Is Minoxidil foam alone worth the time/cost/initial shed?

[MojoJenkins]

Hey everyone,

This is my first time posting to this site after having perused the threads for about a year.

I noticed my hairline start to recede when I was about 22. It bothered me a little, but not enough to do something about it (I'm now 24). In the last year, things seem to have accelerated. The hairline at my temples has inched up, and the whole top of my head has noticeably thinned out to the point where I don't like people seeing my hair wet (dry it still looks ok, but who knows how long that will last).

I'm thinking of giving minoxidil (Kirkland Foam) a shot. I think the thing that has stopped me is the fact that I know it causes a bad initial thinning and really can only offer modest improvements in most cases. With that in mind, I'm curious if people have found it worth all the effort? Even if you achieved somewhat moderate results, do you see it as worth continuing the treatment indefinitely?

I know that results would be improved with finasteride, however, I'm fairly against the idea of messing around with the delicate balance of hormones in my whole body in the name of growing some more hair. I was a psych/neuroscience major, and even acknowledging that the horror stories are mostly hearsay, the chemistry of the body is extremely complex and I just don't want to mess with something so little understood.



[Extra personal thoughts on the personal impact of hair loss for anyone who cares]
Like most people, when I noticed my hair thinning/receding, I obsessed about it quite a bit and it hurt my confidence. However, I've slowly grown used to it, and realized that of all things that COULD happen to someone, losing some hair is of little importance. It's actually made me question what I really value in myself, and if would care about anyone who discounted me based on hair loss. Since accepting that its likely going to happen, and also accepting that no one will care as much as I do, I've been much happier. I see lots of posts about depression and an overall obsession with battling the mostly inevitable, and I'm sad to see it. We'll spend so much time worrying about it that we'll miss out on many opportunities. It WILL become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as people are drawn to those that are comfortable being themselves. That's probably another reason I've avoided doing something about my hair loss, because by actively trying to prevent it, I'll be inherently deciding that I'm NOT accepting it -- to some extent. However, if things can be somewhat improved for even a few years with minoxidil, I'm not at all against it as long as I keep my expectations from creeping up and letting my confidence depend too much on the outcome.

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now. Would appreciate any thoughts on minoxidil!

 

[andfost]

I'm somewhat in the same boat. I've always had good hair and my friends would always be jealous of my hair. As I saw their hair thinning more and more mine seemed to stay nice and thick. However...jus recently...my time has finally came and my hair is starting to thin from the back like the cowlick area and from my right temple.

As for the Minoxidil, my brother has been using it on his head for about a month now and it doesn't seem to be shedding or getting better. It does leave his hair kind of oily though.

 

[resu]

From my experience I wouldn't bother with it, the results aren't amazing for the effort it takes specially since it's a big commitment.

 

[warner8]

big question is, how bad do you want to keep/regrow your hair? if u answer yes to that question, then quit whining about minoxidil n start using it asap

 

[Vanhoosan]

I've had fantastic results but I hear that isn't the case usually.

 

[Rittdk01]

been using for a few months no shedding. My hair loss is very minimal and only noticeable to me. Figured I would head it off and use Rogaine BEFORE I really had a problem.

Started with foam for a month, then researched and found that liquid is supposed to work a lot better. Switched and used foam in morning, liquid at night Then switched to liquid twice a day. I put the liquid on in morning and blow dry it. Doesnt really look oily as some say, more like I used moose on my hair. Actually styles nicely.

Its super easy to use and only $18 for 3 months worth. I plan to keep using it to PREVENT hair loss. Its worth it for the peace of mind and what u got to lose for $6 a month?

I looked at Propecia as a preventative measure, but I would lose my hair rather than risk permanent sexual problems.

 

[MojoJenkins]

Vanhoosan, how long did it take you to achieve your results, and how long have you kept up the regiment? Also, what kind of hair-loss do you have?

 

[aceman626]

also interested in starting just minoxidil - any advice would be appreciated

 

[BitterAlmonds]

I started minoxidil and had, over a week, lots of pain, itching, and hairloss. Is it safe to quit now? I dropped down to .5ml once a day for a few days, then I haven't used it since and my scalp will not stop itching.

 

[resu]

If you're going to quit drop it as soon as possible, the hairs will return and the hair loss will resume as if you never started minoxidil.

 

[chazman37]

I've had good results with liquid mixox. I went through shedding weeks 2-4, but I've seen solid improvement in my crown area. It's been 3 months of daily use 1 time at night.

 

[David.G]

minoxidil did nothing for me in the front but worked great on the back of my head. Within 2-3 months the bald spot disappeared. Such a shame this stuff doesn't work in the front for some of us.

