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How to Deal With Hair Loss
The First Sign I Was Going to Deal With Hair Loss
Is that a new freckle? My 24-year-old self wondered, as I crouched over the sink to get a closer look in the mirror. It was on the side-head, where my forehead transitions into my temple. I don’t remember that freckle. Was it always there? Yes. It was. Only now revealed by the absence of hair. It was at this point I knew: I needed to figure out how to deal with hair loss.
I’m El Chuckarino. I’m not a doctor, but here I share my personal experience to help you assess your own hair situation sooner rather than later—and find a solution if needed.
It Wasn’t Supposed to Happen This Way
I’ve had great hair for as long as I can remember. Thick. Full-bodied. Lucious. At 19 years old, the mother figures in my life would tell me I had nothing to worry about, I had good, thick hair, like my father.
Sounds great to me. Dad didn’t have to deal with hair loss, and neither did Dad’s dad at 85+ years old. I’m set.
Then I saw that freckle. Chuckling to myself, ha, man, it’s probably nothing. I mean. I’m EL CHUCKARINO, the guy with the thick hair. I couldn’t possibly be introduced to this at such a young age. Maybe I’m just seeing things. I’ll wait it out. That’s what I’ll do. When people go bald they go bald pretty quick, right? Ya, psh…that ain’t me.
A few months later, I’m going to Hawaii with my girlfriend (now wife), got a fresh haircut, and my flow on top is looking a little light. Man, it is looking a little light. Will she notice? Is it…noticeable?
Don’t Forget About Mom
I heard that somewhere. From a friend, or someone in my family, or a blog about men’s hair. Maybe it was all three. Don’t forget your mom’s side of the family. How about Mom’s dad? How’d he turn out? The simple fact was that he passed from cancer a long while back, and constantly wore hats. Not a whole lot of data there.
Then I saw it. My future. At 56 years old, my mom’s brother had nothing but a slim peninsula of hair straight down the middle of his head.
Uncle Jay
I was nearly 25, and that’s when it began.
Researching How to Deal With Hair Loss
Alright, I’m going incognito mode on this one. I don’t want anyone to know I’m researching how to deal with HAIR LOSS, or going on sites like Hims or Keeps or Googling products like minoxidil and finasteride. It’s the type of thing you start to do and then think to yourself, “do I even have time for this?”
Well, guess what. The clock is ticking.
I spoke to my trusted advisors in the hair department, El Rubio and El Moreno, and they offered sage advice: take the same picture in the mirror once a week for three to six months. Then you’ll know for sure.
Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve got hair on your scalp, but maybe the front isn’t putting up such a great fight. So let me make this clear:
If you notice a bunch of baby hairs near your forehead like the picture here…
…the enemy is already on the offensive. Your follicles are fighting for their lives and they are LOSING.
The Objections on Hair Loss Treatments
If admitting you have to deal with hair loss isn’t hard enough, the next step is to navigate a sea of witchcraft and snake oil before you get down to the brass tax.
Minoxidil and finasteride, previously known as Rogain and Propecia. If you know anything about these products, you know they do indeed grow your hair back and help you keep it. However, you need to take or apply them every single day, lest you risk losing all the hair you grew back. More on that later.
At the same time you’re grappling with information from people who say minoxidil only grows hair back on the top of the scalp. Or that side effects of finasteride may include a decreased sex drive, trouble getting or keeping an erection, ejaculation disorder, increase in breast size and tenderness, or skin rash.
So let me get this straight…I have to apply this stuff to my head every single day and it will only prevent a complete skull cap, leaving my forehead to my uncle’s fate? Or, take a pill and lose my sex drive? That doesn’t sound sexy at all.
Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight
I’m 26 at this point, and I really don’t want to use minoxidil or finasteride. There’s gotta be another way. Something to ease me into this. Something less risky. Maybe I just like, need some vitamins and maybe a better shampoo. Then you hear about a vitamin called biotin.
