Sammiejane,
From what I understand Sandrena normal dosage is 0.5mg to 1.5mg and Oestrogel is 2 measures (1.5mg) to 4 measures (3mg) daily. I'm currently using about ? of a pack of Sandrena 1mg, so 0.75mg, which is probably a bit more than 2 pumps of Oestrogel. I also think I absorb it very well.
Although I think HRT improved my hair, as in when I started Tibolone vs not taking any systemic HRT, I think the improvement was extremely slow - gradually over a year or more. Adding in Testosterone made no percievable difference. Neither did changing to Sandrena & Utrogestan from Tibolone from what I can tell, but it's always been very fine (I'm quite fair) and shedding has never been a problem I've experienced even during pregnancy.
Taking the Utrogestan on alternate days vaginally gives me no effects/side effects that I am aware of at all. I've had a scan this week & with over a year of this regime my uterine lining is 3.5mm - same as it was when I was on Tibolone, so the Uterogestan is defiantly doing what it's supposed to.
When I was taking Utrogestan every day orally I defiantly didn't feel 'right' and was getting gastro issues with it, plus very strange dreams & drowsiness during the day. Switching to vaginally for me reduced the side effects but I still felt I was getting too much Progesterone, slightly PMT ish if that makes sense. Similarly with Sandrena, tender breasts for me means dose too high, reducing it slightly sorted that.
I would advise using a diary to keep notes of side effects, dosages etc when you're tweaking things as it's easy to forget what causes what. If I hadn't kept one since 2016 it would be hard for me to remember how I'd felt/reacted to what I've tried. It was the diary that put me onto reducing the Sandrena when the tender breasts started as I'd had that happen at the end of 2018 also.
HTH,
S