Since I can no longer tolerate finasteride side effects, I’m looking into trying topical dutasteride. I’ve read that it can be effective in an alcohol-based vehicle, but I’ve also heard liposomal vehicles might be even better for targeting the scalp and minimizing systemic absorption.

Is anyone here currently using either of these formulations? If so, what carrier are you using, and what does it usually cost you?

Started in august of 2022 with 2.5mg Oral Minoxidil and 0.5mg Dut daily.

I am lucky because it stopped my hairloss and recovered the crown pretty much completely.

However, on the front and sides my hairline is pretty much the same. Now that I want some shorter haircut I would like to try and recover some hair there as well so I am thinking of dermastamping and local topical Minoxidil.

What would be the best depth and frequency? I am a bit lost because of conflicting search results and am scared of scarring.

Thanks guys!

31 M, Indian, hair been thinning for 3-4 years now. Started oral Fin twice, 1mg EOD or daily, but stopped each time due to the unmentionables.

I am thinking of trying topical Fin to minimise said unmentionables this time, and figured I could do a Fin+Min solution if I am going through the hassle of applying serum.

So yeah standard questions -

1. How's your experience been?
2. For those who tried both oral and topical Fin, how was the difference in results and the 'negative results'?
3. How big is the hassle - does it affect hair texture? Styling? How long does it take to dry? Is it ok if I am someone who likes to fiddle around with my hair, is it horrible if I get some on my hands through the day? No pets or partner in my life at the moment.
4. Suggestions on Foam vs. Serum?
5. Indian people here - any brand suggestions for Fin+Min solutions?

I am sure the question has been asked 100s of times here already, I will go through the search results as well.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my hair transplant and treatment journey and hear from people who have had a similar experience, especially with crown thinning.

I had an FUE hair transplant on 20 October 2025, so I’m just a few days away from the one-year mark. My crown remains my biggest concern.

One important detail: the lower/central part of my crown was not transplanted. There are still existing hairs there, including many fine, thin hairs, so my concern involves how those native hairs are responding to treatment as well as my overall appearance after surgery.

My treatment timeline:

• December 2025: Started 5% minoxidil foam twice daily. ( But was not consistence)
• Late November 2025: Started using ketoconazole shampoo.
• February 2026: Had a break from minoxidil for approximately four weeks.
• March 2026 onward: Restarted minoxidil and have been consistent since then.
• 22 April 2026: Started topical finasteride, Fynzur, using three sprays daily. I’ve chosen the topical route because I prefer to avoid oral finasteride.
• Around September 2026: Added microneedling with a 1 mm device once weekly. I’ve been doing this for roughly four to five weeks.
• October 2026: Recently added tretinoin to my scalp routine.

Where I am now:

The crown still looks noticeably thin, and I’m finding it difficult to judge how much thickening is happening. I’ve been taking progress photos, but lighting, hair condition and the angle make comparisons tricky.

I also recently started taking close-up images with a scalp microscope. I can see hairs of different thicknesses, including plenty of very fine hairs. What I can’t tell is whether these are becoming thicker over time.

The waiting and uncertainty have probably been the hardest part. I’m trying to be realistic: I’m almost a year after surgery, but I’m only approaching six months on topical finasteride, and my uninterrupted stretch of minoxidil use began in March.

I’d appreciate hearing your experiences:

1. If you had an untransplanted, thinning crown, did you notice further improvement between six and twelve months on topical finasteride alongside minoxidil?
2. Did your progress involve existing fine hairs gradually becoming thicker?
3. How did you take consistent crown photos and judge whether treatment was helping?

I’m hoping for better coverage and would appreciate honest feedback from people who have been through a similar timeline.

Aloederma Natural Hair tonic and Shampoo and Conditioner. Is this really effective?

I saw a video on TikTok featuring a woman who had undergone chemotherapy and was completely bald. She tried the Aloederma Natural Hair Tonic, Shampoo, and Conditioner set, and after 1year, her hair grew back—and it even became thicker than before.

So i stopped using Finasteride and Topical Minoxidil three from now. cuz The reason I went bald is the use of harmful chemicals—such as hair straightening products and hot hair dryers—as well as hair wax (like Gatsby) and stress from work. That is why I lost my hair. So I ask you guys if this is really effective for hairloss?

I take multivitamins and biotin starting today.

And also I do micro needling twice a week.

How do you guys apply topical minoxidil to make sure whole scalp is fully covered? Oral min is not avaliable where I live and not interested on drinking topical…

Particularly for dating and attracting women

Mild recession on temples only (Probably NW2-3). Started fin about 6 months ago. No minox (and I don’t plan to take it ever). So far, no noticeable worsening but no improvement either. I guess that’s still a solid outcome, since Fin is not meant for regrowth anyway.

I’ve been thinking of getting a minor HT (likely to be under 1k grafts). But I wonder if perhaps there’s still a chance for Fin to help with regrowth maybe after the 1 year mark?

