I'm 31 years old today and I've been experiencing diffuse thinning since the age of 19. If I had to quantify it on the norwood scale, I'd say I'm at about 2 or 2.5.
It all began with banter between friends who told me "hey dude you're going to get the clown thing" one day in class. Which felt like a stab in the heart to my former insecure self. Prior to that from 16 to 19, I had been abusing hair products--dyes, pomades, hair gel, elmer's glue (!), and often leaving it over night 'til the next morning.
I remember visiting this forum 10 years ago or so and learning about the big 3. Back then, creating dependencies with finasteride and minoxidil seemed really off-putting so I went the other way. From then and on I've tried saw palmetto, biotin, msm, grape seed extract, green tea, including the biofen scam product for a couple of months. The only thing that I've used semi-consistently since coming to terms with my hair loss is nizoral 2% @ 2 or 3 times a week. As a side note I generally try to be healthy including a decent diet, regular exercise and over the counter supplements.
Hair loss was been in the back of my mind. However, due to the fact I could conceal it with varying hairstyles and products, I chose to not really think too much about it.
About 3 months ago, I noticed a visible scalp in the mirror than the month prior. I had been under a lot of stress back then from graduate school and my diet and exercise routine had fallen way behind. It was time I had to do something about it and I started doing my research again.
Essential oil topical treatment:
After thinking about minoxidil, I decided to treat myself with essential oils for 6 months first. There are some reasons to believe it might be effective as listed below. For some of us, when we think of the natural alternative we assume certain positive connotations and I'm guilty of that thought pattern here.
Peppermint oil - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4289931/
Rosemary oil - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25842469
I've been using 10% essential oil mixture (5% peppermint; 5% rosemary) with jojoba oil as the carrier. I've recently switched to grape seed oil. While it's way too early to say anything about the results, I can tell you my scalp feels fantastic. I am used to picking off 2-3 acne-like scabs off my scalp which form on a daily basis, but since starting this treatment I have not experienced any. For the record, jojoba oil seems to make my scalp feel much better than grape seed oil. Jojoba oil reportedly balances the ph level in your scalp so I could've been experiencing such benefits as well. I use about 4ml using a medicine dropper right after washing my hair, massage gently and I leave it on overnight. If I had short hair, I would probably use only about 2ml.
The first treatment was May 4th 2016. I use it 6 times per week.
Finasteride:
Prior to making the appointment, I knew proscar/5mg finasteride was what I wanted. The doctor I met was understanding and thorough. He wanted to make sure I got my blood levels checked before writing me a prescription. However, he ultimately refused to write me a prescription for 5mg: (1) he insisted when you split pills that aren't meant to be split, it could lose its essense and (2) he didn't want to write me a prescription for proscar as that's not what it is marketed for. However, he acknowledged that propecia and proscar were of the same chemical substance. I never really demanded for proscar but I explained the financial benefit of getting proscar. I respected his professional opinion, thanked him for his help and left his office with a prescription for propecia/1mg finasteride.
I called a pharmacist and asked if I could get 5mg finasteride with the prescription for 1mg. The gentleman on the phone knew exactly what the dilemma was, however we needed to get a doctor's approval which I wasn't going to get. He also informed me finasteride is not the only case where different branding purposes result in a significant price difference between the same substance.
The second doctor I saw the next day informed me propecia and proscar are the same thing when I asked his opinion on finasteride. I explained to him I already have a prescription for propecia/1mg after getting my levels checked but I wanted to get proscar instead. He told me "a man's wallet is indeed an important factor" and wrote it up for me no problem. He warned me, rather sternly, to never let a pregnant woman near these pills then told me to get a good boxcutter.
I got 10 x 5mg generic finasteride pills for 18 canadian dollars as a tester from a walmart pharmacy. I thought it would be cheaper than that. Perhaps there are price cuts at certain number of pills that I'm not aware of.
The first 1.25mg dose was May 31st 2016 this went on until June 2nd 2016. I noticed loss of energy, breast tenderness and decrease in sexual interest. I took the day off and took another dose on June 4th 2016. I'd like to think I'm in tune with my body as I exercise 6 times a week. Whether it is my body getting adjusted or the drop in dosage, I feel better today than I did on June 2nd 2016.
Hair regimen:
- 1.25mg finasteride on monday, wednesday, friday. First dose @ May 31st, 2016.
- 4ml of 10% essential oils (5% peppermint; 5% rosemary) with jojoba/grape seed carrier oils, 6 days per week. First treatment @ May 4th, 2016.
- Nizoral 2% on thursday, sunday (and sometimes tuesdays). First treatment @ ~2006 (semi-consistently).
- ogx niacin + caffeine shampoo & conditioner on days I am not using nizoral. These products have natural dht blockers. If anything these are sulfate-free, feel good on my scalp and are affordable. First wash @ May 4th, 2016.
Others:
I take the following for my general well-being. Some may also be beneficial for hair, but that's not the main reason why I take them.
- multivitamins
- vitamin c
- vitamin e
- ginkgo biloba
- bovine colostrum
- fish oil
- 5-htp
- whey protein
- hemp protein
*I plan on switching vitamin e for astaxanthan when the bottle is done.
I plan on documenting reporting here with progresses, be it good or bad.