“My husband takes biotin,” or, “my boyfriend takes biotin and it helps.” Ok, that sounds promising. No side effects, but upon further review…
Biotin deficiencies are rare. But because people with a deficiency often show symptoms of hair loss or a scaly red rash, some doctors and supplement companies recommend increasing your intake. - Healthline.com
Unless you are one of the rare men with a biotin deficiency, taking biotin supplements to treat hair loss is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
The Shampoo Isn’t Helping With Hair Loss Either
Researching Hims and Keeps, I noticed they offer packages that don’t require a prescription, which include a multivitamin, a DHT-blocking shampoo, and one bottle of minoxidil.
Ok, I thought, I’ll take the vitamin and the shampoo and see if that will get me by. Besides, I deal with hair loss in the front, and I’ve been told minoxidil doesn’t help with hair loss on the front. For about a year and a half, I thought this strategy was holding the line.
But slowly and surely, the line continued to fall back.
The Phone Call That Saved My Hairline
At 27 years old, my brother and I were on the phone. I was telling him I won’t use minoxidil because it wouldn’t help with the front of my head, and I wasn’t willing to risk the side effects of finasteride.
“Did you even try??” he asked. “Well, no they just…”
Then he cut me off. “Dude, it worked for me!! My hair grew back fast.”
If it worked for my brother, it was worth trying.
It took about three months of applying minoxidil to my head every night, but he was right. My hair grew back. No side effects to speak of. All I do is rub this ointment on my head every night, and I’m living the good life.
Every Day, Forever, or Else
There’s no better feeling than seeing your hair roar back with a vengeance, especially if you believed it was gone forever. For me it was a boost of confidence, restoring a familiar feeling of regularity. The compliments from loved ones don’t hurt either.
A word of caution, however, with minoxidil for hair loss. You must continue using it daily, forever, or as long as you want to keep that regrown hair. If you stop using it, you risk losing the hair that grew back.
That may sound daunting, but you know what’s more daunting? Growing your hair back, then losing it all over again, and with it the confidence you had regained. That’s why I enjoy rubbing minoxidil on my head every night: knowing it makes a difference in my life every single day.
The Message on How to Deal With Hair Loss
Here at The Longhairs, we aim to inspire confidence among guys growing their hair. If you are suspicious of hair loss, go see a doctor, or consult a telehealth company. The sooner you deal with hair loss, the more hair you’ll be able to save, and even grow back.
Don’t fuss around with kid’s toys (biotin/gummies/shampoo). Deploy the big guns early, and tackle it head-on. It will take about three months to see the results, but once you do, you’ll be happier for it.
You can do this.
Questions or discussion? Feel free to reach out to me in the comments below!
Comments
Hey Chuck, I’m 22 and I noticed my hair line is receding in my temples and I have the baby hairs like you did in the photos. I’m really hesitant to begin this whole journey if I’m being honest. I’m a Longhair and I love it but I’m nervous about losing my hair now. Are you strictly only using minoxidil, or are you using finastride as well? I know you said you didn’t want to but I want to know for sure, because I heard that the finastride is what stops the loss and minoxidil is what regrows. Also have you noticed any further loss while only using the minoxidil? Any feedback is much appreciated. Also fyi My uncles on both sides are bald, my dad and my twin brother are both bald as well, we are fraternal though. Thanks!
Yo Anthony! Thank you for your comment. If you have baby hair like in my pictures, the war has begun whether or not you’re ready for it.
All hair loss products do is reduce the production of DHT, the hormone that causes hair loss. Finasteride works for lots of people, my brother and two of my brother in laws use it with success. I never used it because of the reasons mentioned in the blog and because I saw plenty of success just using minoxidil ointments everyday. There have been zero side effects that I have noticed. To really step up your hair production you can do both at the same time. When you do a consultation with one of the telehealth companies the doctor will tell you what the best course of action for you would be.
Here’s the one thing I know for a fact, unless you are suffering from some kind of ailment or unusual high stress maybe like when El Rubio found a bald patch, it won’t grow back on it’s own. You need to treat it if you want to keep it.
