The Gardener
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 25
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Xandrox 15% is a proprietary blend made by Dr Lee. It is comprised of 15% minoxidil, combined with 5% azelaic acid, suspended in a vehicle of alcohol and glycerin. The azelaic acid is a topical anti-androgen similar to spironolactone. Dr Lee’s website is a bit rudimentary, but his responsiveness to orders and timely shipping give him a big A+ in the customer service area, in my opinion.
It comes in a large 120ml container. The directions state that it is supposed to be used once a day, and standard minoxidil is supposed to be used for the other daily application. So, one bottle of xandrox 15 is supposed to last for 120 1ml applications, i.e. four months.
APPLICATION
Xandrox is applied with a dropper, just like normal minoxidil. I have always liked Dr Lee’s droppers for his minoxidil, and his xandrox 15 dropper does not disappoint either. In fact, I think it is BETTER than his standard 5% dropper. It is very narrow at the mouth, which helps provide accurate dosing and good droplet size control.
The solution itself is quite different in texture than normal minoxidil. It reminds me of sugar water… it applies as a liquid, but the minute it hits the warmth of the scalp it starts to get tacky and sticky. This is fantastic in that runniness and drippiness is not an issue with xandrox 15. But, this is bad in that you have what feels like a layer of dried cola on your scalp and forehead… sticky and tacky.
WEARING IT, AND DRYING TIME
In the product literature, Dr Lee states that you should expect a tingling or stinging sensation on the scalp from the azelaic acid. This is true, and frankly it feels very pleasant, especially after a good Nizoral or T/Sal soak. In fact, it feels better than pleasant, it feels f*****g fantastic.
The primary downside of xandrox 15 is the drying time. Frankly, it never does. It just starts as a tacky liquid, and over the course of hours transitions to a pasty layer, and then to a tar-like layer. Luckily, the substance is clear so on the scalp it is not noticeable. However, my affected area is the frontal/temples, so it looks as if I have a layer of Vaseline or something on my bald temples. Fortunately you only have to use the xandrox once a day, as it is not something I would ‘wear’ out of the house given my particular hairloss pattern so I have used it in the evenings.
When I awaken in the morning, most of the tackiness is finally gone and what is left is the familiar dusting of white minoxidil powder.
RESULTS
Definite results. I have been using it for, say, about two months now, I think. There is a noticeable jolt in the ‘sprout patch’ area of the temples. However, I think most of us veterans know that not much really ever develops from this initial ‘sprout patch’ activity, but it IS an indication of positive effects. Most of my results have been coming along the sides of my center strip hair, my infamous ‘Isthimus of Panama’ pattern in the center forehead. It is hard to tell, but I do notice a preponderance of sprouts on the sides. These sprouts have historically been the ones that have held their ground. However, the most noticeable improvement is in the upper corner area of my temples. This top corner area was somewhat reclaimed from my normal minoxidil use, and the xandrox has reinforced this with some impressively thick hairshafts here. Then again, this might have been caused by my normal minoxidil usage over the last year and a half so it is hard to say. Nevertheless, what I can say is that I did see some of the typical ‘initial symptoms’ of minoxidil response after two months on the sh*t. This is remarkable, given that I’ve been on minoxidil for a year and a half. In short, for someone already on minoxidil, stepping up to xandrox has given me that same jolt of initial results as if I were starting minoxidil for the first time.
CONCLUSION
In short, I DO think that xandrox 15 definitely inspired some new regrowth. However, I am going to discontinue it personally because I don’t want to return to the days of Rogaine-like greasiness. I am too used to the relative invisibility of Dr Lee standard 5% minoxidil, and perhaps it took this brief experience with xandrox 15 to remind me how much I hated dealing with that greasiness back then. For those who want results over and above 5% minoxidil, and don’t mind the visibility of the substance on your scalp in the evenings, you might want to consider trying it.
NOTE- The product I tried was Xandrox 15%. I have not used Xandrox 5%, and do not know anything about it's characteristics but I hear that Xandrox 5 has application qualities that are more similar to minoxidil.
