18 months of female pattern balding treatment

[Reyesuela]

Background: Former longhair. Was a lurker in the early aughts. Joined probably in 2007/8 and posted occasionally as I decided to “really” grow my hair. My hair reached between my fingertips and knees in 2010, but I got bored and cut it all off to a shaggy pixie. Did other things to it while gradually growing in back. By 2015, I realized I had lost massive amounts of it, and the hair loss wasn’t slowing. I was in denial, but by October of 2016, I had way less than a 2.5” ponytail when I usually had more than 3” when it was in a thin phase and 3.5” when it was in a thick phase. I had lost nearly half of my hair. I faced the fact that I had inherited my grandmother’s severe and premature female pattern balding.

I started Rogaine (Minoxidil) 2x per day and Nizoral 3x per week. My hair started growing back. I discovered that other things made it grow faster, but Nizoral and Minoxidil alone restored my thickness—and more. I now have a ponytail that is 4.13” in circumference—that’s right, class iii. I have never had thick hair in my life before. The taper is hysterical, of course, and I abruptly stopped visiting last year again because it reached the point that I couldn’t even do a nautilus bun because the thick part ate up too much length and the thin part can’t even begin to secure the thick bit. :P. I got frustrated and have been doing nothing but basic coils ever since—I can barely do a Chinese bun now, at least!

It’s been a year since I posted, so I thought I’d swing back by for a hair update. It grew just at 7” in the year because I got lazy and stopped the other extra treatments that were giving me more growth—though from I only have 36” to show for it due to a much-needed trim.

My wispies are also now driving me bonkers as alll the hair I lost in the temple area is still too short for a bun! It generally takes 2-3 months to show any growth from Minoxidil, and those areas are slower growing, and I and STILL getting new growth all over my head, so I expect my pony thickness to go up a little more later. I’ll add a pic next from today to compare to my avatar pic. I did just barely hit tailbone around the end of last year, and I’m skirting it again now, but my thicker braid eats up more length. I’m really enjoying my thick hair, but now that I have it, I do realize that it has a few limitations I never considered in my days of thickness envy! Every style takes WAY more length. I would still like even thicker hair, though. I’m greedy that way. ;)

The braid is about the same tightness in each photo. I also can’t even braid my hair anymore. I am now a hair idiot.

https://preview.ibb.co/cAP90H/C66_CD9_CC_36_A7_4_DA5_9_F60_7_DB1_E8258155.jpg (https://ibb.co/m3pbfH)

[Shorty89]

Wow! I can't believe how much thickness your recovered! Your hair looks great and I think you still have those braiding skills!

[Reyesuela]

It gets weird and loose at the nape. You wouldn’t think 3” vs just over 4” makes a difference, but there is so much more hair higher up that it’s all weird and different. Very little new hair grew from the parts of men’s heads that don’t go bald. :P. That’s because I didn’t really lose much hair from there.

Part of the reason that my hair may be the thickest in my life is that I was on Accutane in my teens. That’s now known to permanently thin out your hair. Argh. The treatments may be counteracting those lingering effects.

I also still don’t have a healthy shed pattern. There is no way to cure pattern baldness, just counteract it. So about half the hairs I lose are way shorter than what they were before the pattern baldness kicked in. My hair is in a drug-induced anagen phase, which seems to be less predictable than a normal, healthy anagen phase. I can’t predict how long I can grow my hair at all anymore!

[Agnieszka]

Congrats Reyesuela, your progress is truly visible. I'm so happy Minoxidil is working for you!

I've tried myself but had heart palpitations and headache after 5% for a month so I stopped. I admire you to be so consistent, twice a day can be tricky!

I'm on Nizoral for it's anti androgenic properties and have been using it at least 8 months consistently now. Every three days, 2-3 minutes just scalp. I'm not sure if it's working. Don't see visible results yet but I suspect it must be doing something as people compliment me on my thickness. I mean it's still thin in a range of 2,5inch circumference but apparently looking thicker :-)

[Reyesuela]

If you don’t get symptoms with 2% or the foam, you can try those. 2% 2x per day is about 80% as effective as 5% 2x. And you risk less potential body hair (but I will happily laser my backside in return for my head hair not falling out!!!!).

I have borderline clinical low blood pressure, so I’m surprised I tolerate it without any real side effects of that sort, since it was developed originally to lower BP.

I made a massive list of other things that also work to varying degrees in my siggy link, though. Another woman who couldn’t do Minoxidil was already trying a number of things on that list with success.

Monistat works using the same mechanism as Nizoral, and you can also try to bump up the effects with that! Lol.

My daily hair balls were the size of hamsters, and my grandmother was virtually bald by 60, so I’m motivated. The biggest pain in the butt is washing my scalp every freaking night. If I don’t, it’s flake and itch city. That stinks the most.

[lapushka]

That's quite an experience. I had my share of major hair loss (up to bald patches), at age 13/14 when I started puberty. It was hormonal and at the time the doctor felt it was best to leave it alone until it all balanced out (smart). I used vitamins and a lotion (my mom felt a little sorry for me I think and got me those things). But after about 2 years it was right back on my head, and slowly growing in, in parts.

