fine hair
We are passionate about helping you navigate the challenge of fine or thinning hair!
Let’s be honest: fine, thin or thinning hair can be a real struggle. The crazy thing is that it’s not a topic that many people talk about, despite the fact that countless women & men deal with it.
We know how hard it can be from first-hand experience. Our very own Julie Dickson has had battled thin hair her entire adult life. She’s experimented with just about every approach and technique to manage the thinning that happens with time— making her your expert, passionate resource for navigating this challenge so you can feel and look your best.
Repeat after us: Fine or thinning hair doesn’t mean you should be sent out to pasture with a can of hair spray and a dated hair cut! Hell no!
The skinny on fine or thinning hair:
Hair thins for all sorts of reasons, from stress, hormones, thyroid issues, postpartum or medications, to illness, vitamin deficiencies, aging hair, genetics, and now stressful as heck COVID!
Very much like skin, hair gets dull and “skinnier” as time passes. Sorry to break it to you, but with time, each individual hair get smaller in diameter and loses luster. We also have fewer hairs overall and end up with hair that doesn’t grow as long (ugh).
You know how you lose between 50-100 hairs per day? That’s called natural fall and replacement. Each hair typically has a life span of two to four years. Ideally, after it’s life span, the hair strand will fall out and another “should” grow in. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it takes a lot longer for the next one to grow in, or sometimes another doesn’t grow at all!
Fear not. In addition to optimized nutrition and supplements, there is a lot of technology we can utilize! Here’s where we can start:
Check your insides. Blood work can reveal a lot! The first simple step is to check your blood work to ensure nothing is off balance. You may have a thyroid problem that you didn’t know about, or you may have a vitamin deficiency. Did you know that vitamin D, all the B’s, and iron all contribute to hair life cycle, shine, elasticity, and overall health? Upping low vitamin levels, as needed, or treating a thyroid or hormone deficiency completely solves some people’s people’s hair problems.
Seek out skilled salon services. A cut and color that work for you can make a massive difference. In terms of cuts, styling fine hair is more about what not to do than what to do. Layers can give more volume but end up making the hair look thin and scraggly on the bottom. When it comes to hair color, it can actually roughen fine, limp hair to make it physically thicker, and a few subtle highlights (very much like a shaded drawing) give the illusion of depth, causing it to appear thicker!
Products can work wonders! There are so many effective products on the market that will pump up your volume! Get a shampoo that's specifically designed to cleanse the scalp In a way that will stimulate growth, plus a conditioner, mask, and styling products designed to mimic thicker, pliable, shiny, young hair. There are also powders and fiber products one can sprinkle on visibly thin areas. These are very natural looking and have come a long way in the last few years! They also have the added bonus of camouflaging grey roots because they come in different colors.
Up the Ante: You can consider Minoxidil, which can be purchased over the counter, comes in strengths for both men and women. It is applied topically twice a day, and is proven to keep existing hair and regrow hair. Sorry momma’s, Minoxidil isn’t recommended for pregnant women or those trying to conceive.
Extend, extend, extend: Then there are hair extensions! No, I don’t mean mermaid hair hair extensions. I mean a single, beautifully placed row that’s the same length as your natural hair. This incredibly natural looking technique adds fullness and is incredibly simple to maintain.
Get medical help: When all else fails, you can go to the doctor. There is prescription strength Minoxidil, which only has to be applied topically once a day. There’s also PRP (description), oral medications like Minoxidil, spironolactone, and finasteride. If you want to go the natural route, acupuncture is also an effective, painless way to stimulate hair growth. And last but not least, there’s hair replacement procedures. I am happy to point you in the right direction by recommending doctors I love!