Has I’ve mentioned on a couple other blog posts comments, I was an early shedder, started losing during senior year in High School with the widows peak and also having to fight trichotillomania (liked to pluck out my hair as a soothing habit, which can be common for those with a Autism Spectrum Disorder, also like I am). Because of that my locks in High School had to go a week before I graduated. It was a sad time for sure. I’ve attempted to regrow long a few times but that evil MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) was advancing, and by 2015 I had given up and surrendered to being bald. I shaved my head every other day since May of 2015. Then Covid came, and long hair became popular and I just had to try it again.
Ultimately I started simple with ketoconazole 2% shampoo and a beard growth shampoo which has a lot of stuff found in natural hair shampoos, just more masculine as well as conditioners. I was slightly Vitamin D deficient, which can make hair loss worse, so I started a D3 supplement and multivitamin but nothing ‘hair specific’. 6 months into my growing journey (which has now gone farther/longer then I expected), I saw new thin hairs growing where there was none before, so I kept at it until June of this year (2022) when I started a Keeps hair treatment program with finasteride tablets and minoxidil foam. I started noticing a lot new hairs growing, but side effects were severe and impacting other medications. Because of that they switched my to the compounded minoxidil/finasteride gel which they had just started offering. Since then things have been much better from the side effect side of things and my hair continues to expand and grow. Looks like I’ve already reversed back to a Norwood 4 almost borderline Norwood 3(v) (lower number means less bald, and (v) means vertex balding at the 3rd stage). My crown despite still being thin is getting thicker and darker each month, so I might reverse it back to Norwood 2 or even 1. Only sucky thing is that as it’s well known, yo have to keep taking the treatments for them to work, but I was thinking it might be possible to reduce the frequency of the treatments by half or even a third say like every other day or 2, just to maintain and store up some produce once desired results are reached.
You’re doing all the right things, Steven! Did you ever get a chance to read about my hair loss journey? https://blog.thelonghairs.us/deal-with-hair-loss/
I’m looking forward to going bald on top… I beat cancer so I am slowly growing my hair back.. but I want to grow my sides & back really long so I need help growing them back .. my hair is really thin . It has always been like that …. I got little fuzz on top of my head … That is why I am looking forward to going bald so I don’t have to deal with it… But I need all the help I can get to growing my sides and back . Back so I need to know what kind of shampoo & conditioner to use & how to brush & take good care of it …… Thank you Mr. Alan Hayes or AKA FUZZY !!!!!!
Congratulations on beating cancer, Alan!Shampoo and conditioner will not help you grow your hair back, but it can make the hair you have healthier and better looking! Our shampoo and conditioner by The Longhairs will be coming back in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for that!
If you are looking for hair regrowth products I recommend consulting a telehealth company or a doctor to see if finasteride or minoxidil could help you regrow your hair after your cancer treatments.
I wouldn’t try minoxidil for the same reasons Chuckarino cites…but the suggestion that I at least try it seems ok. thanks for the post. I’ll let you know how it goes. fingers crossed.
What kind did you use? I’ve been thinking about trying this and have noticed there’s a few different styles.
Just wondering if you still plan to have an open house at your new location…
Yes man absolutely! We don’t have a date yet but you are on the invite list!
the only proven remedies for androgenetic alopecia are effectively finasteride and minoxidil, none DHT blocker, neither saw palmetto has been medically tested!!!
minoxidil must be used for all the life but very few side effects ( just a lower blood pressure)
finasteride is more known in mtf gender transitions as feminizing hormones, with for more common side effect a breast enhancement , but, as suspected of carcinogenic is now forbidden in almost all Europe for aesthetic use
surgery has a low efficiency with a very high cost, and much and more charlatanism….
but it seems that mental has a part of this problem, and, as it is an anxiety case, we observe frequently a vicious circle, and anxyolitic remedies or psychotherapy can be useful
remember: hair is dead matter, and what you put on cannot be eaten, and less act: every ” miraculous” ingredient in a shampoo or any petroleum is only an advertising argument or worst, charlatanism !!!
condolences for your lost freedom, bro; as others, you have realized after answered “yes” to the parson…….;lol, but i suppose you are soon going give to NRA future customers…..;
Hey Chuckarino,
What brand or strength of minoxidil did you use? Also curious if you used the dropper solution or foam. Your post mentions an ointment? I haven’t seen any ointments. Thanks so much l for this post!