I got all my hair back. I'm not doing special things for it. The Nizoral for me is "occasional" and reserved for SD (seborrheic dermatitis). I'm 45 now and menopause is lurking so, I might or might not go through the same, who can tell? I certainly hope not.

I am a weekly washer, and even though I get the sheds out by finger detangling throughout the week, I shed a beast on wash day. It's always been like that on wash day, but even more since I became a weekly washer. My circumference stays roughly the same at 4.25 inches, so... that at least is a good thing. :shrug:

I know how it feels, though. And it's not pleasant, and that's quite the understatement.

Good luck on your journey! :D

[Reyesuela]

Mine is genetic. Waiting would mean permanent baldness. Lol!

What is just plain bizarre though is how thick it is now. That’s...not actually supposed to happen. Best case, you’re supposed to just get your old thickness back. And you’re definitely not supposed to be continuing to get even more new growth after 18 months. Most stop getting new hair like that after 18 weeks. I’m getting new hairs turning terminal every week, though, even now. Something was seriously whacked about my hair for my whole life up until this point for it to respond so intensely.

[lapushka]

Mine is genetic. Waiting would mean permanent baldness. Lol!

What is just plain bizarre though is how thick it is now. That’s...not actually supposed to happen. Best case, you’re supposed to just get your old thickness back. And you’re definitely not supposed to be continuing to get even more new growth after 18 months. Most stop getting new hair like that after 18 weeks. I’m getting new hairs turning terminal every week, though, even now. Something was seriously whacked about my hair for my whole life up until this point for it to respond so intensely.

Must have been yes, because no one gets more follicles. I'm glad you found a way to combat it! I know what I felt like when I had bald spots on my head (I think I had 3 major ones, if I remember correctly). I know the pharmacist (not our regular one) freaked out when he saw that. We went in there quickly to get a lotion for it. He was freaking out saying "that's not normal", like he was suspicious of something. As if we hadn't seen the doctor already! Sheesh!

[Reyesuela]

Must have been yes, because no one gets more follicles. I'm glad you found a way to combat it! I know what I felt like when I had bald spots on my head (I think I had 3 major ones, if I remember correctly). I know the pharmacist (not our regular one) freaked out when he saw that. We went in there quickly to get a lotion for it. He was freaking out saying "that's not normal", like he was suspicious of something. As if we hadn't seen the doctor already! Sheesh!

What you’re describing is alopecia areata. It’s surprisingly common in teen girls, and there’s currently no decent treatment for it. Minoxidil does nothing. Nizoral does nothing. And it’s generally self-limiting, but it’s really emotionally tough for girls going through it because it’s disfiguring and they can’t be SURE it will go away. Sometimes it doesn’t! And with no treatment except “give it time”...it sucks! I knew someone in college whose scalp was covered in bald patches from it—huge ones.

You’re right, of course. What happens with classic pattern baldness is that your follicles in certain areas start staying in the androgen (growing) phase for shorter and shorter times and in the telogen (resting) phase for longer and longer. Your individual terminal (head) hairs turn into fine, short body-type hairs, and then the follicle dies completely.

Minoxidil wakes up a lot of the sleeping telogenic follicles and puts them back into androgen. It also recruits follicles that have turned into producing invisible (to the naked eye) body hairs and puts them back to work making head hairs again. If a follicle is dead, though, it’s too late. And no one has figured out how to make new follicles.

More and more follicles on my head are turning from body hair type to head hair the even after 18 months—far more follicles than have ever produced terminal hair before on my head. That’s why it’s weird. It’s just bizarre that I could have had so many follicles that were producing the wrong type of hair for their location in the first place, that never produced the correct hair. This indicates that my hair issues are probably a lot longer standing than I could have imagined because follicles that aren’t damaged should have never been producing body hair on top of my head! They should have either been in the anagen phase making terminal hair or the telogen phase resting before they made terminal hair again. The fact that there were so many misprogrammed hair follicles is certainly a part of my genetic hair loss, but that means it’s roots were there, already affecting my hair, from childhood.

Female pattern baldness is both less understood and less well diagnosed, so it may actually not be that rare in women—just wrong for make pattern baldness, which is much more researched.

[lapushka]

More and more follicles on my head are turning from body hair type to head hair the even after 18 months—far more follicles than have ever produced terminal hair before on my head. That’s why it’s weird. It’s just bizarre that I could have had so many follicles that were producing the wrong type of hair for their location in the first place, that never produced the correct hair. This indicates that my hair issues are probably a lot longer standing than I could have imagined because follicles that aren’t damaged should have never been producing body hair on top of my head! They should have either been in the anagen phase making terminal hair or the telogen phase resting before they made terminal hair again. The fact that there were so many misprogrammed hair follicles is certainly a part of my genetic hair loss, but that means it’s roots were there, already affecting my hair, from childhood.

Female pattern baldness is both less understood and less well diagnosed, so it may actually not be that rare in women—just wrong for make pattern baldness, which is much more researched.

It's great news though! And *good* for you!!! :D That is so nice to hear. I had the fear that I wasn't getting any of the hair back, but it seemed to resolve itself with time. Hormones. Gosh, they are so fickle!

Yes, in men it's often more talked about, but not less hurtful. My youngest uncle has it and has had implants - it affects him to that point.

