Androgenetic Alopecia in Women: My Diagnosis and 11 Things I Do Differently Today

At around 33, I first noticed that the hair on the top of my head was different. Not just thinner. Finer, softer, and less like the hair on the rest of my head.

I didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

Then, over the following years, I lost nearly 50 kilograms, and the condition became increasingly noticeable. For a long time, I told myself it was probably the weight loss. Maybe my thyroid. Maybe stress. Maybe just a phase.

It wasn't.

And that's precisely what makes this diagnosis so insidious. You don't necessarily wake up one morning, take a shower, and find half your hair in the drain. It can happen slowly. Month after month. Year after year. Until one day you look at an old photo and say to yourself:

How did I not notice this sooner?

My best friend told me something I didn't want to hear

My best friend is a hairdresser.

One day, she said to me with a heavy heart:

"Kat, this isn't okay anymore. You really need to see a doctor now."

Before that, I had tried all sorts of things. Dietary supplements. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma. Laser treatment. Various products.

There weren't any major changes.

And so, about six months ago, I finally visited a dermatologist.

Diagnosis: androgenetic alopecia.

When I started thinking about my family history, it all began to make much more sense.

My grandmother. My father.

The hereditary predisposition can come from either side of the family.

Thanks, genetics. 😂

When I started reading about androgenetic alopecia after my diagnosis, I admit I was devastated.

Because this isn't something you can "cure" with one shampoo, a course of vitamins, or one miracle treatment.

It is a condition that can progress over time. And for the first time, I truly understood why hair thinning becomes so pronounced in some women over time.

My dermatologist suggested minoxidil

Minoxidil is one of the most established treatments for female pattern hair loss. It is applied directly to the scalp and may help some people maintain hair density and promote growth.

But there was something I didn't fully understand before my diagnosis.

If minoxidil works, it generally needs to be continued to maintain the results achieved. Once treatment is stopped, its benefits gradually fade.

The reason is logical.

The treatment did not eliminate the genetic predisposition. The underlying condition is still present.

But in my case, there was one other very specific problem: cats.

Minoxidil poses a serious danger to cats. Exposure doesn’t necessarily occur only if a cat directly licks the product. Residue on the skin, hands, pillow, bedding, or other surfaces can also be a problem.

Because I have cats at home, I personally decided not to use topical minoxidil.

But I told myself:

Before I give up, I’ll be as consistent as possible with everything I can do myself.

It was during this period that we also tested our Growth Serum. I started noticing lots of new baby hairs on my scalp, and Growth became part of my daily routine.

But something else is very important.

Growth Serum is not a treatment for androgenetic alopecia.

I use it as part of a long-term cosmetic routine for scalp care and hair density. I consider the diagnosis separately and monitor it with my dermatologist.

Not all hair loss is androgenetic alopecia

This is one of the most important things I’ve learned.

If your hair suddenly starts falling out heavily, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have androgenetic alopecia.

For example, there is telogen effluvium. With this condition, a larger number of hairs enter the resting phase and then the shedding phase after a specific trigger.

The trigger may be significant physical stress, illness, a high fever, surgery, childbirth, rapid weight loss, severe dietary restriction, certain medications, or deficiencies in certain nutrients.

And that’s a big difference.

With telogen effluvium, the hair cycle may gradually return to normal after the trigger has been resolved.

With androgenetic alopecia, however, the underlying genetic predisposition remains.

That’s why I see hair care differently today.

I’m not doing a treatment course. I’m building a routine.

Today, I still have androgenetic alopecia. The diagnosis hasn’t miraculously disappeared.

But when I look at my hair today and consider that it’s also bleached, I know I take much more thoughtful care of it than I used to.

And that’s why I’m sharing 11 things I do differently today.

My routine: 11 things I do differently for my hair today

1 Growth Serum. Every day.

I apply Growth to my scalp once a day.

Not only when I remember. Not for three weeks followed by two weeks of doing nothing.

Every day.

With hair, impatience is one of the biggest mistakes. Hair has its own cycle, and nothing we do today will create new density by tomorrow.

That is why the most important word for me has become:

Consistency.

I use Growth mainly on the top of the scalp, where thinning is most pronounced for me.

You can check the product's independent test results and instructions for use on the Growth Serum page.

2 I replaced my cotton pillowcase with silk

We sleep for approximately a third of the day. All that time, our hair moves and rubs against the pillow.

I use a silk pillowcase because I want to reduce unnecessary friction, tangling, and mechanical damage.

If real silk is not currently a sensible investment, a good-quality smooth satin can also be a good alternative.

When dealing with thinning hair, I do not think only about new growth.

I consider it equally important to preserve the hair I already have.

3 I no longer rub wet hair with a towel

Wet hair is more susceptible to mechanical damage.

That is why I do not rub or "towel-dry" it after washing. I simply gently blot the water with a soft, absorbent towel.

It may sound trivial.

But when you have less hair, you also start looking differently at all the small things that can reduce breakage.

4 I brush from the ends upward

When detangling, I do not start at the scalp and then force a brush through all the knots.

First, I detangle the ends. Then I move a little higher. And higher still.

Only at the end do I gently detangle the hair along its entire length.

The goal is simple: as little pulling and breakage as possible.

