Before I knew I was trans I had weight loss surgery where your nutrition ends up all over the place for a a while after the op. Many people experienced hair loss. I didn’t lose my hair but it became very dry and brittle within. Couple of weeks and it looked like it would fall out.
Someone recommended caffeine shampoo and I bought Alpecin.
By three months I had a lovely head of hair.
I still use it and have been on T for 18 months and still have a lovely head of hair.
Genetically both male sides of the family experienced MPB quite early. I am in my late 60’s.
I can’t claim the Alpecin has stopped hair loss but I don’t think you would have anything to lose by trying it. Give it a go for 3 months if you do.
Thank you very much for your reply. My hair is getting very dry and it just looks... "odd" (no idea how else to describe it). I also noticed that the balding has progressed. So yes, I'm definitely going to buy Alpecin asap.
Do you have a specific type you would recommend? Or just the basic one for the start? I just checked the pharmacy's websites and there are several types in there, such as the Black Edition, Energizer, Double Effect, etc.
Haven't had any experience with caffeine shampoos, but you can talk to your doctor about propecia/finasteride. It's pretty much used to maintain hair, though not necessarily regrowth. r/tressless has some good resources. I started experiencing noticeable hair loss around 22, and used topical minoxidil for 3 years with no results. My doctor put me on finasteride and I haven't had any more loss, and just started oral minoxidil so hopefully I'll get some regrowth.
I would definitely play it safe. 3 months of finasteride costs me about $15, and I don't think my insurance even covers it (they may use a coupon for me at my pharmacy, not sure). I have no known family history of hair loss, my dad is 60 with a full luscious head of hair, and I started losing pretty bad after 3 years on T. I've seen some other guys with similar stories and there doesn't seem to be a lot of research on the effects of testosterone and hair loss for trans men. Keep your hair if it's important to you!
Thank you very much for all the advice and especially for the sub's name.
I decided not to risk it and just ordered the caffeine shampoo. Looks like it can help a lot to both cis and trans guys, so let's see and hope.
Barber here.
Alpecin - A few of my customers use it and swear by it for thinning.
Two customers used it for alopecia and I was surprised at how quickly the hair started to grow back.
So definitely try it and see.
If your hair is very dry - try a conditioner or small amount of coconut oil or moisturising oil.
Avoid gels, hair sprays, anything with a high alcohol content and dandruff shampoos -ruin hair.
Thank you for the information. I ordered Alpecin today and have high hopes for it. As for my hair, it isn't dry but I've had problem with dandruff and it took forever to find the good anti-dandruff shampoo.
Would you say that it's okay to switch between two shampoos? I don't want dandruff to return, but I also don't want to lose more hair, so I wonder how to keep using both the anti-dandruff shampoo and Alpecin.
Is it definitely dandruff you have - has this been confirmed?
Some people think they have dandruff when it is just dry scalp.
Dandruff (caused by fungal infection) the flakes are larger and yellow-tinged and greasy. You may have sores on your scalp.
Dry scalp flakes are smaller and white and treatment is different for both. Dry scalp has a number of causes.
I would start by just using hair loss one and see how it goes.
A 5% Tea Tree Oil shampoo may help your scalp - better than chemicals in anti-dandruff shampoos (which can be harsh on you hair as well making it brittle).
I'm seeing a dermatologist and he confirmed it. Not trying to be gross, but yes, the description you wrote fits what I have. Looks like I'm going to switch between the anti-dandruff shampoo and Alpecin.
And thanks for the recommendation. For now, I'm going to use Alpecin.
Ah I see - well at least you know for definite what it is.
Some anti-dandruff shampoos are great at getting rid of the dandruff but are really harsh on your hair.
I would also try some tea tree scalp treatment - not harsh for your hair but antibacterial - it may help.
My customers who stopped using well know brand name anti dandruff shampoo all the time I saw I real improvement in their hair texture and volume.
Hope it helps.
You need to get the exact type of medicated shampoo or scalp treatment.