[Reyesuela]

While alopecia areata is technically autoimmune, no one knows why puberty tends to trigger it. If you have one autoimmune condition, you’re also more likely to get others—and no one knows why about that, either!!! So baffling. My friend’s kid has celiac disease and alopecia—not sure if severe areata or totalis, but it hit him when he was about 14.

I had already checked out basic treatment options for pattern baldness about 20 years ago because it’s so heritable, and there was no mistaking my poor grandma for anything but bald. It’s obnoxious but at least I recognized it—before it was too late and all the follicles were dead!!!!

My husband benefited, too. I tossed him the Minoxidil the moment he fretted about a bit of thinning, and his hairline filled back in and then stopped virtually dead for a decade. Given how bald his father is, he’s very happy about that.

[NightSister]

Wow the difference is phenomenal - I'm very happy for you! :)

[Reyesuela]

Wow the difference is phenomenal - I'm very happy for you! :)

Thanks! My drains are much happier now, too. Lol. Nice to have a modest hair “spider” instead of having to clean a mouse of hair out the brush just to finish brushing my hair once.

[divinedobbie]

How have you managed to stick to applying the minoxidil for 18 months? I did it for two months and didn't see any difference and just couldn't keep going anymore. I found it so time consuming, it took me almost half an hour for every application. I couldn't use my fingers because they were too warm and the foam would just melt so I'd use the back of a dull butter knife to touch a tiny bit and part my hair and apply, over and over. And then I'd worry all day that I didn't distribute it equally or that it stuck to my hair instead of my scalp.

[Reyesuela]

My husband is the secret, actually. He’s a methodical guy and he washes his hair everyday anyway. His dad is seriously bald. He saw his hair thinning and I gave him Minoxidil years ago. I didn’t actually expect to see any changes—just slowed thinning. But after a year, we realized that his thin spot on top of his head wasn’t thin anymore. And his temples slowly filled in a bit,too. So I knew it could work.

Each application takes 30 seconds. I use the dropper and the liquid. Wiggle the stopper and squeeze slowly. WASH any drips thoroughly. It will cause hair growth just fine even if the application isn’t perfect. My de-haired and lasered backside attests to it!

The foam is just pointless and awful for me. Some people prefer it, but it gets in my hair and not just on my scalp.

I used it just once a day at 5% and tried not to think about it. Then, after about two months, I suddenly realized I was barely shedding anymore. I couldn’t tell for sure that I was growing hair yet, but I started using it twice a day because it was working at least partially. After three months, I could feel lots of short, prickly hair all over my scalp. I held my breath and kept going. By 6 months, enough hit my ponytail to make a difference. I measured it at 2.5” and started tracking.

I knew what the alternative was. Baldness. It was motivation even for lazy me! I added a bunch of other stuff foe a while and got faster growth, but even when I was just doing the minimum, the Minoxidil and Nizoral did a ton.

If I stop, it will eventually fall out again. This counteracts genetics bit doesn’t cure it. :). That’s better than being bald, though.

[divinedobbie]

Thanks for your response!

Maybe I'm just not totally understanding the specifics of how minoxidil works? In my case, I didn't have one area of thinning, for example no widening part, just very diffuse hair loss. I had total blood work done with nothing turning up. My doctor suggested it was stress related, though I also have family history of female hair loss on my moms side of the family. He prescribed 5% minoxidil as a "jump start" to hair growth and control the hair loss during my supposed time of stress. Since it was diffuse, I was parting my hair in many lines and applying to my entire scalp (which was pretty hard when you're only supposed to use the half cup max per day).
But, does minoxidil work by absorbing into your blood stream and even if i applied to my central part would it help hairs on my entire head through capillary action? Maybe that's where I was creating more work for myself than necessary.
Your journey is very inspiring, I kind of want to give it a better go.

ETA; The minoxidil did stop the major shedding, and I have continued to shed normally almost a month after quitting it. It might just be coincidence though as the shedding seemed to be nearing its end after my "stress event".

Also, I though nizoral was just used to treat fungal infections, which would make sense of how hair could grow in thicker after treatment. But if I have no indication of fungal infection, ie. no dandruff, itchiness, build up or anything, would it help? Did you have a suspected fungal issue and that's why you used it or just to try it out?

[Reyesuela]

I’ll take a video next time and post a link to show! It’s like writing lines with a marker kind of. It’s liquid, so it goes everywhere.

The foam is just awful. Liquid is what you want!

[fhairyqueen]

Your hair journey and the information you’ve provided could potentiomly save so many people from going completely bald when hair could have bee saved
Thank you for sharing so much information
I have a lot of short hairs that don’t make sense as I’m doing my best to protect my hair and my hair seems to be thinner than it was but I don’t know how I would know if I had this

Reyesuela - your hair is beautiful . It’s also longer than I have ever had mine and in one of my faveourite styles a braid !
I can’t imagine what you’ve been through to get to where you are now , I mean the reality going through all of that and fighting for your hair
It’s inspiring to read what you have been through and learnt and accomplished .
You really have had to fight for your hair and I would be very proud of it if I were you

[Reyesuela]

I mostly pretended it wasn’t happening until I had to own up to the fact that if I didn’t take active steps, my hair would be gone!

