Lots of people opt to use minoxidil alone in their hair loss protocol instead of also using something like finasteride in combination thinking they are treating hair loss. This is a huge mistake.
This is such a common misconception in the hair loss community that I want and need to make an entire post about it. It’s something you need to understand if you are looking to treat your hair loss over the long term. Minoxidil alone will not solve your hair loss over the long term unless you weren’t susceptible to aggressive hair loss in the first place.
So much hair could be saved if you read this and understand what I’m telling you. It’s not rocket science, you just need to face reality. I understand finasteride can be scary and you want to take the path of least resistance in terms of stress and potential side effects – I was the same as you. There are different ways of going about using finasteride such as microdosing it orally, using it topically, or even using a microdose topically. You do not have to automatically use what everyone else is doing: the 1 mg oral dose. This is such a personal topic and you need to be aware of the options and control you have.
Trust me: if you are someone who wants to save their hair you need to be using finasteride or some sort of anti-androgen which targets the root cause of hair loss (DHT). This post isn’t for those who understand minoxidil fully and don’t want to use finasteride – I aim to inform those who don’t get the fact that their hair is still being destroyed if they aren’t targeting the root cause. If you want to get a few years of cosmetic life out of your hair before it gets destroyed from DHT – that is your choice, just know what you’re doing so that when it happens you won’t regret your decisions.
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Minoxidil Alone
For a full dissection of minoxidil, check out my post about the “Big 3” hair loss compounds.
All you need to know is that Minoxidil is a growth stimulant. It WILL NOT target the root cause of hair loss in men: genetic sensitivity to DHT in the follicles. Your hair will appear to be getting thicker (and it is) which is why many people prefer to use it but the core issue is not being addressed if you aren’t also using finasteride.
The Issue
You might be asking: is this even a bad thing? If you can maintain appearance with minoxidil alone, why not?
Yes – this is a bad thing. You can stimulate all the growth you want but if the underlying follicle is still being damaged you’re still going to have reality catch up with you. It may appear to be thicker because it is – but if you’re genetically determined to be NW 4 by age 30 this will still happen. You aren’t protecting any of the hair, it’s just extending the growth phase the hair is in.
Many guys are shocked when they start to see minoxidil waning in efficacy (when the appearance and reality of the underlying loss catch up). Some people may be able to maintain these minoxidil results for years as they claim – but they probably weren’t as sensitive to DHT genetically. The guy who states he maintained hair well from age 25 to 32 on minoxidil alone is not someone who wasn’t experiencing aggressive loss.
Final Thoughts
All I’m aiming to do here is give you the facts and information so that no matter what you do – you aren’t filled with shock and regret when things don’t go your way or how you expect. This is a shorter post but I hope it was able to provide value to those who are considering using minoxidil alone expecting it to work over the long term.