Because if that’s the case, I can save those grafts for a potential HT later on.

TLDR: 6 months on Fin. No worsening and no regrowth. Is there still a potential for regrowth? Or should I just go for a HT?

After doing some research my plan is to

1. Sign up for the premium goodrx individual plan ($10 a month)

2. Get a telehealth visit for $20.

3. Hopefully get a one year fin script at the visit

4. Have then transfer to cost plus drugs for filling the script

5. Cancel goodrx individual plan

6. Repeat in 1 year.

Ive seen this discussed in years past but want to make sure it still works! I was also thinking about lemonaid but they are not responding to my questions.

I started to notice my balding around my 21st birthday. I am going to be 25 pretty soon. The balding has derailed my life so bad I can’t even fully explain the extent of it. I am of course on dutasteride and oral min for the past 3 years.

I have had severe OCD my whole life and I was sexually assaulted as a child. However, On the surface my life is near perfect, I have many friends, a family that loves me, a really well paying work from home job, I’m told I’m good looking, etc. but the OCD is crippling and I feel helpless. I have spend everyday these past 4 years looking in a mirror for a minimum of 3-4 hours or ocd google spiraling and crying myself to sleep.

My girlfriend of 7.5 years left me earlier this year, in large part due to my mental illness. I don’t blame her an ounce, she deserves a normal life. But I feel like the most broken human to walk the earth.

I know my hair isn’t that bad. It’s not bad at all even by most people’s standards. But I can’t stand the high corners and thinness of my hairline. I already got a hair transplant and it still looks so thin and receded.

I know my battle is with my OCD and not my hair but I can’t win. I have been in therapy twice weekly since I was a child and I can’t seem to break out of this. I’ve tried damn near every antidepressant or pill in the book but the obsessive loop is just always stronger.

I want out of this hellish loop. Everyday looks the same and I’m terrified of both living and dying. I’m only staying for my mother, but once she goes.

When i started treatment i was ilke nw2 maybe idk. I have naturally big forehead. Maybe this hindered recession. I have recession on my temples and temporal peak. I started using 2.5mg oral dutasteride and 1.25mg oral minoxidil and shaved my hair same day. Now 10 months passed since then and i wonder if dutasteride is enough for it and im gonna get hr in the future. Cardiovascular risks of oral minox make me nerveous. What do you think guys?

Been on fin/min periodically for about 2 years now. First on topical min with no fin. Then on fin/min spray but with both I got the itch terribly bad and it made my scalp burn so I was able to get on oral fin for awhile. I didn’t supplement min additionally at the time but I wasn’t noticing any of the major fin side effects.

Then in May of this year I hopped on the keeps 0.2mg dutasturide, 2.5mg minoxidil chew and didn’t have any sides until the start of October where now my libido has plummeted. Definitely feel the slight “ache” in the balls that people mention and erections when trying to masturbate are way weaker. Genuinely my dick feels smaller throughout the entire day. No random erections and overall a slight numbness. All of this has really only showed up in the past 3 weeks where I’ve also been pretty adamant on being pretty fit and healthy. I had my blood tested in month 4 and test came back in the 600s but that honestly was before I really felt any of these sides. Besides that what sucks is I had a pretty bad shed in month 4 and at the same time the sides showed up was when I finally noticed some improvement with the hair.

I’ve already switched my prescription to separate oral finasteride and minoxidil gels and plan to stop taking the keeps chew entirely. Mainly posting here to see if anyone else experienced this and what they did next. I thought I was in the clear for sides after a few months! I didn’t have these sides before on oral finasteride but after this I’m tempted to go just strictly topical finasteride while still oral minoxidil.

I want to switch from a topical min/fin to oral minoxidil and topical dutasteride. I’m having trouble finding a topical that is just dutasteride. Any recommendations?

Finasteride 1mg (propecia) - 1 daily in the morning
Oral Minoxidil 2.5mg (Loniten) - 2 daily in the morning
Vitamin D 50000u - 1 weekly

Finasteride nor minoxidil have given me any side effects, I’m just happier and more motivated to take care of myself. If you’re worried about side effects, so was I.

On fin, with min and tretinoin. Wondering if there’s anything else that’s actually worth doing. Used to micro needle but haven’t been doing it recently.

I'm looking for advice from people from this subreddit.

