INTRO: Anytime I have seen this topic brought up on TRP I always see the same response... "just shave it and hit the gym bro". And that's fine, ripped and bald is sexy there's no doubt, but you know what else is sexy? Ripped and a full head of hair. Some guys look great bald, some don't, but if your hair is starting to thin out (don't sweat it, it happens to all of us at some point) you DO have more options than just shaving it.

BODY:

"What do I do? Do I have options??" Yes, but you really only have 1 option....."Do 'The Big 3'".

1: Finasteride

2: Minoxidil

3: Ketoconazole shampoo

Get generic Proscar (have your doctor write you an RX). Proscar is 5mg of Finasteride (propecia is 1mg of Finasteride) used to treat BHP. Get a $3 pill cutter from walmart and cut them into quarters. This means $9 for 120 days of propecia, whereas getting actual name brand propecia is around $70 or so a month. Tell your doctor that you can't afford name brand, and that Proscar is LITERALLY the exact same thing as Propecia, just a 5x stronger dose. Most people can be sympathetic towards wanting to save money. Just be upfront and honest with him.

Get generic Minoxidil online, it is exactly the same thing as Rogaine, I prefer Kirkland (costco) brand, it's about $25 for a 6 month supply. Start with 1 month of the liquid and see how it works. Only get 1 month to start because it MIGHT irritate your scalp, if it doesn't bother you, then after a month get the 6 month supply (I say liquid because it has a slightly better rate of growth than the foam). If it bothers you (either because it's itchy or because it feels like it makes your hair too greasy), then get the 3 months supply of Rogaine foam online or from Walmart.

Nizoral is hard to find these days, but what you want is a shampoo that has at least 1% KETOCONAZOLE as the active ingredient. You only need to use it 2-3 times a week, one bottle will last about three months. Keto has been shown to have anti androgen properties. By itself it's not going to do much, but it helps in conjunction with the other things. It's usually on Amazon for about $11 a bottle. Another option for Keto shampoo is Regenepure DR. I haven't used it, so I can't attest to it, but many others have said it worked well.

Propecia: Some people say that taking propecia makes them kinda tired for the first few hours after they take the pill. I think that's kinda bogus, but I always take mine right before bed. Don't be scared off by horror stories online of people that have had bad side effects. Only 3.8 percent of men stop taking Finasteride because of the sides and after factoring in the placebo effect only about half that actually had any. There has NEVER been a confirmed case of permanent side effects from Finasteride.

Minoxidil: Take a shower in the morning, towel dry your hair, then put the minoxidil in and let it sit while you get dressed. After that, style your hair as usual. Put it in again before you go to bed (needs to be in 2x a day). If you start using minoxidil and stop, the hair that you have regrown using minoxidil will fall out! Keep that in mind before starting.

If you like the way you look with a shaved head that's awesome! But if you like your hair and want to keep it for about $11 per month and 5 minutes of your time a day you can. My hair started thinning when I was 24, I'm 26 now and my hair is as thick as it was when I was a kid. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner.