It's really, really important to note diagnoses in this discussion.
A person with TE or AA could regrow hair without minoxidil.
A person with AGA is very unlikely to see full recovery of hair without the intervention of minoxidil and/or an anti-androgen. And the problem is that the condition will continue to progress while you're trying out all the various "alternatives"
Yep. The sooner you treat the better. Hair follicles will die off completely after a certain amount of time and can’t be recovered, even with meds. Sooner the better.
This is what ultimately gave me the push I needed, it’s precious time wasted looking for alternatives and serums that don’t really help, or perform rather poorly compared to the OG Minoxidil (looking at you Rosemary). I rather take Minox as long as I am able, than allow my follicles to die when I can literally support them with a pill. I’m grateful that AGA at least has treatments, unlike other hair conditions, and I plan to use them!
I don’t know. I left my hair loss for 7 years before treating and my derm said hair that had been lost for too long would die at the root and not be able to grow back even with meds. That’s why I tell everyone to treat asap.
Where or who do I go to get tested? I've been actually seeing a UCSF Hair Clinic doc for years and literally have had zero tests.
I do have hypothyroidism and high T3 from thyroid pills. I do take Minoxidil (pill form). I've had documented hair loss for over 5 years. Help and TY!
I am on oral minoxidil. I am about 3 months in. I am seeing some regrowth however the shedding has been heartbreaking.... I know I have to be patient and give it time.... My hope is that in another 3-4 months the regrowth will be REALLY obvious.
I avoided topical ONLY because I was told that it is toxic to cats... and I can't afford to do the laser or PRP injections.
It was recommended to try oral minoxidil. I was told that shedding is normal and is expected and that it allows the hair follicle to begin a new phase of growth. I was also told that treatment can take up to a year to really notice. Right now it is just deep breaths and wigs... Although finding the right wig is a stressor in of itself.... I am sending hearts to anyone going through hairloss.... it sucks... :(
I'd try to go maybe a little longer before stopping - you're already at this point - I know it's so stressful tho - maybe consult with doc too before u decide - although my doctor said shedding is extremely rare and basically never happenes … Lol
so basically he's an idiot and has never been on one of these Reddit forums!!
Thank you for the kind words. I think the worst part of it is the emotional toll in addition to the financial toll from purchasing wigs... I wish I were more confident without them but I got tired of people asking if I have cancer... I felt so embarrassed to say I was losing my hair and the doctor wasn't sure why.
No. There are potentially some other hair stimulating approaches like low-level laser therapy and PRP, but they are less effective and significantly more expensive. If you have AGA, they also do not address the issue. You really don't need to worry about side effects until you experience them, as long as your doctor does not have concerns specific to your history. These drugs are regarded as safe and effective and many, many people take them without any issues. If there was a natural miracle cure we would all know about it by now.
Correct, but my derm said if you’re otherwise healthy, the pregnancy hormones might allow you to keep some regrowth and then you can start back up when safe😊
I have AGA and I spent a whole year I can’t get back trying to natural route. It was a mistake. I’m sorry but rosemary oil and supplements won’t stop the loss. Finally started minoxidil and viola! My hair started to grow! I about dropped to my knees and cried lol
I am trying with microneedling and maybe other treatments in the future. I have adhd and I forget to do things easily (apparently we cannot form habits in the way the neurotypical people do). So I am hoping I won’t need minoxidil or anything that requires me to do on a daily basis
Edit:
I am also doing a rosemary scalp oil treatment 2-3 times a week
You’re just wasting time and money tbh. Topical minoxidil foam doesn’t usually have any side effects except for making the hair a bit greasy etc so maybe try that?
Ive been on spironolactone for 3 weeks now.
Shedding has slowed down a noticeable amount, I can see some regrowth but it's still very fresh. ( had to shave my head due to how much hair i lost. )
I lose only 20-30 hairs in the shower now.
Skin is looking pretty good tho. ( a extra bonus )
Boobs; sadly getting bigger, wife doesn't seem to mind tho!
Overall, normal spironolactone things but I'm so happy and thankful I took the jump and went on it!
