Men’s Hair Loss Complete Starter Pack

Buy The Complete Hair Loss Starter Pack for Men

Finasteride 1mg + Sons Minoxidil 5% + Strengthening Shampoo + Derma Roller

The Complete Package is a hair loss treatment for men that brings together a month’s supply of two proven treatments for male pattern baldness – Finasteride tablets and topical Minoxidil – with Sons Strengthening Shampoo and Derma Roller.

Finasteride and Minoxidil tackle hair loss in different ways, and research suggests they work better together than either treatment alone (1). The derma roller is thought to improve results when used with topical Minoxidil, while the shampoo helps keep the hair and scalp healthy.

Together, the four products give you a combined approach to treating hair loss and supporting your hair and scalp, without relying on a single treatment alone.

• Finasteride tablets lower DHT, a hormone involved in male pattern baldness (2)

• Sons Minoxidil 5% is a topical scalp treatment for hair loss, applied twice daily (3)

• Sons Strengthening Shampoo for cleansing and supporting hair and scalp health (4)

• Sons Derma Roller with 0.25mm needles for at-home scalp microneedling

• One package brings all four products in a single routine

What is included in The Complete Hair Loss Package for Men?

The Complete Hair Loss Package for Men contains four products that take different approaches to male pattern hair loss and hair care.

Finasteride 1mg tablets

Finasteride is a licensed hair loss treatment for men in the UK, taken as a once-daily tablet. It helps prevent further hair loss and may encourage hair regrowth while treatment continues, although results vary depending on factors such as the stage of your hair loss. (2)

Twenty-eight Finasteride 1mg tablets come in the Men's Hair Loss Complete Treatment Package, providing a month's supply. Finasteride is a prescription-only medicine and is only supplied after an online consultation and clinical assessment.

Learn more about Finasteride in our guide: What is Finasteride and What is it Used For?

Sons Minoxidil 5% solution

Sons Minoxidil 5% solution is another licensed, clinically-proven male hair loss treatment in the UK. Unlike oral Finasteride tablets, topical Minoxidil is a scalp treatment applied directly to the scalp twice a day to stimulate hair growth (3).

The package contains one 60ml bottle of Sons Minoxidil 5% solution, which should last around 30 days. Topical minoxidil is available over the counter without a prescription and is licensed for men aged 18-65 with male pattern hair loss.

Sons Derma Roller

Sons Derma Roller is an at-home microneedling device with 0.25mm titanium needles. It is designed to be rolled over areas of thinning hair alongside topical Minoxidil to help boost growth (5).

Microneedling has been studied for male pattern hair loss, although much of the research has used different devices and needle depths (6). The Sons Derma Roller should be considered an additional part of your hair care routine and not a replacement for Finasteride or Minoxidil.

Sons Strengthening Shampoo

Sons Strengthening Shampoo is a cosmetic shampoo designed for men with thinning hair or early signs of male pattern baldness. You’ll receive one 200ml bottle of Sons Strengthening Shampoo in The Complete Hair Loss Package for Men.

Unlike Finasteride and Minoxidil, the shampoo is not a licensed medicine or a proven standalone treatment for male pattern hair loss. But it contains ingredients that encourage strong, healthy hair and can support medical treatment (4).

How do the four products work together?

The Men’s Complete Hair Loss Package combines four treatments that target male pattern hair loss in different ways, allowing you to support your hair loss from multiple angles.

Treating the cause: Finasteride and DHT

Finasteride works by acting directly on one of the underlying causes of male pattern baldness: DHT.

Male pattern hair loss is driven partly by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In men who are genetically more likely to go bald, DHT causes affected hair follicles to gradually shrink. The follicles produce progressively shorter and finer hairs, eventually leading to visible thinning and baldness (2).

Finasteride works for hair loss by blocking an enzyme called type II 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into DHT. Taking Finasteride 1mg once daily lowers DHT levels in the blood and scalp, helping to slow further follicle shrinkage and hair loss (2).

