How To: Hair Thinning

There can be many reasons for hair thinning and loss, but the simple answer is age and genetics. As we get older, our scalp begins to produce less hair as well as the strands themselves can begin to get thinner.

However, there can also be other reasons that can result in hair thinning, and some of those can be bad habits that we’ve always done.

Prevention:

Styling- If you wear your hair up regularly, you’re putting extra stress on the hair around your hair line, and can be causing breakage where you’re putting your hair band. Try switching up the way you style your hair, with a looser style, and move around where your placement is. Maybe wear a loose braid, or switch from a high pony to a lower one. Also using a looser hair band, such as a goomee or scrunchee, can be useful.

Lightening- Hair colour can be contributing to your thinning or breaking hair. Regularly getting bleach out will damage all the hair on your scalp. Especially if you already have fine hair. Switching to highlights will give some strands of your hair a break, while still keeping you very blonde.

Cleansing- Using too much product at the scalp can cause buildup in your follicles, so instead of having 4 hairs growing out of a follicle, you may only have 1 or 2. Make sure you are using a cleansing shampoo that is not loaded with waxes to help remove the product buildup. Be aware of the ingredients in the products you use. Salon quality shampoos use more concentrated ingredients, while drugstore brands tend to dilute their products with waxes to create shine. It may be time for you to invest in a better shampoo.

Stimulation- You may want to use a shampoo and conditioner that will help stimulate scalp health. Tea Tree shampoos are a good example of this. The ingredients will help to increase blood flow, which creates better scalp health and will stimulate more hair growth. Mint based shampoos are also useful for this.

Massage- Giving yourself a quick scalp massage either before or during your shampoo will also increase blood flow and activate your sebum glands. This can help to open your follicles and increase hair growth.

Be Aware of Extensions- Traction Alopecia is caused by wearing extensions in the same spot. This is cause by pulling on the roots. While extensions are useful in adding length or volume, you need to be very aware of the breakage and thinning that can happen. Give your hair a break every so often if you want to continue wearing extensions.

How To Blend Thinning Hair:

A Good Chop- Sometimes it is best to get a good haircut to help with hiding thinning hair. It will remove all your split ends to prevent them from continuing to split up the hair shaft and damage healthy hair. This will help to create fullness, as opposed to having longer hair that just looks flyaway. Throwing in some well-placed layers can also give the illusion of fullness and movement, and can hide specific areas of thinness. If you’re not ready to put layers in the back yet, having some light face framing done is also helpful.

Keep It Shorter- The longer your hair is, the more weight it has, which will cause it to look flat and lose volume. Again, using layers can help to create the illusion of volume, while also hiding any thinning parts on the scalp. Reducing weight along the sides can also be useful, if you still have a lot of hair below the crown but are noticing hair loss on the top of your head.

Using the Greys- While you may not be ready yet to have a full head of grey hair, the greys can be useful in hiding thinning. Grey hair tends to have a larger cuticle, so having some well-placed highlights can both blend grey and use the thickened cuticle to create fullness.

Create Dimension- When you are having your roots coloured every 4-6 weeks, every 3rd visit or so, have some highlights thrown in to create a multi-dimensional colour. This makes it easier to blend in thinning because the hair isn’t all one colour.

Blowouts- Adding volume in while blow-drying is a useful tool. When blow-drying, if you are able to use a round brush, this will create the most amount of volume for you. You can also use a paddle brush, and make sure you are drying the hair in the opposite way it will lay. So as you work your way down the scalp, you can tilt your head to make sure you are drying the hair along the round of your head.

Use Product to Style- Using a volumizing product while blow-drying will always give you that extra bit of umph. Dehydrated powders are useful if your hair is already dry as well.

Product To Hide- There are coloured products you can use that will help blend the thinning along the scalp, by both thickening the hair there, as well as adding some colour that matches your hair colour to the scalp.

Using The Right Brush- Using a boar bristle brush will be gentler on your scalp and strands than traditional synthetic brushes. Using a wide tooth comb can also help to reduce tension while brushing. Try to brush out the tangles before you wash your hair, as it’s easier to detangle dry hair than it is with wet hair. Make sure you start at the bottom of your hair strands and work your way up the hair shaft so as to not rip at tangles. Using a brush designed specifically for wet hair is also useful.

Styles To Hide Thinning:

Bald Patch At The Crown- Try styling your hair in a way that keeps the thinning at the crown hidden. A side braid or side pony can be useful to do this. Pick the opposite side of where the hair is the thinnest, or trying to part.

Thinning Part- If you feel that your part is getting wider, or that one side of your part is thinning back more, try changing your part. This could mean moving your part over by an inch, or by switching sides. It usually takes a week or two to train your hair to sit like this, so don’t get discouraged. When your hair is wet, brush it in to the new part and use a bobby pin to keep it in place.

Widows Peak- If you notice your hair is receding more on the top sides, you may want to try bangs. This can help the hair lay down on your forehead and blend the higher side peaks.

Thinning At Hairline- Using the colour powders, or coloured dry shampoos are very useful to hide thinning throughout the hair or at the part line, but if you’re trying to hide thinning right around the face, they may be too pigmented and can look harsh. You can use an eye shadow or brow colour to thicken these areas. Make sure you pick one that is closest to your hair colour, and only apply a little at a time. If you can’t find an exact colour match, it’s better to go slightly lighter than darker. The hair at your hair line is always a little lighter due to sun exposure. If you are using a liquid colour, use a clean mascara brush to brush it through the hairs there. Once you’ve applied the colour and let it sit for a minute, use your hairbrush and give a light brush through to blend the colour. You can finish with applying a little hairspray to set the colour in.