Can You Make Your Own Topical Finasteride? 5 Reasons Why This Is a Bad Idea

Can you make your own topical Finasteride?

Technically, yes, you could find a way to dissolve or crush Finasteride tablets and combine them with a solution or gel. But, is this a good idea? Definitely not.

If you looked online for ways to make topical Finasteride, chances are you came across a few people recommending ways to more or less get the active ingredient Finasteride into a topical form.

But, what these tutorials probably didn’t mention are the potential issues that could crop up from trying to Macgyver your own topical Finasteride (instead of getting it from a licensed compounding pharmacy with a prescription).

Below, we cover just 5 of the many reasons why trying to put together your own topical Finasteride formula is most definitely not recommended.

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Read Related: Dr. Bauman: Topical and Oral Finasteride Side Effects (Video)

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5 reasons why making your own topical Finasteride is a bad idea:

1. Crushing Finasteride tablets or dealing with raw powders can leave residue around your home

Finasteride is not a medication that is without issues for every person.

In fact, Finasteride needs to be kept away from pregnant women or women that are trying to conceive due to the potential risks of abnormalities in the developing fetus.

This concern is strong enough, that it is recommended that women not even handle the tablet forms of Finasteride.

Finasteride is also of concern in growing children, since it can have an impact on DHT levels, which is a hormone partially responsible for the development of male characteristics in growing boys. 

Now, let’s consider that you do decide to try and concoct a topical Finasteride from tablets or raw powders in your home -- you will likely get Finasteride residue around the room, floor, surfaces, or any tools you are using.

Is this something that you want to have in the back of your head when your kids have friends over, or you are hosting a dinner party?

When topical Finasteride is made in a pharmacy, pharmacy staff use precautions such as powder hoods, protective garb, and cleaning procedures. 

These steps are hard to replicate when trying to put a topical formulation together yourself.

2. Finasteride tablets are mostly made up of non-active ingredients

Finasteride tablets for hair loss normally contain 1mg (0.001gm) of the active ingredient, and the rest of the weight of the tablet (the vast majority) is made up of ingredients to help the tablet maintain its shape, have proper absorption, have a certain color, and dissolve correctly when taken by mouth.

These inactive ingredients will also be present in any topical formulation which uses crushed or dissolved Finasteride tablets.

Aside from potentially leaving a strange, unpleasant, gritty, or irritating residue on your scalp if used topically, it may also affect the way the active ingredient (Finasteride) can work and be absorbed on your scalp.

3. Sourcing Finasteride raw powders from unreliable sources can be dangerous

If you were considering trying to source the raw Finasteride powder in order to make a topical Finasteride formula, this may be even more concerning. 

Aside from the fact that Finasteride powder is a prescription-only raw ingredient meant for licensed labs and pharmacies, raw powders can be even more dangerous when it comes to contamination of the area, as well as the risk to people who should not come in contact with raw Finasteride.

There are some sources online claiming to sell raw Finasteride powder “for research purposes”, but, there is no way to confirm that what you are actually getting from these places is real, pure, Finasteride and this may be a very dangerous route to go in.

4. The strength of the formula may not be uniform or measured properly

Weighing out and properly integrating active ingredients into a pharmaceutically elegant formulation that can absorb as it needs to is an exact science that should be left to the experts at compounding pharmacies.

Just one calculation error when making a formula or weighing an ingredient can be the difference between a medication working as desired and one that is more likely to cause negative side effects or not work at all.

Trying to discern proper dosing and mixing with a “DIY” formula can be dangerous when done by people who are not properly trained in putting together a formula.

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Read Related: Why a Topical Finasteride Gel Is So Awesome!

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5. You can get compounded topical Finasteride online with a prescription

One of the most important points to mention here is that compounded topical Finasteride is available online with a prescription, prepared by a licensed pharmacy. 

You do not need to consider playing the mad scientist and mixing up potentially dangerous ingredients in your home kitchen or bathroom just to end up with a formulation that is clunky, sticky, or ineffective.

Also Read: Topical Finasteride and Minoxidil: Can This Combination Help With Hair Loss?

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Strut Health professionally compounded topical Finasteride prescribed online

Here at Strut Health, we offer compounded topical Finasteride formulations, customized to your needs and prepared by U.S. licensed compounding pharmacies.*

If you are interested in trying a topical form of Finasteride, you don’t have to take matters into your own hands, you can have a free online questionnaire-based telemedicine consultation with our U.S. licensed providers today.

If you are a good candidate for topical Finasteride, your formulation can be customized to contain other hair loss ingredients like Minoxidil, and shipped to your front door with our free shipping.

If you have any questions or concerns during your treatment, our team and healthcare providers are available for free unlimited follow-ups.

*Compounded drug products are not approved or evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or quality by the FDA. Rx required.