Stimulating regrowth: Minoxidil solution

Unlike Finasteride, Minoxidil does not block DHT. Instead, it acts directly on the scalp and hair follicles to encourage new hair to grow.

Exactly how Minoxidil works is not completely understood. Its effects are thought to increase blood flow to the follicles, encouraging resting follicles to enter the active growth phase and prolonging this phase of the hair cycle, which can increase hair growth over time (3).

This difference in how Finasteride vs Minoxidil work is what makes them great to use together. Finasteride mainly helps stop hair loss from progressing. Minoxidil helps stimulate regrowth. Using Finasteride and Minoxidil together targets male pattern hair loss from both directions (1).

Supporting topical treatment: derma roller and Minoxidil

Dermarolling creates tiny holes in the scalp that trigger the skin's healing response. This is thought to increase blood flow, collagen production and other processes that promote hair growth (5,6).

Some people use dermarolling as a non-medicated approach to hair loss, although evidence for at-home devices used alone is limited. Using a derma roller with Minoxidil has more evidence behind it, with clinical studies finding better results from microneedling plus Minoxidil than Minoxidil alone (6-8).

The Sons Derma Roller has shorter 0.25mm needles than many devices used in clinical studies, so results from deeper, professionally performed microneedling cannot be directly applied to this product.

Supporting your hair and scalp: Strengthening Shampoo

Sons Strengthening Shampoo looks after your hair and scalp alongside your medical treatments. It contains ingredients like saw palmetto and caffeine, which have been studied for their potential roles in hair and scalp health, although evidence is more limited than for licensed treatments (9,10).

The shampoo shouldn't be seen as a treatment in the same way as Finasteride or Minoxidil. It's an extra, non-medicated step you can add to your hair-washing routine to care for the scalp environment that healthy hair needs.

How do I use the Complete Hair Loss Starter Pack?

You don't need to use all four products at exactly the same time. The easiest approach is to fit each one into your usual morning, evening and hair-washing routine.

Daily steps

1. Take Finasteride once a day. Take one Finasteride 1mg tablet once daily, with or without food. You can take it at any time of day, so choose a time that's easy to remember and try to stick to it every day (2,13).

2. Apply Minoxidil twice daily. Apply 1ml (10 sprays) of this topical scalp treatment for hair loss twice a day to the areas where hair is thinning or balding. Your hair and scalp should be completely dry before each application (14).

Weekly steps

1. Use Strengthening Shampoo whenever you wash your hair. Sons recommends washing your hair 2–5 times a week (15). Washing too frequently can dry or irritate the scalp and leave hair more prone to damage and breakage, so you don't need to use the shampoo every day (15).

2. Use the Sons Derma Roller every other day. Its 0.25mm needles mean it is safe to use every 2 days (5,16). Pay attention to how your scalp is responding. If it is sore or irritated, leave longer between treatment days and stop until your scalp has recovered.

What order should you use the products in?

When you are using more than one scalp product on the same day, follow this order:

Strengthening Shampoo + Minoxidil: Shampoo first → rinse thoroughly → let your hair and scalp dry completely → apply Minoxidil.

Derma Roller + Minoxidil: Use the Derma Roller on a clean, dry scalp → wait around 30 minutes → apply topical Minoxidil (16).

Strengthening Shampoo + Derma Roller + Minoxidil: Shampoo → rinse thoroughly → let your hair and scalp dry → use the Derma Roller → wait 30 minutes → apply Minoxidil (16).

For convenience, your daily routine could look like:

AM:

• Take one Finasteride tablet every morning

• Wash your hair and allow your scalp to dry completely

• Apply your first dose of topical minoxidil

PM:

• Use the derma roller (only use derma roller 2 a week)

• Wait 30 minutes

• Apply your second dose of topical minoxidil

Additional information:

Finasteride is separate from the scalp products, so you can also take your Finasteride tablet at any point during the day. It doesn't matter whether you take it before or after using the other products.

