold water over your had before dispensing the medicine. If you apply the medicine while your hair is towel dry, it will resolve the "sticky" issue.

Both 1% and 2% dry me out way too bad, even if used 1x per week. I swear im so unlucky with the treatments offered!!! Still using my laser comb. Its been about a month now, My hair seems healthier and shiny. It worked miracles for some odd reason on my small blotch of scalp psoriasis, which is now gone. Ill give the brush its 16 weeks to really determine whats going on with its success.

[Tracy C]

Still using my laser comb. Its been about a month now, My hair seems healthier and shiny. It worked miracles for some odd reason on my small blotch of scalp psoriasis, which is now gone.

Really? That's interesting. I'm not surprised that it made your hair healthier and shiny and stuff because I know it improves the hair that you have. But that part is very interesting.

[stylus187]

Really? That's interesting. I'm not surprised that it made your hair healthier and shiny and stuff because I know it improves the hair that you have. But that part is very interesting.

Same here!!! For whatever reason, It has improved it by 99%!!!!!!!! Hey, Im not gonna complain!!! Alll I know is the patch is finally leaving??????

[CurlyBird]

Well I am not washing out the Nizoral right away. I massage it into my scalp for a bit first. But leaving the stuff in my hair that long really frizzes it out. When I got the 2% I'll see about leaving it in there longer.

As far as the minox goes, I just looked at the top of my head and it seems that it has thinned out even more. I'm guessing it's doing its job as I have seen a good amount of extra shedding.

And btw overall, although the hair started to thin at 14, it's interesting to note that i still have a pretty decent hair line. It really more thinned all over than receded back. If the hair was still normal density but I had the same number of hairs the hair line would be way back by now.

[CurlyBird]

Here's a video of my head taken a few minutes ago. I didn't shower today and just applied rogaine, so the hair is a bit matted down.

http://youtu.be/iLh3MY725Gk

Somebody give me a heads up. At 23, what improvement is likely based on what I have left using the big 3?

[Tracy C]

It does look like you have hereditary hair loss. Since you have already started using Rogaine, give it six months to make sure it is working for you. Then book an appointment with a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss.

[Tracy C]

That just looks like the crown of your head, unless I'm missing something.

It is thinner than normal.

[WashedOut]

I'd need to see a better photo to make a judgement. But having a bit of skin showing at the centre of the crown is normal. I know for a fact I've always been like that.

Depends on the person, hair color, and hair type. Some people may have a crown like that under those lighting conditions from childhood while others may have had much thicker crowns that became that way due to loss.