I want to be clear that there’s nothing wrong with a 2.5” pony. But something IS wrong if you go from 3.25” to 2.3” with no signs of slowing down! Eventually that gets to 0! You can have severe hair loss and start from a 7” ponytail or a 1.5” ponytail, and you can still watch your temple hair go down to scalp either way!

[fhairyqueen]

It’s difficult for me to tell if mine is balding or bleach caused as two years ago I bleached my hair to the point it snapped off randomly in chunks
I don’t know if it’s short bigs from damage traveling as the bleached ends aren’t all cut out yet
I’m sure my hair is thinning at the temples and further back than it was
I have quite a big forehead anyway but it’s further back in the upper corners due to very thin hairs
I don’t know if this is a warning sign but it has me worried
Your hair gives me hope that even if it is going to happen that there is the possibility of fighting to keep it

[Reyesuela]

You can always start using Nizoral shampoo and then see a trichologist. :). You don’t have to wonder and worry.

[fhairyqueen]

Thank you that’s not a bad idea
I have never heard of a trichologist until now
Thank you

[Reyesuela]

If there isn’t one locally, dermatologist is next best.

[fhairyqueen]

Thank you I really do appreciate all your help :)

[divinedobbie]

If there isn’t one locally, dermatologist is next best.

I really wanted to go see a trichologist/derm as I'm just not sure what my issue is and they can tell if your follicles have miniaturization etc but got told there was at least a year long waitlist to see one in my area and I'm planning to move within the next few months so it wasn't worth it.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Congratulations!
Your story is very inspiring and offers hope for many. Thank you for sharing. Continue growing and enjoying your hair growing journey:blossom:

[SeRe]

Very glad to see you back on the forum Reyesuela! I was also gone for about 6-8 months, and the first thing I did was look for you as soon as I returned.

Your hair regrowth is amazing, I am so happy for you. I was stunned to see the thickness! Soon, all your hair will be as thick :)

I have also had a lot of regrowth with my hair oils (if you remember from our year old conversations on PM, I cannot tolerate Minoxidil). However, it is certainly not as thick as yours. I'm so glad to see that you have had no side effects from the minoxidil. Your tips and advice will help so many on this forum.

[Reyesuela]

I have a new herbal suggestion for people who can’t tolerate minoxidil: dried safflower and Amla. An ethanol extract was very effective in reducing androgen levels in the scalp. A tea might also work. Curcumin topically is also very helpful, but depending on your hair color, you may need a non-staining extract.

[SeRe]

I have a new herbal suggestion for people who can’t tolerate minoxidil: dried safflower and Amla. An ethanol extract was very effective in reducing androgen levels in the scalp. A tea might also work. Curcumin topically is also very helpful, but depending on your hair color, you may need a non-staining extract.

Thank you so much. My oil contains a lot of amla. It doesn't contain either safflower or curcumin.
Are you trying this herbal combination?

I have had amazing results with castor oil, which I dilute with ayurvedic oils. I PM'd you some updated braid pics.

[Reyesuela]

Thank you so much. My oil contains a lot of amla. It doesn't contain either safflower or curcumin.
Are you trying this herbal combination?

I have had amazing results with castor oil, which I dilute with ayurvedic oils. I PM'd you some updated braid pics.

Not yet! Totally going to. Safflower lowers androgens even more than amla—by like 25%

[SeRe]

Not yet! Totally going to. Safflower lowers androgens even more than amla—by like 25%

Sounds really promising! I should try to get my hands on this.

[Blue Mermaid]

So glad you've found something that works for you!

I've noticed my mother has extreme thinning.. She's 72 now. Almost entirely on the top of her head. She always said her hair used to be thick like mine, but as she got older it kept thinning. I thought it was part of the normal aging process, but looking at her now, the very top of her head is see through. I've noticed my part has widened a bit, though I think SD def has a lot to do with that. I'll keep up with the Nizoral shampoo once a week and keeping my scalp squeaky clean to see if it responds. If not, I may try the minoxidil. It seems crazy because I'm a solid III, but the widened part is starting to bother me a bit, it looks SO thin compared to the rest of my hair. Looking at pictures from 3 years ago, you couldn't even SEE my scalp where my hair was parted, it was so dense! I'd see a doctor about it, but I have a feeling they'll take ONE look at my hair and go "eh, you've got plenty of hair. It'll be fine.."

SO has male pattern baldness, pretty severely. He's lost 20% of his hair since I met him 3 years ago. I suggested minoxidil, but he didn't even want to try it. Says he doesn't care if he's bald. I think it's unfortunate, because I don't think the horseshoe look is going to be very flattering for him, but it's his head. I'll love him either way.

[Reyesuela]

You can be a iii and have severe loss on the top and temples.pattern hair loss affects the part behind the ears WAY less. :P

My mom’s side isn’t the severe balding side, but she has pattern balding typical of her age. She finally demanded to know what I was using this this week’s pics. Lolol.

My husband does NOT want to look like his dad, so he went to minoxidil the second he saw thinning. Lol.

[Blue Mermaid]

You can be a iii and have severe loss on the top and temples. Hair loss affect the part behind the ears WAY less. :P

My mom’s side isn’t the severe balding side, but she has pattern balding typical of her age. She finally demanded to know what I was using this this week’s pics. Lolol.

