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So here’s my story, hopefully someone gets some good advice out of it!
I noticed that I was experiencing hair loss when I was 20 years old. I was at a friend’s 21st and was in the bathroom washing my hands when I looked in the mirror and noticed that my hairline wasn’t the same as what it used to be. The left side of my hairline was receding at the temple while the right side of my hairline was pretty much the same as it had always been. At the time I didn’t think much of it, I just assumed my hairline was maturing or something. I mean, my dad had a full head of hair (at the time), my younger brother had the thickest hair possible, my mother’s brother had a full head of hair and my grandad on my mother’s side was thinning a bit but had really good hair for his age. The only person who didn’t have a full head of hair in my immediate family was my grandad on my father’s side who had started going bald in his early 20’s and was fully bald by the time he was 30.
Over the next year and a half I got a few comments about how I had a receding hairline so I began using some random hair loss shampoos which didn’t seem to do much. I still wasn’t too worried about my hair loss though, I assumed it was only temporary. It was when I turned 22 that I really got the wakeup call. I had recently just got a buzz cut and was going for a surf with a good friend of mine when he commented “Man, looks like you’re going bald”. I replied “What do you mean?” to which he said “Oh, I’m sure it’s just your haircut, but your hair looks really thin”. Straight after the surf I was in front of the mirror checking out my hair and, sure enough, it had definitely gotten thinner. It was at this point that I accepted I was experiencing male pattern baldness and that I should do something about it.
Like most of you probably have done, I spent hours trawling through the internet looking for the best solution to stop my hair loss. After some time I had my first plan of attack. It was Rogaine and Saw Palmetto pills. From there the regimen changed plenty; I added in Nizoral Shampoo, tried plenty of other herbs, rubbed things like coconut oil through my hair and of course tried Propecia. I definitely noticed the side effects of Propecia, most notably the decrease in libido. I came to the conclusion that it was better to be bald than asexual so I stopped taking it.
When I was 22 I hoped that I’d make it to 25 with a decent head of hair. When I was 25 I hoped I’d make it to 30 with a decent head of hair…..
I’m 28 now and very confident I’ll make it to 30 with a decent head of hair. I have been using the same regimen for a while now and it is definitely working for me. My hairline has stayed the same for many years and my hair is thicker now than when I was 22. But the best thing? The best thing is I don’t spend hours, days and weeks of my life worrying about my hair loss. In fact, I don’t really think about it at all.
So here is my current regimen (and I doubt I’ll change it anytime soon):
- 1. Kirkland Minoxidil 5% foam – the same as Rogaine but one third the price. I apply it to my hairline twice a day and spread it from there - http://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Signatur ... +Signature
2. Green Man Supplements, Hair Health – this is pretty much just a good cheap combination of Saw Palmetto and several other natural ingredients which aim to increase hair growth, I normally take 3 capsules a day – http://www.greenmansupplements.com
3. Nizoral Shampoo 1% - I use Nizoral 2 to 3 times a week - https://www.priceline.com.au/nizoral-shampoo-1-100-ml
4. Eat healthy, don’t drink too much and exercise!
- 1. It is easier to keep your existing hair than regrow new hair. If you are showing signs of hair loss start treating it as soon as possible!
2. Get your regimen and stick with it. My hair loss story hasn’t been a miraculous turn around. I’ve kept a good head of hair because I’ve pretty much stuck to the formula above (or some near variation) for 6+ years. It doesn’t have to be super expensive, all the products I’ve listed are good and affordable.
3. Anyone can go bald. Looking at my family history you would have assumed I would have not had any issues with hair loss. However, my grandad on my father’s side must have passed some the bald gene down to me which bypassed my father (and my brother).
4. Don’t spend your whole life worrying about going bald! To be honest, if I went bald tomorrow I’d probably just shave my head and get on with it. Life is far too short to spend hours and hours on the internet looking for the next ‘miraculous cure’ to your hair loss. The main issue men who are going bald face is losing their confidence, you should have other avenues in life that give you confidence, hair shouldn’t be the be all and end all.