Bicalutamide has a very low binding capacity as compared to regular androgens like testosterone and DHT. The only reason it's able to work for hair loss is because of its elimination half life. Since its elimination half life is around a week, its concentration builds up inside the body and thanks to basic chemical kinetics [the rate of a reaction is the product of the rate constant and (a power of) the concentration of its reactants; the rate constant gives it away for bicalutamide but concentration declares its victory in hairloss].
Now in the gonads and genitals, thanks to the androgen surge due to blockade of androgen receptor in hypothalamus, the concentration of testosterone and DHT is so high that there is no way bicalutamide can bind to even a single receptor.
So, no shrinking of testicles, no other sexual side effects.
Yes, my parents do say some things but not a lot. And for that matter, hair loss is a big issue of self esteem, so grave that I was able to convince them to let me take this step, and to my surprise, even my father takes bicalutamide now, hoping his hair would return. I don't have a problem with that, since it can prevent prostate cancer too.
Well, yes. Never more than 100 (I hate you shampoo days), never less than 10, but I have this crazy habit of constantly combing through my long hairs, so I guess I can't complain. I'm still sceptical of whether this claim of shedding 50-100 hairs a day being normal is really authentic or not. (I can notice all of my shedding because my hair is pretty much all the time in a shower cap.)
Also, I shampoo only once a week, because I've got very less sebum production after starting the treatment.