Not doubting this, just saying it hasn't gotten to the point where I'm losing ponytail circumference..yet. I'm wondering at what age I should start. Does it only work for a few years? Earlier start=better? Or wait until it's really picked up to get through the worst of it?

It's also where my SD flares up the worst..so I'm wondering if it's just the SD? I'll have to get that under control for a while to see if hair regrows. Everytime I think I've got a handle on it, it'll flare up bad.

[Reyesuela]

Not doubting this, just saying it hasn't gotten to the point where I'm losing ponytail circumference..yet. I'm wondering at what age I should start. Does it only work for a few years? Earlier start=better? Or wait until it's really picked up to get through the worst of it?

It's also where my SD flares up the worst..so I'm wondering if it's just the SD? I'll have to get that under control for a while to see if hair regrows. Everytime I think I've got a handle on it, it'll flare up bad.

Earlier = better.

SD and pattern baldness are often related. SD can sometimes cause hair loss, but if it’s in a pattern baldness location, that’s less likely. If your scalp is sensitive to androgens, it will produce more sebum, and the androgen that kills hair follicles is actual carried and produced in that sebum.

[Blue Mermaid]

Earlier = better.

SD and pattern baldness are often related. SD can sometimes cause hair loss, but if it’s in a pattern baldness location, that’s less likely. If your scalp is sensitive to androgens, it will produce more sebum, and the androgen that kills hair follicles is actual carried and produced in that sebum.

Huh. The more you know. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start, especially where My hairs getting a bit thinner. Though I am rightly afraid of excess hair growth, I already shave my face daily (waxing/plucking does NOT agree.. also they're coarse and OW.)

[Reyesuela]

If you have excess body hair already, then it could also be insulin resistance or excess androgen. (Insulin resistance actually is a major cause of androgen excess.). Or the body hair is a fun aging thing and you’re just sensitive to the natural hormone shift overall—which is a big cause of pattern baldness in ladies.

[Blue Mermaid]

If you have excess body hair already, then it could also be insulin resistance or excess androgen. (Insulin resistance actually is a major cause of androgen excess.). Or the body hair is a fun aging thing and you’re just sensitive to the natural hormone shift overall—which is a big cause of pattern baldness in ladies.

It started when I was about 14/15. Had my androgens tested and they were normal. I've been tested for insulin resistance recently (family history of diabetes) so it's not that. My mom has quite a bit of chin hair too, but finer. Mine is darker/coarser. But so is the hair on my head and the rest of me. :shrug: I'm going with heredity, probably- but possibly just sensitive to hormonal changes. Lucky me!

[Reyesuela]

If you’re sensitive to androgens, you’re more likely to get pattern baldness. Yay!

[Beeboo123]

WOW your hair has really regained its thickness! The top of your braid is so thick now. Your post gives me some hope- my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and aunts all suffer from female pattern baldness, so it's just a matter of time that I am afflicted too. I hope that when it does happen, mine will be treatable like yours is.

[Blue Mermaid]

So you've been diligently on minoxidil for a year now? After the initial shed phase, do you continue to shed large amounts periodically? I was browsing a mens hair loss forum where they were discussing it, and many came to the concensus that it forces your hair to grow all on one schedule, causing an initial shed. Then periodically all those hairs will shed at the same time, leaving you bald til they regrow, and they don't regrow as long as they had before. Of course, it could be just a different pathology because men have more free testosterone and usually have more aggressive balding.

You mentioned the wispies at your temple haven't grown out yet, but has other hair you've regrown grown out longer? You'd think a year of growth would be roughly 6 inches, should be plenty long for the wispies to lie flat?

Sorry for all the questions! I'm anxious to do something as the thinning at the front of my hair has definitely taken me by surprise. I'm hoping if I catch it early enough it can all come back.

I had almost convinced myself to try it, but now I'm afraid of having a big shed and having my scalp even more visible. My temples are getting quite bad. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow to show.

[Reyesuela]

I’ve been on Minoxidil for 18 months.

I didn’t notice an initial shed phase because I was losing such massive amounts already. Brushing my hair would choke the brush. I’m sure there was one, but I couldn’t tell the difference between losing epic amounts of hair and losing ultra epic amounts of hair.

It’s crucial to reaize that you’ll only shed hairs that are about to go into telogen anyway! Basically, you fast forward your hair loss a month as the hairs that are about to go into telogen shed their hair quickly to re-enter anagen.

By month 3, I was losing far far far less hair than before. For a while, I was shedding less than 10 per day!!! That was when I was adding in other stuff. That slowly ramped up to around 20-ish. I tried to cut back to once a day 5% so I wouldn’t have to depilate my upper lip (which gets more dark hair) and my cheeks/neck (which get longer hair but it’s all very thin and downy), and that triggered a pretty massive shed I’m still recovering from. Lol. I probably lost 50-60 hairs yesterday—way less than many hundreds before, but still too much for how young the hairs mostly are.

It should be noted that I’ve ALWAYS been on the hairy side for a woman. I started bleaching my arm hair in middle school. I now do home laser on it once every 3 months. I also already had a few hairs I had to pluck years ago. So some of this is just me, and some is the drugs. The butt hair is the drugs. Lol. It’s a common side effect, but like I said, laser is awesome. Shave and zap!

