If you’re looking for ways to treat thinning hair, I’m sure there are many that sympathize. It’s easier to accept that as you age you will experience hair loss, but if there are piles in your hairbrush and you shed regularly, it can be alarming. Our hair is our crowning glory and it is linked to the confident way we face the world. A bad hair day is no joke after all. If you think too many of your lovely strands are flowing down the plughole or being sucked up by the vacuum, here are some ways to treat thinning hair that might work for you.
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1. Diet
Your body including your skin, nails, and hair is a reflection of what you eat. You can’t expect your hair to be on its best behavior if you aren’t feeding it right. One of the best ways to treat thinning hair is to start with your diet. The key nutrients for healthy, lustrous hair are protein, zinc, iron and B12. This means you should be eating lots of fish, lean meat, leafy green vegetables, pulses and beans. Lisa goes into more detail about the best foods for hair here hair.allwomenstalk.com.
2. Reduce Stress
It’s no joke that stress can cause hair loss. Emotional stress puts your body under all sorts of physical stress. If you’re not at the top of your game, it’s time to calm down and deal, because it’s not just essential for your hair, but your entire well being. I know stress is not easy to handle but make time for yourself to breathe. Find time to enjoy some peace and if you can, learn to meditate. Identify those stressors and tackle them.
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3. Styling
If you are eating a healthy balanced diet and you aren’t stressed, it could be the constant styling of your hair that is causing it to thin. Cutting down on styling and the amount of products you use could be the best gift you give your hair. Find some easy to prepare and wear styles that do not require heat for at least a couple of days a week. Maybe it’s time for a visit to the salon for a change that means less fuss to achieve a great look. If you must use heat, use it gently. Use lower settings and protectorants. And remember the rules about brushing – wide tooth combs and bristles, and don’t tug!
4. Washing
How regularly you should wash your hair is a hot topic right now. There are many arguing that you only need wash your hair every 2-3 days, not every day. While the arguments continue, you’ll only find out what’s right for you by trying it out. If you wash daily, switch to every other day. If after a while you find there’s less hair in the plughole, stick with it as your regular routine.
5. Massage
Massage is one of the great ways to treat thinning hair because it has two-fold benefits. One is it stimulates hair growth by promoting blood flow to the scalp and second, it is relaxing. The best time for a scalp massage is in the shower when you’re washing your hair. Use shampoos, conditioners or treatments for thinning hair and they’ll penetrate better with the massage motion.
6. Chemical Treatments
Many products are available that claim to help with hair loss. If this is your chosen route, the name you need to look for in the product’s ingredient list is Minoxidil. It is the only FDA approved ingredient “proved” to give an improvement. It works by enhancing the size of the hair follicle so a bigger, thicker strand can grow – so essentially, it doesn’t stop hair loss but promotes better replacement growth.
7. Other Treatments
There are a few other options if none of the above work. You can consider a supplement – make sure it contains the essentials needed to promote healthier growth: fish oil, zinc, vitamin C, niacin (vitamin B3) and biotin. Another option is laser treatment. This tackles any inflammation in the follicles that is preventing growth. You might also consider cortisone shots, or how about acupuncture. For any of these, do not go ahead without consulting a doctor or hair specialist. Your doctor may find you have a hormone imbalance or other condition which can be treated in a different manner to all those I’ve described here.
Like many things, finding the best way to treat thinning hair is a case of trial and error. If you tackle the diet, stress and styling, you won’t lose anything and in fact, that’s a win because you’ll look and feel better, even if your hair is still a problem. After that you can move onto the other options.
Are you proud of your thick glossy locks or is thin hair giving you cause for concern?
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