Use A Thread Or Your Fingers To Find Out Your True Texture
Haircare brand Schwarzkopf has a trick to figuring out your hair’s thickness. Grab your nearest sewing thread, pluck a single strand of your hair , and compare the two substances. If the strand of your hair is wider than the tread, your hair is thick. If it is more narrow, your hair is fine. If it is the same width, then your hair is somewhere in between, or medium.
However, if you’re not the biggest fan of ripping out your follicles, you can still test your hair’s thickness while keeping it attached to your head. Simply roll a single strand around your fingers. If you can’t feel or see it, your hair is thin. If you can minimally feel it, your hair is somewhere in between. If you can definitely feel a rough, dry texture, then your hair is likely thick .
Another way to determine if you have thick or thin hair is to pay attention to its texture. Thin hair tends to be smooth to the touch, making it fall out of ponytails more easily. It may have a hard time holding a curl and is more prone to looking limp or greasy between washes. On the other hand, thicker hair tangles more easily and takes more effort to dry.
Top Signs Of Hair Loss In Your 20s
The good news is that hair loss is completely treatable as long as you catch it early. For this reason, its important that men are able to spot the signs of balding in their 20s so that they can begin a hair loss treatment program that stops male pattern baldness.
Here are some signs of thinning hair men of all ages should be on the lookout for:
How Much Hair Loss Is Normal In A Day
According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, its normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. For people with longer hair strands, losing them may be more noticeable. Since there are 100,000 hair follicles or more on each persons scalp, the loss of 100 or so hair strands a day doesnt make a big difference in appearance.
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Stop Heat Styling As Often
Because heat styling puts extra stress on thinning hair, Syfu says to give the hot tools a break so you won’t accidentally exacerbate breakage and hair loss. When you do reach for your curling iron, make sure that you always use a heat protectant to prevent frying your hair and making the situation worse.
What Is Normal Hair Shedding
It seems like this should be a pretty easy question to answer but when it comes to a medical perspective on hair shedding, it becomes a little more complex.
There exists more medical standards for determining hair loss in men or women than hair thinning, said Dr. Andrea Paul, medical doctor and advisor to Illuminate Labs. Hair loss tends to follow established patterns and be caused by established biological processes, while hair thinning is a more subjective process.
So general thinning is harder to pinpoint than hair loss, and its also subjective because each persons normal daily shedding varies.
We generally quote that 50 to 200 hairs a day is normal however, this is very relative, said Dr. Erum Ilyas, board-certified dermatologist and founder of AmberNoon. I tend to avoid focusing on the actual number of hairs since that added stress can contribute to further hair loss.
Each individual has a general sense of what is normal for them, said Dr. Ilyas. “In general, rest assured, if you feel like you are losing more than what is normal for you, I believe you.
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Hair Loss Trigger: Alopecia Areata
Alopecia areata causes hair to fall out in big patches. The culprit is your own immune system, which attacks healthy hair follicles by mistake. In most cases, the damage isnât permanent. The missing locks should grow back in 6 months to a year. Some people lose all the hair on their scalp and body, but thatâs rare.
How To Stop Your Balding
Now that you know a little bit about what to look for, its time to cover some of the ways to stop male pattern baldness from becoming more severe.
For starters, its important not to let yourself become stressed and upset about hair loss. Hair loss is something that happens to the best of us, and with modern medicine, you can protect yourself from further hair loss and keep your head of hair without breaking the bank.
The biggest problem surrounding male pattern baldness and hair loss isnt coming up with an effective treatment plan — its the ignorance and misinformation floating around.
Youd be surprised to learn how many guys feel powerless when they notice the early warning signs of hair loss.
Theyve often been told that homeopathic “remedies” like rubbing cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar on their head will cure them of their baldness. Not surprisingly, it wont!
But this doesnt mean that you need to accept that youre losing your hair. There are several science-based hair loss treatments that have been thoroughly tested in clinical trials and are viable solutions to baldness.
Currently, the two most effective medications for treating male pattern baldness are minoxidil and finasteride .
Minoxidil is a topical treatment that works by stimulating growth and increasing blood flow to your scalp, while finasteride is an oral medication that works by reducing your DHT levels.
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Hair Shedding Often Stops On Its Own
Its normal to shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day. When the body sheds significantly more hairs every day, a person has excessive hair shedding. The medical term for this condition is telogen effluvium.
Excessive hair shedding is common in people who have experienced one the following stressors:
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Lost 20 pounds or more
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Given birth
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Experiencing lots of stress
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Had high fever
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Recovering from an illness, especially if it included high fever
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Stopped taking birth-control pills
Most people notice the excessive hair shedding a few months after the stressful event. For example, a new mom can see excessive hair shedding about two months after giving birth. The shedding usually peaks about four months after giving birth. This shedding is normal and temporary.
As your body readjusts, the excessive shedding stops. Within six to nine months, the hair tends to regains its normal fullness.
If the stressor stays with you, however, hair shedding can be long lived. People who are constantly under a lot of stress can have long-term excessive hair shedding.
Youre Noticing Random Bald Spots
As we mentioned above, male pattern baldness can cause a bald patch to develop around the top of the head — an area thats often referred to as your crown.
In addition to male pattern baldness, other forms of hair loss may cause you to develop patchy areas or random bald spots on your scalp.