For me, once a day is soooo much less effective than twice a day. So no more of that, and back to cream removal once a week. My experiment with lowering the dose didn’t really help the upper lip, so that’s likely just me. It was already starting to become an issue before I started.

It’s untrue that these hairs will fall out together. They’ll stagger quite well. My DH has been on Minoxidil for more than 10 years. He is a Norwood I to II. His father was a Norwood IV to V by the same age, and my husband was following suit before he started the drugs.

I really got a huge burst of new growth a year ago. I think it was due to the extra stuff I was putting in it, and the twice a day Minoxidil was enough to preserve it. I’m going back to adding more stuff because it seemed to really boost the new growth a lot more. I am, however, still getting previously miniaturized follicles producing new terminal hairs. It’s really disconcerting. My hairline has moved forward more than half an inch.

[Reyesuela]

WOW your hair has really regained its thickness! The top of your braid is so thick now. Your post gives me some hope- my great grandmother, grandmother, mother and aunts all suffer from female pattern baldness, so it's just a matter of time that I am afflicted too. I hope that when it does happen, mine will be treatable like yours is.

It’s crucial to catch it early. Minoxidil is very effective at maintaining your hair. It’s less effective at restoring it. I’m an extreme example. I got lucky. I really waited too late to deserve these results.

[NightSister]

Out of curiosity, what is the "extra stuff" you were using in addition to the minoxidil? :)

[Reyesuela]

Tons of things! I talk about them in the thread in my signature.

[NightSister]

Read through the whole thread - thank you for the time in energy you spent in compiling all the info!

[Reyesuela]

You’re welcome!

[Blue Mermaid]

Reyesuela thank you so much for putting up with my interrogation. I just got back from walmart and picked up some minoxidil. Alot of sources recommended 2% twice a day for women, so that's what I picked up- but I see you've been using 5%. Hmm. I wonder- since I don't think mine has advanced as much as yours did before you started, if the 2% will be enough to get some of the hair I've recently lost (last 6 months) to start coming back and keep it there.. or if I should return it and get 5%. I think starting at 2% is playing it safe as far as side effects go, but if it's not going to work then I'm wasting my time.

Also, I purchased the walmart generic as it was HALF the cost of name brand. Do you use name brand or generic? It's the same ingredient so it should work the same, right?

[divinedobbie]

Reyesuela thank you so much for putting up with my interrogation. I just got back from walmart and picked up some minoxidil. Alot of sources recommended 2% twice a day for women, so that's what I picked up- but I see you've been using 5%. Hmm. I wonder- since I don't think mine has advanced as much as yours did before you started, if the 2% will be enough to get some of the hair I've recently lost (last 6 months) to start coming back and keep it there.. or if I should return it and get 5%. I think starting at 2% is playing it safe as far as side effects go, but if it's not going to work then I'm wasting my time.

Also, I purchased the walmart generic as it was HALF the cost of name brand. Do you use name brand or generic? It's the same ingredient so it should work the same, right?

Rey will be much more of an expert than I but I was told to specifically buy the 5% one (as the higher concentration is the one being validated as effective on woman) and unfortunately the only 5% one was the brand name which yes I wholly expensive.

[Reyesuela]

2%!is the only one approved for women, but most doctors recommend 5% once a day instead of 2% twice a day because the grow/effect is generally the same with less scalp irritation from the other ingredients. They recommend 5% usually if your side effects (aka hair where you don’t want it) are acceptable to you.

[Reyesuela]

Kirkland’s is the cheapest! If you don’t have a Costco membership, people flip it on Amazon. One year supply is like $52.

If it really bothers your scalp, there are alcohol free versions that are a little less effective but not too much. Otherwise, no reason for name brand.

[Blue Mermaid]

Hm. They didn't have 5% in liquid, only foam, which everyone says is a no-go for long hair. I'll stick it out with the 2% for the next few months, then when I'm almost out I"ll see if I can't find 5% in liquid form.

[Reyesuela]

They don’t have it where? It’s at Walmart and online at Amazon.

[Beckstar]

Is female pattern baldness the same as male pattern baldness?

[Reyesuela]

Is female pattern baldness the same as make pattern baldness?

Women get thin over a wider area versus the aggressive total baldness. It also can affect some of the areas that never lose hair in men, just less. The mechanism is likely the same—over sensitivity to a certain androgen in some follicles. It’s very similar.

[Blue Mermaid]

Is female pattern baldness the same as make pattern baldness?

In a sense-yes. Both are genetic. More common in men than women- women supposedly need 2 copies of the gene to get it, whereas men only need one. The mechanism is the same- androgens cause a reaction in the scalp, more or less.

As for not having the 5% liquid, this was at my local walmart. In 5% they only had foam in stock, though the shelf looked sparse. Perhaps next time I stop by they will have it.

[divinedobbie]

2%!is the only one approved for women, but most doctors recommend 5% once a day instead of 2% twice a day because the grow/effect is generally the same with less scalp irritation from the other ingredients. They recommend 5% usually if your side effects (aka hair where you don’t want it) are acceptable to you.