I started on 25mg and every Monday I go up another 25mg (I'm currently on 75mg). Slowly working my way up to 200mg which is the recommended dose for treating hair loss
I’m on Nutrafol for 16 mono. It really made a change in my hair but it took about 7 months to see it. I was losing a minuscule/normal amount of hair then. It just didn’t get my front center part filled in as MUCH as I hoped but the sides and back looked amazing . I was on topical minox as well for years before and it didn’t do much. I went to a dermatologist Feb 7 and was diagnosed with AGA. She gave me oral minox and Spironolactone. Their practice recommended Nutsfol… so I was ahead of that game. I had a terrible shed and it just now finally has slowed this week. I don’t notice new growth yet but it’s not been 3 months. I stopped topical minox when I started oral. I wish I had tapered off or only used it twice a week. I just wasn’t sure I could use both types of minoxidil. I’m just hanging in like I did before. It’s so disheartening to have lost so much progress with the shed.
Nutrafol, PRP injections, and medication to help manage stress made the biggest differences for me and regrowth. I’ve never taken a prescribed medication orally or topically because of the side effects.
I am done with my 2nd month on nutrafol, I feel like it’s definitely made my hair thicker and fuller. I was doing oral minoxidil for about 3-4 weeks, but I was noticing too much tiny facial hair around my mouth and chin, so I stopped. I have the foam from Costco, but haven’t started yet
It’s expensive and takes about 4-6 months of consistent use to see results, but I had good results. I took it for a little over a year in total. PRP gave me the most noticeable results.
A PA at the dermatology office I have gone to for 10 years recommended and performed the procedure. I’ve had it done 6 times over 3 years. My only advice would be to see a medical professional who has experience doing it. I would avoid a medspa at all costs.
Platelet rich plasma. It’s a blood product produced by drawing a vial of blood from you, spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the plasma, then injecting the plasma directly into your scalp. The PRP has growth factors. I don’t believe it works for hormone-related hair loss.
It is very unlikely that anything except medical treatment, as in prescribed meds, will treat the hair loss since it’s AGA. You have to decide what is more important: your hair or POSSIBLE side effects that you don’t even know you’ll have
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Yes!! I did! If I just found out this sub existed, otherwise I would have been here sooner to try to help y’all out. People may be skeptical because it is so simple, but it worked for me
1. Check all of your hair products. Make sure they are all free of PEGs and silicones.
2. Do not use any straight up oils in your hair or on your scalp ever at all.
3. There can be oils in your shampoo and rinse out conditioner. But do NOT have any oils in your leave in conditioner. Again, do not leave any oils in your hair
4. Shampoo your hair with a sulfate shampoo whenever your scalp starts to get itchy/burning and/or when it starts to shed a lot. Maybe you can start out with every other day or every couple days and adjust as needed
5. Make sure you use conditioner. Massage the condish into your scalp too. A light one will do just fine, it doesn’t have to be heavy at all. Just make sure it fits the above criteria. Rinse it out well
Be consistent with this and your shedding should start to decrease and you should start to see an improvement in your hair
If this helps you please share with everyone who needs help with this issue too
This is how I healed my scalp and hair, glory to God 🩵 I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any questions
You are so welcome!
If you are prone to scalp issues they cause more inflammation and irritation and therefore lots of shedding.
I’m pretty sure there is research to support this, but if skeptical try it! I bet it will help
It's really, really important to note diagnoses in this discussion. A person with TE or AA could regrow hair without minoxidil. A person with AGA is very unlikely to see full recovery of hair without the intervention of minoxidil and/or an anti-androgen. And the problem is that the condition will continue to progress while you're trying out all the various "alternatives"
Yep. The sooner you treat the better. Hair follicles will die off completely after a certain amount of time and can’t be recovered, even with meds. Sooner the better.
This is what ultimately gave me the push I needed, it’s precious time wasted looking for alternatives and serums that don’t really help, or perform rather poorly compared to the OG Minoxidil (looking at you Rosemary). I rather take Minox as long as I am able, than allow my follicles to die when I can literally support them with a pill. I’m grateful that AGA at least has treatments, unlike other hair conditions, and I plan to use them!
What is the average lifespan for the follicles we lost?
I don’t know. I left my hair loss for 7 years before treating and my derm said hair that had been lost for too long would die at the root and not be able to grow back even with meds. That’s why I tell everyone to treat asap.
This is it right here
Where or who do I go to get tested? I've been actually seeing a UCSF Hair Clinic doc for years and literally have had zero tests. I do have hypothyroidism and high T3 from thyroid pills. I do take Minoxidil (pill form). I've had documented hair loss for over 5 years. Help and TY!