One potential cause of bald spots is alopecia areata — a form of autoimmune hair loss that can cause your hair to fall out in round or oval-shaped bald patches.
In addition to bald spots, this type of hair loss could also cause you to shed hair in a band-like pattern that straps around certain parts of your scalp. It can also affect your facial hair growth, resulting in small patches of missing hair in your beard area.
Other forms of hair loss, such as telogen effluvium, can occur after traumatic events or during periods of severe stress.
The good news, however, is that these forms of hair loss are usually temporary, meaning your hair should eventually grow back and fill in any bald spots or patchy areas.
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There Are Different Types Of Hair Loss Genetic And Reactive
Genetic:
There’s a chance you’re genetically predisposed to hair thinning, which means you may see a progressive, gradual reduction in hair volume. “In these instances, certain hair follicles are sensitive to male hormones and this sensitivity causes follicles to gradually shrink and produce slightly finer and shorter hairs with each passing hair growth cycle.” Explains Anabel Kingsley.
Reactive:
This means your hair loss is the result of a trigger. “Excessive daily hair shedding is not reliant on having a genetic predisposition, it occurs as the result of an internal imbalance or upset, such as a nutritional deficiency, severe stress, crash dieting or an illness” says Anabel Kingsley.
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Another way to treat hair loss is to undergo a surgical procedure. This is a surgery that uses a small piece of scalp, which contains hair follicles. The procedure is expensive and is not covered by insurance. If the balding area is large, it may not be possible to find sufficient hair for transplant. This method requires two surgeries, so the cost can vary from person to person. The surgery can be covered by your insurance provider, but it is not cheap.
Surgical procedures to correct the underlying problem are available as well. In some cases, doctors may use birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or antiandrogen medications to correct the hormonal imbalances. If the cause of your hair loss is a psychiatric disorder, you will need to consult with a doctor to determine the best treatment options for you. Sometimes, you may need to undergo more than one surgery, so it is best to seek help from a dermatologist.
The first step in treating hair loss is to see a doctor. Your physician will run a blood test to determine the cause of your hair loss. This will help you choose the most effective treatment. Your doctor may prescribe a medication to stop your hair growth. Patients with psychiatric problems may also require special consultations and treatments. A therapist will be able to help you deal with your underlying psychiatric condition.
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How Can Hair Loss In Women Be Prevented
Preventing hair loss is not possible when it is due to disease, aging, heredity or physical stressors like injuries. You can prevent hair loss caused by caustic chemicals or tight hairstyles by avoiding them. You might be able to prevent some hair loss by eating a healthy diet that provides necessary nutrients in terms of vitamins, minerals and protein. You can stop smoking.
Less Hair On Your Crown
A few years back, your hair was so thick that we could barely see your scalp. But these days, parting your hair leaves a noticeable bald spot on the top of your head that everyone can see.
This is because youve lost some of the hair in your crown area, effectively losing some of your hairs volume.
The problem is that you never really know how much thinning is going to happen. For some men, it could just be a little bit of shedding. For others, their hair could continue thinning until there are large bald patches.
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How To Care For Your Hair Type
For the most part, hair thickness and density are genetically predetermined. “Statistically, individuals of Hispanic and African descent have lower hair density than their Caucasian counterparts,” Williams says. Caucasians tend to have fine hair thickness, Josh adds.
“But, while density and thickness can vary from person to person, how you take care of your hair can lead to changes in thickness and density,” Josh cautions.
No matter your hair type, treating damage can make the most of fine or thin hair and lend smoothness to coarse hair that has become wiry or unmanageable. Try a weekly repairing treatment like Amika The Kure Multi-Task Repair Treatment , which promises to restore the bonds in damaged hair with vegan proteins, castor oil, and sea buckthorn oil.
Likewise, people of all hair types can benefit from lightweight, nourishing oils to moisturize the hair without weighing it down. We like Captain Blankenship Mermaid Hair Oil , made with argan, jojoba, and sunflower oils and scented with cedar and rosemary.
For folks with coarse hair or medium-to-thick density, Spengler recommends cocktailing oil with a leave-in conditioner to tame frizz and increase manageability. Living Proof No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner is a Byrdie fave that smoothes hair with glycerin, vitamin B5, and glycolic acid.
What Are The Cycles Of Hair Growth
Hair goes through three cycles:
- The anagen phase can last from two years to eight years. This phase generally refers to about 85% to 90% of the hair on your head.
- The catagen phase is the time that hair follicles shrink and takes about two to three weeks.
- The telogen phase takes about two to four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out.
Your shorter hairs like eyelashes, arm and leg hair and eyebrows have a short anagen phase about one month. Your scalp hair can last up to six years or even longer.
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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.
How To Measure Hair Density
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To figure out whether you have low- or high-density hair, do the ponytail test.
“Create a ponytail with your hair, and if you can wrap the elastic only once, it’s thick, both in terms of the number of fibers and the diameter of each fiber,” Spengler says. “If you can wrap the ponytail with an elastic two to three times, it’s medium, and if you need to wrap the band more than three times, your hair is thin. For the latter, it will be coarse if it’s damaged.”
For more clues about hair density, Rodger Azadganian, founder of AZ Craft Luxury Hair Care and owner of Salon 8 hair salons, recommends looking at your scalp in the mirror. If you have thick hair, your scalp will be barely noticeable underneath your hair if you have thin hair, your scalp will be quite visible.
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