# Men's Hair Loss > Hair Loss Treatments >  Have you heard about the new "Spiro alternative"?

## LongWayHome

Ok, so a few days ago I read in some blog that there's no more "s5 spiro cream"
for sale at the other hair loss forum, and now, instead, there's something called
"Follione DHT scalp therapy".

When you type on google "s5 spiro" just go to the first one link, and this is what you'll see: *"From the makers of S5 Cream, the new liquid Follione replaces the old S5 Cream with an all-natural ingredient list focused on the same goal as Topical Spironolactone. A topical antiandrogen treatment to prevent further loss."*

So, in other words, after many years of selling the spiro cream, we're stopping selling it for some unknown reason,(which we won't tell you) and we're giving you this, which is pretty much the same only completely different. Oh you had good results with the spiro and you want to get more? too bad for you. 
Apparently they have 2 kinds, one is an "alternative for spiro/fin" the other is an
"alternative for minoxidil", of course they have a shampoo too, and even  " Follione Liquid Nutrition": "Simply Add the Delicious FolliOne Orange-Flavored Liquid Nutrition to Your Diet and Give Your Hair a Powerful Supplement!" (It's real)

Of course I haven't found anything about this product on the web, no one is talking about it, and you know why? because it's a big pile of ****, doesn't work, won't work. Don't waste your time. They do what they want and they know new balding fellas will come along and throw their money on their heads, easily.
Don't give them that pleasure.
(I wish I'm wrong and it somehow does work)

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## LongWayHome

Oh and these are the ingredients for the "DHT scalp therapy" (fin alternative): 

Aqua, 5% Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glycerin, 3% Pyridoxine Cyclic Phosphate, 3% Propanediol and Arginine and Lactic Acid and Glycine Soja Germ Extract and Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract and Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, 3% Red Clover Eextract, 1% Ajuga Reptans Cell Culture Extract, 0.5% Fisetin, 0.5% Raspberry Ketone, Methylisothiazolinone, 100ppm Copper Tripeptide-1, 100ppm Acetyl Tetrapeptid-3, 33ppm Melatonin

and for the "Extra Strength Growth Stimulator" (minox alternative):

Aqua, 5% Dimethyl Isosorbide, 2% Pyrrolidinyl Diaminopyrimidine Oxide, 2% Oxothiazolidine Carboxylic Acid, 2% Propanediol and Arginine and Lactic Acid and Glycine Soja Germ Extract and Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract and Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, 2% Niacinamide, Alcohol Denat, 0.5% Fisetin, 0.5% Raspberry Ketone, Methylisothiazolinone, 100ppm Copper Tripeptide-1, 33ppm Melatonin

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## Rpetchen

Truthfully this is very disappointing. I just headed over to *** to check out the product descriptions myself and in the 'How Does it Work' section the owner included his experience of maintaining his hair with Topical Spironolactone to lend credence to topical anti-androgens (I guess they're calling it a DHT blocker though by claiming it reduces 5-AR in the scalp??) being effective. I ran quick searches on most of the ingredients and found nothing that would tell me this is effective.

Raspberry Ketones have been discussed in years past, but as far as I know nothing panned out. 

If anyone can point me to any literature attesting to the mechanisms these various ingredients act upon I'd be interested in checking it out, but right now most of the additives seem speculative at best.

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## JohnMPB

Looks scammy as hell to me. I don't trust anything from the store on that site anymore

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## GIJOE

I have had the same issue, keen to use some S5 cream after hearing about good results on forums...but it is now off the market. Does anyone know of an alternative aside from this Follione stuff?

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## allTheGoodNamesAreTaken

All natural? Guaranteed bullshit.

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## GIJOE

What would you recommend as a topical dht inhibitor?!?!

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## LongWayHome

> What would you recommend as a topical dht inhibitor?!?!


 Well the only thing I can think of is RU58841, you can read all about it on this forum, here:

https://www.baldtruthtalk.com/thread...41-Usage-Guide

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## RU58841

God damn it.

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## bevsau

Seriously-I have no problems with businesses trying to make money but when there was a perfectly good product like S5 daytime and nighttime creams and they are replaced with what seems to be snake oil what happened?  Does anyone know where topical spiro can be found?  I know Dr. Lee used to sell it but he was shut down years ago for whatever and I would really love to find this product.  I am not throwing my money away on this NEW Spiro Alternative" as I was totally happy with the actual spiro-I am not that gullible to think that this new product will be any viable alternative and I am very surprised that the website selling this product is, well, actually selling it.