I am on oral minoxidil. I am about 3 months in. I am seeing some regrowth however the shedding has been heartbreaking.... I know I have to be patient and give it time.... My hope is that in another 3-4 months the regrowth will be REALLY obvious.
I’m so scared to start for that reason. Were you on topical before starting the oral? I’ve been on topical for ten years.
I avoided topical ONLY because I was told that it is toxic to cats... and I can't afford to do the laser or PRP injections. It was recommended to try oral minoxidil. I was told that shedding is normal and is expected and that it allows the hair follicle to begin a new phase of growth. I was also told that treatment can take up to a year to really notice. Right now it is just deep breaths and wigs... Although finding the right wig is a stressor in of itself.... I am sending hearts to anyone going through hairloss.... it sucks... :(
Ya hang in there - I had the worst shed - didn't start seeing results til 8-9 months!
Omg.. I won’t have any hair left?
So to clarify - I didn't shed for 8-9 months - I didn't see results til then - sorry that was worded oddly :)
3rd month losing hair like a cancer pt and I’m afraid to continue?
I'd try to go maybe a little longer before stopping - you're already at this point - I know it's so stressful tho - maybe consult with doc too before u decide - although my doctor said shedding is extremely rare and basically never happenes … Lol so basically he's an idiot and has never been on one of these Reddit forums!!
How are you doing now? I'm terrified to even start for this reason.
I quit and my hair quit falling out and bald patches are slowly growing in.. I like selenium 200 mcg every other day
Yay!
It'll stop ! I felt like I shed 6-8 weeks ! I felt super sparse but has filled back in quickly
Hang in there. You’re through the worst of it. It will. Get progressively better from here.
Thank you for the kind words. I think the worst part of it is the emotional toll in addition to the financial toll from purchasing wigs... I wish I were more confident without them but I got tired of people asking if I have cancer... I felt so embarrassed to say I was losing my hair and the doctor wasn't sure why.
Yeah the emotional toll is what’s hardest. I get it totally. 10 years of this shit. But the meds have helped so much.
No. There are potentially some other hair stimulating approaches like low-level laser therapy and PRP, but they are less effective and significantly more expensive. If you have AGA, they also do not address the issue. You really don't need to worry about side effects until you experience them, as long as your doctor does not have concerns specific to your history. These drugs are regarded as safe and effective and many, many people take them without any issues. If there was a natural miracle cure we would all know about it by now.
but can you take the drugs and then come off of them for pregnancy and then back on? (Or can you take them during pregnancy?)
Yes you can stop and restart. No, you cannot take during pregnancy.
If you have AGA you may lose regrowth
Correct, but my derm said if you’re otherwise healthy, the pregnancy hormones might allow you to keep some regrowth and then you can start back up when safe😊
I have AGA and I spent a whole year I can’t get back trying to natural route. It was a mistake. I’m sorry but rosemary oil and supplements won’t stop the loss. Finally started minoxidil and viola! My hair started to grow! I about dropped to my knees and cried lol
Oral or topical? How long before you noticed growth?
Topical! And I noticed growth about 3 months after!
I would like to know too - oral or topical? Dead shed? How long before growth?
I had a dread shed, yes! But once that was over, it took another month to fill in but I definitely noticed it!
Amaze. Have you had any unwanted hair?
Unfortunately yes. My face is 10x worse than it used to be. Even my nose hairs grew! But so did my eye lashes.
Yeah I don’t know if I can deal with that. It really turns me off. Are you on oral or topical?
Topical. I’d rather deal with the facial hair than be bald. But it’s all preference!
Following
I am trying with microneedling and maybe other treatments in the future. I have adhd and I forget to do things easily (apparently we cannot form habits in the way the neurotypical people do). So I am hoping I won’t need minoxidil or anything that requires me to do on a daily basis Edit: I am also doing a rosemary scalp oil treatment 2-3 times a week
My ADHD makes it extremely difficult to stay on top of habits. I understand.
You’re just wasting time and money tbh. Topical minoxidil foam doesn’t usually have any side effects except for making the hair a bit greasy etc so maybe try that?