It must be different in different countries. Our brand name minoxodil is "Rogaine for women" and it's only available in 5%

For the record, I didn't have any side effects from the Rogaine (maybe wasn't on it long enough) but that's also why I didn't think it was working on me

[Blue Mermaid]

started the minoxidil 2% tonight. For posterity, here are my before photos

1. Back of my crown area. The front of my hair used to be just as dense.
https://i.imgur.com/pUwaGpRl.jpg

2. Left front

https://i.imgur.com/43Xn6dgl.jpg

3. Right front
https://i.imgur.com/up63Ejhl.jpg


Definitely seems like my part has gotten wider/hair has gotten thinner up front. I started noticing that when my hair is all pulled back, you can see scalp in the front. Before you couldn't see scalp at all, my hair was much too dense.

For reference, he's a pic from when I worked in a salon, about 6 years ago.

https://i.imgur.com/igMxLBL.jpg

[erebus]

It gets weird and loose at the nape. You wouldn’t think 3” vs just over 4” makes a difference, but there is so much more hair higher up that it’s all weird and different.

The circumference can be a deceiving metric since the 'volume' of hair goes as the circumference squared. A 4" ponytail has almost twice the hair of a 3"

[Reyesuela]

It must be different in different countries. Our brand name minoxodil is "Rogaine for women" and it's only available in 5%

For the record, I didn't have any side effects from the Rogaine (maybe wasn't on it long enough) but that's also why I didn't think it was working on me
Must be a country issue! Regardless, most doctors recommend 5% off label vs 2% intheUS.

Only some people have side effects. I often get side effects to things. :)

[Reyesuela]

started the minoxidil 2% tonight. For posterity, here are my before photos

1. Back of my crown area. The front of my hair used to be just as dense.
https://i.imgur.com/pUwaGpRl.jpg

2. Left front

https://i.imgur.com/43Xn6dgl.jpg

3. Right front
https://i.imgur.com/up63Ejhl.jpg


Definitely seems like my part has gotten wider/hair has gotten thinner up front. I started noticing that when my hair is all pulled back, you can see scalp in the front. Before you couldn't see scalp at all, my hair was much too dense.

For reference, he's a pic from when I worked in a salon, about 6 years ago.

https://i.imgur.com/igMxLBL.jpg

That looks like classic androgenic alopecia, butin women itcan have 3 causes instead of one: androgen excess, insulin insensitivity, and pattern baldness. :)

[Reyesuela]

The circumference can be a deceiving metric since the 'volume' of hair goes as the circumference squared. A 4" ponytail has almost twice the hair of a 3"

Oh, yes. 33% increase in diameter means double the total hair.

The stying issue is mostly due to a very different distribution. What used to work doesn’t anymore. :)

[divinedobbie]

Alright so I took pictures of my scalp to see what it looks like and I'm kind of freaking out now! Middle part, and left and right temples. My hair isn't the cleanest so that's *maybe* making it look a little worse but still!! (I CO washed last night and skipped a wash before that and usually I'm a daily shampoo-er).

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=31019&d=1522536826

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=31020&d=1522536835

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=31021&d=1522536859

I've been taking pictures and measurements of my ponytail about annually to compare and it looks about the same for the past few years but a lot thinner than a 2010 pictures someone took of me (I started taking pictures to keep track in 2014 or so). When I joined LHC in 2014 my ponytail was close to 2.75" , slowly dropped to 2.5" and it's been measuring between 2 and 2.25" for the past few months. I stopped shedding in February. I don't know how panicked I should be.

[Reyesuela]

No reason to panic. There’s only significant thinning at the temples. Given how recent your hair loss is, complete recovery is very likely!

[Garnetgem]

Thank you that’s not a bad idea
I have never heard of a trichologist until now
Thank you

I saw a trichologist in the past very helpful not only in treating my bad shedding but advice and top tips for healthy growth..

[Blue Mermaid]

I'm having a hard time being consistent with the minoxidil. I'm lucky if I apply once a day, let alone twice. Hopefully the habit will get better with time..

[Reyesuela]

I'm having a hard time being consistent with the minoxidil. I'm lucky if I apply once a day, let alone twice. Hopefully the habit will get better with time..

Just tie it to another activity—brushing your teeth or whatever. It’s too hard to remember on its own when you’re groggy. :). For me, it’s what I do after brushing my teeth at night and before putting up my hair in the morning.

[Beckstar]

https://s9.postimg.org/ghwznnk23/IMG_20180215_215239671_BURST000_COVER_TOP_1.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/ghwznnk23/)

My top area/bangs is a lot thinner than it used to be. It's a lot thinner than it was just 4 months ago. This is when I realized it was thinning and it's quite a lot thinner now. Last year you couldn't see my scalp when I took pictures. My curls cover a lot.

https://s9.postimg.org/fse7b6omj/IMG_20180321_194701590.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/fse7b6omj/)

I can't wear half-ups right now because you can see too much of my scalp. It's never been like this before.
It's slowed down since I started on thyroid meds. I'm just hoping it'll start to grow back. If not, my doctor said there were meds she can prescribe to help it.

[Reyesuela]

If you have thyroid issues, that can account for all of it, and fixing your thyroid level should fix the hair! Continuing hair issues with normal thyroid levels indicates Something else is mucking with your hair.

