Your Hair vs. Anabolic Steroids (How to Stop Hair Loss Guide - Part V)

Your Hair vs. Anabolic Steroids

This portion and the entire "Hair Loss Prevention Guide" is subject to our Medical Disclaimer.
It is not medical advice nor the replacement for advice from a qualified physician.
You should have a legitimate prescription to use anabolic steroids and must do so under a physician's supervision.
This is for educational purposes ONLY and should be followed if approved by a physician.

Welcome to Part V of "Good Looking Loser's Hair Loss Prevention Guide".

The vast majority of this guide is featured on the safe-for-work website, Lifestyle by Good Looking Loser (GLL-GetALife.com), but this particular section is filed under 'Get Juiced' on GoodLookingLoser.com because it references anabolic steroids which is considered to be a 'mature' topic.

I highly suggest you check out the full guide if you are prone to Male Pattern Baldness and want to keep your hair -

• "Good Looking Loser's Guide to Hair Loss Prevention" (index)
  

It is based on over a decade of experience, trial and error, wasted money, two hair restoration procedures and clinical studies.

We used to have an entire YouTube channel 'Hair Loss From Steroids' that discussed this topic in-depth but the content is against YouTube's new guidelines and was removed.

You can find most of the videos on DailyMotion: Hair Loss From Steroids.

The original website is here (yes, it's ghetto, it's the first website I made) -

• HairLossFromSteroids.com

My Hair vs. Anabolic Steroids Story

I am very prone to Male Pattern Baldness.
(if you aren't prone to Male Pattern Baldness - steroids will not "cause" permanent hair loss)

I had 2 hair restoration procedures before I turned 30, which was tremendously accelerated by taking large amounts of "hair-unfriendly" anabolic steroids in my 20's.

Even though I'd lose 200+ hairs a day in the shower, my attitude was -

I'll just get a hair transplant. (or two)

And I did.

For the most part, it solved the appearance issue - even though I have a significant thin spot on the top of my head that I cover up with a certain hair fiber product.

If I could do it all over again, I would have ONLY used hair-safe steroids and not touched any of the really bad ones.

At the time, I was so insecure, bored and obsessed with being big and strong. So "not doing steroids" wasn't an option.

I also would have ran my "Hair Loss on a Budget" stack at all times instead of sporadically.

Finally, I also would have used Dutasteride (really expensive in my mid 20's) and/or RU58841 (not available in my mid 20's).

If I had taken these 3 measures, I probably could have avoided getting a second transplant.

But it is what it is.

My hair looks decent (with the concealers in it) and the treatments I use work really well.

My hair has looked the same for 5+ years - which is a sign that the treatments are working.

Let me give you some perspective on this.

This is an older photo, right toward the end of the juice era.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too?

If you have Male Pattern Baldness, can you take steroids and not lose hair?

This is a very general question.

First - There are so many different types of anabolic steroids. Some are worse for your hair than others.

Second - Everyone has a different predisposition to Male Pattern Baldness. I am a 'diffuse thinner' and ALL my non-donor hair is subject to miniaturization. Some guys just see thinning at the hair line or the hair line and crown.

It's impossible to give a 'yes' or 'no' with much accuracy.

The answer is 'maybe'.

The good news is, educating yourself on this subject will help tremendously (the majority of guys that lose their hair from steroids and want it back have no idea how to protect themselves or what they were doing).

There's several advanced protection measures you can take, including cutting-edge compounds such as RU58841 (post no longer available, sorry) and knowing which androgens you can take and which you need to avoid.

While there are some exceptions, the majority of bodybuilders have long exhausted their hair follicles.

Debate: 3000 Hair Follicles -or- 8lbs. of Muscle?
(and the more important question to ask yourself)

I fully understand the never-ending psychological debate that anabolic steroid users that are prone to Male Pattern Baldness face.

Is it worth it?

I can get another 5 or 10 lbs of muscle.

But it will cost me approximately 3000-5000 hairs.

Although most of it will come back, the majority will be finer and thinner. 

Is it worth it?

