01
Name the pattern
Start with a simple visual scale. Norwood helps with temple and crown recession; Ludwig helps with diffuse thinning and widening parts.
Hair loss tools
Start with the pattern. Then track the proof.
Folicle tools are built for the messy middle of hair loss: when you are not sure whether your temples moved, your part widened, or your treatment is doing anything yet. Use the tools to name what you are seeing, then use consistent photos to measure it over time.
Men's hairline
Norwood Scale Calculator
Compare your temples, forelock, and crown against the classic Norwood pattern before you start guessing from old selfies.
Open toolDiffuse thinning
Ludwig Scale Calculator
Use the Ludwig pattern when the part line is widening or density changes are spread across the top of the scalp.
Open tool4 to 6 month timeline
Minoxidil Progress Guide
Learn what to track before judging minoxidil, how to read early shedding, and when photos become more useful than feelings.
Open toolBetter progress photos
Hair Photo Alignment
A practical method for keeping angle, distance, lighting, and scalp zones consistent enough to compare week to week.
Open toolReal-world tracking
Hair Loss Stories
Read how other people describe their hair-loss journey, what they tried, and what made progress easier to measure.
Open toolCommunity signals
Share Your Journey
Add your own lived-experience story with photos, treatment context, and a practical timeline other people can learn from.
Open toolThe Folicle workflow
A tool page is useful only if it changes what you do next.
02
Capture a baseline
A baseline is only useful if it is repeatable. Use the same room, light, distance, wetness state, and five scalp angles before treatment memories get blurry.
03
Measure the lag
Hair grows slowly, and treatments are usually judged over months. Folicle is built around that lag: aligned photos, treatment logs, and PDF exports for dermatologist visits.
How to use these tools without fooling yourself.
Do not classify a single bad hair day. Start with pattern language, then build a repeatable measurement loop. A Norwood or Ludwig stage gives you vocabulary; aligned photos give you a timeline. If you are trying minoxidil, finasteride, a topical compound, ketoconazole shampoo, supplements, or a dermatologist plan, the most useful thing Folicle can do is keep your evidence clean until enough time has passed to judge it.
Folicle is not a doctor and these pages are not medical advice. They are a tracking system from lived experience: measure the same zones, on the same schedule, with the same context, then bring the export to a real clinician when you need treatment decisions.
Tools FAQ
Which Folicle tool should I use first?
If your concern is a receding hairline or crown spot, start with the Norwood calculator. If your concern is diffuse thinning or a widening part, start with the Ludwig calculator. Then create a repeatable photo baseline before judging progress.
Are these tools medical diagnosis?
No. The tools are for self-tracking and pattern language only. They do not diagnose androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, scarring alopecia, or any medical condition. For diagnosis and treatment decisions, see a board-certified dermatologist.
Why does Folicle focus so much on photos?
Because hair change is slow and subjective. A mirror check can swing with lighting, haircut, stress, or wet hair. Aligned photos reduce noise and give you something concrete to compare after 90 to 180 days.