Need Shedding Advice

[wildebeest]

Hello, first post here. I'm very familiar with hairloss and treatments as I've been researching a lot in the past year.

My situation:

21 years old, noticed my hairline receding slightly (Norwood 1.5ish), otherwise VERY thick head of hair. So I decided to start a preventative regimen on December 7th, 2013. (Side note: one uncle on dad's side with bald head, no other signs of male pattern baldness in the family besides a few receding hairlines on my dad's side.)

Regimen:
Nizoral 2% 2x/week
Supplement, once daily, containing the following:
160mg saw palmetto extract
160mg pumpkin seed oil
120mg flax seed oil

Since December 7th, 2013:
A lot of shedding, lost nearly half of my hair density in male pattern baldness areas, hairline remained stagnant, but thinned like the other areas.

I'm seeking some feedback or advice from someone who has endured a shed and seen hair come back thicker. Because as of now I have yet to see any shed hair come back. I'm hoping they're all in the telogen phase becoming thicker as I write this. Should I stop? Or should I endure the shed and hope for signs of progress?

- - - Updated - - -

Forgot to mention that since beginning the treatment I've had irritation/itchiness accompanying the shedding in the male pattern baldness areas.

 

[PhillyCarter]

male pattern baldness actually comes from your mothers side so if any males on her side suffer from it then you may have it too. Shedding can be normal and your follicles can be going into shock when using a new product which causes shedding. But you can try a less harsh 1% ketoconazole shampoo that is sulfate free. I noticed you are talking saw palmetto supplements. There are keto shampoos that contain saw palmetto extract in them too. This may help with the irritation. What ever regimen you choose make sure you stick with it or else its less effective.

 

[I.D WALKER]

Hi Philly, I viewed your regimen and was wondering if you might be kind enough to share your experiences with Argan Oil? Thanks for sharing.

 

[PhillyCarter]

Hi Philly, I viewed your regimen and was wondering if you might be kind enough to share your experiences with Argan Oil? Thanks for sharing.

I'm not completely convinced that it does much for hair growth but I'm using it more to stimulate my scalp. I rub it in and massage it into my scalp. I've seen growth but I'm not sure if its the oil, the keto, or both. Its also good to offset the ketoconazole drying effect because that could be a huge inconvenience. Some people take them as vitamins but I just use the topical oil. I'll keep using it as an extra incentive. Hope this helps.

 

[I.D WALKER]

It does and thanx again.

 

[Digidako]

male pattern baldness actually comes from your mothers side so if any males on her side suffer from it then you may have it too. Shedding can be normal and your follicles can be going into shock when using a new product which causes shedding. But you can try a less harsh 1% ketoconazole shampoo that is sulfate free. I noticed you are talking saw palmetto supplements. There are keto shampoos that contain saw palmetto extract in them too. This may help with the irritation. What ever regimen you choose make sure you stick with it or else its less effective.

Honestly I think the "hair loss comes from your mothers side" claim is completely wrong.. I have a 30 yo half brother (different dads) and a 55 year old uncle on my moms side with absolutely no signs of hair loss, meanwhile every man on my fathers side is bald. I'm 19 and I'm thinning already so I guess i'm living proof.

 

[PhillyCarter]

Honestly I think the "hair loss comes from your mothers side" claim is completely wrong.. I have a 30 yo half brother (different dads) and a 55 year old uncle on my moms side with absolutely no signs of hair loss, meanwhile every man on my fathers side is bald. I'm 19 and I'm thinning already so I guess i'm living proof.

Well there could definitely be exception to that. But it most cases it does. But there may be a possibility that your case is different. What are you doing for your thinning?

 

[wildebeest]

Yeah no offense but hair loss can come from either side. It's a myth that it "only" comes from your mom's side. Maybe it comes from your moms side more often but I definitely didn't get it my moms hair gene.

So here's where I'm at:

The irritation eventually got so bad that I had to stop using everything to see if my scalp would go back to normal. I stopped the SP supplement around a month ago, and Nizoral 2 weeks ago. The irritation didn't stop. I switched to an SLS free shampoo a week ago which has helped the irritation a little. But even today my scalp is itching and I'm shedding more hair than normal.

I've seen a hair specialist who refused to give me guidance but offered me his crazy expensive hair care product line. No thanks.

I'm going to the doctor this week because the irritation isn't going away and I don't know what else to do.

I started this whole thing to prevent hairloss and I feel like I've accelerated it.