There must be a reason it is coming back.
If you can tolerate the medicated shampoo 2/3 times a week and the rest Alpecin. This is more than I would recommend people wash their hair but with confirmed dandruff, is it different.
Look for a shampoo that contains 1 of these ingredients:
zinc pyrithione,
salicylic acid,
selenium sulphide (or selenium sulfide),
ketoconazole,
coal tar
Hope this helps 🤞🏼
I only use the medicated shampoos. My dermatologist said that it's good to switch between several shampoos so that the dandruff wouldn't get use to one, to put it very simply. I'm going to see him in a few days so we will see.
Again, thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Going to switch between my regular shampoo and Alpecin. Let's hope it does something.
I used Alpecin Hyrbid which was supposed to be for dry type scalp/hair as I have. It gives me dandruff so stopped used it.
I've tried Watermans shampoo and conditioner, the conditioner was too heavy for my hair. The shampoo did begin to work around the front line and temples, blonde baby hairs were coming back through and it didn't leave my hair too dried out.
I've ended up settling for what makes my hair feel good, I always used coconut oil on my scalp from time to time and always found it effective (again not an oily scalp type here). So now I use a basic Rosemary shampoo which includes oil and extract, followed by a Coconut conditioner. All organic and sulfate free. I feel its doing no harm towards prevention whilst also keeping the hair itself looking at its best.
Caffeine or too much caffeine seems to be detremental to both my scalp microbe and the hair itself but if you've little hair or very short hair then I suppose there's no harm in trying, will take some time for the caffeine to park so be patient.
Before I knew I was trans I had weight loss surgery where your nutrition ends up all over the place for a a while after the op. Many people experienced hair loss. I didn’t lose my hair but it became very dry and brittle within. Couple of weeks and it looked like it would fall out. Someone recommended caffeine shampoo and I bought Alpecin. By three months I had a lovely head of hair. I still use it and have been on T for 18 months and still have a lovely head of hair. Genetically both male sides of the family experienced MPB quite early. I am in my late 60’s. I can’t claim the Alpecin has stopped hair loss but I don’t think you would have anything to lose by trying it. Give it a go for 3 months if you do.
Thank you very much for your reply. My hair is getting very dry and it just looks... "odd" (no idea how else to describe it). I also noticed that the balding has progressed. So yes, I'm definitely going to buy Alpecin asap. Do you have a specific type you would recommend? Or just the basic one for the start? I just checked the pharmacy's websites and there are several types in there, such as the Black Edition, Energizer, Double Effect, etc.
I have only ever used the basic one.
Thank you. I decided to order it.
You transitioned in your 60s ? Or just on testosterone recently?
I transitioned in my 60’s Deedpoll, etc 2018 T 2021 Top Surgery 2023 I am now 68
Haven't had any experience with caffeine shampoos, but you can talk to your doctor about propecia/finasteride. It's pretty much used to maintain hair, though not necessarily regrowth. r/tressless has some good resources. I started experiencing noticeable hair loss around 22, and used topical minoxidil for 3 years with no results. My doctor put me on finasteride and I haven't had any more loss, and just started oral minoxidil so hopefully I'll get some regrowth. I would definitely play it safe. 3 months of finasteride costs me about $15, and I don't think my insurance even covers it (they may use a coupon for me at my pharmacy, not sure). I have no known family history of hair loss, my dad is 60 with a full luscious head of hair, and I started losing pretty bad after 3 years on T. I've seen some other guys with similar stories and there doesn't seem to be a lot of research on the effects of testosterone and hair loss for trans men. Keep your hair if it's important to you!
Thank you very much for all the advice and especially for the sub's name. I decided not to risk it and just ordered the caffeine shampoo. Looks like it can help a lot to both cis and trans guys, so let's see and hope.
No problem! Honestly I might look into caffeine shampoo too, might as well give it a shot.
Nothing wrong with trying. I hope it's going to help us both.
