What To Do If You Have Thinning Hair
As weve discussed before on this blog, shedding is a natural part of our hairs growth process. But when hair loss becomes excessive leading to thinning and bald spots we need to take a step back and figure out whats happening. Different factors can cause thinning hair, so understanding what factors may be affecting you can help you on the road to recovery.
Disguising Your Part With Cut And Coloring
How To Make Your Hair Thicker
- Try to identify and eliminate the cause of your hair loss.
- Drink more water and increase your intake of protein, Omega 3, and vitamin C.
- Select a haircut and hairstyle that will make your thin hair appear thicker.
- Use shampoos that are designed for thinning hair.
- Consider hair regrowth treatments and transplants if no other thickening methods work.
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Are There Complications/side Effects Of Treatment
Minoxidil may irritate your scalp and cause dryness, scaling, itching and/or redness. See your dermatologist if this happens.
With Minoxidil you might also see hair growing in other places other than your scalp . Wash your face after you apply Minoxidil and make sure you avoid other areas when you apply it.
Understand What Causes Balding
In order to properly treat balding, it is important to understand why you are losing hair in the first place.
While the most common cause of hair loss is male pattern baldness, there are other potential conditions to make note of when considering why your hair falls out. Some of these include:
Medical Conditions
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Thyroid conditions: Severe thyroid disorders like Hashimotos Disease can cause hair loss. However, if this is the cause, you will likely experience other symptoms, like fatigue or weight gain.
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Malnutrition. Severe malnutrition, especially in protein, can result in hair changes. However, this cause is unlikely without extremely low intake of calories and protein.
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Alopecia areata. This condition causes hair loss in small, typically unnoticeable patches. Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles
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Telogen effluvium. This is a temporary type of hair loss often caused by very stressful, anxiety inducing or traumatic events, hospitalization, or even certain side effects of medication. It can be confused with permanent hair loss, but it is reversible.
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Tinea capitis. This condition is a fungal infection on the scalp that causes small, scaly spots and pustules on the scalp. Tinea capitis, if left untreated, can lead to hair loss from permanent scarring.
Other Causes Of Hair Loss
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Excessive styling with harsh products
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What Are Some Tips For Dealing With Hair Loss In Women
There are some things you can do on your own. You might check with your stylist or try some of these:
- Coloring your hair adds volume to the strands, making your hair seem fuller.
- Massaging your head, like when you are washing your hair, can stimulate blood flow to the scalp and hair follicles.
- Getting your hair cut shorter, and having layers added, can make your hair seem fuller.
- Using the right kind of shampoo can also help. Look for a shampoo that adds volume without using sulfate detergents.
- Using the right kind of product at the right time can also help. There are products that add volume that you add while your hair is still wet. However, using too much product can add weight.
Use A Topical Treatment
The only topical treatment that has been approved by the FDA for hair loss in women is minoxidil, better known by the brand name Women’s Rogaine . Topical minoxidil is the gold standard standard of treatment, Dr. Zeichner says. It helps lengthen the active growing stage of hairs and promotes healthy delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicle.
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Tip : Invest In Some Headwear
Hats, turbans, and scarves are a tres chic way to hide thinning areas on the head. Try a beautiful silk scarf or a fun slouchy beanie, or a vintage-inspired newsboy cap for an ultra stylish look.
While these tips are sure to help with your thinning locks, dont disregard the ever-classic hat. Whether theyre beanies, ball caps, sun hats, fancy, or casual, hats are perfect for an easy on-the-go look. Scarves are another fabulous, feminine look you cant pass up! Have any other tips for adding some oomph to your thinning locks? Let us know in the comments section below!
When was the first time you noticed you were losing your hair? Was it a wider-than-normal hair part? A space at the crown? Or just a general lack of fullness youve noticed over time? No matter how you noticed your thinning hair, the realization was probably pretty nerve-wracking. You start to wonder what you can do to get those lush locks back. Before you start Googling hair transplants, weve rallied up several A++ tips to help you hide any thinning areas, along with some reasons behind why hair loss occurs.
Hair Fix: The Dreaded Back Part Blog 8 Years Ago 263 Commentsnext
The Makeover Process: Blog Redesign
Im starting a new mini series on the blog called Hair Fix in which I share quick tips for fixing common problems in hairstyling. The tutorials might be short and sweet, but they may be really helpful in how your hair cooperates!
My sister and I both have this strange part in back sections of our hair that we need to fight on occasion. Sometimes the way I sleep can make it either worse or better.
If I curl my hair and separate the sections right at the natural back part, Ill have to really work to keep it from separating during the day. Whether you have a natural part or simply have trouble blending a section of hair together as you style, this tutorial should help you out!
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Whats Actually Causing Your Thinning Hair
The first thing to know about hair loss is that its actually a bit complex. Your hair grows in three stages, SELF explained previously. These include a growth phase from a root in the hair follicle, a transitional phase when the growing stops, and a resting phase, after which the hair falls out and the follicle takes a break before growing another hair.
