Do any of you use Rogaine?

I know it seems odd, but my sister had some hair growth by using viviscal. Her growth went crazy and it got thicker when she started using mono stat mixed with water on her scalp. Google it.

If you’re a female, why not just wear a wig?

if Rogaine doesn't help I will definitely look into that r1. monostat makes sense because the scalp gets bacterial growth that can clog hair follicles.

R2, I just have thinning and am far too lazy to wear a wig. that seems like a lot of effort for a good result daily. of course, if I were bald and didn't feel like I was ok with that I would wear one. I feel like it would be like with a lot of guys where you can see clearly they are wearing a toupee

i used a rogaine knock-off, same ingredients, no result at all.

I have! It works for me. It doesn’t make me overly hairy but I have seen some modest but worthwhile results.

did you get more hair all over your body or severe dandruff? headaches?

Viviscal helped my hair grow in a little thicker. Prenatal vitamins help as well.

OP, Propecia is awesome. It kept my hair and grew it, but I don't think it's an option for women. Have you been to your MD for a physical or just a blood panel. Could it be something hormonal or some lack of vitamins? Thin hair is one thing but if you can see to the scale, talk to your MD.

Yeah, if you're a woman, you REALLY should go to a doctor.

You don't want to mess with any of these without seeing a doctor first...but, do as you like.

It caused hair to grow inside my ass

a couple of years ago when I was still at my old job that caused me so much stress (I believe it actually caused my ulcers and gerd), my hair stopped growing. not even an inch in a year. I told my doctor about that and she was like, that is... weird. ran blood tests, tested my thyroid (again) etc. when I went in last year because I had been to the emergency room thinking I was having a heart attack (Gerd, ulcers, lining of my lungs as it eventually turned out) they also ran a bunch of blood tests, thyroid again. nothing.

I have had my thyroid tested probably every 3 years of my adult life for one reason or another. The cunt who birthed me also had fine/thin hair (think Diane Kruger) and as I am presumably hitting perimenopause it's just thinner. Not bald spots or patchy or any change in texture, just less.

I have always kind of known it would happen because of genetics but my forehead increasing by half an inch is cause for action

What have you tried so far? You should start with a hair growth vitamin. It’s the easiest.

Rogaine works a bit for me but it leaves my hair feeling oily. I recently bought something called theradome, which is some sort of lights within helmet. I don't know how it works. I do believe it is working on the parts of my scalp that are not shiny pink. My hairdresser noticed it too. I got mine through Costco when they were having it on sale. I'm not a shill, just looked at the testimonials on the Theradome and so I took a chance and bought it. As I said, I do believe it is helping reduce my hair loss.

I did just start biotin. I have taken pregnacy vitamins in the past and they did nothing for my hair and made me feel nauseated. so I guess I haven't really tried much so far, i definitely didn't want to google and get a bunch of woo solutions

I have taken it for 8 years now -- it's hard to say whether or not it's working, because to really know I'd have to compare myself with a clone of me that didn't take it. My hair is still gradually losing the battle, but if I had to guess the Rogaine has slowed down the loss. I've had absolutely no side effects.

took minoxidil but not for very long... supposed to put it in twice a day, morning and night, but it leaves the scalp oily looking and the hair all around clumpy... so i'm not sure how your suppose to go to work with such a mess on your scalp?... also scalp got itchy...

tried DHT blockers, but didn't really see any results....course i didn't take it for 3 to 4 months consistently like your suppose to...

tried finasteride but after only a week, i had a all over body "itching sensation" so i stopped.....

used biotin shampoo but makes hair thicker that you still have, but NOTHING for hair loss...

Nope, no side effects at all. I use the mousse, it’s a little...gummy? greasy? slimy? I dunno. But nothing that bothers me. It’s worth it given that I do see an improvement.

You can also take supplements like Biotin orally. On top of this, regularly massage your scalp and consider using one if the Hairmax laser treatment products for hair growth.

It sounds cliché, but I experienced the most dramatic improvement in my hair after I started doing intensive yoga. In the beginning, I was really out of shape so my scalp was ON FIRE after each session. I think it must have stimulated my follicles or something. Within a few weeks, my hair was noticeably thicker and people regularly asked me what I “did” to it.

