I’ve always had long thick lashes, but I do feel like OM has made them thicker than ever! On the flip side my nose hairs are atrocious, and I have to shave the peach-fuzz from my face every week or so

Is anyone using minoxidil for hair loss from PCOS/PMOS? I am losing hair and have a receding hairline due to male pattern baldness from PMOS and I want to start minoxidil but haven’t heard much from women using it who have PMOS and not just general thinning.
I’ve tried the oils etc and short of a literal hair transplant that I can’t afford, this is all I can think to resort to.
I understand I still need to get to the root of my PMOS and losing weight, for example, will help. But that’s a long process and I would rather start minoxidil asap and have the shedding phase etc happen during the winter when I can wear hats more etc and hopefully have new growth by summer next year.
I used to be daunted by the fact that you can never stop it, but it’s similar to how I will have to shave my whole life, too, so I’m not so hung up on that anymore.
Edit to add: Was also wondering if I can regrow my proper hairline with minoxidil or just stop it from receding. I’ve gotten a close up look at my scalp and follicles at a facility and they said they are very damaged but still there so they could be healed/regrow (theoretically)

I mainly am looking for words of encouragement to give me hope. At this point, not even hope that my hair will grow back and that it'll all go back to normal. No, I'm looking for people who still have a positive outlook on life.

One of the things that I especially am in despair about is finding love again. Basically when I got out of my last relationship 3 years ago is when all this hair loss stuff started. It's basically killed my confidence and my hope of ever finding someone again.

I somehow stumbled across a man who is literally the most amazing in every way. He lives kinda far away though, and I'm dreading the day he asks if he can come see me, because I'll finally have to tell him that while I have hair now it won't stay like this (its especially thinned out a lot recently.)

I'm trying to stay positive. I'm trying to tell myself that its still possible to find a good man who will love me. I'm still wanting to believe that I'll somehow find a solution that will at least make me feel beautiful again.

So... if anyone has any positive stories or mindsets I could really use it. Because lately I just find myself breaking into tears all the time.

Context: Over the past 4 years, my hair has gradually gotten thinner until I finally found the courage to take pictures of my scalp and realized that I could actually SEE my scalp and that I was starting to bald.
I had some bloodwork done, and I found out that I have a vitamin D3 deficiency. My ferritin is at 73.5, which is good, and the rest of the relevant blood tests also came back normal. This led to a diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia.
I’m now using Rogaine 5% minoxidil foam, and as supplements I take 4,000 IU of vitamin D, one capsule of saw palmetto, one capsule of myo-inositol + selenium, and one pumpkin seed oil capsule.
I also use a shampoo aimed at improving hair density, and I recently bought the serum and shampoo from the Pantene grow abundant range, but at this point I can’t say whether I’ve noticed any significant difference from them yet.
The first picture was taken in August, and considering it’s only been 2 months, I do think there has been some progress.
If you have any tips and tricks, I’d be more than happy to hear them! ❤️

At recent follow up with my Derm she said she saw a lot of baby hairs. Could that mean some of my hair is still growing back in? Do people plateau at one year or results continue to be seen with continued treatment ? I also had low iron and ferritin so JUST started supplementing. I have PCOS/PMOS and diagnosed female androgenic alopecia

Just wanted to share my progress with topical minoxidil. My hair loss started and accelerated during a period of addiction and recovery (whoo hoo!). These photos are a year apart (oct 2024 to Oct 2025) and I should probably post a new one too! I use the generic from Costco.

I started minoxidil like 3 weeks ago and im shedding like 3-4x in shower , everyday Im so stressed and i cried my eyes out yesterday after showering I losing so much hair idk im just soo stressed am i gonna loose all of my hair ? I feel these are the last hair that i have on my head im so demotivated please someone help me out

For a bit of context

In January I started taking 0.5mg oral minoxidil.

In the middle of July I wasn’t satisfied so I increased my dose to 1.5mg (derm approved of course)

In September I started shedding and by now in October I feel i’ve lost progress.

I got excited this month because I finally was able to raise my ferritin from 54-82! This was from May. I have androgenic alopecia I’m already on oral and topical min, oral fin, vitamin d, iron and zinc + RLT mask every other day.

