Month 1 Transformation – Hairstyle, Skin, + Progress (Pics Inside)

[Kazura_]

I see thanks, the price difference is pretty dramatic from the 5mg to 1mg ones so like you said I did consider cutting them into 4 pieces but wasn't sure how neatly they would split unless I buy some type of pill splitting tool at an extra expense, I'll have to compare prices again but that is likely a much better value still.

I looked into foil shavers, it seems the one I have is called a rotary shaver with 3 circular heads, so will consider buying a decent foil shaver soon when I get paid. Also thanks for the info on SPF, I spent like 3 hours looking into the damage it does and realised that the simple moisturiser I bought has no spf protection at all and that UV rays can pierce windows ( have the curtains shut rn until my spf 40 arrives ) still confused as to why spf 50 is considered so much better than 40 despite the small percentage difference but I'll get a spf moisturiuser so I'm not stacking too many products.


I was hoping the no7 vitamin c glow toner I bought would give me a tan but it's unlikely so I'll probably have to get something stronger to get a tan. Hair wise I was running daily with sweat, taking 2 omega and was already more oily than avg so I guess all 3 reasons screwed me over in the mornings. Taken a week of running and am washing hair a bit less, it's not clean looking but not terrible either, hoping top reduce cleansing frequency a bit so my hair learns to at least contribute naturally when it comes to cleansing itself, but like you said it's trial and error , if it doesn't seem to be cleansing itself and feeling better then I'll just go back to showering daily with water , using shampoo and conditioner like twice a week.

 

[powerliftercoco]

I see thanks, the price difference is pretty dramatic from the 5mg to 1mg ones so like you said I did consider cutting them into 4 pieces but wasn't sure how neatly they would split unless I buy some type of pill splitting tool at an extra expense, I'll have to compare prices again but that is likely a much better value still.

I looked into foil shavers, it seems the one I have is called a rotary shaver with 3 circular heads, so will consider buying a decent foil shaver soon when I get paid. Also thanks for the info on SPF, I spent like 3 hours looking into the damage it does and realised that the simple moisturiser I bought has no spf protection at all and that UV rays can pierce windows ( have the curtains shut rn until my spf 40 arrives ) still confused as to why spf 50 is considered so much better than 40 despite the small percentage difference but I'll get a spf moisturiuser so I'm not stacking too many products.


I was hoping the no7 vitamin c glow toner I bought would give me a tan but it's unlikely so I'll probably have to get something stronger to get a tan. Hair wise I was running daily with sweat, taking 2 omega and was already more oily than avg so I guess all 3 reasons screwed me over in the mornings. Taken a week of running and am washing hair a bit less, it's not clean looking but not terrible either, hoping top reduce cleansing frequency a bit so my hair learns to at least contribute naturally when it comes to cleansing itself, but like you said it's trial and error , if it doesn't seem to be cleansing itself and feeling better then I'll just go back to showering daily with water , using shampoo and conditioner like twice a week.

Don’t worry about splitting it them 100% accurately, think of it kinda like a weekly dose – it will even out at the end.

The spf ranks is typically important because people tend to underapply their sunscreens. It sucks to apply so much since it can end up looking greasy, so the higher the spf the more it’s going to protect with a lower amount applied. SPF protects UVB, you can also protect from UVA with an SPF PA++++. But that’s just the cherry on top, don’t worry too much about it as of right now. Korean SPFs are typically cheaper and less shit to apply, but they are not water resistant. So in the summer you want to use water resistant SPFs.

I don’t think that Toner is going to tan you, but it helps with making the skin look better and brighter. For tanning you can look, as I said, into tanning lotions, tanning drops to mix with the moisturizer/spf, tinted spf (they are hard to match your skin tone so you would have to try many – I don’t recommend it for you since you are on a budget), fake tan, or supplement with Beta Carotene. There’s threads about the latter here if you search for them. Around 50.000 ius daily (which are quite cheap max 2£ per month) and you’ll look more orange instead of pale white.

The other stuff you’re experimenting with looks great, keep going

 

[Kazura_]

Don’t worry about splitting it them 100% accurately, think of it kinda like a weekly dose – it will even out at the end.