Op, could you get some extensions? Do you wear your hair long or short. That is one thing that women can do as a temporary fix.

Tell me give me do this for me help me.

I hate you I hate men I hate you.

Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme.

I tried it for a year and it just made my hair loss worse. I just kept shedding a ton while on it and that never stopped. I take propecia now and it has been amazing and I actually regrew some hair on it.

No I’ve always had great hair. Both of my parents have beautiful hair even in their 60s.

R21, any side effects from the propecia?

I'm sorry OP. I had telogen effluvium this year after a traumatic dental surgery. My hair started falling out 6 weeks later in clumps, and finally stopped in October. I probably lost almost half of my hair. I tried biotin in the meantime but it flared up my psoriasis. I get a spot every couple of years but the biotin made it awful. I also had my thyroid checked and it was normal. You should see a dermatologist.

lol r20, nailed it!

I am getting new hair growth. it's about 1/3 inch and platinum blonde. I am doing other things in addition to the Rogaine

R23, nope! 0. I still get erections and masturbate. I was afraid of that which is why I only started taking Propecia earlier this year. I wish I had started taking it years ago.

I followed the path God laid out for me. I just started going full-on Mr. Clean.

I know you're straight, rescue-chick, or otherwise I'd advise you to do what I do: wear a baseball cap.

OP, are you on Wellbutrin / Chantix? When I was on that, my hair growth slowed way down.

Also, you could try microblading (putting pigment into) your hairline.

Things designed with male pattern baldness in mind probably won’t help you. You may have a hormonal issue and should get your blood work done. Most women start getting thin hair and eyebrows once menopause hits as the estrogen is what gives women the thick hair. Thyroid would be another possible culprit.

Hair loss due to thyroid issues, medication.

Take Biotin supplements. Rogaine may help you slow hair loss, but won't regrow new hair.

I use drops for glaucoma, latanoprost. Side effect is my lashes have grown in thicker and longer, they had gotten very sparse. I think this med was in Latrisse, which Brooke Shields hawked a few years ago to grow lashes. I imagine it wont work for scalp hair, because millions would buy that product.

I've been using it for years, and it's great!

Rescue chick is straight? What a blow.

Do any of you ladies here have High Blood Pressure and hair thinning? If so, ask your doctor to switch you to the water pill Spironolactone. This med was originally prescribed for men with prostate problems. Then it was prescribed as a HBP water pill. Research then showed it worked to block the DHT which causes hair loss. Many derms then started prescribing Spiro for women.

My sister has HBP (it seems genetically caused, lots of HBP in our extended family, my sister isn’t overweight, she doesn’t smoke/drink alcohol and eats healthy foods, I’m sure the pressure from her job also caused her HBP), her hair thinning started at around 44, some women lose hair much younger.

My sister has been on Spiro for years, it's helped her HBP as well as her sheds. Since this med is Potassium sparing, you must have your Potassium checked at least once or twice a year.

Not only has Spiro halted my sister's massive sheds it’s also helping her HBP and does wonders for the skin. People are always complimenting her on her skin.

MTF trans are also given this med to block male hormones. Testosterone levels do usually go up in females during menopause, which is another reason women with heavy shedding should get their hormones checked. Though, some womens testosterone levels do go up and their hair remains thick. My elderly mom still has very thick hair.

My sister takes one 100mg Spironolactone tablet daily. This med is very cheap.

I don't think women can take propecia/finasteride, which just promotes hair growth in crown, not front. I tried LaserMax hair comb religiously for 6 months and saw no improvement. Finasteride filled in crown. Still losing in front.

I had headaches when I first started using it but thankfully that resolved.

I have noticed an improvement and hair loss has slowed down significantly. I buy generic, and use the liquid rather than mouse.

I also eat Brazil nuts, 1-3 daily.

r29, I do dermarolling too, I think the combination of that, Rogaine, blocker shampoo. and massive dose of biotin has done the trick. I am enjoying the platinum hair although I assume it will darken as it grows longer.

sorry lez, I am sadly straight and an absolute confirmation that sexuality is 'born that way' because I definitely would not have chosen straight.

I appreciate this thread, OP/rescue-chick. I'm a feminine lesbian in my 30s, and my extremely thin, fine hair has made me feel insecure my entire life.