Minoxidil should always be applied to a completely dry scalp (14). Once you've applied it, wait at least 4 hours before washing or wetting your hair, as it takes this long for the medicine to be properly absorbed (3). If you apply your second dose in the evening, let it dry completely before going to bed.

For Sons Strengthening Shampoo and the Sons Derma Roller, you can fit them around your Minoxidil applications in whatever way works best for you. You can spread the shampoo and dermarolling across different days if that's easier. You don't need to use them together.

You don't have to wash your hair every day with Minoxidil, or every time you dermaroll. If your scalp is already clean and dry, you can use the products without washing your hair first.

How effective is the Hair Loss Treatment Package?

How effective hair loss treatment is depends partly on the treatment used, but there is plenty of evidence that combining male hair loss treatments can help improve results.

Research has found that:

• In one study, 94.1% of men using Finasteride and topical Minoxidil together showed improvement in their hair after a year, compared with 80.5% using Finasteride alone and 59% using Minoxidil alone (1).

• Adding microneedling to topical Minoxidil has been shown to improve hair count in men with androgenetic alopecia, with a 2025 review of 12 clinical trials also finding improvements in hair thickness (8).

• A review of 15 clinical trials involving 1,172 people with male pattern hair loss found combination approaches using Minoxidil with Finasteride or microneedling produced better overall results than Minoxidil alone (11).

The Strengthening Shampoo has a supportive role rather than as a proven men’s hair loss treatment, and there hasn't been a clinical trial of this exact four-product package, so we can't give this package a single success rate. But evidence suggests that combining hair loss treatments leads to better results (1,7,8,11).

Results vary between people, and using more products does not guarantee more hair growth. No treatment can reliably restore follicles that are no longer producing hair, so men treating early-stage thinning may have more to gain than those trying to improve long-established bald areas.

Who is this plan suitable for?

The Complete Hair Loss Treatment Package may be a good option if you:

• Are an adult male looking for hair loss treatment in the UK

• Have early signs of baldness, such as a receding hairline or thinning around the crown

• Want to tackle hair loss in more than one way instead of relying on a single treatment

• Can commit to an ongoing treatment plan

You can normally buy the scalp treatments – Sons Minoxidil Solution, Strengthening Shampoo and Derma Roller – without a prescription. But Finasteride 1mg is a prescription-only hair loss treatment for men in the UK.

The Complete Hair Loss Treatment Package can only be supplied if one of our clinicians confirms that Finasteride is safe and suitable for you.

The Complete Hair Loss Treatment Package may not be suitable for you if you:

• Are under 18 or over 65

• Are a woman

• Have high blood pressure, including treated high blood pressure

• Have certain heart or circulation problems

• Already take Finasteride, Dutasteride or certain other hair/scalp treatments

• Are allergic to Minoxidil, Finasteride, or any other ingredients (2,3)

This isn't a complete list, and some of these factors don't automatically rule out treatment. We'll check your health, current medicines and previous treatments during your online hair loss consultation to make sure The Complete Treatment Package is suitable for you.

Side effects and things to know

Finasteride and Minoxidil can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. The Derma Roller and Strengthening Shampoo aren't medicines, but they can still cause scalp irritation or other reactions, so it's useful to know what to look out for with each product.

This page covers the main side effects and safety information, but it does not list every possible side effect, warning or precaution.

For complete medicine information, read the Finasteride 1mg tablets patient information leaflet and Sons Minoxidil 5% solution leaflet before starting treatment (13,14). You can also find more detailed information about each treatment on our individual Finasteride and Sons Minoxidil product pages.

Finasteride side effects

The main side effects of Finasteride involve sexual function and mood (2,13).