Its totally normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology , which you might notice on your pillow in the morning, on your hairbrush, or in the shower. If you go a few days without showering, you might notice more than a single days worth of hair in the shower, which may be a little disconcerting, but is still totally normal.
Youre born with about 100,000 follicles on your scalp, and youll never gain or lose any, the AAD says. However, as you age, some follicles may stop growing hair and you may experience hair loss . When and how this happens is influenced by a bunch of factors, including our genetics and the natural hormonal changes we experience as we age, Shilpi Khetarpal, M.D., dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF.
Once you know what youre up against, there are some easy ways to help manage thinning hair at home or with the help of an expert. Here are the top tips we learned from dermatologists and hair stylists on how to protect your hair and restore some of its fullness and shine.
How To Treat Balding
The key to preventing baldness is to take a proactive approach. If you wait until youve lost the bulk of your hair, youre probably not going to get the results that you want.
Unfortunately, one of the most common reasons why men let their hair loss go unchecked is denial.
Hair loss is something that can happen to men of any age. Whether youre in your 40s and 50s, or youre in your late teens to early 20s, hair loss can strike.
So, when you start noticing more than the usual amount of hair at the bottom of your drain, or your hair isnt quite as thick as it used to be, its important that you take action.
There are a number of hair loss treatment programs that are scientifically proven to slow down hair loss in the majority of men.
Some can even help you regrow some of the hair youve already lost! Hair loss is normal for some men, not using the tools to treat it is not.
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Tip : Pump Up The Volumizing Products
Try adding a boost of body to your locks with volumizing mousse or spray. Volumizing products are fabulous at taking your locks up a level. When applied close to the roots, volumizer coats hair strands, adding stiffness and causing strands to push away from one another. Voila! Instant, lush volume! These products are also made to hold your style all day long, so its a complete win-win situation. You can also slightly tease hair around thinning areas to give the illusion of fullness.
Ringworm And Hair Loss
Ringworm is a fungal skin infection that causes patches of hair loss. The official medical name for ringworm on the scalp is tinea capitis. The infection starts out as a small pimple that grows larger. Affected areas are itchy, red, inflamed, scaly patches with temporary baldness. The skin may ooze. People may have one or more bald spots. Ringworm is more common in children, but adults can get it, too.
The fungus triggers hair loss by causing hair to become brittle and to break off. The skin often appears most red around the edge of the lesion, with a more normal appearing skin tone in the center. That is one of the reasons the condition is called ringworm. The condition is contagious with skin-to-skin contact. It is also transmissible by infected combs, hairbrushes, unwashed clothing, and surfaces in gyms, showers, and pool areas. Your doctor can treat ringworm with oral antifungal medication. Ringworm on the scalp is one potential cause of hair loss in women that is reversible.
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Managing Major Hair Loss
There are many things you can do to disguise sudden hair loss in women that is severe. You can use a hat, scarf, or bandana to cover your head. If you have bald areas, consider getting a weave or concealing the bald area with a hairpiece. Wigs can be very natural looking. They fit so well you can even wear them while you are working out at the gym or swimming. If hair loss causes severe distress and it is affecting your self-esteem or ability to carry out daily activities, seek the help of a therapist.
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Turn To Hair Color For Volume
Surprisingly, some say hair dyes might actually plump up the hair shaft just enough to make it appear more voluminous, so adding color can be a very good thing, as long as you don’t go overboard and begin to damage your hair.
At the same time, your colorist can apply highlights to give thinner hair the illusion of more volume. Adding a few different shades brings in contrast that adds dimension and makes hair appear thicker.
The placement of highlights can do the same thing: Painting them on with balayage can give your colorist more freedom to add body with color.
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Thinning Part Get Thicker
If youve started seeing your hair thinning at the part, you might feel like the only woman in the world with hair loss. But believe it or not, female hair loss is very common. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic reports that about half of all women will have noticeable hair loss at some point in their lives. So if youre seeing your hair thinning at the part or your ponytail is looking a little thinner, you are definitely not alone. Luckily, there are a few easy fixes to disguise a widening part and hair thinning. Keep reading to learn what you can do now.
Nutrition For Thin Hair
If you have tried these methods above to help minimize the appearance of hair loss and you are not seeing results, you may need to take a closer look at what is going into your body. How is your diet? What vitamins are you taking that can aid in your hair health?
A lack of certain types of vitamins and minerals can cause serious hair loss, so make sure to stick with iron and zinc-rich foods, such as fruits and veggies. You can also try taking a supplement, like Viviscals Hair Growth Supplements, to get these essential vitamin enriched nutrients. Protein is also crucial to include in your diet to promote healthy hair growth and minimize damage. A protein deficient diet can block your bodys ability to build new hair follicles, causing noticeable hair loss after a few months.
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