I mulled this question during every cycle, after every cycle, during every post-cycle therapy period, after every post-cycle therapy period and just about everyday when I looked in the mirror and watched as my former super good looks had morphed into a new, bigger, more bloated appearance that I curiously enjoyed.

Still, every time I debated this question (2002-2007), I arrived at the answer -

Yes.

The truth is, to some extent, you could always buy more hair.

At the same time, after something else (such as business, women, school, etc.) becomes your #1 priority - a lot of the muscle will go away and your hair won't be coming back.
(unless you maintain it with HRT and HGH)

That's why -

Years later, after I turned 29, the answer became a definite - 

No.

It absolutely wasn't worth it anymore.

Especially since I had invested over $10,000 in hair restoration and countless more thousands in treatments.

If you are prone to Male Pattern Baldness and worried about anabolic steroids eating up your hair, there's some other equally significant questions that need to be answered -

Why are you using anabolic steroids?

What are you trying to do?

Is it for you? Or not?

For me, since my athletic career was over, I was using steroids to attract women and feel more secure with myself.

Although I genuinely enjoyed it (1.5 grams of testosterone and going hard in the gym made me feel great) but I wasn't trying to become a competitive bodybuilder or do anything I needed steroids for.

Getting huge is fun.

But I was psychologically addicted.

I admit it.

The fact of the matter is -

I would have been WAY BETTER OFF and WAY MORE ATTRACTIVE to the opposite sex with about 30lbs. less muscle.

I don't know if I knew this or was in denial.

Lifting weights and making progress in the gym was the only thing I had in my life.

It was fun.

A fun escape though.

If you are using anabolic steroids to become more attractive to women - just know that you don't have to use them (or high doses) or you should stop using them after you get to about 205-210lbs if you are seeing side effects that you don't like.

The ideal body is ~8% body fat and looks nothing like a professional bodybuilder.

If you ARE trying to compete - you should probably just forget about your hair, or make it a lower priority.

Bodybuilding isn't a sport for normal-looking, pretty, age-defying guys with scalp hair.

It's a sport for increasingly ugly freaks - LEGITIMATE HARDCORE BODYBUILDING that is.

Make your decision.

So is it worth it?

It all depends.

If you do want to use steroids and do want to keep your hair looking good -

At the VERY LEAST: you should use the most hair-safe anabolics and take the most extreme measures to protect yourself from Male Pattern Baldness at all times.

The daily "Hair vs. Muscle" debate sucks.

But it is what it is.

Be prepared and don't lose any more hair than you have to.

Just Shave Your Head!

On just about every bodybuilding/steroid forum, if you bring up the topic of hair loss, 5 or 10 guys offer the incredibly insightful solution of -

Just shave it!

While you shouldn't completely dismiss this "solution" (shave your head first and see how you look), this is hardly a solution for most guys.

Especially guys that want to look their VERY BEST.

Remember -

The majority of guys that frequent bodybuilding forums don't have much of a sex life (there's always exceptions) and juicing or writing on their favorite muscle forum is their entire life.

Many will go weeks without speaking to a woman in-person.

They don't go out and have fun.

Training is their life.

It's not like they are depressed.

They just don't do too much else with their life.

Sorry.

It's true of a lot of guys. It was for me.

I do believe guys that are legitimately committed to become a competitive bodybuilder or in the advanced stages of Androgenic Alopecia should shave their heads if they aren't considering getting a hair restoration procedure.

If you are reading this, "Just shave it!" is not what you came to Good Looking Loser to hear and it's the LAST THING I will tell you to do.

You want solutions.

You want to have your cake and eat it too.

I don't blame you.

I don't like posting pictures like this. The fact of the matter is - if you are noticing hair loss YOU MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ASAP.

Specific Compounds and Their Effect on Hair Loss

This list is based on my experience, I've tried the majority of compounds (sometimes with protection, sometimes without).

If you are using anabolics, you should still be using the "MAXIMUM Hair Loss Prevention" protocol to minimize hair loss.

There will be some guys (that usually have never used an extensive amount of steroids or experienced hair loss in any capacity) that want to debate which compounds are good and bad and cite its relative androgenic properties and how it metabolizes.

As respectfully as possible -
(I usually don't go off like this)

I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT FUCKING CARE ABOUT THIS.

