A dual stripe magnetoresistive (DSMR) sensor element, and a method for fabricating the dual stripe magnetoresistive (DSMR) sensor element. When fabricating the dual stripe magnetoresistive (DSMR) sensor element while employing the method, there are employed two pair of patterned magnetic biasing layers formed of a single magnetic biasing material. The two pair of patterned magnetic biasing layers bias a pair of patterned magnetoresistive (MR) layers in a pair of opposite canted directions. The method employs multiple thermal annealing methods one of which employs a thermal annealing temperature, a thermal annealing exposure time and an extrinsic magnetic bias field such that a first pair of transversely magnetically biased patterned magnetic biasing layers is not substantially demagnetized when forming a second pair of transversely magnetically biased patterned magnetic biasing layers of anti-parallel transverse magnetic bias direction to the first pair of transversely magnetically biased patterned magnetic biasing layers.