My exact minoxidil and finasteride routine (free): what I did for the first 5 months

A lot of people ask me how I grew my hair back within 4 to 5 months. I did not take any treatment from a doctor. I experimented on my own hair, wrote down what I did, and this post is that routine. I used to sell it as a PDF guide. I do not any more, so here it is in full. Everything below comes from my own day-by-day posts on this blog, with links so you can check the dates yourself.

First, the before and after photos.

Quick summary

• Minoxidil: Morr F 5% topical solution (5% minoxidil with finasteride in it), 1ml twice a day, every single day, no breaks.
• Finasteride tablets: 1mg a day in my first round in 2018. Second round from 29 November 2019 at a much lower dose, which I changed a few times (table below).
• Shampoo: Procapil shampoo in the first weeks, then a normal anti-dandruff shampoo. Washed regularly.
• Supplements: biotin tablets daily.
• Diet: a clean diet with eggs, carrots and foods that are said to reduce DHT.
• Time to results: first new growth around day 63, hair fall close to zero by day 108, a visibly fuller head by month 5 to 6.

What I used

The topical solution was Morr F 5%. It is 5% minoxidil with finasteride mixed in, sold in India in a 60ml bottle with a dropper. I put 1ml on the scalp twice a day. I did not skip days. In my experience the days you skip are the days you pay for later with shedding.

Before this I had tried onion juice, castor oil, egg masks, a dermaroller and about six months of biotin alone. None of it stopped the hair fall. I wrote about that on day 1.

Finasteride: what I actually took

This is the part people get wrong when they copy me, so here are the dates. In December 2018 I started finasteride 1mg a day along with minoxidil. It worked, my hair came back within about 8 months, but I got sexual side effects (lower libido, difficulty reaching orgasm) and I stopped the tablets. About 8 months after stopping, the hair fall came back hard. So on 29 November 2019 I restarted at a low dose.

Date	Finasteride dose	Where I wrote it
Dec 2018 to mid 2019	1mg a day	Day 1 post
29 Nov 2019 (day 1)	0.25mg on alternate days	Day 1 post
Dec 2019 (day 7)	0.5mg a day	Day 7 post
Jan 2020 (day 54) onwards	0.25mg a day	Day 54 post
2024	Stopped completely	Still on minoxidil only

At 0.25mg a day I had none of the sexual side effects I got at 1mg. The only thing I noticed was a small pain in the testicles in the first days, which went away. Side effects are different for everyone. Read my day 170 post on side effects and talk to a dermatologist before you touch finasteride.

Shampoo and washing

In the first weeks I used Procapil shampoo. After that I switched to a normal anti-dandruff shampoo, because the alcohol in the minoxidil solution gave me dandruff and that was the only side effect of the solution I ever had. I washed my hair regularly rather than leaving the solution to build up.

Supplements and diet

I took a biotin tablet daily. On its own, before minoxidil, biotin did nothing for me in six months, so I do not think it was the thing that worked, but I kept taking it. I ate a clean diet with eggs and carrots and the foods people say reduce DHT. I also went to the gym regularly.

When results came

• Day 35: shedding, hair still falling.
• Day 63: first new hair growth spotted.
• Day 79: first haircut since starting.
• Day 108: hair fall close to zero, density up.
• Day 187: six-month photos.
• One year: the full before and after.

Here is a short video from early in the routine.

What I would tell you

The routine is boring. 1ml twice a day, a low dose of finasteride if you and your doctor decide it is right for you, wash your hair, eat properly, and wait four to five months before judging anything. The hard part is not the products, it is not stopping. If you stop, my own experience says the hair goes back within months.