In recent years, topical finasteride has become a popular choice for treating hair loss. Unlike oral finasteride, which is typically used at a daily dosage of 1 mg, there exists a broad spectrum of topical finasteride concentrations ranging from 0.02% to 0.3% in combination with 6% minoxidil. The question arises: what is the optimal concentration for topical finasteride? Is 0.3% finasteride considered too high? Additionally, where can one find the best price for 0.3% finasteride with 6% minoxidil?

When topical finasteride was first started, it was 0.1%. The reason is very simple, 1 ml of 0.1% solution is 1 mg, the same amount as Propecia oral pills. 

That is why our products that require once a day usage, such as Dualgen-15 With PG Plus and Dualgen-15 NO PG Plus, have 0.1% topical finasteride.

We also have a solution that requires twice a day usage, we lowered the fin concentration to 0.05%, such as Essengen-6 Plus.

For the solution that only needs 0.5 ml a day, we increase the concentration to 0.2% (eg. Essengen-F), because 0.5ml of the solution is still 1 mg fin. 

We also have a product that has higher finasteride concentration such as Maxogen-X that has 7% minoxidil, 0.15% finasteride, and retinoic acid at 0.025%.

There is a well known study that investigated a 0.025% topical finasteride solution on scalp and serum dihydrotestosterone in healthy men with androgenetic alopecia. Please keep in mind that the topical solution (P-3074) used in this study is a gel solution, which is different from our solutions. In this study, 100µL, 200µL, 400µL, 1ml of P-3074 was applied to the scalp for one week, and then the scalp and serum DHT concentrations were measured. It was found that 100µL (0.23mg) and 200µL (0.455mg) (used once a day) decreased scalp DHT concentration as much as oral 1mg fin, but they lowered serum DHT much less than oral 1mg fin  (~25% vs 76%, See Table 1 below).

That is the reason why many people believe a 0.025% topical finasteride is the best solution, because 1 ml of such a solution is 0.25mg, which is similar to the amount of fin in 100µL (2.5%) in the study above.

When one interprets the results, a few things to keep mind:

1. P-3074 used hydroxypropyl-chitosan, while most topical solutions available on the market including ours do not include this ingredient. Hydroxypropyl-chitosan helps form a film when the solution is applied to the scalp and it may affect the absorption.  

2. The number of subjects in the study is very small. The validity of the data needs to be confirmed by a larger study. 

Based on our experience, 0.3% is unnecessarily high for most users.  One should only try 0.3% if a lower concentration topical finasteride solution does not work.  0.1% topical finasteride is sufficient for the majority of people. An even lower concentration such as 0.05% finasteride may work for many people. It is always a good idea to start with a low concentration topical finasteride such as Essengen-6 Plus if one has never used any minoxidil and finasteride combo before. If Essengen-6 Plus does not work after 3 months, one can then try Essengen-6 Extra that has finasteride 0.3% and minoxidil 6%. If you are currently using a topical solution with 6% minoxidil & 0.3% finateride and satisfied with the results, you can safely switch to Essengen-6 Extra, which is a two-month supply for $25/month. 

Is 0.3% topical dutasteride too potent? This inquiry has been posed by some of our customers, prompting a discussion here.

In short, yes, 0.3% topical dutasteride is indeed too potent. Dutasteride is roughly three times more potent as a DHT inhibitor than finasteride. While dutasteride may not be as efficiently absorbed as finasteride (with an estimated absorption rate of 50% compared to finasteride), it possesses a stronger capability to block DHT when applied at the same concentration topically. Considering that a concentration of 0.3% finasteride is already deemed too high, we have no doubt that 0.3% dutasteride with or without 8% minoxidil would be excessively potent for most users.