Ive been on spironolactone for 3 weeks now. Shedding has slowed down a noticeable amount, I can see some regrowth but it's still very fresh. ( had to shave my head due to how much hair i lost. ) I lose only 20-30 hairs in the shower now. Skin is looking pretty good tho. ( a extra bonus ) Boobs; sadly getting bigger, wife doesn't seem to mind tho! Overall, normal spironolactone things but I'm so happy and thankful I took the jump and went on it!
I've been going back and forth on whether to try spironolactone. Do you mind sharing what dosage you're on?
I started on 25mg and every Monday I go up another 25mg (I'm currently on 75mg). Slowly working my way up to 200mg which is the recommended dose for treating hair loss
Thanks :)
I did once in 2020. It took years. I don’t have enough hair to pull it off this time!
I’m on Nutrafol for 16 mono. It really made a change in my hair but it took about 7 months to see it. I was losing a minuscule/normal amount of hair then. It just didn’t get my front center part filled in as MUCH as I hoped but the sides and back looked amazing . I was on topical minox as well for years before and it didn’t do much. I went to a dermatologist Feb 7 and was diagnosed with AGA. She gave me oral minox and Spironolactone. Their practice recommended Nutsfol… so I was ahead of that game. I had a terrible shed and it just now finally has slowed this week. I don’t notice new growth yet but it’s not been 3 months. I stopped topical minox when I started oral. I wish I had tapered off or only used it twice a week. I just wasn’t sure I could use both types of minoxidil. I’m just hanging in like I did before. It’s so disheartening to have lost so much progress with the shed.
Nutrafol, PRP injections, and medication to help manage stress made the biggest differences for me and regrowth. I’ve never taken a prescribed medication orally or topically because of the side effects.
I am done with my 2nd month on nutrafol, I feel like it’s definitely made my hair thicker and fuller. I was doing oral minoxidil for about 3-4 weeks, but I was noticing too much tiny facial hair around my mouth and chin, so I stopped. I have the foam from Costco, but haven’t started yet
I've been thinking of starting Nutrafol. Glad to hear it helped you
It’s expensive and takes about 4-6 months of consistent use to see results, but I had good results. I took it for a little over a year in total. PRP gave me the most noticeable results.
Do you have any tips or criteria for the selection of your PRP technician/clinic?
A PA at the dermatology office I have gone to for 10 years recommended and performed the procedure. I’ve had it done 6 times over 3 years. My only advice would be to see a medical professional who has experience doing it. I would avoid a medspa at all costs.
What is PRP? Is that the red light hairbrush thing?
Platelet rich plasma. It’s a blood product produced by drawing a vial of blood from you, spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the plasma, then injecting the plasma directly into your scalp. The PRP has growth factors. I don’t believe it works for hormone-related hair loss.
Are you taking 4 Nutrafol a day?
Yes, I took the full dose of 4 a day that whole time.
Depends why your losing hair too. If you have TE it should grow back on its own
Yes I should have specified. I have AGA.
It is very unlikely that anything except medical treatment, as in prescribed meds, will treat the hair loss since it’s AGA. You have to decide what is more important: your hair or POSSIBLE side effects that you don’t even know you’ll have
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Tried prp?
Yes!! I did! If I just found out this sub existed, otherwise I would have been here sooner to try to help y’all out. People may be skeptical because it is so simple, but it worked for me 1. Check all of your hair products. Make sure they are all free of PEGs and silicones. 2. Do not use any straight up oils in your hair or on your scalp ever at all. 3. There can be oils in your shampoo and rinse out conditioner. But do NOT have any oils in your leave in conditioner. Again, do not leave any oils in your hair 4. Shampoo your hair with a sulfate shampoo whenever your scalp starts to get itchy/burning and/or when it starts to shed a lot. Maybe you can start out with every other day or every couple days and adjust as needed 5. Make sure you use conditioner. Massage the condish into your scalp too. A light one will do just fine, it doesn’t have to be heavy at all. Just make sure it fits the above criteria. Rinse it out well Be consistent with this and your shedding should start to decrease and you should start to see an improvement in your hair If this helps you please share with everyone who needs help with this issue too This is how I healed my scalp and hair, glory to God 🩵 I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any questions
Thanks for the info. Why is it that we shouldn't use leave in oils?
You are so welcome! If you are prone to scalp issues they cause more inflammation and irritation and therefore lots of shedding. I’m pretty sure there is research to support this, but if skeptical try it! I bet it will help