Uncommon side effects, affecting up to 1 in 100 people, include:

• Reduced sex drive (low libido)

• Difficulty getting or maintaining an erection

• Problems with ejaculation, including a reduced amount of semen

• Depression or low mood

• Other rare side effects have been reported, but it isn't known exactly how often they occur. These include anxiety, palpitations, testicular pain, blood in the semen, reduced semen quality and male infertility, but most are temporary symptoms of the medication (2,13).

Some men have reported sexual problems, including reduced sex drive, erectile dysfunction and ejaculation problems, continuing after Finasteride is stopped. This is known as Post-Finasteride Syndrome, although it isn’t well understood and experts still debate whether Finasteride is directly responsible for these longer-term symptoms (17).

Finasteride warnings

Mood changes. Depressed mood, depression and suicidal thoughts have been reported in men taking Finasteride (2,13). The MHRA advises that if you develop depression or suicidal thoughts while taking Finasteride 1mg for hair loss, stop taking it and contact your doctor as soon as possible (18).

Breast changes. Breast tenderness or enlargement can occur with Finasteride. Rare cases of male breast cancer have been reported, so any breast changes should not be ignored (2,13). Speak to your doctor if you notice a lump, pain, swelling or discharge from your nipple.

Allergic reactions. Rare allergies to Finasteride can happen. Stop taking Finasteride and seek urgent medical help if you develop signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing or swallowing (2,13).

Topical minoxidil side effects

The most common side effects of topical Minoxidil are headaches, affecting more than 1 in 10 people. Other common side effects, affecting up to 1 in 10 people, include (3,14):

• Itching or a rash

• Unwanted hair growth away from the treatment area

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Feeling sick is uncommon. Other reported side effects include eye irritation, vomiting, changes to hair colour or texture, and reactions where you apply Minoxidil (14).

You may also notice increased hair shedding during the first 2–6 weeks of treatment. This can happen as Minoxidil affects the hair-growth cycle and should normally settle within a couple of weeks. If the shedding continues, stop using Minoxidil and speak to your doctor (14).

Minoxidil warnings

Heart and circulation problems. Although Minoxidil is applied to the scalp, a small amount can be absorbed into the blood. Stop using Minoxidil and speak to a doctor if you develop chest pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, sudden weight gain, or swelling of your hands or feet (3,14).

Persistent scalp reactions. Some irritation can occur where you apply Minoxidil, but stop using Minoxidil and speak to a doctor if you develop persistent redness or irritation of your scalp. Don’t continue treatment hoping for it to settle down (3,14).

Allergic reactions. Serious allergic reactions to Minoxidil can occur. Stop applying topical Minoxidil and seek urgent medical help if you develop swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat or difficulty breathing or swallowing (3,14).

Using the Derma Roller and shampoo safely

The Sons Derma Roller and Strengthening Shampoo aren’t medicated hair loss treatments for men, but they can still irritate your scalp.

With the Derma Roller, some temporary redness or sensitivity can happen after use. Give your scalp time to recover and stop dermarolling if you develop (12):

• Redness or soreness that doesn't settle

• Increasing pain or swelling

• Signs of infection

If you think your scalp may be infected, stop using the Derma Roller and speak to your doctor.

With the Strengthening Shampoo, look out for itching, redness, dryness or soreness. If your scalp reacts to the shampoo, rinse it out thoroughly and stop using it until the reaction has settled. Don't use it again if you think you're allergic to one of the ingredients.

Irritated scalp but not sure what's causing it?

If you're using several products on your scalp, it may not be obvious which one is causing irritation. Avoid applying more products to irritated skin until your scalp has recovered. Our clinical team can advise you if you're unsure what to stop or when to restart.

Advisory information

• Other medicines. Tell us about any medicines you take. In particular, don't take Finasteride if you already take Finasteride or another 5-alpha reductase inhibitor such as Dutasteride (2,13). Other medicines applied to the scalp may also affect whether Minoxidil 5% is suitable for you (3,14).

• Fertility. Reduced semen quality and infertility have been reported in some men taking Finasteride, although it is reported to have been reversed once stopped. Speak to your doctor or our clinical team if you're trying for a baby or have fertility concerns (2,13). Find out why you must stop using Finasteride when trying to conceive.