Xandrox 15% is a proprietary blend made by Dr Lee. It is comprised of 15% minoxidil, combined with 5% azelaic acid, suspended in a vehicle of alcohol and glycerin. The azelaic acid is a topical anti-androgen similar to spironolactone. Dr Lee’s website is a bit rudimentary, but his responsiveness to orders and timely shipping give him a big A+ in the customer service area, in my opinion.
It comes in a large 120ml container. The directions state that it is supposed to be used once a day, and standard minoxidil is supposed to be used for the other daily application. So, one bottle of xandrox 15 is supposed to last for 120 1ml applications, i.e. four months.
APPLICATION
Xandrox is applied with a dropper, just like normal minoxidil. I have always liked Dr Lee’s droppers for his minoxidil, and his xandrox 15 dropper does not disappoint either. In fact, I think it is BETTER than his standard 5% dropper. It is very narrow at the mouth, which helps provide accurate dosing and good droplet size control.
The solution itself is quite different in texture than normal minoxidil. It reminds me of sugar water… it applies as a liquid, but the minute it hits the warmth of the scalp it starts to get tacky and sticky. This is fantastic in that runniness and drippiness is not an issue with xandrox 15. But, this is bad in that you have what feels like a layer of dried cola on your scalp and forehead… sticky and tacky.
WEARING IT, AND DRYING TIME
In the product literature, Dr Lee states that you should expect a tingling or stinging sensation on the scalp from the azelaic acid. This is true, and frankly it feels very pleasant, especially after a good Nizoral or T/Sal soak. In fact, it feels better than pleasant, it feels f*****g fantastic.
The primary downside of xandrox 15 is the drying time. Frankly, it never does. It just starts as a tacky liquid, and over the course of hours transitions to a pasty layer, and then to a tar-like layer. Luckily, the substance is clear so on the scalp it is not noticeable. However, my affected area is the frontal/temples, so it looks as if I have a layer of Vaseline or something on my bald temples. Fortunately you only have to use the xandrox once a day, as it is not something I would ‘wear’ out of the house given my particular hairloss pattern so I have used it in the evenings.
When I awaken in the morning, most of the tackiness is finally gone and what is left is the familiar dusting of white minoxidil powder.
RESULTS
Definite results. I have been using it for, say, about two months now, I think. There is a noticeable jolt in the ‘sprout patch’ area of the temples. However, I think most of us veterans know that not much really ever develops from this initial ‘sprout patch’ activity, but it IS an indication of positive effects. Most of my results have been coming along the sides of my center strip hair, my infamous ‘Isthimus of Panama’ pattern in the center forehead. It is hard to tell, but I do notice a preponderance of sprouts on the sides. These sprouts have historically been the ones that have held their ground. However, the most noticeable improvement is in the upper corner area of my temples. This top corner area was somewhat reclaimed from my normal minoxidil use, and the xandrox has reinforced this with some impressively thick hairshafts here. Then again, this might have been caused by my normal minoxidil usage over the last year and a half so it is hard to say. Nevertheless, what I can say is that I did see some of the typical ‘initial symptoms’ of minoxidil response after two months on the sh*t. This is remarkable, given that I’ve been on minoxidil for a year and a half. In short, for someone already on minoxidil, stepping up to xandrox has given me that same jolt of initial results as if I were starting minoxidil for the first time.
CONCLUSION
In short, I DO think that xandrox 15 definitely inspired some new regrowth. However, I am going to discontinue it personally because I don’t want to return to the days of Rogaine-like greasiness. I am too used to the relative invisibility of Dr Lee standard 5% minoxidil, and perhaps it took this brief experience with xandrox 15 to remind me how much I hated dealing with that greasiness back then. For those who want results over and above 5% minoxidil, and don’t mind the visibility of the substance on your scalp in the evenings, you might want to consider trying it.
NOTE- The product I tried was Xandrox 15%. I have not used Xandrox 5%, and do not know anything about it's characteristics but I hear that Xandrox 5 has application qualities that are more similar to minoxidil.