Can hair improve after quitting minox? (bad reaction to it?)

[ericgerard]

Hello!

I'm thinking of quitting minoxidil. I had good NW 1.5 hair before going on it (I had been on fin for 6 months before adding minox). During the course of using minox, I developed severe dandruff.. my scalp health is currently really awful. The skin on top is dry, itchy, and crusty, and the hair that grows out of it is also very dry and weighed down at the roots with dandruff crusts. I also shed constantly on minox, as I lose many strands while raking the flakes out on a daily basis. This I believe has caused me to be below baseline in terms of hair density (my individual hairs have become darker though and possibly thicker, but I've also been on fin this whole time). So, my hair has actually taken a nose dive since starting minoxidil. I am also not really into having to do this for the rest of my life, which is why I don't want to just try switching brands.

Is it possible that I am just having a very bad reaction to minoxidil? If I quit I know that my dandruff issue will go away and my scalp will become healthy again. Is it conceivable that my hair will actually improve along with my scalp health, or is this just wishful thinking? I should note that it doesn't appear that I have gained any new hair on minoxidil. However, my hairs may have de-miniaturized a bit on minox (although I've also been on fin) and their miniaturization wasn't that bad in the first place. I am hoping this means I will not experience a drastic shed from quitting either.. but if only I could be so lucky.

Comparison of scalp health between the back of my scalp and where I apply minox (top scalp). Note the thick layer of crustiness and the lack of visual scalp blood vessels.