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    Why is my hair thinning?

    9 Nov 2018 10:24 AM | Posted by
    bh's Zoe Walker Ahwa's picture
    bh's Zoe Walker Ahwa
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    If you think your hair is falling out you are not alone. One in three women notice hair thinning or loss after the age of 30 and while it is normal for us to lose some hair, how much is too much, and what can we do about it?
     

    What is normal?

    As part of our normal hair life cycle, we constantly lose around 100 hairs every single day. If you are losing a whole lot more than that, it could be due to a condition called female pattern hair loss. Unlike short-term hair loss that may be triggered by pregnancy, hormonal imbalance, a change in diet or stress and can grow back over time, female pattern hair loss does not improve without treatment.
     

    What causes female pattern hair loss?

    Most commonly it's genetics. "By far the majority of female pattern hair loss is caused by a hereditary condition so nothing to do with your diet, hormones, or lack of vitamins" explains Dermatologist Dr Eleni Yiasemides. But that doesn't mean you will inherit it just because your mum's hair thinned. "You can't really tell by what your family has because there is a variety of genes from both your father's side as well as your mother's" says Dr Eleni. "It's basically just a lottery."
     

    When can it happen?

    Although Dr Eleni has patients in their 20's and 30's, she says it is more common to see female pattern hair loss around the time of menopause. Common signs are seeing more hair in your brush and in the shower, needing to do a couple of extra loops with hair ties, a widening part and more visible scalp. "It's more obvious on brunettes than blondes" says Dr Eleni. If you're unsure, seek medical advice. "When I see a patient with female pattern hair loss I use a special device like a hand held microscope and what I would expect to see is not only less hair on the scalp but also what we call miniaturized hair which is thinner in diameter, like baby hair."
     

    What can be done?

    Dr Eleni says that for most women female pattern hair loss starts off very slow and gradually gets worse over a long period of time but the most important thing is to get onto a topical treatment as soon as possible. "We know that with any sort of hair loss, the sooner you get onto the treatment, the more hair you can retain," explains Dr. "It's a lot easier to retain the hair than it is to actually grow new hair." In more severe situations, Dr Eleni says oral medication may be required.
     

    Need to know

    As a general rule, lighter hair colours give the illusion of thicker hair whereas darker 'blocks' of colour tend to make hair look flatter. Talk to your stylist about using highlights and lowlights or balyage colour techniques to give the illusion of thicker hair. On shorter hair styles, fringes can help to disguise thinning hair at the front.
     

    5 topical hair loss and hair thinning treatments and supplements bh recommends ...

    Women’s REGAINE® Foam

    Women’s REGAINE® Foam is a once-a-day hair regrowth treatment that is easy to use as part of your beauty regime. This Foam reactivates hair follicles to stimulate regrowth, by increasing and prolonging the hair growth phase. It’s fast drying and doesn’t interfere with your hair care routine. 

    Read more: Women’s REGAINE® Foam reviews

    /hair/hair-treatments-mask/hair-thinning/women-s-regaine-foam

    Viviscal Maximum Hair Growth Supplements for Women

    Specifically formulated supplements full of ingredients designed to nourish hair, support healthy hair growth and combat hair loss in women with thinning hair.

    Read more: Viviscal Maximum Hair Growth Supplements reviews

    /hair/hair-treatments-mask/hair-thinning/viviscal-maximum-hair-growth-supplements-for-women

    évolis® topical hair loss treatment for women

    The lotion restores the natural growth cycle of the hair by inhibiting FGF-5, a protein that triggers the hair to fall out. It contains active ingredients that work together to reactivate the resting hair follicles with no reported side effects and is fragrance and residue free. 

    Read more: évolis® topical hair loss treatment reviews

    /hair/hair-treatments-mask/hair-thinning/volis-topical-hair-loss-treatment-for-women

    L'Oréal Professionnel Serioxyl Denser Hair Gel

    This daily treatment for thinning hair is formulated with Stemoxydine 5%, a molecule that mimics the environment required for stem cell stimulation to awaken dormant follicles for the creation of new hair. 

    Read more: L'Oréal Professionnel Serioxyl Denser Hair Gel reviews

    /hair/hair-treatments-mask/hair-thinning/lor-al-professionnel-serioxyl-denser-hair-gel

    Pump Hair Growth Shampoo

    A shampoo that is specially formulated to stimulate faster hair growth. It has a BioGro formula that promotes a healthier scalp, while blocking DHT, a hormone that inhibits growth and contributes to thinning hair. 