The spf ranks is typically important because people tend to underapply their sunscreens. It sucks to apply so much since it can end up looking greasy, so the higher the spf the more it’s going to protect with a lower amount applied. SPF protects UVB, you can also protect from UVA with an SPF PA++++. But that’s just the cherry on top, don’t worry too much about it as of right now. Korean SPFs are typically cheaper and less shit to apply, but they are not water resistant. So in the summer you want to use water resistant SPFs.

I don’t think that Toner is going to tan you, but it helps with making the skin look better and brighter. For tanning you can look, as I said, into tanning lotions, tanning drops to mix with the moisturizer/spf, tinted spf (they are hard to match your skin tone so you would have to try many – I don’t recommend it for you since you are on a budget), fake tan, or supplement with Beta Carotene. There’s threads about the latter here if you search for them. Around 50.000 ius daily (which are quite cheap max 2£ per month) and you’ll look more orange instead of pale white.

The other stuff you’re experimenting with looks great, keep going

I saw the place I work at has the cheap finasteride 5mg if I do an online consultation or something and pillcutters, get a payday discount Sunday so will get then and then get minoxidil later or maybe even same day tbh since I don't see the point of just taking one, if I want to preserve hair health then I might as well boost it at the same time. I keep seeing conflicting opinions here between oral and topical, will look into it tomorrow when more free before picking something to buy, I thought oral would be better but I saw some post on here claiming oral causes bloating or something unless you take something with it?

https://looksmax.org/threads/the-truth-about-minoxidil-the-holy-grail-or-overhyped-looksmin.1418609/

I think all SPF moisturisers block both UVA and UVB now, right? like maybe some super cheap ones won't, but any actual brand seems to protect from both? I think the PA+++ is an American thing? I thought most branded SPF moisturisers in the UK already cover both UVA/UVB? Like, even if they don’t say “PA++++”, wouldn’t they still meet EU standards for broad-spectrum protection? Or is PA still something I should look for here too?

Appreciate the breakdown, especially on SPF and beta carotene. Makes sense re: application amount; I hadn’t factored in underapplying affecting actual coverage.

Thanks again for the tips, especially the beta carotene. I’ll dig up the threads and maybe add it in. Anything else you’d stack with it for tone enhancement (without fake tan)? and in general, fake tan is the term here for any skin darkening caused by chemicals/ non natural means and tanning is generally only achieved through the Sun?

 

[powerliftercoco]

And in general, fake tan is the term here for any skin darkening caused by chemicals/ non natural means and tanning is generally only achieved through the Sun?

Yes. I wouldn’t add anything else, you can add lycopene for red undertones but it’s more expensive. I don’t know how worth it that is, only have experience with Beta carotene myself.

The EU standards have a regulation so that the minimum UVA protection is 1/3 of what the UVB is. So in an spf 50 the UVA should be at least 16-17. But yeah sometimes other brands already offer more, like LRP (they have a 46 in some of them I think). But yeah this is just going the extra mile as I said. Also, I only reapply during summer.

I only suggested oral since it will work on your eyelashes, eyebrows and hair simultaneously without too much hassle, but if you would rather use topical because of potential side effects then go for it. I wanted to simplify it as much as possible for you. I don’t use minoxidil, I already have dense brows and lashes luckily.

 

[Kazura_]

Yeah, I didn’t realise how much SPF performance drops from underapplying, so going higher makes sense now, even with good brands. I just locked in the Biore Watery Gel SPF50+/PA++++ since it’s dirt cheap and stacked on UVA protection too, looks like most UK moisturisers only meet the bare minimum from what I’m seeing now.

I’ll start with topical minoxidil + finasteride (1.25mg split from 5mg tabs), and keep oral minox as a future upgrade if growth’s too slow or application becomes a chore. Still not 100% sure how often that bloat kicks in or how dose-dependent it is, but good to know you suggested oral more for the convenience + lash/brow boost rather than just scalp.

Will also look into beta carotene dosing threads soon. Lycopene sounds interesting for red undertones but yeah, might be overkill for now unless I’m dialing everything else. Thanks again, really helps when stuff’s laid out like this.thx as always