I know the science, anabolic properties and various conversion pathways of just about every anabolic steroid as well as anyone does.

I'm not debating the science with anyone.

It's imperfect and contradictory.

It's also insignificant because -

I know which compounds ripped my hair to shreds and which left my hair alone.

I know which compounds made me shed 25,000+ hairs in 10 weeks and which did not.

That is what I base my opinion on.

Hair Safe Compounds (For Me)

Anavar (oral) - Anavar is safe for my hair. The biggest issue is - underground labs fake this compound ALL THE TIME. It's expensive so unethical underground labs will give you 5mg Dianabol tablets instead of 10mg Anavar tablets. The Dianabol will significantly munch on your hair. You NEED to make sure you are getting REAL Anavar. It's expensive stuff so guys in their 20's might be tempted to just "fuck it" and use Dianabol or a cheaper compound. I highly recommend against that.

Epistane (oral) - This legal steroid was hair-friendly to me. It's not particularly strong so I'd rather use Anavar or Superdrol. There have been reports from others that said Epistane caused hair loss or shedding.

* Nandrolone (Deca Durabolin/NPP) - By itself, Deca/NPP should not cause much hair loss. If you are taking Finasteride (which you should be indefinitely), it will cause significant androgenic hair loss that can last up to 18 months. Avoid this one unless you are trying to be a competitive bodybuilder, in which case you shouldn't be using Finasteride.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) - Once only regarded as strictly a post-cycle compound, I (and thousands of others) use this compound while ON cycle (or HRT) at a small dose (250ius, every ~3 days) to maintain testicular size and function. Basically, it keeps your balls from shutting down. As you might expect, it produces all the same hormones that your balls would - Testosterone and DHT being two. Since it increases your natural testosterone levels, Finasteride should do the job to prevent that DHT from reaching your hair follicles.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) - HGH is safe for your hair, for the most part. Any hair that you lose is likely due to "shedding" (I explain this concept in "Good Looking Loser's Hair Loss Prevention Guide - Part I") and will regrow once your hormones stabilize. Anytime your hormones (not just DHT) fluctuates, you can shed hair. HGH isn't a necessary or realistic option for guys in their 20's because real HGH costs a lot of money. You are better off using Ipamorelin or a peptide substitute. Over the counter "HGH Boosters" are garbage and aren't something that you should ever consider.

Post Cycle Therapies (Nolvadex/Clomid) - Like HGH, these medications shouldn't give you any permanent hair loss. Any hair loss you experience is either from the compounds you used during your cycle or just a general fluctuation in hormones (back to baseline). I've lost so much hair during PCT that I'd be bald 10-times over if it was permanent and not hormonal shedding.

Superdrol (oral) - This is highly debated but Superdrol has been kind to my hair. If you haven't tried it - it's AS GOOD as Dianabol but without all the gross bloat. It's really that good (provided you get legitimate Superdrol). I have gone up to 50mg and not seen a significant increase in hair loss or shedding. There have been reports from others that it caused hair loss or shedding but it was nice to me. Real Superdrol was a great one. Probably my favorite. 

Testosterone (under 350mg/week) - Assuming I am taking Finasteride and using a Ketoconazole shampoo, Testosterone won't begin to destroy my hair until I go beyond 500mg. A lot of guys can go up to 750 or 1000mg of Testosterone and be fine if they are taking Finasteride. I am not one of those guys. It seems pointless to take anything less than 500mg of Testosterone but it's not. A 250-350mg dose can be used as a nice Testosterone base so you don't feel like crap on your cycle, you don't need a huge Testosterone dose with your orals unless you are trying to get huge. 

* Turinabol (oral) - On paper, Turinabol is safe. I've used it with some success and it didn't touch my hair. One time, however, it seemed to attack my hair. That is likely because the product I receive wasn't actually Turinabol. I suggest that you avoid Turinabol unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE of the product you are getting. Like Anavar, it's often faked as low-dose Dianabol. Turinabol isn't that good so I'd just avoid it altogether.

Hair Unsafe Compounds
* I admittedly have not used these because they are VERY LIKELY to completely destroy my hair.