Has anyone here ever considered saying "fuck it" and cropping their hair very short? (If I thought I could pull it off — if, for example, I looked punk, or butch, or had magnificent bone structure — I would happily just shave it outright.)

I think that the below cut and color would camouflage thin hair the best, with the obvious caveat that 99% of us do not look as good as Michelle Williams.

I have found that taking viviscal, biotin, saw palmetto have really helped

IMO, Michelle Williams does not look good.

I have had that cut r38, when I was skinny, long before I had hair loss. I find really short hair to be more difficult than long hair to keep styled so am currently bobbed as a compromise

I'm female, with a family history of hair loss (even among the women), so when my scalp started showing throug about 10 years ago I started on Rogaine for women. Like r15, I can't be sure it's helping, but the hair loss has definitely slowed/nearly stopped, so that's good. And I've had no side effects.

What's dermarolling? Shoud I try that?

I've heard the hair regrowth is finer R42. Is that true?

It's basically needling your scalp r42. 1.5 mm needles are the recommended length for hair regrowth. I strongly recommend getting a numbing spray with lidocaine. it helps with the pain and helps stop the bleeding. You may need to pre roll to break the skin, spray, let numb and then really roll. You do it every two weeks or so and I suspect it has had more of an effect on my hair growth starting than the Rogaine alone because Rogaine says hair regrowth won't typically start for 2-4 months and I have 1/3 of an inch of (fairly) thick fuzz hairs on my forehead and temples that is really obvious. You need to replace the roller every 5 or so uses.

Rogaine will work.

Blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT is the only proven strategy for hair retention. Dutasteride (Avodart) is to my mind the gold standard for this purpose; this drug blocks in excess of 98% of DHT, whereas finasteride (Propecia in the States) blocks 71%. Dutasteride also has a much longer serum life, it remains effective if taken just 3 times the week. Both drugs were originally developed and FDA approved for BPH, and have similar side effect profiles.

I have seen no clinically duplicable regrowth strategies for male pattern baldness, a genetically programmed condition. Once follicles have moved from dormancy into the terminal phase, there is no reactivating them. So far.

No but I use preparation H

Rescue-chick,

Did you ever get any further with your family history search about the uncle?

I did not successfully r48. I found nothing, threre is NO death certificate anywhere. I did newspapers dot com, I did ancestry dot com in addition to the ones I had at the time of the thread. I wasn't comfortable contacting a wife who divorced hime 40 years ago and didn't want to call the cell phone in his name because that's too much. I have to wonder what happened and accept the fact I may never know.

Also, I couldn't find any further military records which is bizarre because he was absolutely in the military, I remember pictures of him in blue and white military dress uniform and he got his medical through the VA.

When you say that you couldn't find any military records, where did you look?

Did you send a form to the VA to request records? I know there was a fire some years ago (like in the 80s) that destroyed one of the warehouses of veteran records--and when I requested officially the records of my grandmother (who was a WWII WAC), they couldn't find anything, and they thought the records might have been destroyed in that fire.

Did you write to your state's vital records? They used to send out copies (to family members) for $5.

The online websites don't have everything. Some times you have to write to proper archives.

The active ingredient in Propecia is finasteride. Years ago when in i first notice my hair thinning I went to my Doctor and asked for an Rx for Propecia and he told me that Propecia is about $40 -$60 a month, but the active ingredient is Finasteride and my insurance charged $4 a month for it. So obviously I went with Finasteride, have been on it for over 10+ years, no side effects and my hair is super think and full. Recently i noticed that a tiny thinning spot at the very top of the crown of my head and started generic Rogaine from Costco’s Kirkland brand (6 month supply on Amazon is $36) and it soon that little bald spot disappeared too.

Is Rogaine something that once you start you will have to continue to use?

yes, forever r52 which is why I am super happy that the dermarolling seems to be contributing to the (short) growth I have because maybe I will just be able to roll once a week rather than Rogaine every day. we'll see, I would be happy with just long enough in front to look like bangs, I don't expect much

I use Preparation H in my ass and Rogaine on my head. Hee hee!

it's about an inch and a half long, completely filled in the inch of extra forehead. Still platinum blonde and is actually growing now lower than I have ever had a hairline which is awesome because I have always had a fivehead

[quote] Do any of you use Rogaine?

