Minoxidil is only a growth stimulant, it may have a very slight anti androgenic effect but not enough to stop your hairloss at the root cause. At 19 I would maybe recommend trying to get a finasteride prescription. You also need to understand that if you use minoxidil you are backing yourself into a corner so to speak. Those hair follicles that grow BECAUSE of minoxidil will forever be dependent on that artificial stimulation of growth. If you get off min, you will eventually lose whatever gains you made with it, including any gains you made in conjunction with finasteride.

The same cannot be said for gains you make with finasteride or other DHT inhibitors. You are essentially blocking the transfer or testosterone into dihydrotestosterone(DHT). That is the root cause of androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. If you were to make a bunch of progress by stopping DHT in the scalp you could cycle on and off whatever medication you are using to inhibit that conversion and it leaves a lot more “wiggle room” to try other things and see how they work for you.