Finally, as hair thins, it tends to break more easily as well. “The coating that holds in water becomes drier and more brittle,” says Dr. Bernstein, so be sure to condition well to keep strands hydrated and healthy.
Perhaps more importantly, here’s what not to do if you’re looking to prevent hair loss or don’t want to make a bad situation worse. While the logical step may seem to be adding hair extensions, unless they’re clip-in and you religiously take them out in the evenings, they’ll only damage hair and even cause more thinning and loss via aggressive rubbing and pulling, which is also referred to as traction alopecia. (For this reason, you also want to avoid tight ponytails, headbands, cornrows, and any hairstyle or accessory that can pull strands against the scalp.”> Instead, Dr. Bernstein recommends superficial thickening via Toppik, a readily-available cosmetic keratin fiber that binds to the scalp and hair when you shake it onto thinning areas and makes it appear more full.
Read More: 5 Top Tips for Thinning Hair
And an even simpler solution? Change your part and lighten your hair. “Honestly, I tell my patients that grooming can take [them] a long way,” says Bernstein. While simply shifting a part works for obvious reasons, he points out that color-wise, “people tend to go darker… they think this will mask the problem, but it only emphasizes it. Light reflects more from light, so a lighter hair color provides less contrast between the hair and the scalp.” Additionally, a light perm or wave will give hair more body and make it look thicker, and frequent haircuts will help prevent breakage.
As for maintaining the hair you’ve got, don’t neglect the “root of the problem,” your scalp. “A healthy scalp is as important for healthy hair as healthy gums are for healthy teeth,” says David Kingsley, Ph.D., a trichologist and author of the book, “The Hair-Loss Cure: A Self-Help Guide.” While it’s rare for scalp issues to cause thinning or loss, conditions like oiliness or dryness can totally affect the way hair looks. For example, “a greasy scalp will make the hair look limp and thin,” he points out. He recommends making dietary changes: reduce dairy and fatty foods, as these can cause more flaking, and get tested for iron deficiency. (He also makes a scalp mask and scalp therapy for hair loss.”>
Finally, as hair thins, it tends to break more easily as well. “The coating that holds in water becomes drier and more brittle,” says Dr. Bernstein, so be sure to condition well to keep strands hydrated and healthy.
Read More: Cold Cap Therapy for Chemo Hair Loss
After all, you moisturize your face to plump away the look of those aforementioned wrinkles, right?
It’s not unusual for us curly ladies to always be ready to talk about our hair, but do you talk about hair loss and thinning too?