5 I choose shampoo for my scalp and care products for my lengths

This was one of the biggest changes for me.

That is because I have two completely different needs on the same head.

A diagnosed scalp condition and bleached, porous lengths on the same head.

So I no longer expect one bottle to solve everything.

When washing, I focus mainly on the scalp, where sebum, sweat, and product residue accumulate.

Because of my scalp problems, I also use a ketoconazole shampoo approximately twice a week. Ketoconazole is an active ingredient used primarily for conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

There is also limited evidence of a possible role for ketoconazole in androgenetic alopecia, but I do not consider it a treatment for my own alopecia.

My goal is different for the lengths.

There, my main goal is to protect the hair.

6 Pre-Wash Mask before washing

It has almost become a religion for me. 😂

Before washing, I apply Pre Wash Mask to the lengths.

Bleached, porous hair is more sensitive. Water, washing, detangling, and drying place additional stress on it.

I use Pre-Wash Mask because I want to care for and protect the lengths before washing.

And this is where the distinction matters:

Growth is part of my scalp routine. Pre-Wash Mask is part of my routine for preserving the hair fiber.

Because ten new baby hairs won't help me much if I keep breaking off the hair I already have along its length.

7 Heat without protection? Not for me anymore.

Blow-dryer. Straightener. Curling iron. Airwrap.

Heat doesn't cause androgenetic alopecia, but it can damage the hair fiber and increase breakage.

My hair is naturally fine, and it's also bleached and quite porous.

That's why I use Guardian Elixir before heat styling.

The formula also contains KeraGuard®, an ingredient that protects the hair fiber from external stressors, including heat.

That's why today I no longer ask myself only:

How can I encourage new hair growth?

An equally important question is:

How can I preserve the hair I already have?

8 Oiling the scalp is fine, but not overnight.

I didn't stop oiling my scalp after my diagnosis.

I use Rosemary Oil approximately 1 to 2 times a week as a pre-wash treatment.

I apply a few drops to my scalp, gently massage it in and leave it on for a limited time. Then I wash my scalp thoroughly.

What I don't do is sleep with a large amount of oil on my scalp.

This doesn't make sense to me, especially because people with thinning hair may also have an oily or sensitive scalp, dandruff or seborrheic issues.

More product and more hours don't necessarily mean a better result.

There are some studies on rosemary oil and hair growth, but the evidence is considerably more limited than for standard medical approaches.

That's why Rosemary Oil is not a treatment for androgenetic alopecia for me.

It's a pre-wash care ritual.

9 I wash my scalp. I don't scrub my hair.

When shampooing, I focus on the scalp.

I gently massage the shampoo in with my fingertips.

But I don't rub the lengths between my palms or wash them like socks. 😂

The foam runs down the hair when rinsing anyway.

The goal is to cleanse the hair, not subject it to unnecessary mechanical stress.

10 I don't "save" my hair by not washing it.

For a long time, the advice was that we should "train" our hair by washing it as infrequently as possible.

I don't do that myself.

If my scalp is oily and needs washing, I wash it.

Sebum, sweat, dead skin cells and product residue build up on the scalp. Since I also use a leave-on scalp product every day, regular cleansing is even more important to me.

It doesn't mean that everyone with androgenetic alopecia has to wash their hair every day.

It only means that I don't put off washing my hair because I'm afraid of hair in the drain.

Hair that has already completed its growth cycle often simply comes loose during washing.

That’s why I adjust how often I wash my hair to suit my scalp.

11 I no longer eat all the “hair gummies” I see online.

I used to think something like this:

Is your hair falling out?

Biotin. Zinc. Selenium. Collagen. Hair vitamins. Something else for nails. Something else for hair.

I see it quite differently today.

Biotin is a good example. It has become almost synonymous with “hair vitamin,” but taking large amounts on its own is not a magical solution for hair thinning.

High doses of biotin can also affect the results of some laboratory tests.

So today, before buying ten supplements, I would do something else.

I would first try to find out the cause.

With hair loss, depending on your symptoms and medical history, it may also make sense to ask your doctor to check for possible iron deficiency or iron stores, as well as other potential health factors.

I checked this for myself. My iron stores are adequate, so taking additional iron just for my hair doesn’t make sense for me.

And this is one of the most important lessons for me:

Don’t start with the shelf of dietary supplements. Start with the cause.

No serum or capsule can replace what the body actually needs.

If I had to sum it all up in one piece of advice?

Don’t wait.

That is probably the biggest mistake I made myself.

When I look at my old photos today, it’s completely clear to me that something had already been happening.

I didn’t see it then.

I thought I just had a little less hair.

That it’s weight loss.

That it’s your thyroid.

That it will go away.

It isn’t.

If you notice that your part is widening, that you can see more and more of your scalp through your hair, or that the hair on the top of your head is noticeably thinner than before, see a dermatologist.

First, a diagnosis. Then, a plan.

Because not all hair loss is the same.

And don’t believe every product that promises you’ll have a waist-length mane in three weeks.

I won’t promise you that either.

If you want to understand the different causes of hair thinning and ways to support growth in more detail, also read our guide How to stop hair thinning and encourage growth.

Frequently asked questions about androgenetic alopecia in women