fearlessly
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Hey guys!
Long-time lurker, finally registered because I really want to lock down a good hair routine for me. Sorry in advance for the long post, but I wanted to be thorough! A bit of history:
I spent the last two years living abroad in western Africa, serving in the Peace Corps. I've noticed since I was 18 (am 26 now) that my hairline was very slowly receding at the temples, but within a month of arriving in Africa, I just started losing a lot of hair; like, when I'd look in the mirror, I could see scalp all over the top section of my head, which had never happened before. I've always had very strong, thick, Mediterranean hair, and it threw me off. After getting comments from family/friends back home while Skyping, I started researching treatment options. In early January this year, I came across a bottle of some off-brand African minoxidil, and bought a bottle, which was my catalyst. I ordered a shipment of Kirkland minoxidil and had it shipped to home, and then my family mailed out a three-month supply box to me en Afrique. I've used it consistently since then, and have noticed a LOT of progress. I had a super dramatic shedding period (like, lost SO MUCH hair), and then buzzed my head, but was still discouraged because the hair on the back of my head and sides was growing much more consistently than what was on top (i.e., I cut everything down to say, level "1", and then two months later, some of my hairs were still at 1 while others were at "5").
I finished my service and came home a week ago. I went and got a haircut, and now that all my hairs are more or less even on the top of my head, the results are SUPER noticeable. I'm incredibly happy, and would be thrilled at the very least to MAINTAIN these results. Any extra gains would be a bonus. I'm aiming for that bonus, though! Since I'm really motivated right now, I want to get your guys' opinions on the ideal routine, and start that and stick to it.
Current routine:
5% Liquid Minoxidil, 2x a day (morning and night).
QUESTIONS:
1. If I'm getting satisfactory results using just Minoxidil, should I add Finasteride? I found a box of 10 5mg tablets when I was in Africa, but they were very small circle pills, so cutting them was a pain in the ***. I kind of spread those out over three months, maybe taking 1 mg (ish) two or three times a week. I'm not sure if it had any real result or not. If you guys think it's necessary, I'll get a prescription for the 5mg that I can easily split into 1.25 pieces. I'm not concerned about sides really. Also, should I have my hormone's tested before getting a Finasteride prescription? Or since it's such a small dosage, is it really not problematic?
2. Now that I'm like... going out in public again and expected to look nice, I'm growing out my hair and will be styling as such (sort of pompadour-esque). The liquid minoxidil really leaves my hair greasy and even sometimes crunchy to the touch, which I HATE; but also, I can't really style it with products. Introducing any styling products into my hair is honestly not going to happen for about a month since it's short now, but I want to prepare. It seems like people who use Rogaine foam have a lot less problems with this. Should I switch to Rogaine foam in the AM and then put in liquid minoxidil at night to save costs? I don't mind sleeping with the greasier liquid minoxidil in.
3. I've really tried searching more about good shampooing/conditioning regimens, but nobody seems to have a consensus. I have a bottle of Nizoral 1% on order, should be arriving this afternoon. I have several questions on this. First of all, is 1% fine, or should I get a prescription for 2%? I hear that it's best to only use this 1-2 times a week, and leave it in 3-5 minutes before rinsing out. My hair gets very grease, so I can't shampoo just two times a week, I need at the very least every other day, but ideally every day. What do I do for the other days of the week? Can I just use a non-sulfate shampoo? For conditioning, is it fine to condition every day with just any good conditioner? I feel like nobody has really been suggesting any off-the-wall conditioners with anything special in them, but I use K+S Peppermint Oil Conditioner, because I like the smell and it helps with dry scalp - which the minoxidil definitely gives me.
I think that's pretty much all of my questions. Seriously, a big thanks in advance to anyone who's gotten through this and can offer some wisdom!!
Long-time lurker, finally registered because I really want to lock down a good hair routine for me. Sorry in advance for the long post, but I wanted to be thorough! A bit of history:
I spent the last two years living abroad in western Africa, serving in the Peace Corps. I've noticed since I was 18 (am 26 now) that my hairline was very slowly receding at the temples, but within a month of arriving in Africa, I just started losing a lot of hair; like, when I'd look in the mirror, I could see scalp all over the top section of my head, which had never happened before. I've always had very strong, thick, Mediterranean hair, and it threw me off. After getting comments from family/friends back home while Skyping, I started researching treatment options. In early January this year, I came across a bottle of some off-brand African minoxidil, and bought a bottle, which was my catalyst. I ordered a shipment of Kirkland minoxidil and had it shipped to home, and then my family mailed out a three-month supply box to me en Afrique. I've used it consistently since then, and have noticed a LOT of progress. I had a super dramatic shedding period (like, lost SO MUCH hair), and then buzzed my head, but was still discouraged because the hair on the back of my head and sides was growing much more consistently than what was on top (i.e., I cut everything down to say, level "1", and then two months later, some of my hairs were still at 1 while others were at "5").
I finished my service and came home a week ago. I went and got a haircut, and now that all my hairs are more or less even on the top of my head, the results are SUPER noticeable. I'm incredibly happy, and would be thrilled at the very least to MAINTAIN these results. Any extra gains would be a bonus. I'm aiming for that bonus, though! Since I'm really motivated right now, I want to get your guys' opinions on the ideal routine, and start that and stick to it.
Current routine:
5% Liquid Minoxidil, 2x a day (morning and night).
QUESTIONS:
1. If I'm getting satisfactory results using just Minoxidil, should I add Finasteride? I found a box of 10 5mg tablets when I was in Africa, but they were very small circle pills, so cutting them was a pain in the ***. I kind of spread those out over three months, maybe taking 1 mg (ish) two or three times a week. I'm not sure if it had any real result or not. If you guys think it's necessary, I'll get a prescription for the 5mg that I can easily split into 1.25 pieces. I'm not concerned about sides really. Also, should I have my hormone's tested before getting a Finasteride prescription? Or since it's such a small dosage, is it really not problematic?
2. Now that I'm like... going out in public again and expected to look nice, I'm growing out my hair and will be styling as such (sort of pompadour-esque). The liquid minoxidil really leaves my hair greasy and even sometimes crunchy to the touch, which I HATE; but also, I can't really style it with products. Introducing any styling products into my hair is honestly not going to happen for about a month since it's short now, but I want to prepare. It seems like people who use Rogaine foam have a lot less problems with this. Should I switch to Rogaine foam in the AM and then put in liquid minoxidil at night to save costs? I don't mind sleeping with the greasier liquid minoxidil in.
3. I've really tried searching more about good shampooing/conditioning regimens, but nobody seems to have a consensus. I have a bottle of Nizoral 1% on order, should be arriving this afternoon. I have several questions on this. First of all, is 1% fine, or should I get a prescription for 2%? I hear that it's best to only use this 1-2 times a week, and leave it in 3-5 minutes before rinsing out. My hair gets very grease, so I can't shampoo just two times a week, I need at the very least every other day, but ideally every day. What do I do for the other days of the week? Can I just use a non-sulfate shampoo? For conditioning, is it fine to condition every day with just any good conditioner? I feel like nobody has really been suggesting any off-the-wall conditioners with anything special in them, but I use K+S Peppermint Oil Conditioner, because I like the smell and it helps with dry scalp - which the minoxidil definitely gives me.
I think that's pretty much all of my questions. Seriously, a big thanks in advance to anyone who's gotten through this and can offer some wisdom!!
