How To Handle Thin Hair

What Causes Thinning Hair

Thinning hair is different from actually going bald as is the case with male pattern baldness, in which hair follicles shrivel up and can no longer produce a strand. Thinning hair, instead, means that some of your hair is falling out but not that everything is ultimately going to go.

You might notice your parting getting wider, a patch with no strands at your crown or that there is less hair all over your head. It can happen for a number of reasons keep scrolling on to learn about them.

How To Protect Manage And Treat Thinning Hair:

You likely dont need to wash your hair every day. In fact, Samantha DelaFuente, a stylist at Marie Robinson Salons in New York and Miami, tells SELF that she recommends washing only two or three times a week. Dont be afraid of dirty hair, she says.

And dermatologists agree: Washing too often strips your hair of necessary oils, and washing infrequently can leave hair dull and limp, especially if you overuse dry shampoo, Dr. Bridges says. If you have natural hair, which tends to be drier and more prone to breakage, clean it even less frequently, Dr. Khetarpal says.

Moisturizing shampoos formulated without sulfateschemicals in shampoos that help clean but can also be drying on sensitive or dry scalpsare a safe bet for everyone. In particular, celebrity stylist Tym Wallace tells SELF he recommends Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo .

Conditioner gives your hair shine and reduces static electricity, the AAD explains, which is why it improves the look and feel of dull or damaged hair. Apply to the ends of the hair and work your way up, DelaFuente says. A little goes a long way the more conditioner you use, the flatter your hair will be.

Remove tangles with a wide-tooth comb and rinse with cool water, which closes the cuticle and makes the hair shiny, Dr. Bridges explains.

After shampooing and conditioning, try using a leave-in product, like a conditioner or detangler, which will boost moisture and provide heat protection before styling.

Related:

Only Use Conditioner On The Ends Of Your Hair

Often adding a heavy moisturizing product near the roots weighs the hair down and makes it appear even more fine and thin. To avoid this, simply focus the conditioner on the ends of your hair. Over conditioning your roots can also lead to oily hair faster. If this is the case for you, here’s a guide on how to get rid of oily hair.

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Get Acquainted With A Good Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is the best friend of any woman with fine hair, Townsend says. I find I get a better hold and long-lasting volume using dry shampoo over hairspray. Instead of spraying and then brushing out like you would to absorb oil, leave it be. He explains, If you leave it in there, the powder and starch will literally build on each other. He recommends Dove Style + Care Volume dry shampoo, $5.

Thinning Hair In Women: Why It Happens And What Helps

• By Kelly Bilodeau, Executive Editor, Harvard Women’s Health Watch

Many people think of hair loss as a male problem, but it also affects at least a third of women. But unlike men, women typically experience thinning hair without going bald, and there can be a number of different underlying causes for the problem.

Some are associated with inflammation in the body. Some are female-pattern hair loss, says Dr. Deborah Scott, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Womens Hospital. But the good news is that in many cases this hair loss can be stabilized with treatment, and it may be reversible. When its not, there are a number of new cosmetic approaches that can help.

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Dont Forget Conditioners And Volumizers

Applying conditioner after shampooing your hair is essential to maintaining healthy locks. Conditioner is a vital hair-care step that adds moisture to help replenish hairs sheen and natural oils lost during shampooing. And volumizers work like a splint to strengthen each strand of hair, plumping it to provide more volume per strand.

Don’t Rely Solely Shampoo

‘It is important to note that shampoo will not grow your hair. This is because it is not left on the scalp for long enough to have an effect. You must use drops or tonics that are left on the scalp and not rinsed away,’ explains Kingsley.

However, regular shampooing is important as it keeps the scalp environment healthy and this is key to healthy hair growth.

‘Shampoos, conditioners and styling products can certainly give the appearance of more body and volume. To add immediate body to fine hair, or hair that lacks volume, use a body building shampoo. Containing proteins, these temporarily plump the hair shaft,’ advises Kingsley.

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Telogen Effluvium Or Excessive Daily Hair Shedding

‘This is not genetic it can happen to anyone and it does not change the size of your hair follicles, or hair diameter. What TE does cause is a sudden and greater than normal number of hairs to move from the growth to the resting phase of your hair cycle,’ reveals trichologist Anabel Kingsley.

‘It is a reactive hair loss caused by an internal imbalance or shift. The reason why TE is so common is that the growth of your strands is very easily thrown off-kilter. Your body has many tasks to attend to on a daily basis to keep you healthy and alive your hair being the last thing it cares about. As your body views hair as non-essential to survival, it is the first thing to take a hit when your general health, lifestyle and/or diet is not up to scratch,’ she adds.

The good news is that, in cases of TE, hair loss will stop and hairs will grow back as before once the cause is found and addressed.

Stress, hormonal changes, nutrient and vitamin deficiencies and pregnancy can all contribute to why this might be happening.

Are There Other Treatment Options For Fphl

Women want innovative treatments for FPHL. To meet this need, researchers continue to look for new ways to stimulate hair growth and stop hair breakage. Other treatments that you may find for FPHL include the following.

Lasers for at-home use: The FDA has approved laser combs, helmets, and other devices, which are available without a prescription, to treat hair loss at home. These devices emit a low level of laser light that may help stimulate new hair growth. A few studies show that this can be effective for treating FPHL.

