Why Do Y'all Overcomplicate This?
My biggest gripe with this subreddit is the sheer overcomplication that I see constantly. Vitamin stacks, obsessing over facial cleanses, daily rituals, even the damn brands you use.
Your brand does not matter, Kirkland is not the only brand to ever trust, I've used three different ones. In fact, I found that the Rogaine brand is the best. The foam is very liquid while still drying quickly, meaning it gets to my skin even with a goatee. Highly recommend, 3-pack on Amazon is $50 (at least in the US).
Your minoxidil is likely not fake just because the font on the lot number looks funky. Just don't be dumb and buy no-name brands from Amazon and you're fine.
You don't need to obsess over vitamins and supplements like biotin and collagen. They aren't going to meaningfully increase your results. Most people aren't deficient in either, so you aren't going to see any benefit. Even if you are deficient, biotin helps hair health and structure, not follicle maturity or growth rate.
You don't need to obsess over washing your face, I don't wash my face and I'm fine. You don't need to obsess over moisturizers and a dozen other skin care products. If you want to that's great, but don't expect it to make results show up meaningfully faster. I just wake up, grab the monoxidil off of my nightstand, and use 3 dollops. One on my left cheek, one on the right, one on my chin. Done. Then do the same thing before bed.
You don't need to be so paranoid about having it around pets. Don't be dumb about it and let them lick the wet minoxidil off of your face, but after it dries you're pretty much fine. Most of what is left on your face is the vehicle, propylene glycol or alcohol, with about 45% of the active ingredient left. Again, don't be stupid and tongue your pet and you're fine. You ain't gonna kill your cat if it rubs onto your pillow, or if you pet them without washing your hands. My cat licked my beard just last night about 20 minutes after applying. Obviously I didn't let her continue to lick, and she's fine. I also never wash my hands after applying because I'm lazy, no issues.
Stop using a derma roller, they're terrible and do a ton of unnecessary harm to the skin on top of just being less efficient. Just use a stamp, they're just as cheap and they're adjustable (most of em). Also, stop going over .75mm, that's well out of the range of the studied depth and does more harm than good. .5mm once per week or every 2 weeks even and you're good. You also don't need to wait 24 hours after stamping to apply minoxidil, I wait maybe 4 hours and even that is unnecessary. Some people use it right after stamping, and while I think they're psychos for enduring the burn, they're fine.
I just don't understand the overcomplicating of this. The bottom line with minoxidil is you've either got the genetics or you don't, everything else is mostly superfluous unless you're a slow responder and add tretinoin.
I've added photos of my before and current. I'm about 8 months into it, and the hairs are still maturing but the density is there and that's fine with me. Just stop wasting your time and money thinking you'll somehow shortcut your own genetics and just rub the shit on your face.