Minoxidil Question

[mrkneed]

I have been using Dr. Lee's 5% minoxidil with alzeic acid and I switched to rogaine about 3-4 weeks ago and I am now noticing that when I rub the rogaine in my hair I say many hairs in my hands v.s. seeing 1 or 2 when I was using the Dr. Lee's product. My question is am I shedding because the Dr. Lee product was working and now I am losing what I gained? Thanks.

[mrkneed]

I have been using Dr. Lee's 5% minoxidil with alzeic acid and I switched to rogaine about 3-4 weeks ago and I am now noticing that when I rub the rogaine in my hair I say many hairs in my hands v.s. seeing 1 or 2 when I was using the Dr. Lee's product. My question is am I shedding because the Dr. Lee product was working and now I am losing what I gained? Thanks.

[hairloser1]

Did you start using rogaine foam or liquid?

 

I've experienced the exact same thing. I used rogaine diligently for at least 15 years and then stopped for a few months which was a bad mistake.

 

Anyway, because of the irritation caused by the propylene glycol in rogaine liquid and wearing my hair too long for the foam, I've used Dr Lee's 5% in the morning and 15% at night for the last 1.5 years.

 

Twice during this period I've experienced major sheds. Once is when I got a buzz cut and used rogaine foam in the morning for about a month (still used 15% liquid at night). My hairline was pretty decimated. I could only conclude that it was from the rogaine foam because I kept using the 15% solution at night. My hair grew out and I stopped the foam. Quite a bit of the shed hair came back in a few months but not all.

 

Recently, I decided to try the rogaine liquid again since it worked so well for so many years. Guess what, after a couple weeks a major shed started. I've lost tons of hair in the last month. The irritation was also terrible. I'm kicking myself for trying it again when my hair was fairly stable. I'm hoping that a lot of the hair that has shed in the last month will come back this summer.

 

Many people say because all these products have the same main active ingredient (minoxidil), that there's no way switching will cause a shed. I disagree with this completely because I've experienced it.

 

To answer your question, it could be a combination of both. I think it may be a little too soon to be losing hair from stopping Dr Lee's solution. When I stopped everything (after 15 years) it wasn't until right at the three month mark until all hell broke loose with massive shedding. I think it's probably from the new compound you've introduced to your follicles. It could be from the propylene glycol or whatever is in the foam that isn't in Dr Lee's solution.

 

I think mbp hair follicles are very sensitive and easily shocked (maybe depending on their current state of miniturization), and intrducing any change like applying a different compound can cause a shed. This is why you hear a lot of stories about guys shedding after switching from the liquid to the foam or vice versa. It doesn't mean they both don't work, but your follicles are dependent on the exact solution they are used to.