[quote] Yes, I am female but my hair is thinning

[quote] Side effects?

Your unborn child will be contorted into the shape of a soft pretzel and you'll have to deliver by c-section. Other than that, your hair will be thick and lustrous.

My kid just turned 30 and my reproductive system has shut down so, fetus shmetus

You may have an autoimmune reaction. Check with a doctor and they can diagnose it properly. I used rogaine for a couple of months. I had a bad reaction with itchy scalp and rash and sores. I stopped using it. it also caused some insomnia I think.

I'm a male and have been using Rogaine for years. It has definitely helped retain the hair I have. I started using it as hair was falling out alot--not barely any does. Studies show that Rogaine works best over the first two years but I have kept using it with great results after that.

Rogaine for men is 5% but Rogaine for women is 2%. When I used the 2% at first, it only kind of worked.

I tried propecia but that caused weird sexual side effects for me and my partner said I became an asshole. so I stopped

try PRP injections. Your own white blood cells used to regrow hair

i tried rogaine but it gave me headaches

R60 that therapy is expensive and not covered by insurance because the jury is still out on it's effectiveness and any side effects...

My hair started thinning in my forties. I didn't do anything about it, just kind of accepted it. Now..in my sixties, I noticed hair loss in the front. I started Rogaine foam 5%...every day, and it did nothing for me. I kept it up daily for a couple of years because I was afraid to stop..losing more hair. I lost more hair anyway and now my forehead it more than halfway up the top of my head. There is no hair at all. I have little hair on the sides and some hair in the back. The back does grow, but is so thin and I have overall patchy baldness. I went to dermatologists, had blood work done. Nothing serious was found. My thyroid was sluggish, so I take synthroid daily and it's back to normal. I spoke to doctors and they brush it off...it's part of menopause and estrogen levels drop..losing hair in some women. I cut back on the Rogaine..feel it's a waste of time. I only use it when I wash my hair..3 to 4 times weekly. I now pin up the back of my hair and wear thick headbands to cover the baldness. The loss continues and now the headband isn't covering it all. I wear baseball caps and bucket hats now. It really sucks and is really hard for women. I know men hate losing their hair, too. Baldness can be very attractive in men...some shave their head entirely, or buzz cut the remaining hair. I wish I could shave my head at this point....I don't have the face to pull it off. I tried wearing a wig, but it came off easily and I find them uncomfortable. Anyway, thank you rescue-chick for bringing this up. I found reading the comments interesting...and I'm not alone.

When I used Revitabrow on my eyebrows, they grew in thicker and darker (not super thick/dark). I don’t know why it wouldn’t work on small bald patches.

r63, I completely understand. You should try dermarollering. I am pretty sure that is more what grew my hair back because it was so quickly. You either need a high tolerance for pain or numbing creme though.

Rogaine did nothing for me, unfortunately. I gave it six months. Nothing.

Some dermatologists say retin-A on your scalp works to grow back hair

There seems to always be cures for men but women issues are dismissed. I’ve spent the last ten years trying to find a doctor who actually listens.

I wish I dared post a picture of before and after but I swear, if the sight of your own blood doesn't phase you, give dermarollering a 3 month try (that's doing it a total of 6 times or so) maybe combined with Rogaine every other day. I am probably an anomaly but, maybe not!

A new you is waiting to say hello.

Yes, but as the prescription drug name Finasteride. It’s used under that name also as a treatment for a benignly enlarged prostate condition.

You lost us at " I'm a female "

Thanks R65! I might look into that...the rollerderming. I don't like needles though and am squeamish. We'll see... :) I appreciate your response.

*dermarolling.... not rollerderming...

So, as an update- because I have had success with dermarollering I bought an electric one (linked and on ebay I paid 1/3rd of the price). Holy shit is it easier and less painful. It doesn't bleed as much either

I have really thin hair (female) and I used this shampoo for about 5 to 6 months and my hair was noticeably thicker. It looked thicker and my ponytail holders didn't fit. I used to wrap them around 3 times but they got tighter because my hair was thicker. Now I only have to wrap it twice

I use the store brand

What's Rogaine?