You can nudge it along with the Nizoral. :)

[Beckstar]

Thankfully my curls fluffy out a lot and add coverage. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm still growing and and keeping up with my side-shave...why do I want to shave off my hair when I was losing it??? Planning for future styles and length. ;)

[Reyesuela]

I’ve seen some very cool side shaved with long hair. :)

[Lumienkeli]

Dear Reyesuela! I have thinning temple hairs for years. I didn't know that there is a treatment for this, thank you for your informative posts! You give hope!
(I had a major hormonal hair loss in my early twenties because birth control pills and too high level of testosterone, and half of my hair is still not back.) I am still breastfeeding my daugther and I am not sure at the moment if I want a third baby in he coming years or not. If I start to use minoxidil than stop it when I finally decide to bear a baby again all my minoxidil inducted new growth will fall out? Can I stop the treatment without a shock? How long you are planning to continue your cure? Did you use minoxidil when you breastfeeded your baby too? I am worried because of this too.

Nizoral could be safe at preagnancy nd breastfeeding according the warning on the box but could it be enough alone? I didn't find anything how effective is Nizoral alone. (On the box there is a warning that it might cause hair fall, but nothing about growth support.)

[Reyesuela]

The hair that is grown with minoxidil isn’t special, magical hair that depends on minoxidil for its day to day existence. Stop using minoxidil, and you’d go back to losing at your natural rate, no faster.

Rosemary oil and peppermint essential oil (at 2-5%) topically are good options while breastfeeding. Minoxidil is likely NOT safe in pregnancy. The typical Indian hair topical herbs that have shown a nice effect should also be totally safe in pregnancy—amla, eclipta alba, etc. I wouldn’t use Minoxidil during breastfeeding.

Nizoral alone thickened my friend’s hair a fair amount, and even now her hair loss is slower. She has really quite severe loss but is too low maintenance to even use skin cream.

I have to continue forever. Nothing is going to rewrite my genes, after all! I guess if I go nuts in my old age, I’ll likely stop. :)

[Lumienkeli]

Thank you for your answer! I of course don't want to use anything harmful at pregnancy. Please apologize my not so perfect English for this misunderstanding. I was wondering about Nizoral, but I checked the other ingredients and those chemicals are harsh for my taste.

Then I will try something herbal. Thanks you for the Rosemary and Peppermint advice. I can boost a hair oil blend with them. I also planning to buy some Hair vitamins.

[ravenheather]

I’ve been on Minoxidil for 18 months.

I didn’t notice an initial shed phase because I was losing such massive amounts already. Brushing my hair would choke the brush. I’m sure there was one, but I couldn’t tell the difference between losing epic amounts of hair and losing ultra epic amounts of hair.

It’s crucial to reaize that you’ll only shed hairs that are about to go into telogen anyway! Basically, you fast forward your hair loss a month as the hairs that are about to go into telogen shed their hair quickly to re-enter anagen.

By month 3, I was losing far far far less hair than before. For a while, I was shedding less than 10 per day!!! That was when I was adding in other stuff. That slowly ramped up to around 20-ish. I tried to cut back to once a day 5% so I wouldn’t have to depilate my upper lip (which gets more dark hair) and my cheeks/neck (which get longer hair but it’s all very thin and downy), and that triggered a pretty massive shed I’m still recovering from. Lol. I probably lost 50-60 hairs yesterday—way less than many hundreds before, but still too much for how young the hairs mostly are.

It should be noted that I’ve ALWAYS been on the hairy side for a woman. I started bleaching my arm hair in middle school. I now do home laser on it once every 3 months. I also already had a few hairs I had to pluck years ago. So some of this is just me, and some is the drugs. The butt hair is the drugs. Lol. It’s a common side effect, but like I said, laser is awesome. Shave and zap!

For me, once a day is soooo much less effective than twice a day. So no more of that, and back to cream removal once a week. My experiment with lowering the dose didn’t really help the upper lip, so that’s likely just me. It was already starting to become an issue before I started.

It’s untrue that these hairs will fall out together. They’ll stagger quite well. My DH has been on Minoxidil for more than 10 years. He is a Norwood I to II. His father was a Norwood IV to V by the same age, and my husband was following suit before he started the drugs.

I really got a huge burst of new growth a year ago. I think it was due to the extra stuff I was putting in it, and the twice a day Minoxidil was enough to preserve it. I’m going back to adding more stuff because it seemed to really boost the new growth a lot more. I am, however, still getting previously miniaturized follicles producing new terminal hairs. It’s really disconcerting. My hairline has moved forward more than half an inch.

So which things are you adding back? Which give you the most bang for your buck so to speak?

[Wendyp]

This is interesting. I see a wellness doctor and she really thinks outside the box. I’m treated for hypo thyroid etc and hormones as I’m 53. But I have had facial hair all my life. And it’s pretty bad. No one has ever tried to remedy and just said it is what it is. So she just did a cortisol test on me and my adrenals are going crazy. I produce too much testosterone which now in reading something reyesuala said about androgens I bet that’s why my hair hates oil and I have probably been losing hair without knowing it. Hence the I really have medium hair but it’s thin. My doctor has me on a bunch of chinese herbs for my cortisol and stuff to lower testosterone. I think my hair already feels fuller. It’s very interesting how your hair can reflect your health issues.