I use topical women's (2%) Rogaine - generic. it's about $15/month and has been highly effective for me with no side effects.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think there's much research supporting anything oral. Of course you need to have a balanced diet and have generally good nutrition to have good hair growth. But taking expensive supplements is not going to fix your issues.

I'd try: Scalp massage-daily, in the shower with a silicone scrubber.
Next: rogaine, but get the one marketed to men because it's cheaper (pink tax is real!). You have to use it all the time or your hair will fall out again, but it will work.

you can take oral rogaine - there is evidence to support that (i am on it)

To the wig lady, any recommendations for good wigs from mainstream stores, not your own shop.

Anonymous wrote:I searched through archives but wanted to start a new thread.

Usual story: 46, thinning hair, early stage perimenopause.

I am overwhelmed by options for hair loss. Which brand to go with? Oral pill or scalp application? Do I need an Rx or to talk to a derm before starting? I would love some recent first person feedback if anyone can share. Thank you.

If you go on low dose birth control hormones then perimenopause would be easier and you can seamlessly switch to HRT once you've no periods for 12 months.

Anonymous wrote:I searched through archives but wanted to start a new thread.

Usual story: 46, thinning hair, early stage perimenopause.

I am overwhelmed by options for hair loss. Which brand to go with? Oral pill or scalp application? Do I need an Rx or to talk to a derm before starting? I would love some recent first person feedback if anyone can share. Thank you.

Generic Minoxidil foam from Costco or oral prescription from your dermatologist. Some derms recommend a compound concoction of minoxidil, tretinoin and estrogen. Oral minoxidil is most effective.

To the wig poster - I am the second to last prior comment but wanted to explain something. When you repeatedly comment and tell people to check out wigs, what you’re communicating is really somewhat cruel even if unintentionally so. You’re suggesting that what the woman sees in the mirror is going to inevitably look like pure baldness, and that is highly distressing, do you not understand that? Women and men using chemo now try to use cold cap treatments to keep their hair. Is it that surprising to you that women - who already get hell for not looking pretty or young as they age - want to keep their own hair? Maybe especially when it’s chronic and bone related to nor potentially “excused” by society as related to something horrific like cancer?

I really hope you start understanding that. I have PCOS and am in perimenopause and am using oral minoxidil. I was prescribed it because it’s safe and effective, best practice in hair retention and regrowth. I have had anxiety on this specific beauty topic for 3 decades. If you want to share wig tips, or best places to shop, why not start a thread about that? It’ll remain searchable here. I do not pretend to speak for others but your repeated posts on this topic are not only unhelpful, they land as cruel. You do this in the meno forum too and get pushback. Why can’t you stop derailing threads? It’s unusually mean and reads as misery loves company. Please stop.

Anonymous wrote:Those things are only temporary solutions. Once you stop using them the hair loos will resume. You might want to start looking into wigs. There are a lot of options for white women now.

You're obsessed with wigs, and don't understand that some people are willing to use something for the rest of their life. You don't think people on blood pressure medicine decide randomly to stop taking their meds, do you?

Anonymous wrote:Those things are only temporary solutions. Once you stop using them the hair loos will resume. You might want to start looking into wigs. There are a lot of options for white women now.

It is odd to me that you post and do not understand that most women would want to at least try to save their own hair before trying wigs. You post often.

I would start with a dermatologist first to identify the cause of your hair loss. It could be a nutritional deficiency, it could be hormonal, it could be genetic. There are different ways to treat each of these, and some things cannot be treated.

Go to a dermatologist. If your hairloss is due to androgenetic alopecia then using minoxidil+DHT blocker will give you the best results. Nutrafol alone won’t do anything in such cases. I have had good luck taking oral minoxidil +saw palmetto supplement.

I tried Nutrafol for 10 months and didn’t see any improvement.

Check your iron levels specifically ferritin. My derm started me on iron supplements because my ferritin levels were low and I feel like I’m losing way less hair

Those things are only temporary solutions. Once you stop using them the hair loos will resume. You might want to start looking into wigs. There are a lot of options for white women now.

I don't think there's much research supporting anything oral. Of course you need to have a balanced diet and have generally good nutrition to have good hair growth. But taking expensive supplements is not going to fix your issues.

I'd try: Scalp massage-daily, in the shower with a silicone scrubber.
Next: rogaine, but get the one marketed to men because it's cheaper (pink tax is real!). You have to use it all the time or your hair will fall out again, but it will work.

I searched through archives but wanted to start a new thread.

Usual story: 46, thinning hair, early stage perimenopause.

I am overwhelmed by options for hair loss. Which brand to go with? Oral pill or scalp application? Do I need an Rx or to talk to a derm before starting? I would love some recent first person feedback if anyone can share. Thank you.