 

[marco75]

I have been applying the foam day and night for a week and see a full coating of fine white hairs on my hairline scalp, not sure if they will turn into anything, Also on Propecia for a week. i am pretty far gone though NW6 at 40 years old so this is a absolute lottery shot.

 

[Jamsonjams]

I think its worth it personally

 

[labellavita1985]

Thanks for starting this thread. I really want to know what people think about minoxidil as well - especially, is it worth the initial shed and people's experiences with side effects, namely, skin changes.

I'm a female though and I think it's even more of a commitment for the following reason. If I started using minoxidil and lost 30% of my hair to an initial shed (which isn't uncommon,) even if it begins to grow back immediately, it will take two years to catch up to the rest of my hair's length (over 12 inches.)

I think I'm still going to do it though, just trying to cultivate the b***s.

If it helps my hair to become 20-30% thicker, I think it's worth it.

 

[MojoJenkins]

Quick update on what I've decided since starting this thread.

I decided to try out the Kirkland minoxidil foam. Given the rate of my thinning on the top of my head, it's just gonna keep going, so I really don't have anything to lose (always a refreshing point to reach honestly). I started it two weeks ago, so I thought it would be a good time to give an update. I'm probably a NW2 with diffuse thinning on top and crown area.

I put it on after I shower in the morning, and once more at night, typically right before going to bed because I generally do stuff after work.

Shedding (nothing too bad to report).
I'm actually a little over two weeks in, and haven't noticed any sort of extreme shedding, maybe slightly more than usual, but nothing significant. If I run my hand through my hair while bent over, I see a few hairs fall, but that's pretty typical.

Scalp
After a few days, I noticed that my scalp felt a little different, not really bad, just different. It's one of those things that you won't notice unless you consciously think about it, which means it could completely be in my head. Nothing has bothered me. I have not noticed any skin irritation yet, although I notice my fingers have been drier/more peely than usual. (I'm also a climber, so it's hard to know what to attribute to minoxidil and what is just normal).I've read that the foam has a much lower rate of causing skin irritation.

Product application
Pretty easy to put on, and it dries relatively quickly (5 minutes or so?). This is good, because my hair looks pretty awful when wet. The foam does leave some residue on your hair when it dries. At first, it makes the hair feel somewhat dry and gritty, almost like the feeling you have when you sweat and then your hair dries. Interestingly, it kind of gives the hair a more messy look, which I used to do all the time. Even more interestingly, it seems to make the hair appear thicker all by itself, so while in some light I can see my scalp, after the minoxidil dries I actually can't (wasn't expecting that benefit!). However, it doesn't feel as soft as it normally would without the minoxidil in it, so that's less ideal, but not so bad I couldn't live with it.
It's so early, I don't think it's worth even trying to speculate if it's actually working. I know it may take 4 months to see results (if I even see results), so I'm keeping expectations low. The good news is, I think if you don't react much to it, it's not going to do much if you stop (that's purely speculation based on other things I've read about how shedding a lot makes you a "good responder").

I'll update things about every month unless something dramatic changes. I won't post pictures until there is actually some sort of noticeable difference (for better or for worse).

PS - In my previous post I had referenced worrying that starting minoxidil would make me more unnaccepting of my hair loss, because it meant that I cared enough to actively try to prevent it. However, I've actually felt myself care less about it since starting. I think that before, I was worrying about "should I start doing something?", "if I don't do anything, will I regret it?". However, now I'm doing something about it, so it's out of my hands. This either works, or it doesn't. Somehow that's made me care less, but that may just be me.

 

[CliffLee]

I wouldn't bother with minoxidil alone - it just is not doing anything against the root cause of male pattern baldness.

I would recommend using minoxidil in combo with finasteride/dutasteride.

 

[yetti]

Hey Mojo, any update on how things are going? I liked your original post a lot by the way, very well written and insightful.

I totally disagree with the comment above this one - "I wouldn't bother with minoxidil alone - it just is not doing anything against the root cause of male pattern baldness. "

Illogical. It's like saying theres no reason to bother with taking cold medicine to stop sneezing because you still have the cold virus. Well, of course it's best to eradicate the virus as a complete solution, but is it not good to stop sneezing anyway? The reason we don't want a cold is because of the sneezing and coughing, not because we hate the virus. Losing hair is a symptom, but it's also in fact the problem that we are most concerned with here, and stopping it or slowing it down is the desired outcome. If you can delay losing hair with minoxidil alone, why is that not worth doing? Obviously it's not as effective as finasteride, but it is actually effective for a lot of people, at least for some time.