Anadrol* (oral) - Anadrol makes guys that aren't prone to Male Pattern Baldness to shed hair. I would absolutely avoid this messy compound unless you are a real bodybuilder.

Dianabol (oral) - Dianabol absolutely destroyed my hair. It's unfortunate because it's one of my favorites and always gives amazing size and strength gains. Superdrol is similar, without the DHT and bloat issues. It's a good substitute.

Equipoise - On paper, Equipose (EQ) doesn't seem that bad. And it's not as bad as the prior mentioned compounds. I did see a significant amount of hair loss once I exceeded a 400mg dose and although some of it was general "shedding", I suggest you avoid EQ unless you are an endurance athlete simply because it isn't that strong and may cause additional anxiety and hair loss in those prone to these conditions.

Masteron* - This androgenic compound will eat your hair. That's why I never used it and suggest that you avoid it too.

Primobolan - Like EQ, on paper, Primobolan (Primo) appears to be one of the safer choices for your hair. The one time I used Primo, it was part of a stack that had some pretty androgenic compounds that ate up my hair. To be fair, I can't blame this on the Primo, but I'm not planning on touching it ever again. It's just too expensive and is sometimes faked.

Proviron* - Call me ignorant but I stayed away from Proviron because it is methylated DHT, the exact stuff that destroys the hair. I suggest you skip this one. 

Testosterone (of any kind) in excess of 350mg - This will vary from person-to-person but despite my prevention measures I've never been able to fend off hair loss whenever I surpassed 350mg (underground lab) of Testosterone. It didn't matter which ester I was using (there is no 'hair safer' testosterone ester). If you use more than 350mg of Testosterone and care about your hair - you should absolutely make sure you are using MAXIMUM prevention.

Trenbolone - Trenbolone (Tren) is NASTY on the hair. I probably lost 20% of my hair use Tren-Ace for 10 weeks. Luckily, I came across some hair loss concealers at the time and masked the recession really well. With that said, my strength gains were phenomenal, by the end of the cycle I was inclined to benching 225 x 26 and running faster than ever. Don't touch this one if you value your hair. If you are very prone to Male Pattern Baldness, I doubt that our MAXIMUM Prevention Protocol will even help you.

Winstrol* - Winstrol (Winny) is absolutely nasty for your hair and joints. I have never touched it (although I have used a low dose of "Prostanozol"). I suggest you avoid this one. Anavar at a high dose does all the same things as Winstrol.

Hair Safe Cycles

These stacks are safe(r) for my hair.

They are quite simple.

By no means will they be completely hair loss "free" and I can't guarantee that your results will be the same as my own.

They are just for your education.

Hair-Friendly Bulking Stack (10 weeks)

• 250mg of Testosterone
• 40mg of Superdrol (Week 1-4, Week 6-10)
• (again, Superdrol has been kind to me)
• 250ius of HCG (every 3 days)
• * 4ius of HGH or alike peptide (optional)

To be used with our MAXIMUM Hair Loss Protection protocol or with Dutasteride substituted for Finasteride.

Hair-Friendly Cutting Stack (10 Weeks)

• 250mg of Testosterone
• 50+mg of Anavar
• 250ius of HCG (every 3 days)
• * 4ius of HGH or alike peptide (optional)

To be used with our MAXIMUM Hair Loss Protection protocol or with Dutasteride substituted for Finasteride.

That's it.

You can actually use either one for bulking or cutting.

If you are bulking, eat 4000+ calories.

If you are cutting, eat 2000 or less calories and avoid carbohydrates.

Again, these stacks aren't meant to make you Mr. Olympia.

They are meant to keep your hair safe while you put on/preserve lean mass.

If you want to be ultra safe, you can drop the Testosterone and just use HCG (250ius, every 3 days). That will work just fine and you won't experience any low-test side effects. The orals give you the majority of your gains in these stacks anyway.

What Works for Preventing Hair Loss From Steroids?

Lets talk prevention.

You should view the preceding pages in this guide to understand these compounds, what they do and how to use them.