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## Steven D

This is the first time I hear about it tbh

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## bevsau

yes it is no longer available

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## Betty99

I know this is slightly off topic but I'm new here.

Is topical spiro a good enough option for women? 
I am using Keto 2% but want to block DHT better. 
Hormones are normal levels. I think im just slightly sensitive to it.

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## Ruby

Betty, if you are either a cis or trans woman (I am transgender), then you might want to try oral spironolactone. Topical spiro does diddly squat in all the research I've read thus far. Spiro when systemic, does a pretty darn good job at nuking both any T and DHT in your system.  If you are cis and have absolutely no intentions or chance whatsoever of becoming pregnant then the other 5ar inhibitors (fin or dut) might be worth researching if you have high DHT sensitivity, but those meds are virtually guaranteed to cause horrible birth defects so consider them to be highly dangerous in that regard.

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## Betty99

Thanks for reply Ruby

I'm a 45 yo woman. Still fertile mertile regular lick clock work so I would have to take oral spiro with BCP which are combination kind i.e. Higher risk. Not really dangerous except at my age perhaps

I have mild AGA that was aggravated by low iron. So working to get iron back up but want to do minoxidil and I use keto2% and spiro either oral or topical. 

Any men or women have some success with topical spiro?

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## Patrickfegan

This is a reply I received for ***************** after I sent quite blunt message at my disappointment of removal of S5 cream.  Why does it seem that there is so must nonsense stopping progress when comes to hair loss products.


The spiro was removed because the FDA decided it was illegal to sell online.  You may or may not be familiar with the FDA Dr. Lee witch hunt of 2005-ish where one of the most esteemed names in hair loss (Dr. Richard Lee) was shut down and threatened with jailtime if he didnt stop selling such inert things as:  minoxidil in concentrations greater than 5%, topical spironolactone, and other completely harmless products.



Spironolactone is a prescription ingredient and for that reason it is illegal to sell online unless you are a pharmacy that the FDA recognizes.  This is why the makers of S5 Cream were forced to stop producing and selling it, and instead were forced to come up with a formulation that the FDA doesnt regulate:  natural ingredients.   These guys are honest and genuinely want to provide products that work.  So they did their best to read the published data and find ingredients shown to act as antiandrogens. 



Follione is no more of a scam than Revivogen, Folligen, Kourosh DHT blocker, or any of the other *adjunct* products we tell people to use in addition to Propecia and Rogaine.  In fact there are literally hundreds of actual scam products for hair loss, and outright snake oils on the market.  The adjunct products we recommend are so few in number that its almost comical.  We could be selling countless products if we had no actual standards for what we carry.



That being said, the only solution the FDA has left everyone is to have your doctor contact a compounding pharmacy and request that they create a 2% cream or lotion with crushed spironolactone in it.  You can also google for tutorials online on how to create your own.  Its not difficult.   But its irritating and frustrating that anyone has to resort to this.   I agree. 



In any case  you have no idea how much time and effort I spent trying to find a way to get it on the shelf.   It was either sell S5 cream or go to jail.

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## doke

Re spiro cream i think you can still buy it online i will check  where i get mine from.

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## doke

Ok i see the s5 day and night for sale at ************ product site i also had a lotion spiro 5% if anyones interested i can find the site to see if its still available.

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## Patrickfegan

Hi I have been informed that they are going to have S5 cream back in stock in a month at Hairlossralk.  Hope so. I dont want to resort to making my own

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## Patrickfegan

Does anyone recommend Kourosh ?

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## UK_

Topical Spiro isnt sold at pharma level because these topical anti androgens risk exposure to other people - basically, at a molecular level, most topical treatments that someone uses he/she inadvertently ends up exposing everyone in the household to that particular chemical also.

Topicals get everywhere, just because you can't see it, doesnt mean it didnt happen.

Stick to FDA approved meds only:  Finasteride & Minox.

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## UK_

There arent any - everything topical goes systemic, the liver wants to know what you're up to - the skin works with the liver.

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