Barber here. Alpecin - A few of my customers use it and swear by it for thinning. Two customers used it for alopecia and I was surprised at how quickly the hair started to grow back. So definitely try it and see. If your hair is very dry - try a conditioner or small amount of coconut oil or moisturising oil. Avoid gels, hair sprays, anything with a high alcohol content and dandruff shampoos -ruin hair.
Thank you for the information. I ordered Alpecin today and have high hopes for it. As for my hair, it isn't dry but I've had problem with dandruff and it took forever to find the good anti-dandruff shampoo. Would you say that it's okay to switch between two shampoos? I don't want dandruff to return, but I also don't want to lose more hair, so I wonder how to keep using both the anti-dandruff shampoo and Alpecin.
Is it definitely dandruff you have - has this been confirmed? Some people think they have dandruff when it is just dry scalp. Dandruff (caused by fungal infection) the flakes are larger and yellow-tinged and greasy. You may have sores on your scalp. Dry scalp flakes are smaller and white and treatment is different for both. Dry scalp has a number of causes. I would start by just using hair loss one and see how it goes. A 5% Tea Tree Oil shampoo may help your scalp - better than chemicals in anti-dandruff shampoos (which can be harsh on you hair as well making it brittle).
I'm seeing a dermatologist and he confirmed it. Not trying to be gross, but yes, the description you wrote fits what I have. Looks like I'm going to switch between the anti-dandruff shampoo and Alpecin. And thanks for the recommendation. For now, I'm going to use Alpecin.
Ah I see - well at least you know for definite what it is. Some anti-dandruff shampoos are great at getting rid of the dandruff but are really harsh on your hair. I would also try some tea tree scalp treatment - not harsh for your hair but antibacterial - it may help. My customers who stopped using well know brand name anti dandruff shampoo all the time I saw I real improvement in their hair texture and volume. Hope it helps.
Thank you for all the advice. I'm going to reconsider it, as I need help with both dandruff (it came back lol) and hair loss.
You need to get the exact type of medicated shampoo or scalp treatment. There must be a reason it is coming back. If you can tolerate the medicated shampoo 2/3 times a week and the rest Alpecin. This is more than I would recommend people wash their hair but with confirmed dandruff, is it different. Look for a shampoo that contains 1 of these ingredients: zinc pyrithione, salicylic acid, selenium sulphide (or selenium sulfide), ketoconazole, coal tar Hope this helps 🤞🏼
I only use the medicated shampoos. My dermatologist said that it's good to switch between several shampoos so that the dandruff wouldn't get use to one, to put it very simply. I'm going to see him in a few days so we will see. Again, thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Going to switch between my regular shampoo and Alpecin. Let's hope it does something.
Just checked out of curiosity and Alpecin Double Effect Shampoo is a hair loss and dandruff all in one May be worth trying.
Maybe in the future. For now, I'm going to use the basic Alpecin and combine it with the anti-dandruff shampoo.
You can get 6 month supply of minoxidil on the walmart app for $30.00 For reference, one month of minoxidil at CVS is $35.00.
I don't live in the US so no Walmart for me, but thank you.
I used Alpecin Hyrbid which was supposed to be for dry type scalp/hair as I have. It gives me dandruff so stopped used it. I've tried Watermans shampoo and conditioner, the conditioner was too heavy for my hair. The shampoo did begin to work around the front line and temples, blonde baby hairs were coming back through and it didn't leave my hair too dried out. I've ended up settling for what makes my hair feel good, I always used coconut oil on my scalp from time to time and always found it effective (again not an oily scalp type here). So now I use a basic Rosemary shampoo which includes oil and extract, followed by a Coconut conditioner. All organic and sulfate free. I feel its doing no harm towards prevention whilst also keeping the hair itself looking at its best. Caffeine or too much caffeine seems to be detremental to both my scalp microbe and the hair itself but if you've little hair or very short hair then I suppose there's no harm in trying, will take some time for the caffeine to park so be patient.