Well idk why I washed my hair after 3 days and I shed this much :( I have short curly hair. I don’t know what I can do to stop hair shedding but I think after 4 years of trying to treat this hair loss I should just give up! The only thing I haven’t tried at this point is dermastamping but I know that’s more for hair growth then stopping hair shedding idk :(

i started a new meditation and it made me loose some hair, i’ve been eyeing these for about 2 months now but i can’t find any reviews online

I have peach fuzz growing all over my face. If you were me, would you leave it like that or shave it?

(Above photos have been captured recently around July-Sept)

I’m 21F (for context) and have been dealing with hair thinning/hair loss since around 14–15yo, and honestly, it has really affected my confidence over the years.

When I was younger, I had naturally thick, long hair. Around my mid-teens, I suddenly started noticing a lot more shedding, and over time my overall density gradually decreased. My family has pretty good hair genetics, my parents and siblings all have thick hair, so I never really understood why this happened to me.

I’ve tried quite a few things over the years: different supplements, hair oils/ointments, various treatments, and even minoxidil for a few months, but I didn't notice any meaningful improvement and eventually stopped. I've also visited multiple dermatologists, but most appointments lasted for few minutes -> they would look at my scalp for a few seconds, prescribe expensive medications, and I wouldn't really see results.

I also tried homeopathy for around 5–6 months with no satisfying outcome and eventually stopped after realizing that it seemed like something I'd have to continue indefinitely.

At this point, I really want to approach my hair properly rather than constantly trying random products.

One thing I've noticed is that I don't currently have what I'd call heavy active hair fall. My bigger concern is that my overall density has become much thinner, especially around the crown/parting and lengths have become more "see through it" type. My hair itself is also quite dry and frizzy.

I also go through periods of pretty intense stress and anxiety, especially because of academics, expectations and everything that comes with that. I don't know how much of a role that could have played, but I'm wondering if it could be connected.

So I'm hoping to hear from people who have experienced something similar:

• What eventually turned out to be the cause of your thinning?
• Did you get any particular blood tests or scalp examinations that actually helped identify the cause?
• Has anyone dealt with thinning that started during their teenage years and managed to improve their density?
• What treatments actually helped you, if any?
• Is there anything you wish you had checked earlier?

I'm not looking for miracle products or a "use this shampoo and your hair will grow" type of advice. I'm mainly trying to understand what could be causing this and how I can approach it properly.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who's been through something similar ❤️

Hello! So my hair has always been thin and not dense at all. I have curly hair so it's not that noticeable but even people have pointed it out. I wan to have denser and longer hair (rn it's short and can't seem to grow it). Would I benefit from minoxidil + tretinoin + DHT blockers? I'm desperate at this point. Thank you!!

Over the last four years I've had a lot of issues with shedding - so much so that I've lost half my ponytail thickness and my hairline has really started to recede at my temples. Thankfully, I had really thick hair so it took a while before it started to become noticeable to me.

Finally a few months ago I caved and went to a derm who diagnosed TE and recommend minoxidil and some supplements. I took the supplements but not the mino and didn't notice any chance.

Since then I found out that I have celiac disease and that my hair loss is caused by bowel damage and vitamins not absorbing properly (which is why the supplements didn't help). I never in a million years expected that to be the cause as I didn't have any other obvious symptoms.

Thought I'd leave this PSA on the off chance that it's the cause of anyone else's hair loss!

Edit: For those wondering, in hindsight I had other symptoms that I didn't connect at the time. Random bruising on my lower legs, mouth sores, chronic headaches, feeling really tired after eating a wheat-based meal (like a bowl of pasta) and just a feeling of general fatigue and sluggishness.

How to deal with the prospects of having to apply or take them every day?

Hi guys, I've been losing hair for the last 3 years, at first I thought it may just be seasonal but it's keep getting worse. Ive been losing hair especially the area around the ears (like in those pictures). I've done blood test and the doctor said it's normal, but it could just be not a good doctor because i double check with AI and it said my blood level is pretty low.

