Time for an annual update on beard growth and pigmentation.
After 12 months on my ‘mix’ similar to @agetron, I can say that it definitely works for beard growth, honestly more than I thought it would. but it didn’t seem to work on hair pigmentation for me. So for the time being, I’m just using this for coloring: https://www.justformen.com/product/cgx-beard-wash
Here’s the 1 year result:
1 year ago:
Just now
Damn… and so dark… and thick.
Congrats
Mountain man! Hahaha!
Thanks. I feel like I should start wearing flannel and get myself an axe.
From the photos, it seems you have much less gray… just judging from the percent of hairs that look gray in the first photo vs. percent in the second.
Actually, I think that was almost entirely due to this: https://www.justformen.com/product/cgx-beard-wash
So, you were not using any of the pharmaceuticals listed in the Rivertown formulation, but you were using topical rapamycin in the formulation, is that correct:
Rivertown Formulation: Reverse Gray Hair, Hair Repigmentation
I think if you have a strong white hair (a terminal hair that is white) it will stay white until the hair follicle comes out of the anagen stage and goes into catagen then telogen. It is only at the proanagen part of the process (part of anagen) that a follicle can restart in a pigmented manner.
However, if you are deminiaturising the hair follicles and you have a vellus hair that can become pigmented within the anagen stage as the quality of the mitochondria improve.
I made things simple, and just followed @agetron’s method by using the Rogaine 5% for the solvent/delivery. I just did 1x a day.
Basically I just added 8mg Rapam, 50mg Bitmatoprost, 3g L-Carnatine (only helps for facial hair), 2g Retinol .1%, 1g of Caffeine, 1g of Resveratrol, 1g of EGCG. I did use Transcutol as an initial ‘slurry’.
I also did 5mg oral minox daily.
I’m certain that many of the velas hairs became ‘terminal’. I tried to grow a beard 3 years ago, and it was far more patchy.
I think I’m now going to move onto my hairline, which is trickier, as I have fine hair. I hate putting stuff on my scalp… I just can’t see myself doing that for the long-term. I think I’ll just do a preventative/thickening routine involving oral finasteride and minox. Maybe I’ll try out PRP for 1x a year. My goal will just be to stop potential ‘crowning’ in the future, hopefully till I’m 80.
Here is a great new study/article on hair loss, with processes and molecules that may address.
In this current review, research spanning the last decade (such as transcriptomic studies, phenotypic observations, and confirmed comorbidities) has been synthesized into an updated etiology of hair loss and applied to the new cosmeceutical paradigm of hair rejuvenation. The major etiological components in scalps with hair loss are denoted as the ‘big eight strikes’, which include the following: androgens, prostaglandins, overactive aerobic metabolism of glucose, bacterial or fungal over-colonization, inflammation, fibrosis, metabolism or circulation problems, and malnutrition. The relevance of the ‘big eight’ to nine categories of hair loss is explained. In cases of androgenetic alopecia or female pattern hair loss, both elevated DHT and increased frequency of androgen receptors lead to problems with the metabolism of glucose (sugar), redox imbalance, disruption to the electron transport chain, and PPAR-γ overactivity (the latter is unique to androgenetic alopecia, where the reverse occurs in other types of hair loss). These etiological factors and others from ‘the big eight’ are the focal point of our hypothetical narrative of the attenuative mechanisms of commercial cosmeceutical hair serums. We conclude that cosmeceuticals with the potential to improve all eight strikes (according to published in vitro or clinical data) utilize bioactive peptides and plant compounds that are either flavonoids (isoflavones, procyanidins, flavanols, and flavonols) or sterols/triterpenes. It is noteworthy that many therapeutic interventions are generic to the multiple types of hair loss. Lastly, suggestions are made on how scalp and hair health can be improved by following the cosmeceutical approach.
Open Access Paper:
I may add some of these to ‘the formula’. Like berberine, glycine, horse chestnut. Simply cause I have them in the closet.
Bryan J updated his hair details, here is his formula:
PROTOCOL
Caffeine USP 1%
Finasteride USP 0.25%
Minoxidil USP 5%
Azelaic Acid 1.5%
Diclofenac 0.5%
Tea Tree Oil 5%
Rosemary Oil 0.37%
Ginko Biloba 0.05%
Biotin 0.01%
Melatonin USP 0.0033%
Hmmm… looks good.
But…how about the god-awful red tint… lol.
Thanks Dan.
Which of the compounds would give it a red tint?
Oh, I think he is dyeing it on top of this which kinda defeats the growth process…I would think…
Not being the pot and calling the kettle black - hahaha. My use of Resveratrol and EGCG actually is my natural color. And does not damage the hair or scalp skin.
On his Blueprint website he also lists GR7 and Mayraki Hair Restore as “gray hair reversal”. I haven’t done a deep dive into these products but both claim to restore melanin in the hair follicles from the inside out as opposed to just dyeing the hair. Both companies seem a bit vague on the precise mechanism and have mixed reviews from a quick google search. But could be worth trying. Other companies seem to be working on products like this:
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is a major regulator of cell proliferation and metabolism, playing significant roles in proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and illness. More and more evidences showed that the mTOR signaling pathway affects hair follicle circulation and maintains the stability of hair follicle stem cells. mTOR signaling may be a critical cog in Vitamin D receptor (VDR) deficiency-mediated hair follicle damage and degeneration and related alopecia disorders. This review examines the function of mTOR signaling in hair follicles and hair diseases, and talks about the underlying molecular mechanisms that mTOR signaling regulates.
Full paper (open access):
Okay time for another batch of @Agetron hair formula. This time I am making some changes. I am gonna try Bryan Johnson’s formula since I have most of the stuff on-hand. Even Diclofenac which I used to take for my hip arthritis prior to getting a resurface. I will add 6mg of Rapa and some bimatoprost too. Btw: my last batch was just okay with berberine in place of Metformin. Turned my hair yellowish. Wife not a fan 
Nice mix. Is that for a month at a time?
I just started on my ‘hair’ concoction as well. I get ideas from Bryan J., but overall, he tends to jump on everything at times.
I follow the formula mentioned earlier in this post, 1oz of DMSO to break down the molecules for an hour with mixing every 10-15 mins. Then add 3oz of minoxidil. Mix again a few times. Then add to two dark glass bottles with glass blotters. It lasts me about 2.5 months depending on how heavy I go. All of Bryan’s hair formula is pretty standard. The melatonin and Diclofenac I haven’t seen commonly applied to hairloss. Makes sense though as both are anti inflammatory……can’t hurt.
The topicical formula is $140 per fill, my first batch lasted close to 3 months using a pea sized amount as directed almost every night. My second refill does not seem to contain as much product so probably won’t last 3 months.
Been off my skunk works formula 6 months. Just doing oral finasteride and minoxidil. Oddly my hair has retained its color
However, I reached the point of too much thinning. Made my new and improved batch with some ideas from Danlalane.
More soon.
