5 Tips to Thicker Hair
Losing your hair SUCKS. And it can be scary! It’s worrisome when find more hair than usual in the brush or on the bathroom walls after a blow dry (EW!)
The truth is that depending on multiple factors like age, sex and genetics, up to 80% of us will experience it at some point in our life. Although older men are more likely to find a receding hairline or crown, a LOT of women experience hair loss as well.
In this post we will look at a few options why this may be happening and ideas on how you can slow down the process and bring back some of that hair!
But why me?
Fact: we lose somewhere around 50-100 hairs a day during the natural cycle of hair growth and loss. That’s a lot! However, unusual hair loss can be triggered by certain life events such as ageing, genetics, weight loss, malnutrition, childbirth, medical conditions, medications, and good ole’ stress.
Getting to the root cause of the problem will take some communication with your doctor, and reflection on your medical history as well as lifestyle in the past. Once you have a better picture as to why this may be happening, you can move forward on which treatment options may be best for you.
The following suggestions are generally great for men and women. But remember that hair loss causes are as unique as the individual that experiences it. So, look at the big picture and see what area makes the most sense for YOU to address first.
Products for scalp health
A great place to start is at the scalp, where we create the best environment for strong and healthy hair to grow. Environmental and genetic factors can cause the hair follicles to be “smothered” in a sense and create finer/thinner hair.
Hair care systems such as the following will cleanse the scalp properly, help nourish the hair follicles with vital nutrients and blood flow, and thicken or plump existing hair to give it fullness. Aveda’s Invati uses natural ingredients such as turmeric, Kevin Murphy’s Plumping and Stimulating lines use superfoods and proteins, and other well known brands such as Zenagen and Vegamour are great at educating you on the ins and outs of hair loss and recovery. They also utilize serums for scalp, brows and lashes which focuses on aiding a favorable hair life cycle.
If essential oils are the name of your game, consider massaging your scalp with Peppermint or Rosemary oil and a base like Jojoba or Argan oil to increase stimulation.
Diet & Vitamins
The next lifestyle choice to look into is your diet! What you eat and your general health directly affects your hair, skin, and nails. If there is a depletion in vitamins and building blocks necessary for strong hair, it will show up in fragile and weak hair and nails, and dry skin.
Want to focus on good foods to eat? Check out this article, which will lead you to a diet rich in Vitamin D, protein, iron and Zinc.
Want to supplement with vitamins? Check out Sugar Bear Hair or another Hair, Skin and Nails supplement. My clients (remember I’m a hairdresser not a doctor) have also had good luck with a powerful trio of 1. multivitamin 2. collagen and 3. hair/skin/nail supplements.
Want to focus on something simple to start? Drink freaking water! 50-70% or your body weight is made up of water and it is an essential component of cell growth. A hydrated and well fed body will promote healthy hair growth. It’s that simple.
Massage
This may be my favorite tip because it’s the easiest to implement! Massage your scalp (or even better get your kiddo, partner, or parakeet to do it for you while you Netflix).
Working the massage with a hairbrush will distribute oils from your scalp through to your often dry ends. Get a great wet brush, or a paddle brush with soft bristles (Boar are my favorite) to massage scalp through ends. This also creates blood flow to circulate vital nutrients. It’s like a conditioning treatment for brittle hair. Bonus!
Working the massage with your fingers, use tapotement (a fancy term for finger tap dancing), and think of tapping with your finger nails to get the full effect. This again increases blood flow and circulation.
Hair Styling & Coloring
Consider the way you are styling and coloring your hair. I know it’s tough to consider lowlights when you are super-blonde, and going sans ballcap when it’s your go to style. But it’s worth taking a look to see how you can switch it up to give your scalp a break from environmental stressors.
Traction alopecia can occur from things like ball caps, ponytails or hair extensions.
Too much heat styling or bleaching can weaken the hair strands and lead to brittle and dry locks which leads to hair breakage. Make sure to use a good thermal protectant like Kevin Murphy’s Heated.defense if you can’t put the hairdryer down.
Hair loss due to sensitivity to on-scalp hair color is also a possibility. Make sure that you are using professional hair color, especially one that is PPD free. This chemical often causes allergic reactions and is very difficult for the body to process. Familiarize yourself with chemicals that you may be sensitive to. I love https://www.ewg.org/ for navigating clean food and beauty. However, remember that you can also be sensitive to plants, so natural, organic and plant based dyes can still cause a reaction. Look to your medical provider or specialist to help you navigate this rabbit hole!
Look to your hairstylist to make low maintenance hair color and styling recommendations based on your concerns.
Med-Spa Treatments
Okay last one! With the gaining popularity of Med Spas there are some new affordable and easily accessible treatments to help with hair regrowth. Google defines a med spa as “a combination of an aesthetic medical center and a day spa that provides nonsurgical aesthetic medical services under the supervision of a licensed physician.”
If you have already tried the above and are looking for a boost in supporting the scalp and hair follicles, consider micro-needling and/or PRP injections. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. This combination was made famous most recently with its debut as a “vampire facial.” Sounds terrifying, but it’s actually a great alternative to other treatments as it uses only your blood and fine needles to stimulate hair growth and healthy cell production.
Once you have had a consultation or service performed with micro-needling, there are at home set ups that you can purchase for home maintenance. My husband has been micro-needling his own hairline with this derma pen for about a year now and has noticed stronger hair growth along his hairline.
Red light laser therapy has also gained popularity. Low-level laser therapy has been shown to boost circulation and stimulation to help some hair loss cases regrow and maintain stronger and thicker hair.
The CliffsNotes
DON’T PANIC! And work on being consistent with your hair care rituals. Try one of these at a time, and then move on to the next. Be gentle with yourself because stressing about it will just make more hair fall out. I know, it’s not fair.
Other options that we don’t cover here (due to their more invasive natures) include hair transplants and perscribed medications. If you are losing hair rapidly, please make sure to consult your doctor to rule out any underlying conditions that need to be addressed.
A Sample Strategy
Janet Huntley has been my trusted esthetician here in San Diego since 2015. When I asked her for help writing this blog post, she jumped right in as she, too, has struggled with thinning hair from time to time and has a true passion for cell rejuvenation and skin glow. We both believe in natural and enhanced beauty so I asked her to put together her suggested non-invasive protocol for thicker, fuller hair. “The people that see the biggest effect are people that weren’t doing anything at all. Stay consistent!” she says.
“The people that see the biggest improvement are people that weren’t doing anything at all. Stay consistent!”
— janet huntley @janetjeanne.est.pmu
Start with Phase 1 and move through to Phase 3 if desired.
Phase 1: Tapotement, massage, clean scalp, and red-light therapy
Phase 2: Eat well, add vitamins, supplements, and microneedling
Phase 3: PRP and hair transplants
*Want to see me cover something in a future blog post? I’d love to hear from you! Reach out via email to betsy@sunnyhairdays.com or leave a comment below. xoxo