What did @shoobie_doubie actually say?
He ran a six-month cycle of 500mg testosterone, 400mg primobolan, and 50mg Anavar on training days. Two to three months in, he was pulling "forty, fifty, sixty" hairs out in the shower. By the end, he could see his scalp. He's now blaming Anavar specifically, reasoning that a previous test-and-primo cycle didn't cause the same damage. His plan: run test and NPP next, add primo back later, skip Anavar entirely to isolate the culprit.
Credit where it's due: he's doing something like informal self-experimentation by eliminating one variable at a time. That's at least a logical approach, even if it's being applied to something with serious health consequences. But his core assumption, that Anavar was the main offender, is worth examining carefully.
Does the science back this up?
Partially. All three compounds he used can accelerate androgenetic alopecia in people who are genetically susceptible. The mechanism is the same across the board: androgens bind to hair follicle receptors, shrink the follicle over time, and shorten the growth cycle. But his assumption that family hair history protects him is where things fall apart scientifically.
Androgenetic alopecia is polygenic and the inheritance patterns are genuinely complex. Having a full-headed family doesn't mean you lack the androgen receptor sensitivity that drives follicle miniaturization. Ellis et al. (2002, Journal of Investigative Dermatology) showed that androgen receptor gene variants on the X chromosome are strongly implicated, meaning maternal lineage matters more than paternal. Beyond genetics, supraphysiological androgen levels, which is exactly what a 500mg testosterone cycle produces, can overwhelm whatever baseline protection someone has. Randall (2008, Journal of Endocrinology) reviewed how high androgen exposure accelerates the transition from terminal to vellus hair even in individuals with no prior shedding history.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
The biggest error is blaming Anavar as the solo culprit. That's not well-supported. At 500mg of testosterone per week, his system was already flooded with androgens far above physiological range. Testosterone converts to DHT via 5-alpha reductase, and DHT is the primary driver of follicle miniaturization. Primobolan, despite its reputation as a "mild" steroid, still has androgenic activity and binds androgen receptors in hair follicles directly.
Anavar (oxandrolone) does have a relatively low androgenic rating on paper, but "low" is not "zero," and stacking it on top of an already androgenic cycle is additive. The idea that Anavar alone caused the damage while 500mg test and 400mg primo were innocent bystanders doesn't hold up. He also admits he used nothing for hair protection during the cycle, no finasteride, no minoxidil, nothing. That omission likely made everything worse. Shapiro and Otberg (2017, New England Journal of Medicine) note that 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can significantly blunt DHT-driven shedding when used prophylactically.
What should you actually know?
If you have any androgen receptor sensitivity in your scalp, supraphysiological steroid use is a real hair loss risk regardless of your family tree. The "I'm Latino and all my relatives have thick hair" logic is a common misconception, and it's one that clearly didn't protect him.
A few things the evidence actually supports: minoxidil has demonstrated efficacy for regrowth in androgenetic alopecia (van Zuuren et al., 2016, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), and it works whether the trigger was exogenous androgens or natural DHT. Finasteride reduces scalp DHT and has shown regrowth and retention benefits in multiple randomized controlled trials, though it comes with its own side effect profile that warrants a real conversation with a licensed provider. Ketoconazole shampoo has modest evidence as an adjunct. None of these are magic, and none will fully reverse follicle miniaturization that has already progressed significantly.
His plan to run NPP next is also worth flagging. Nandrolone (NPP) has a complex androgenic profile and is not a hair-safe choice by default. Anyone running anabolic steroids without medical supervision and without pre-cycle genetic or hormonal assessment is, as he put it, playing Russian roulette. That part he got exactly right.