6 Things You Can Do About Thinning Hair Today
Our hair significantly affects our identity - this is why bad hair days are real and institutions that aim to depersonalise us shave our heads - so finding your hair is thinning can be unsettling. Here are 6 things you can do about thinning hair today instead of worrying about it.
Whatever the reason for the thinning, and there are several reasons, you’re not alone:
+Genetic male pattern baldness will affect 80% of men by the age of 80 and most Caucasian men will have lost some hair by their mid 30s. 95% percent of male baldness is genetic.
+Over 40% of women will experience hair thinning.
There’s no reason for thinning hair to affect your confidence, it can be managed. Just like that first grey hair which sticks out like a flashing beacon to you but no one else notices, it is unlikely anyone will even notice you’re thinning until you have lost close to 50% of your hair. Male readers might be interested to know that, anecdotally, most women don’t mind baldness in men they are otherwise attracted to, and recognise a correlation between healthy testosterone levels and baldness.
When your hair loss is due to medication, deficiencies or stress it will almost always grow back when the underlying cause is addressed, but ultimately most thinning is due to genetics and age so let’s just get on and learn to live with it.
IMPORTANT: If your hair is thinning due to medication or you are undergoing a course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy tell your stylist, they can work with you and your treatment schedule to help you look yourself safely. Again, you’re not alone and qualified stylists are trained to consider your medication before processing.
1. THE RIGHT HAIR CUT
Ladies and Men’s Hairdressers are trained to assess your face shape, hair type and hair condition to give you a haircut to suit, without ever mentioning your sticking out ears or that thinning. However first and foremost they will give you what you ask for, so when they ask “How would you like it? “ it’s worth asking “What do you think?”. Don’t believe they started thinking about the best solution the second they saw you? Watch how fast they answer.
Here’s some ideas for the girls, and some for the guys.
2. THE RIGHT PRODUCT:
Volumising. Take a look in salon or in the supermarket...volumising shampoo, volumising conditioner, volumising dry shampoo, volumising hair spray, mousse, gel, heat protectant, etc etc. I told you you weren’t alone - almost every brand and product has a volumising line. BUT -if you’re buying from a supermarket beware of products that contain beeswax, paraffin or similar, these will build up and cause hair breakage at scalp level- exactly where you don’t want it.
3. COLOURING:
Colouring, permanent or semi-permanent, gives volume and body to hair. It just does. If you’re on medication semipermanent (gloss), is ammonia free and is a good solution. Semipermanent makes your hair look shiny and fades out rather than leaving a regrowth line, which is why I'm a fan, but it may not be suitable if you have a lot of grey hair.
4. STYLING:
+ Blow-dry your hair for volume, now is the time to put something like volumising mousse in your roots.
+ Flat irons and curlers should be fine if you use a heat protecter to help prevent making your hair brittle and likely to break.
+ If you use hair ties use ones designed to minimise hair breakage.
+ Never brush your hair when wet, use a wide tooth comb or a specially designed detangling brush, then if you are going to blow-dry use a wide tooth vent brush.
5. TEXTURE - STRAIGHTEN AND CURL:
If you don’t have time to style your hair every morning, or you don’t want to - take a leaf out of the silent generation’s book who grew up in a time of wartime austerity or the young men from Generation Z, the post millennials who have no screen time to waste.
The older ladies have a perm, which lasts for months and they drop in every week just for a wash and volumising blow dry. You’d never realise they have had their hair curled.
The young men have the top of their hair keratin straightened so they don’t need to spend an hour shaping it with the straightener and product every morning.
Even with a standard long hair straightening treatment a skilled stylist should give you lift to volumise the hair on the top of your head.
6. HEALTHY EATING FOR HAIR:
Here are the essentials for healthy hair...
+Essential Fatty Acids:
-Oily fish with omega 3.
-Nuts - walnuts, almonds.
+Protein:
-You need at least serving of protein per day, plenty to choose from like meats or soy products and eggs.
+Vitamins and Trace Minerals:
-B6, B12 and folic acid.
-Iron, magnesium, zinc, biotin.
As always, you have much better uptake of vitamins and minerals , when you get them from food, however there are times when your doctor will recommend supplements and if you are not eating a balanced diet take a multivitamin.
If your diet includes things like meat, fish, bananas, citrus, mushrooms, cheese, some wholegrains, oats, lentils, chickpeas or beans and garlic you are on the right track!
What about Rogaine?
In our experience at Urban Fringe Hair Rogaine works for some people, men and women, and for those it does work for it works very well.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click and purchase a three month supply through this link.
