History: Noticed aggressive hair fall starting at age 14, originally attributing it to severe dandruff. Attempted 3 standalone PRP sessions between 2021 and 2023 with no real maintenance protocol. Locked in a consistent medical stack at the start of this year.
Tracking: I have taken progress photos weekly since January 2nd. I will be formatting this journal into monthly update posts containing the weekly photo breakdowns to show the exact progression.
For the first four months, my routine consisted strictly of the daily systemic oral treatment (Hims Hair Hybrids):
Major update this month. After reflecting on the advice and feedback from my initial Reddit post, I decided to buzz/cut down my hair on March 4th, 2026. Taking the hair down to a shorter, uniform length has made a huge difference, it lets me track density and new growth far more accurately, while making it much easier to monitor the scalp directly.
My routine for this month still consists strictly of the daily systemic oral treatment (Hims Hair Hybrids):
Finasteride: 1.1 mg
Minoxidil: 3 mg
Biotin: 2.5 mg
Vitamin B5: 10 mg
Vitamin B6: 2 mg
Vitamin C: 100 mg
This post includes all weekly progress photos for the month of March, showing the transition after buzzing it down.
The buzzed length from March is growing out, making it interesting to track early density changes.
However, looking closely at this month’s weekly photos (specifically around April 14th and 20th), you can see the persistent flaking and scalp inflammation that I’ve dealt with for years. It became incredibly clear by the end of April that just taking oral pills wasn’t going to be enough. The scalp itself needed direct attention to clear out the build-up so treatments could actually work.
Because of this, I ordered a targeted set of topical scalp products and a dermastamp at the end of the month.
My routine for this month still consists strictly of the daily oral treatment (Hims Hair Hybrids):
Finasteride: 1.1 mg
Minoxidil: 3 mg
Biotin: 2.5 mg
Vitamin B5: 10 mg
Vitamin B6: 2 mg
Vitamin C: 100 mg
This post includes all weekly progress photos for the month of April, documenting the hair growth alongside the visible scalp flaking that prompted my routine change.
This month marks the official transition to a much more complete protocol to finally attack my scalp health alongside the oral routine.
I went to my home country this month, which introduced extra stress and environmental changes, which could easily be playing a role in how my hair and scalp are responding around this time. On top of that, I missed exactly one day of taking my oral tablets on May 28th.
My updated daily and weekly routine, including Hims Hair Hybrids, turned to this:
Finasteride: 1.1 mg
Minoxidil: 3 mg
Biotin: 2.5 mg
Vitamin B5: 10 mg
Vitamin B6: 2 mg
Vitamin C: 100 mg
Ketoconazole Shampoo: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Treatment Shampoo (2% Ketoconazole) rotated into my washes.
Salicylic Acid Shampoo: Neutrogena T/Gel Scalp Relief (3% Salicylic Acid) to actively break down the flaky build-up and clear the follicles.
Conditioner: The Ordinary Behentrimonium Chloride 2% Conditioner to keep things hydrated with a lightweight, completely non-comedogenic formula.
Microneedling: KOI BEAUTY Derma Stamp (140 real needles) used 1x per week.
This post includes all weekly progress photos for May, capturing the start of the scalp routine overhaul.
This update covers June through July 5th, marking exactly half a year (6 months) of progress since starting on January 2nd.
I came back from my trip at the end of June, so the travel stress and environmental changes from May have completely settled down. After missing that one day in May, my consistency has been 100% all through June and into July.
Regarding shedding, I noticed a bit of shedding early on during January and February. That completely stopped, but I have started noticing a bit of shedding again during the first week of July.
Looking back at the full timeline, the progression has been massive:
January: Started purely with the daily oral tablet. Noticed some initial shedding.
February: Maintained baseline. Continued noticing a bit of shedding.
March: Reflected on Reddit advice and buzzed my hair down to a uniform length.
April: Noticed persistent scalp flaking and inflammation in the weekly photos.
May: Overhauled the routine to target scalp health directly using a specific topical rotation and microneedling.
June: Back from traveling, routine fully stabilized. Hit the 6-month milestone. Noticed a brief return of some shedding this week.
My current daily and weekly routine remains the same:
Conditioner: The Ordinary Behentrimonium Chloride 2% Conditioner
Microneedling: KOI BEAUTY Derma Stamp
This post includes the weekly progress photos from June up to the start of July, documenting the official half-year milestone. I was enjoying my time with family a bit too much and missed out on a week of tracking.