Here is the picture from earlier today on June 6th 2016.
I want to wish everyone good luck on their journeys.
It all began with banter between friends who told me "hey dude you're going to get the clown thing" one day in class. Which felt like a stab in the heart to my former insecure self. Prior to that from 16 to 19, I had been abusing hair products--dyes, pomades, hair gel, elmer's glue (!), and often leaving it over night 'til the next morning.
I remember visiting this forum 10 years ago or so and learning about the big 3. Back then, creating dependencies with finasteride and minoxidil seemed really off-putting so I went the other way. From then and on I've tried saw palmetto, biotin, msm, grape seed extract, green tea, including the biofen scam product for a couple of months. The only thing that I've used semi-consistently since coming to terms with my hair loss is nizoral 2% @ 2 or 3 times a week. As a side note I generally try to be healthy including a decent diet, regular exercise and over the counter supplements.
Hair loss was been in the back of my mind. However, due to the fact I could conceal it with varying hairstyles and products, I chose to not really think too much about it.
About 3 months ago, I noticed a visible scalp in the mirror than the month prior. I had been under a lot of stress back then from graduate school and my diet and exercise routine had fallen way behind. It was time I had to do something about it and I started doing my research again.
Essential oil topical treatment:
After thinking about minoxidil, I decided to treat myself with essential oils for 6 months first. There are some reasons to believe it might be effective as listed below. For some of us, when we think of the natural alternative we assume certain positive connotations and I'm guilty of that thought pattern here.
Peppermint oil - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4289931/
Rosemary oil - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25842469
I've been using 10% essential oil mixture (5% peppermint; 5% rosemary) with jojoba oil as the carrier. I've recently switched to grape seed oil. While it's way too early to say anything about the results, I can tell you my scalp feels fantastic. I am used to picking off 2-3 acne-like scabs off my scalp which form on a daily basis, but since starting this treatment I have not experienced any. For the record, jojoba oil seems to make my scalp feel much better than grape seed oil. Jojoba oil reportedly balances the ph level in your scalp so I could've been experiencing such benefits as well. I use about 4ml using a medicine dropper right after washing my hair, massage gently and I leave it on overnight. If I had short hair, I would probably use only about 2ml.
The first treatment was May 4th 2016. I use it 6 times per week.
Finasteride:
Prior to making the appointment, I knew proscar/5mg finasteride was what I wanted. The doctor I met was understanding and thorough. He wanted to make sure I got my blood levels checked before writing me a prescription. However, he ultimately refused to write me a prescription for 5mg: (1) he insisted when you split pills that aren't meant to be split, it could lose its essense and (2) he didn't want to write me a prescription for proscar as that's not what it is marketed for. However, he acknowledged that propecia and proscar were of the same chemical substance. I never really demanded for proscar but I explained the financial benefit of getting proscar. I respected his professional opinion, thanked him for his help and left his office with a prescription for propecia/1mg finasteride.
I called a pharmacist and asked if I could get 5mg finasteride with the prescription for 1mg. The gentleman on the phone knew exactly what the dilemma was, however we needed to get a doctor's approval which I wasn't going to get. He also informed me finasteride is not the only case where different branding purposes result in a significant price difference between the same substance.
The second doctor I saw the next day informed me propecia and proscar are the same thing when I asked his opinion on finasteride. I explained to him I already have a prescription for propecia/1mg after getting my levels checked but I wanted to get proscar instead. He told me "a man's wallet is indeed an important factor" and wrote it up for me no problem. He warned me, rather sternly, to never let a pregnant woman near these pills then told me to get a good boxcutter.
I got 10 x 5mg generic finasteride pills for 18 canadian dollars as a tester from a walmart pharmacy. I thought it would be cheaper than that. Perhaps there are price cuts at certain number of pills that I'm not aware of.
The first 1.25mg dose was May 31st 2016 this went on until June 2nd 2016. I noticed loss of energy, breast tenderness and decrease in sexual interest. I took the day off and took another dose on June 4th 2016. I'd like to think I'm in tune with my body as I exercise 6 times a week. Whether it is my body getting adjusted or the drop in dosage, I feel better today than I did on June 2nd 2016.
Hair regimen:
- 1.25mg finasteride on monday, wednesday, friday. First dose @ May 31st, 2016.
- 4ml of 10% essential oils (5% peppermint; 5% rosemary) with jojoba/grape seed carrier oils, 6 days per week. First treatment @ May 4th, 2016.
- Nizoral 2% on thursday, sunday (and sometimes tuesdays). First treatment @ ~2006 (semi-consistently).
- ogx niacin + caffeine shampoo & conditioner on days I am not using nizoral. These products have natural dht blockers. If anything these are sulfate-free, feel good on my scalp and are affordable. First wash @ May 4th, 2016.
Others:
I take the following for my general well-being. Some may also be beneficial for hair, but that's not the main reason why I take them.
- multivitamins
- vitamin c
- vitamin e
- ginkgo biloba
- bovine colostrum
- fish oil
- 5-htp
- whey protein
- hemp protein
*I plan on switching vitamin e for astaxanthan when the bottle is done.
I plan on documenting reporting here with progresses, be it good or bad.
Here is the picture from earlier today on June 6th 2016.
I want to wish everyone good luck on their journeys.