TIMELINE

• May 2021: Shaved my head.
• July 2021: Noticed reduced hair density on the top of my scalp and increased hair shedding.
• June 2022: Started finasteride 0.5 mg/day under a dermatologist’s supervision.
• August 2022: Increased finasteride to 1 mg/day.
• September 2022: Hair shedding stopped.
• December 2022: Added topical minoxidil 5%, but noticed no regrowth.
• November 2023: Hair shedding started again.
• January 2024: Blood work was normal and DHT at 233 pg/mL (Lab A).
• February 2024: Retested DHT at another lab, which showed DHT 564 pg/mL (Lab B). My dermatologist prescribed vitamins/supplements and oral minoxidil 2.5 mg/day.
• October 2024: Since the shedding continued, my dermatologist replaced finasteride with dutasteride 0.5 mg twice a week.
• June 2025: Total testosterone: 603 ng/dL; free testosterone: 19.4 pg/mL; DHT: 384 pg/mL (Lab A).
• July 2025: Increased dutasteride to 0.5 mg three times a week.
• November 2025: Noticed that Viagra was becoming less effective than before.
• February 2026: Experienced weaker erections and difficulty maintaining them.
• July 2026: Testosterone was 740 ng/dL and DHT was 386 pg/mL (Lab A). Another lab (Lab C) reported testosterone at 917 ng/dL and DHT at 375 pg/mL. I stopped taking dutasteride.
• October 2026: My erections have improved, and Viagra works normally again, but hair shedding continues.

Current treatment status (October 2026)

• Oral minoxidil: 2.5 mg daily.
• Topical minoxidil: Currently using before bed.
• Dutasteride: Discontinued in July 2026 due to concerns about sexual side effects.

My questions

Questions

1. Why is my hair loss still progressing? Finasteride initially stopped my shedding, but it returned despite continued treatment. I later tried dutasteride and have been using oral minoxidil 2.5 mg/day plus topical minoxidil 5%, yet I haven't noticed significant regrowth. Should I reassess the diagnosis or investigate other causes of shedding before changing treatment?
2. How should I interpret my DHT or testosterone results?
3. Were my sexual side effects caused by dutasteride? My erections weakened and Viagra became less effective while taking dutasteride, but both improved after I stopped. How likely is a connection, and what should I consider before trying another DHT-blocking medication?
4. What are my best treatment options now? Given my persistent hair loss and concerns about sexual side effects, how can I prevent further thinning and potentially regrow hair.

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced something similar or has insight into what I should discuss with my dermatologist.

Did he use a hair system? You can clearly see his hair is thinning back in OK computer era(1997) and yet now he still have full head of hairs

I'm very new minoxidil and am seriously planning to begin. I'm afraid I won't be a responder, for no reason at all, but just bc i heard a statistic it doesnt work for like 40% of people due to the lack of a enzyme or smthn in your hair. The minox response test is no longer being sold. I have a 1 and 3 year old and have to be super careful as they come into our room at night, so would need to apply minox start of my day. And then of course, be super careful through my day not to get it on something. And I just don't like the idea of doing this every single day till they're like 10 where then I can be maybe just a little less careful.

But anyway, I'm also keloid prone, i think - i got a cartilage piercing on 1 ear and the back keloided. I had a surgery on my ankle and it keloided. So it sounds like dermarolling to improve efficacy is not an option.

I've heard tretinoin could be good. Any derms/trichs/general minox users of both, can testify if one is better than the other? Do i need to get a prescription for tretinoin beforehand? What routines do you all do? Should I actually avoid dermarolling altogether?

Also a bonus q, anyone know how long minox needs to stay on your head till it's safe to get on others (not that im going to rub it, but so i can be less careful)

So I went through a traumatic experience last year. Was home bound for 3-4 months and during that my beard became patchy and started shedding a ton of hair.

BUT now it looks like it’s growing back but I need a 2nd opinion if it’s really growing back.

I did go to a dermatologist and she said it’s stress induced alopecia. She said it can grow back in weeks months or even years. I thought she was just giving me false hope. But now it looks like it’s growing back but just wanna confirm if I’m coping or not .

I’m not asking for medical advice.

I’m just asking does it look like there is progress

IF ANYBODY KNOWS OF A SOLUTION PLEASE SHARE!!

The first three are the before and the second three are the after. These are my results after 2 years of very consistent use. My progress has plateaued at this point. I'm not all that self conscious about it and think it looks fine, but a couple of my buddies have been razzing me about it recently making me feel more self-conscious. What do you guys think? Does it look bad enough to buzz?

Indiamart sellers are super aggressive in messaging and hound you for a sale. This makes people vulnerable to overpaying for meds. You'll notice how some of them throw out crazy numbers expecting you to pay it but can be brought down with haggling

People who have purchased minoxidil/finasteride/dutasteride/tretinoin/ketoconazole please state the quantity and how much you paid for each. It is in all of our collective interest to know the lowest prices so we don't get fleeced by some middleman lmao

I will edit this post accordingly with updates specifying the lowest costs people have found

Hey, I bought minoxidil from china through a friend but the pills came in cases with no labels. So its just white cases with no words and the same goes for the pills. Well i want to keep my hair and reverse what i lost so i started taking them and after 3 months im going through a massive shed so i believe they are real (when im talking about a massive shed i mean like a dog. Its scary af honestly but i think its already reversing). My question is how dangerous is this and is there anyone else thats buying minox from china aswell?

So far no sides but its still shady af.

Should i stop taking them and find a more legit way to get them? im in eu and in my country we dont have minox pills..

When i ordered them i didnt know they would come without a label but yeah i should have expected it i was only thinking about my hair