Making your own Ketoconazole Shampoo

[stevepdx]

EDIT: I'm doing a buy of bulk ketoconazol for myself and other members. I need only a couple more folks to split this with, so PM me if you want in. ~$50 to make 100 bottles of keto shampoo.

I've tried both regenpure and nizoral as I enjoy the antiandrogenic effects of ketoconazole. I tend to prefer the nizoral, but to be honest I'm not impressed with them as standalone shampoos. My wife has started using the shampoos to deal with her flakes that can't be solved with coal tar / tea tree. To that end, I've noticed the price of shampoo goes up and up, and the bottle size is going down in this economy. I happen to have a light chemistry background, and I was thinking I could solve this issue entirely.

I have decided to buy bulk quantity of medical grade ketoconazole, and simply add it to my shampoos as needed (super easy). Approximately 5 grams per bottle of what i currently use is the equivalent dosage of nizoral. I need approximately 500 gram (100 bottles worth) for myself, and the minimum order is 1000 grams ($195). I wanted to see if anyone or more than one person wanted to join in with me and save on a lifetime worth of ketoconazole, this is not a commercial or profit making concern, it is just too much active ingredient for one person.

If this is posted in the wrong area, mods please move it. Thanks!

 

[Admin]

Gonna pop this into the Alternative Treatments section just because its a custom home made version. Please keep discussion on the thread, not in PM's.

 

[cuprous]

I would be interested. I find the cost of nizoral to be nothing short of extortion as they're effectively the only game in town. My questions are:

How do you calculate the 1 or 2% concentration? Is that by weight or by volume? I'm guessing we would need to dump out the shampoo into a bowl and thoroughly mix in the keto then pour it back? I'm assuming we can't think of any concerns with letting a regular shampoo sit on our heads for a few minutes as one should do with nizoral.

As a total aside, I am a firm believer in the efficacy of keto. My hair is thicker (no noticeable regrowth though) and when I comb it I no longer get dozens of hairs in my comb as I used to - it's maybe 10 hairs.

 

[resu]

How do you know if keto dissolves in the shampoo to begin with? Maybe it dissolves into something else first then is later mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. Mixing with the minoxidil seems a better idea.

 

[stevepdx]

I would put it into solution first, and then simple liquid dose per shampoo bottle and a vigorous shake. Keto is soluable in water (1mg/mL) or alcohol, and the application rate would be 1% - 2% by weight. Take regenepure, for example. It is 8 fl oz, listed as 234 mL, so that is approximately the same density as water (<1% difference). Water density is 1g/mL, so to calculate 1% keto by weight, the formula is (1g x 234mL * 1% = X). X = 2.34 grams ketoconazole. So lets just make it simple:

The application weight of ketoconazole is 0.3 grams per fl oz of shampoo to achieve 1%.

So a 16 oz shampoo needs ~4.7g of keto, etc. That means your 8 fl oz shampoo would cost only $0.50 to convert to 1% keto.

 

[cthulhu]

why waste your time on such nonsense! A small 6 ounze bottle only costs $10 dollars and usually lasts anywhere from 5-6 months as long as you're not dumping an entire bottle in between shampoos.

 

[stevepdx]

Cthulhu, you way out of touch with reality regarding ketoconazole shampoos. Nizoral is discontinued it appears, and now $45 for a 4oz bottle, and Regenepure is $25 for a 8oz bottle. Making your own costs $0.50 per bottle. And 6oz doesn't last in my household for little more than 1 month. This makes great dollars and sense.

 

[rudimentary]

I like the idea, OP. But as I'm just so lazy and have little time free.

 

[cuprous]

Cthulhu, you way out of touch with reality regarding ketoconazole shampoos. Nizoral is discontinued it appears, and now $45 for a 4oz bottle, and Regenepure is $25 for a 8oz bottle. Making your own costs $0.50 per bottle. And 6oz doesn't last in my household for little more than 1 month. This makes great dollars and sense.

I actually talked to J&J and they said they have not discontinued but are still having manufacturing issues. I'm guessing some FDA approval for some new plant or some such. The shortage is expected to last through 2013. Prescription formulations are not expected to be affected.

 

[cthulhu]

My bad, this shortage must be fairly recent. I ordered a bottle of nizoral about a month ago for only about 10 bucks but I see that neither walgreens nor drugstore.com are selling it at the moment.

 

[stevepdx]

If you check camelcamelcamel, you can see the historical price for both renegepure and nizoral have skyrocketed. I need just one or two more people to join in. This can also be made into creams or added to your daily hair products, naturally. I could also probably mix it up into solution if it makes it easy to add to shampoo.

 

[cuprous]

If you check camelcamelcamel, you can see the historical price for both renegepure and nizoral have skyrocketed. I need just one or two more people to join in. This can also be made into creams or added to your daily hair products, naturally. I could also probably mix it up into solution if it makes it easy to add to shampoo.

7oz of nizoral on ebay going for $50! That's just insane. Definitely going to make my own since J&J can't seem to get a shampoo factory in gear in less than a year.

 

[CompoundingPharmD]

As a compounding pharmacist, there is a lot that you are not taking into consideration. Have you looked at the solubilities associated with ketoconazole? Stabilities? Pouring ketoconazole powder into a bottle of regular shampoo is not going to do the trick unless you like shampooing with a paste. As a pharmacist, I would also the question the purity of "medical grade" ketoconazole being supplied to non-medical personnel (i.e. only using USP grade, not NF or research grade). Not trying to rain on your parade, just cautioning you. Most shampoos are mostly water...you are going to need access to other chemicals such as propylene glycol, SLS, SL2D etc.

 

[Srhair]

Did you ever go through with this? I would love to make my own gentler formula of a keto shampoo....

 

[HustlingBaldly]

the guy is probably gonna sell everyone pert and maybe a bs'er.

- - - Updated - - -

As a compounding pharmacist, there is a lot that you are not taking into consideration. Have you looked at the solubilities associated with ketoconazole? Stabilities? Pouring ketoconazole powder into a bottle of regular shampoo is not going to do the trick unless you like shampooing with a paste. As a pharmacist, I would also the question the purity of "medical grade" ketoconazole being supplied to non-medical personnel (i.e. only using USP grade, not NF or research grade). Not trying to rain on your parade, just cautioning you. Most shampoos are mostly water...you are going to need access to other chemicals such as propylene glycol, SLS, SL2D etc.

This guy is correct.

 

[psyhotria]

Ket's potential is wasted in a shampoo.At least when it comes to male pattern baldness you want to have it in your scalp, not on your scalp or hair..

 

[HustlingBaldly]

7oz of nizoral on ebay going for $50! That's just insane. Definitely going to make my own since J&J can't seem to get a shampoo factory in gear in less than a year.

At least you have regenepure and revita.

 

[resu]

Ket's potential is wasted in a shampoo.At least when it comes to male pattern baldness you want to have it in your scalp, not on your scalp or hair..

Nizoral makes a 2% keto cream. It made very sharp headaches so I don't recommend it.

 

[psyhotria]

Nizoral makes a 2% keto cream. It made very sharp headaches so I don't recommend it.

Unfortunately, as usual, some people may react adversely to a substance in a way or other. Personally, I make a lotion from the shampoo (1:1 with alcohol, and a little bit of glycerol) and let it sit on scalp for a hour or so. So far no probs. Keto is a must if minoxidil is used, because minoxidil may upregulate 17-hsd (and also 5-ar, therefore a 5-ar inhibitor is also a must).