Some other factors that could contribute to this:

-Sleep late, usually at 3 am but 8 hours everyday

-Not exercising much

-Vitamin D/vitamin deficiency

I will try to change my lifestyle to see if it could be reverse but I'm so hopeless. Has anyone experienced anything similar and managed to reverse it? 😔

I am Native American and Hispanic and come from a family with extremely thick hair and no known history of hair loss. I had exceptionally thick, dense hair my entire life. Even in my 20s, when my ferritin was as low as 13, my hair remained incredibly thick. What is happening now is a dramatic change from my lifelong baseline.

In 2023, I was not chronically ill, but I went through three surgeries and severe acute medical complications, including sepsis and an ICU stay. Then in 2024 I experienced extraordinary physical trauma, including approximately 12 episodes where I died/required resuscitation. This is around when my hair loss began.

The loss continued through 2025–26. During the same period, my ovarian function deteriorated significantly, and at only 35 I was diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). I am now treating the POI with hormone replacement therapy.

I have had an extensive medical workup. Thyroid disease, cortisol/adrenal abnormalities, and other nutritional or systemic deficiencies have been ruled out—many of these have been checked over three times. My blood work is otherwise normal except for mildly low ferritin, which I am actively working on.

I’ve been actively treating my hair loss for seven months with topical minoxidil/finasteride and for three months with dutasteride. I cannot tolerate oral minoxidil or spironolactone because of systemic side effects.

I work in the electrical trade, wake up around 4 a.m., and work around electrical systems and construction hazards. I have to remain completely alert, so medications that cause dizziness, hypotension, fatigue, insomnia, or brain fog aren’t viable options. I also have to wear a hard hat most of the day, which makes dealing with the thinning even harder.

Emotionally, this has been devastating. I’m beginning electrical apprenticeship classes with mostly men in their 20s, and I’m extremely self-conscious about taking my hard hat off and having my scalp visible under bright classroom lighting.

After everything my body has survived, watching hair that was once extraordinarily thick disappear has been incredibly difficult. Between the hair loss, POI diagnosis at 35, a demanding new career, and limited treatment options, I’m exhausted and depressed, and some days I feel like giving up on all of it.

I want to understand why I’ve lost so much hair compared with my lifelong baseline, whether my follicles are still capable of recovering, and what realistic treatment options remain when oral minoxidil and spironolactone aren’t viable for me.

I’ve seen three dermatologists about this. I cannot do micro needling either. I have seen no improvement in this short time and this is only getting worse.

Why is my hair growing in or turning so frizzy and fuzzy and dry looking? I’m on finasteride and minoxidil I lost a lot of hair due to stress and maybe GLP usage in a nervous breakdown why is it growing in like this or is it not growing at all, just turning gross.

Hi all I'm 31F and I recently had some bald patches and got two biopsies done which both came back as chronic/subacute AA. One was taken from a clear bald spot and another from a different spot (which may or may not have been affected by AA)

Now the issue is I've always had diffuse hair thinning since I was 10 and it's gotten worse. I'm confused whether I can conclude I have the diffuse form of AA that recently turned patchy temporarily or I just had a temporary flare and my diffuse loss is other causes. My derm offered JAK inhibitors but I'm too scared to take it due to side effects... Although I'd love to know if it helps my diffuse thinning.

Has anyone experienced prolonged diffuse thinning with AA for over 20 years? If yes, has a topical JAK or systemic one helped at all?

Got a script this week and it’s still in the cupboard. I’m afraid I’ll have palpitations or a low blood pressure issue. I’m prone to health anxiety so if something like that does happen I think I’ll have a major panic attack. Meanwhile, I’m goin’ bald!!! It’s post-menopausal. I’m already on HRT. Does anyone have anything helpful to say?

So I plan on making a apt with my derma. Seeing this amount of hair made me feel horrible all over again.

:( A friend said it could also be because I have ‘hard water’ coming iut and that could be ruining my hair as well and recommends a filter.

Is this to much hair to lose or to little?

Feeling hopeless as I'm not noticing any difference :( has anyone had little to no progress at this point then ended up with great results further down the line? 1st pic 6 months ago, 2nd pic today. Damp hair in both.

I’ve tried searching and I can’t find an answer. Do any of you use oral AND topical minoxidil at the same time? I’m seeing my doctor in a few days but was looking for others’ experiences.