Is Minoxidil Sulfate 14x than regular Minoxidil?

Hello,

I am new to this forum.

Hello everybody : )

I have used (Kirkland) minoxidil topical in the past with not that great of results after about 18 months worth of use. I am a middle aged female that has recently had a face-lift which pulled my hairline back and on top of that my hair is thinning.

Pubmed did a clinical study that claims that the sulfated version works exponentially stronger than regular minoxidil, 14x is what is stated in the study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2230218

Has anyone tried a 5% minoxidil sulfate topical? If not, would anyone have any info or insight or thoughts about a 5% minoxidil sulfate topical?

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I did some more reading about Minoxidil sulfate that I found interesting.

I read that regular Minoxidil doesn't work on some individuals because they lack a certain naturally produced enzyme on their scalp/skin, & therefore, they will never see any results.

Minoxidil Sulfate takes care of this problem because whether or not the individual has this "enzyme" it will work regardless."

I can't speak for anyone else, but Minox Sulfate has been a God send for me.

I can even see new hairs that are growing well below my normal hairline (about an inch to an inch & a half). So much so, that sometimes I have to pluck them because they are growing too low below my hairline.

But, that could also be because sometimes I'm in a rush and do not properly wash and Minox Sulfate that drips down my forehead.

I should try applying it to the back of my hand as an experiment to see if I grow hair there,lol.



Surprisingly, I only found one seller that is selling it the US selling it on an auction site.

If it is really stronger, shouldn't there be more formulations or different brands available for retail purchase?

I'm tempted  bought some, but would like to get any comments or thoughts about it.

Thanks in advance for any help : )

Anything sulfated will work better, however Minoxidil is poison for the skin. So there can be issues with eyes, and skin from an aging perspective.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1546087

Hi CausticSymmetry,

WOW, that is very informative !

Thanks for that info.

I never knew the full detrimental effects.

But, I guess, if I'm going to use Minoxidil anyways, I might as well use Minoxidil Sulfate

Thanks again.

May I ask what you use, if you use anything, for hair growth/maintenance/restoration?

Kelly

Hi, nice to see a lady on the forum for a change, and welcome.

I had a hair transplant and where the donor scar is on the back of my head, I can see that below the horizontal scar the hair is thinner density. For me this leads me to think that blood flow to the area was lessened by the scar, and the hair was lost. I share my thread with pictures to show you the method that has worked for me (and others gradually) to increase circulation and slowly regrow long term bald areas.

I originally thought minoxidil was mainly used to reduce the DHT effects, but there is enough literature that links it to increased circulation (vasodialator ). So if you want the increased circulation you could do a light pressure version of the DT-CPR method to increase blood flow to the follicles.

Good luck and I hope you can avoid minox effects, I have used it and it is temporary, messy, and when you go off it you will probably shed your gains.

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/t11746-regrowth-photos-dt-cpr-method
photos
https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/t11945-selected-dt-cpr-photographs

Hi cdto2012,

Nice to meet a nice fellow, that takes the time to post such detailed info on forums with the intent to help others out : )

Thanks a lot for that very interesting read! And, for all the pics and links.

And you're 100% right minoxidil works as a "vasodialator " allowing more blood to flow to those areas.

It must be pure coincidence, but I have been using a back massager (a very low powered one that I put on a low setting) on my scalp. I also use it on my face to increase blood circulation and promote collagen generation.

Do you think this might have a detrimental effect on my hair due the very slight "rubbing" from the massager?

Because, my face and scalp feel great and invigorated after I do a session.

I just had a question for you; I have been thinking of purchasing an inversion table (manly for my back, my friend has one and it is miraculous), do you think inverting the scalp will help with your theory of allowing blood flow to the scalp? (it sure feels like it does).

Also, I might be mistaken, but I think I read that you remove the oils from your scalp. I have heard that applying minoxidil/minoxidil sulfate is best applied after a hot-warm shower to strip the oils from the scalp. I heard this is called "water-logging" and allows the scalp/skin to accept topicals at a much better rate transdermally, as opposed to applying to the scalp when it is oily.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or input.

Hi,   the back massager  sounds like what was used in the Japenese clinical studies that lead to the start of the head massaging movement.  If your scalp is already fairly healthy (since this study was done on  men that were not suffering baldness I think) the rubbing is fine.  At my stage after a year,   slight rubbing with the PVC edge feels fine and my hair does not shed.  If your hair is shedding daily, the rubbing might pull out the hairs at a faster rate.  If you were rubbing an inflamed or irritated scalp, as many guys have when they experience sharp pains when pressing,  then it might not be helpful.  For your condition as a woman, if it seems to be helping, it probably is.  I also do the deep massages on my face and it has helped the skin stay younger looking.

The inversion table is a great idea and other members use it and stand on their head for treatments.

As for oils and the scalp.  I use cinnamon oil to flush the skin red when massaging. I never apply it right after the shower because it burns 2X as hot. Partly because the pores might be more open from the heat (cold skin contracts).  I suppose also that the lack of skin oils also allows for better penetration.  Originally I used needles with minoxidil (mesotherapy) to penetrate into the skin and saw some quick regrow results.  

The carrier in minoxidil is propelyne glycol a fairly toxic substance in high doses that will most likely be absorbed into your blood and damage the body.  As with the oils, after an hour or so,  I wash off the residue so the skin can breathe.  I use vodka and  a towel. You might consider taking off any minoxidil residue at some stage of the day also.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341412/

Hi  cdto2012,

"The carrier in minoxidil is propelyne glycol a fairly toxic substance in high doses that will most likely be absorbed into your blood and damage the body."

The minoxidil sulfate topical that I am currently using (the only for of minoxidil that has ever worked for me) is water based & not propylene glycol based.

I read an interesting study about how water based minoxidil topical actually have a better transdermal bioavailabilty.

I found it here:  https://www.google.com/patents/US20110112125

Albeit  it a different form of minoxidil than I'm using.  I found it interesting that water works better than PG as a minoxidil base.

I love the fact that the 5% minoxidil sulfate topical is water based.  I do not miss that goopy, oily, messy feeling of PG AT ALL.

Kelly

It sounds like you are having some kind of Minoxidil related results. The other natural method that seems helpful is the use of caffeine to regrow, using green tea or coffee. Sage1 has his thread where he uses an entire green tea bag and mixes it with cilantro and maybe some other ingredients as a paste to soak into the scalp. I use either coffee or green tea water concentrate. Somewhere on my thread I posted the studies on caffeine and regrow.