Finasteride - Finasteride only helps lower Type-2 DHT that comes from Testosterone and it's esters. That means it will work with any sort of Testosterone analogue and HCG. There is no "safer" Testosterone but I found that the VERY WORST for hair loss was Testosterone Suspension. Finasteride WILL NOT prevent hair loss from DHT created by any other hormone except Testosterone.

Dutasteride - Dutasteride helps lower Type-1 and Type-2 DHT. On paper, it's the solution for DHT from anabolic steroids. I didn't have much luck with it, although I question if my Dutasteride was legitimate. A lot of guys find significant success with Dutasteride however. I didn't see results any better than Finasteride, so that's why I don't suggest it to people.

Ketoconazole Shampoo - This is the only shampoo ingredient that is clinically proven to reduce scalp DHT. It should be a staple in your battle against Male Pattern Baldness whether you use steroids or not. See our hair loss recommendations in the preceding parts of the guide to see our specific recommendation.

RU58841 - RU58841 is an experimental treatment (meaning it hasn't been reviewed by the FDA) that topically prevents DHT from attaching to your hair follicles. As you know, since beginning RU58841 (2014) I have not used anabolic steroids. The feedback on RU58841 from the bodybuilding community has been REALLY GOOD and I would absolutely use it if I still used anabolic steroids.

Azelaic Acid - This one is discussed in our MAXIMUM Protection protocol. It's an acne treatment that is clinically proven to kill DHT and is useful to prevent hair loss.

These are the effective treatments.

They will work better for some people than others.

Everyone has a unique sensitivity to Androgenic Alopecia.

You will just have to figure out what works for you and the effective dosage.

You will also have to figure out which anabolic steroids you can use and the dosages you can "get away with".

When Should I Begin These Treatments?

At bare minimum, it would be wise to indefinitely follow our "Hair Loss on a Budget - Save Your Hair for $1.33 a Day" protocol or a similar 'Big 3' protocol.

If you want to keep your hair - you should be following that protocol EVERYDAY under your doctor's supervision, regardless if you use anabolic steroids.

If, for some reason, you aren't using the 'Big 3' treatments on a daily basis, you should begin your Hair Loss Prevention protocol at least 5 weeks before your cycle and continue it throughout your post-cycle.

Don't start it when you begin your cycle.

The DHT from the oral steroids you are taking will beat the treatments to your hair follicles.

I guarantee it.

Unfortunately.

Hair Transplant vs. Anabolic Steroids

We'll discuss hair restoration procedures in-depth in the next section.

A common question is -

Will transplanted hairs be resistant to DHT from anabolic steroids?

In theory, the answer is "Yes".

So long as the transplanted hairs were taken from your donor area (or other areas) that are immune to DHT, they will not be subject to miniaturization from natural DHT or DHT from anabolic steroids.

In practice, thankfully the answer is "Yes" as well.

Although no longer, I have run post-transplant cycles and my transplanted hairs have been just fine.

There is nothing to worry about in this department.

A fair amount of bodybuilders and WWE professional wrestlers get hair bi-yearly transplants to "keep up" with their Male Pattern Baldness.

Obviously - you still have to worry the further miniaturization of your native hair.

Pour Conclure

Hair loss is a bitch.

It's probably the only major appearance problem that I face and the majority of my hair loss has been self-inflicted (to some degree).

But like almost anything else, it can be "gamed" and minimized.

The key to minimizing hair loss from steroids is -

1. Using only the hair "safe" compounds and avoid the unfriendly ones.
2. Using the greatest protection that you can afford on a daily basis.

To put a positive spin on things - it's never been a better time to fight back against Male Pattern Baldness.

There's plenty of treatments that do a pretty good job.

Like I said: if I simply used the basic protection protocol (Big 3 + 1) on a daily basis and only used the hair safe(r) compounds, I would have been a lot better off.

But - without being totally reckless, I shoot first and ask questions later.

That's the same reason I've been successful at a lot of significant areas in my life.

I suggest you live that way too but educate yourself ahead of time.

The Hair Loss Prevention Guide continues on 'Lifestyle by Good Looking Loser' -

• "Hair Restoration and a Long-Term Approach (Part VI)"

For questions on our Hair Loss Prevention Guide -

Visit the Good Looking Loser Hair Loss Prevention Forum.