I'm going to do a quick data sheet on how to keep your hair.
Your three tools:
1. Finasteride
Cost: $35 for 100 pills, 1/4 pill per day, skip every fifth day = $34.46/500 days = $0.07 per day. There's some debate, but studies suggest that for inhibiting the hormone responsible for male hair loss, taking more than 0.20 mg per day doesn't have much effect. You might need as little as .05 mg per day to get maximum day.
If you really wanted to save money, you could get the generic 5 mg finasteride at a cost of $0.01 per day, but that would require grinding up the finasteride and dissolving it in everclear and drinking it via a dropper. Lots of room for fucking up there, and it's not clear how alcohol would affect the drug's effectiveness.
http://www2.costco.com/Pharmacy/DrugInfo...INASTERIDE
In mid-2015, dutasteride will become generic. Studies suggest it is superior to finasteride in promoting hair growth and suppressing the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT. When it goes generic, I myself will look into switching to it. It's pricey right now, something like 1000 times more expensive than finasteride as I've described it, so I never considered using it.
2. Minoxidil
6 month supply at Costco = $26.49. Cost per day = 26.49/182.5 = $0.145 per day. Personally, I use about half the recommended amount, because if I used more it would just drip off. I actually use Lipogaine, but I'm on my first bottle and will not buy it again. It used to have an additional, possibly beneficial ingredient, but it no longer does, so it's not worth the expense.
http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature...01138.html
Target also has minoxidil, although I believe it's not as cheap.
3. Ketoconazole Shampoo
Regenepure DR - $25 for 8 oz - maybe I'm being stingy, but it'll take me 2-3 months to use this up, so say $10 a month. Ketoconazole shampoo is the priciest thing here and probably the least backed by studies, but I'm giving it a shot on the recommendation of Good Looking Loser and others. I only shower two to three times a week, and use this about twice a week.
It's the best shampoo I've ever used - it makes my hair full and soft, and removes the oiliness that accumulates, without drying out the hair. I used baking soda and ACV before, and Dr. Bronner's before that, and now no longer do. If I want to wash my hair, I use this. I've never used high end shampoos though, besides Paul Mitchell and Kirkland, so I can't compare to those. There's another Regenepure product, Regenepure NT, that's supposed to be good, but it lacks the active ingredient responsible for fighting hair loss, so I don't use it.
Total cost of my regimen: about $15 a month. If you have long hair or use shampoo frequently, it will be $20-25+ a month.
If you cut out the shampoo, which has the least clinical backing I believe, it costs about $5-6 a month. This is one of the cheapest and most effective aesthetic interventions or supplements you can take, if it works for you and you don't get major side effects. As far as I know, anything in addition to this regiment would be vastly more expensive or lacking in efficacy or both. If you have any suggestions for affordable effective treatments, post them.
I've been using finasteride for a while, but only recently added the shampoo and minoxidil. When generic dutasteride becomes available, I'll check that out.
Where to buy: Online for Regenepure, Costco, Walmart or Target for the minoxidil and the finasteride.
Your three tools:
1. Finasteride
Cost: $35 for 100 pills, 1/4 pill per day, skip every fifth day = $34.46/500 days = $0.07 per day. There's some debate, but studies suggest that for inhibiting the hormone responsible for male hair loss, taking more than 0.20 mg per day doesn't have much effect. You might need as little as .05 mg per day to get maximum day.
If you really wanted to save money, you could get the generic 5 mg finasteride at a cost of $0.01 per day, but that would require grinding up the finasteride and dissolving it in everclear and drinking it via a dropper. Lots of room for fucking up there, and it's not clear how alcohol would affect the drug's effectiveness.
http://www2.costco.com/Pharmacy/DrugInfo...INASTERIDE
In mid-2015, dutasteride will become generic. Studies suggest it is superior to finasteride in promoting hair growth and suppressing the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT. When it goes generic, I myself will look into switching to it. It's pricey right now, something like 1000 times more expensive than finasteride as I've described it, so I never considered using it.
2. Minoxidil
6 month supply at Costco = $26.49. Cost per day = 26.49/182.5 = $0.145 per day. Personally, I use about half the recommended amount, because if I used more it would just drip off. I actually use Lipogaine, but I'm on my first bottle and will not buy it again. It used to have an additional, possibly beneficial ingredient, but it no longer does, so it's not worth the expense.
http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature...01138.html
Target also has minoxidil, although I believe it's not as cheap.
3. Ketoconazole Shampoo
Regenepure DR - $25 for 8 oz - maybe I'm being stingy, but it'll take me 2-3 months to use this up, so say $10 a month. Ketoconazole shampoo is the priciest thing here and probably the least backed by studies, but I'm giving it a shot on the recommendation of Good Looking Loser and others. I only shower two to three times a week, and use this about twice a week.
It's the best shampoo I've ever used - it makes my hair full and soft, and removes the oiliness that accumulates, without drying out the hair. I used baking soda and ACV before, and Dr. Bronner's before that, and now no longer do. If I want to wash my hair, I use this. I've never used high end shampoos though, besides Paul Mitchell and Kirkland, so I can't compare to those. There's another Regenepure product, Regenepure NT, that's supposed to be good, but it lacks the active ingredient responsible for fighting hair loss, so I don't use it.
Total cost of my regimen: about $15 a month. If you have long hair or use shampoo frequently, it will be $20-25+ a month.
If you cut out the shampoo, which has the least clinical backing I believe, it costs about $5-6 a month. This is one of the cheapest and most effective aesthetic interventions or supplements you can take, if it works for you and you don't get major side effects. As far as I know, anything in addition to this regiment would be vastly more expensive or lacking in efficacy or both. If you have any suggestions for affordable effective treatments, post them.
I've been using finasteride for a while, but only recently added the shampoo and minoxidil. When generic dutasteride becomes available, I'll check that out.
Where to buy: Online for Regenepure, Costco, Walmart or Target for the minoxidil and the finasteride.