    Read more: Pump Hair Growth Shampoo  reviews

     

    /hair/hair-treatments-mask/hair-thinning/pump-hair-growth-shampoo

    Have you battled hair loss and hair thinning? What worked for you?

    Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?

    Review them now to earn points that you can swap for free beauty products in RewardsRoom.

    Women’s REGAINE® Foam Women's REGAINE® Foam Hair Loss Treatment
    Write a Review
    Viviscal Maximum Hair Growth Supplements for Women
    Write a Review
    L'Oréal Professionnel Serioxyl Denser Hair Gel
    Write a Review
    évolis évolis® topical hair loss treatment for women
    Write a Review

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    56 Member Comments

    Arty Girl 9 May 2019 8:18 PM
    I used to have very thick hair when I was young which is why seeing the amount of daily fallout is so depressing :(. Yes, it definitely worsened after I hit menopause. Now my hair drops out without any cause. I find strands on my pillow, all over the bathroom floor, on the back of my blouse .......in fact all over the house. Seeing the plug of hair around the drain hole each time I wash my hair is depressing too. No hair thickening or anti-fall shampoos have worked and thought the Women's Regaine Foam reviews are promising, unfortunately I just can't afford the cost. So I'd love to be considered if there is a future trial for this product or something similar please.
    My.Nongy 6 Mar 2019 12:09 PM
    I’m shedding so much at the moment but I think it’s a seasonal thing. I have an awful lot of hair but I hate my uneven hairline.
    Rainbownerds 2 Feb 2019 12:13 AM
    I need to try some of this, hair starting to thin out
    june 27 Dec 2018 9:36 PM
    Thank you for this article about hair thinning. My hair is definitely thinning and what concerns me is I never had a lot of hair to start with.
    RitaB 26 Nov 2018 12:19 AM
    I personally do not have hair loss or thinning. But I do know others use loreal aminexil in the scalp which helps hair growth, especially in balding spots.
    jillian206 25 Nov 2018 10:16 AM
    I have been using hair regrowing products since in my late twenties!
    CLWoods 21 Nov 2018 10:52 PM
    Even 100 hairs a day seems like a lot... I want to keep my hair please!
    preppa 19 Nov 2018 9:36 PM
    My hair is thinning.
    josella432 17 Nov 2018 10:19 PM
    I had hair loss before I had to cut out gluten.
    Sootyhere 19 Nov 2018 1:47 PM
    Interesting. Obviously you are a lot better off healthwise without gluten.
    Kimmer55 14 Nov 2018 3:35 PM
    Lots of good information
    Anissaelhaddad 14 Nov 2018 3:16 PM
    Really helpful
    thi_van 14 Nov 2018 3:14 PM
    Interesting read as I am experiencing this too.
    Lucy16 13 Nov 2018 3:46 PM
    Massaging scalp with a mix of neem oil, coconut oil and almond oil (avoid almond if you have a nut allergy), seems to promote lush hair growth.

    Having Indian heritage through my Mum, head massage is ritualistic in our household; she taught my Dad how to do it and we continue to do it to this day.

    freaky 20 Nov 2018 11:53 PM
    Love your natural approach **Lucy**. I've heard good things about Neem oil too. Please keep these natural suggestions coming :)
    Wn0873 18 Nov 2018 8:04 PM
    I've heard about this, might have to give it a try. Is it equal parts?
    Beautybabe140194 13 Nov 2018 12:23 PM
    I take hair supplements as I find my hair breaks easily. I do not have hair thinning but I imagine the stress it would cause someone in their early 20s and 30s.
    Jessica712 12 Nov 2018 10:10 PM
    I am finding that the Aveda shampoo and conditioner is helpful. Its making me lose less hairs per day.
    Jenniqua 12 Nov 2018 11:19 AM
    I have tried 3 out of the 5, and found that the viviscal tablets worked the best.
    Lucy16 12 Nov 2018 1:42 AM
    I found my hair start thinning a little after I had my second bub.
    NellAdams 11 Nov 2018 11:32 PM
    I've just always lost lots of hair. There's also always lots of hair still on my head... but I just shed like a long hair cat in spring. It's nuts. Makes it hard to know when something is wrong because I'm just always shedding like mad LOL
    Hayley644 11 Nov 2018 10:01 PM
    My mums hair is thinning as she gets older.
    onlyoni 11 Nov 2018 10:00 PM
    Informative article. I'm taking a daily supplement but I'm wondering if I should try something else as well.
    jillian206 11 Nov 2018 8:42 PM
    I have thinning hair too. Tried regaine before but it leaves the hair felt sticky.
    Elunia 11 Nov 2018 5:32 PM
    My hair thinned by half when I hit puberty. It never grew back :(

