If you are experiencing thinning hair and hair loss, being born curly is to your advantage because nothing will disguise finer strands like texture. To give them a boost, choose the right products, styles, and techniques for maximum volume with minimum effort. Skip the myriad of shampoos, treatments, and stylers that claim they are for thinning hair such as shampoos that are full of harsh detergents, and topical treatments with drying alcohols or sticky, heavy ingredients. Not only are these products generally ineffective at reversing hair loss, but they can wreck your curls in the process, robbing them of their sheen, definition, and body.
Your daily regimen should contain products that are made to support hair health such as the following:
- Shampoos formulated to cleanse curly hair without damaging it. These shampoos work wonders for volumizing thinning hair, and most of them are less expensive than standard thinning hair shampoos.
- A light daily conditioner that can also be used as a leave-in. These types of conditioners will not weigh down your hair while giving it the moisture it needs. Three Naturally Curly community favorites are: Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner, Alikay Naturals Caribbean Coconut Milk Conditioner, and DevaCurl One Condition Delight.
- Volumizing foam to give your hair extra body and shine. Try Ouidad Playcurl Curl Amplifying Foam or AG Hair Foam Weightless Volumizer. Foams will also give you light hold and frizz control without making your hair look greasy, stringy, or weighed down.
- If you have crown thinning, try colored edge gel in a shade that matches your own hair color. For an easy daily style, you can pin back your hair and use the edge gel to add color depth to your baby hairs. It will make your hairline look denser.
Haircuts
If you have thinning hair, consider a shorter cut. Not only will it make your hair appear fuller, but a shorter cut is often easier to maintain, particularly if you are also using topicals or are washing your hair more frequently. Pick a cut that works for your curl pattern, lifestyle, and personal style. Don’t try to cut around the hair loss (e.g., an edgy asymmetrical style”> unless you are absolutely sure the pattern of hair loss is not going to expand. Also, be aware that your hair will grow more slowly if you have pattern hair loss than it normally would, so be sure to choose a style that you will love for the long term. Here are a few cuts to consider.
Inverted bob with a few longer face framing curls
Image source: The Right Hairstyles
This look will help disguise a thinning crown while still looking fresh and pretty. It is very easy to care for, too.
Classic bob with a side part
Image source: The Right Hairstyles
This classic bob is slightly longer in front so the curls fall just below chin-length. The hair is long enough to be parted over the pattern thinning area, and the cut emphasizes bouncy, shiny curls.
Curly pixie with tapered sides
Image source: Hairstyles Weekly
For a soft, flattering shorter cut that gives you many styling options, try this trendy pixie. Help curls to fall into place by arranging duck bill clips in wet hair. When your hair dries, remove the clips and fluff out the curls.
Short Crop with tight curls
Image Source: The Right Hairstyles
If you have tight curls and coils, a close crop can help thin areas to look fuller because your natural curls can fill in areas of exposed scalp. This look is also very chic and timeless.
Styling Tips
When it comes to styling thinning curly hair, always strive to maintain hair health. Heat tools, bleach, and silicone-laden glossing sprays will leave your hair dried and fried, and will ruin your curl pattern. Instead, continue curly best practices including no heat styling, weekly deep conditioners, and gentle detangling of wet hair. In addition, the following can help:
- Avoid long, heavily layered haircuts. They will just draw attention to the thinning by making the bottom of your hair look stringy and sparse.
- Do not opt for bangs. In most women with thinning hair, the hairline remains intact. The hair at the front of the head can be pinned or pushed back to cover crown thinning, or to give a bit more volume and substance to the thinning area at the top of the head. Bangs are harder to work with and may not give you the coverage you need.
- Get more frequent trims. Frizzy ends can drag down your curls and make them look dull, flat, and lifeless.
- Try to avoid hair fibers. Hair fibers are flecks of colored dust that are supposed to magnetically stick to the hair without migrating to the scalp where they can clog the hair follicles and further exacerbate hair loss. However, these types of products look matte and powdery on curly hair. They tend to move around, and they absorb beneficial oils from your roots. The fix to keep fibers in place is hairspray with some sheen to it, but this further enhances the drying aspect to the fibers.
- If you have wavy hair and an oily scalp, tinted dry shampoos can cover sparse areas of your hair. Bonus: you can also extend the time between wash days. Curlier hair tends to be less oily at the root, so dry shampoo is generally too drying, and it tends to sit on top of the hair as a fine powder.
- Add visual interest with earrings. There are lots of great earring looks available from multiple piercings to ear crawlers, to classic hoops and more that can really make what ever haircut and style you choose pop.
What are your favorite tips for making thinning hair appear fuller? Let us know in the comments. For tips on making natural hair look fuller click here.