As with minoxidil and prescription medicines, you must continue using an at-home laser device to see results. We still do not know whether these devices are safe for long-term use or if they can continue to produce new hair growth.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy:

It is believed the platelets help stimulate your cells to grow hair.

Researchers are just beginning to study this therapy as a treatment for hair loss. The early findings show promise, but more studies are needed to know whether this is a safe and effective treatment for FPHL.

Stem cells: Using stem cells to treat FPHL is still in the experimental stages. Like platelet-rich plasma therapy, more studies are needed to know whether stem cells are a safe and effective treatment for FPHL.

Hair loss shampoos: These shampoos tend to do one of the following.

• Help your hair hold moisture, which makes hair look fuller and thicker

• Lessen breakage, which can reduce thinning

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Medications To Treat Hair Loss

Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil , which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.

A newer option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid with a high concentration of platelets , and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.

The science on this isnt totally worked out. We still dont completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well, says Dr. Scott.

In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. Its likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.

Do Vitamins Help With Thinning Hair

If you are losing your hair solely or in part due to a nutritional deficiency, supplements can do you a world of good.

‘Due to your hairs unique energy requirements, it can be difficult to meet its needs through diet alone. In many instances, taking a nutritional supplement is a very effective way to give your hair an extra helping hand they can speed up the hair recovery process of a hair loss issue where a dietary inadequacy is a factor and it very often is! I am yet to meet a client who has the time to eat a perfect diet all the time,’ says Kingsley.

There are a couple of vitamins in particular, which you can get a robust dose of, via supplements, that can help out.

This can help to encourage hair re-growth. Find it in salmon, eggs, and supplements.

Read Also: What Hormone Imbalance Causes Hair Loss

Thin Hair: Got Any Tricks For Dealing

You always read tips for straight hair, curly hair, long hair, short hair–but what about one of the most challenging hair types: very thin hair?

I don’t personally have thin hair, but I know a bunch about it, since many of my friends are very vocal about what a struggle sparse strands can be. Some of them have hair that not only falls flat but is getting thinner on top, making it difficult to part or pull back without bald-ish sections showing.

Celebrity hairstylists also have revealed to me how thin certain stars’ hair really is. No, I won’t name names here, but let’s just say that a lot of those flowing waves you see on the red carpet are due to 1) extensions and 2) hours of work with volumizing spray, round brushes and curling irons. Some even use special sprays to camouflage thin spots at the roots.

Anyway, I’d say it’s time we talk thin hair and swap tips. Since lots of you told us you have thin hair, I have a few questions for you:

1. What’s your styling routine for oomphing up thin hair? What tools do you use?

A few sneaky hair-maximizing tools you can toy with in the meantime …

Top Tips For Fine Curly Hair

If you find that your baby-fine hair is hard to care for, you arent alone.

Thin curly hair can be difficult to manage, as it often has fewer cell layers in the cuticle, explains trichologist Stephen Garfit. Fewer hair cells in the cuticle layer reduces the hairs ability to retain moisture, leaving it dry and unmanageable.

The use of thermal styling devices like hair straighteners also increases cuticle damage, Garfit adds.

Try these 10 tips:

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Male Or Female Pattern Hair Loss

Androgenetic alopecia is a frequent cause of hair loss. It affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States.

According to the Genetics Home Reference, the likelihood of experiencing androgenetic alopecia increases with age. Although it can affect teenagers, over half of males aged 50 and older have some degree of hair loss. It is most likely to affect females following menopause.

Often, people who have androgenetic alopecia have family members with the same condition.

In males, hair thinning tends to occur from the hairline to the back of the head. In females, it tends to affect the crown of the head.

And There’s Nothing Wrong With A Bald Head

Were all about taking action when it comes to dealing with hair loss but when your hair loss becomes so extensive that you dont have many options, such as those weve talked about above, then shaving your head is OK.

The good news is, if youre bald youll probably be able to grow a nice thick beard, and the two go hand-in-hand. After all, the bald look by itself is pretty bland, but when you pair it with a beard, it takes on a different and much better look.

Now, like a patchy beard, a bald hairstyle will look better shorter. Some guys choose to go completely bald on the entire head and that can require a little more maintenance than a stubble style. The other advantage of the stubble bald look is if you wear a hat, others won’t be able to tell you are thin up top. Other considerations of balding will be to grow a beard out and to accessorize with sunglasses or hats which we talked about in this video on bald style techniques.

With that, hopefully you are well prepared to tackle your hair loss journey. Don’t worry about it as most guys will deal with it in some shape. It sucks because it’s out of our control, but many obstacles in life are. Hair or no hair, you’ll still be able to find your soulmate, find friends, get a job, and live a long and healthy life.

Also Check: Can I Prevent Postpartum Hair Loss

Prescription Medications And Treatments

Here are some medications for hair thinning and loss that your doctor may be able to prescribe:

• Finasteride : This is an oral medication that helps reduce levels of the hormone dihydrotestosterone that can cause hair loss.
• Corticosteroids: These are oral or injected medications that can reduce inflammation that may lead to hair loss.
• Laser therapy: Your doctor or a dermatologist may be able to treat hair follicles with laser technology that sends light particles called photons into your follicles to help them grow. Talk to your doctor first to see if this will help you.