• PSA tests. Finasteride can lower your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level. If you're having a PSA blood test, tell the healthcare professional that you're taking Finasteride so they can take this into account when interpreting your result (2).

• Using Minoxidil safely. Sons Minoxidil solution is flammable, so keep it away from naked flames, cigarettes and other sources of ignition. Minoxidil can also cause dizziness or low blood pressure in some people, so don't drive or use machinery if you feel dizzy or light-headed (3,14).

References

1. Hu R, Xu F, Sheng Y, Qi S, Han Y, Miao Y, et al. Combined treatment with oral finasteride and topical minoxidil in male androgenetic alopecia: a randomized and comparative study in Chinese patients. Dermatol Ther. 2015;28(5):303-308.

2. Aurobindo Pharma - Milpharm Ltd. Finasteride 1mg tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC). Electronic Medicines Compendium. Updated 17 March 2026.

3. Careforsons Limited. Minoxidil 5% cutaneous solution: package leaflet: information for the user [Internet]. London: Careforsons Limited; 2020 [cited 2026 Oct 14]. Updated August 2020.

4. Sons. Strengthening Shampoo [Internet]. Sons; [cited 2026 Sep 8].

5. Sons. How a Simple Derma Roller Can Level Up Your Minoxidil Treatment [Internet]. Sons; 2024 Oct 21 [cited 2026 Sep 8].

6. English RS, Ruiz S, DoAmaral P. Microneedling and Its Use in Hair Loss Disorders: A Systematic Review. Dermatology and Therapy. 2021 Dec 1;12(1):41–60.

7. Abdi P, Awad C, Anthony M, Farkouh C, Kenny B, Maibach HI, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Combinational Therapy Using Topical Minoxidil and Microneedling for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Archives of Dermatological Research. 2023 Sep 4;315(10):2775–85

8. Ahmed KMA, Kozaa YA, Abuawwad MT, Al-Najdawi AI, Mahmoud YW, Ahmed AM, et al. Evaluating the efficacy and safety of combined microneedling therapy versus topical Minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Dermatological Research. 2025 Mar 8;317(1).

9. Evron E, Juhasz M, Babadjouni A, Mesinkovska NA. Natural hair supplement: Friend or foe? Saw palmetto, a systematic review in alopecia. Skin Appendage Disorders. 2020 Aug 23;6(6):1–9.

10. Ewelina Szendzielorz, Spiewak R. Caffeine as an Active Molecule in Cosmetic Products for Hair Loss: Its Mechanisms of Action in the Context of Hair Physiology and Pathology. Molecules. 2025 Jan 4;30(1):167–7.

11. Zhou Y, Chen C, Qu Q, Zhang C, Wang J, Fan Z, et al. The effectiveness of combination therapies for androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatol Ther. 2020;33(4). doi:10.1111/dth.13741.

12. Gowda A, Healey B, Harib Ezaldein, Merati M. A Systematic Review Examining the Potential Adverse Effects of Microneedling. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2026 Sept 8];14(1):45.

13. Finasteride 1mg Patient Information Leaflet [Internet]. 2026 [cited 2026 Sep 8].

14. Sons Minoxidil 5% Patient Information Leaflet [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2026 Sep 8].

15. Sons. Happy Hair: Why It’s Important to Avoid Over-Washing Your Hair [Internet]. Sons UK. Sons; 2025 [cited 2026 Sept 8].

16. Sons. How to Use a Derma Roller for Best Results [Internet]. Sons UK. Sons; 2026 [cited 2026 Sept 8].

17. Carson CC. Post‐finasteride syndrome: real or myth? Trends in Urology & Men’s Health. 2024 June 18;15(4):22–4.

18. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Finasteride and Dutasteride – updated safety warnings for psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction. GOV.UK. Published 11 May 2026.