    So I went from thick to average / thin hair. I would hate to loose more. I think I loose the average of 100/day but that grows back.
    GeeJ 11 Nov 2018 2:49 PM
    I have thinning hair, but trying to stop it by improving my diet.
    beautyfun 11 Nov 2018 11:29 AM
    Interesting read. I have thinish fine hair.
    misfortune8 10 Nov 2018 11:02 PM
    Thyroid disease can also cause hair thinning, as it has with my mother.
    Sootyhere 19 Nov 2018 1:49 PM
    Wow misfortune. Thanks for that. Good for people to get checked out.
    BlueBite 10 Nov 2018 1:47 AM
    I got over my thinning hair, tbh. I just make sure to braid it before going out and then leaving it out (natural waves and it does amazing at giving me big hair).
    skincare junkie 9 Nov 2018 8:46 PM
    Wait...

    "As part of our normal hair life cycle, we constantly lose about 10 per cent of our strands (around 100 hairs) every single day."

    This has to be a typo!

    How can we lose 10% every single day. And 10% won't equate to 100 hairs either - surely we have more than 1000 hairs!!!

    onlyoni 11 Nov 2018 9:50 PM
    I picked up on that as well and had a bit of a chuckle.
    GeeJ 11 Nov 2018 2:52 PM
    Haha good find. It should be 0.1% if the other data (100 hairs/day) is correct.
    Lucy16 13 Nov 2018 3:57 PM
    Yup, 50-100 hairs per day it is!
    hannah_almond 10 Nov 2018 11:54 AM
    I also think this information is wrong, we definitely have more than 1000 hairs on our noggins, as a quick google search told me that people range from 90,000-140,000 hairs depending on hair colour and other factors.
    Sootyhere 19 Nov 2018 1:49 PM
    Interesting. Wonder what hair colour loses the most hair?
    Belleluxe 9 Nov 2018 7:07 PM
    My hair has been getting thinner as I get older but I actually don't mind because it was so thick to start with
    Fefe 9 Nov 2018 6:16 PM
    I love viviscal supplements, they are the only product that's ever worked for me.
    Chrystalage 9 Nov 2018 5:25 PM
    I'm skeptical of hair growth products but I need to do something. I don't want to take any meds for it so I think it's time to try out a few products and see if any work. I have a very sensitive scalp so that's a big concern for me
    BeeAy 9 Nov 2018 4:40 PM
    I've tried Nioxin and Klorane with very little success. Using pure henna helped, my hair always looked thicker, but I get cold easily and henna is COLD, so I can only apply it on warmer days. Having to coordinate warm weather + a chunk of free time is not always easy, sadly.
    bebeautiful34 9 Nov 2018 3:56 PM
    I had massive hair loss after giving birth which took ages to grow back
    Yohanna 9 Nov 2018 3:36 PM
    Yes, I had extreme hair loss in early 20s. Due to being prescribed birth control pill for my weird irregular periods then. Hair was falling out in clumps and within a month I had 2 cm each way from hair line visible baldness. Hair that was left was so sparse that my whole scalp was visible with wet hair.

    I just stopped using those pills, gradually changed my diet (to vegan) and now have more hair than when I was a teen or a kid! Hair took years to grow back in thickness and length. In mid to late 20s was already looking normal. In 30s started to grow like mad when I made complete diet overhaul (just whole foods raw fruit/veg/nut/seed based mostly).

    bettina44 22 Nov 2018 12:03 AM
    Don't know how you do it yohanna, cause you have insanely long hair. I envy you as my shoulder length is already giving me grief maintaining it!
    Lucy16 13 Nov 2018 3:50 PM
    When I was vegan in my teens, my hair was falling out clumps due to not eating properly.

    I eat plant based now with more knowledge and balance; now my skin is glowing and my hair is getting thicker after thinning post childbirth!
    BeeAy 9 Nov 2018 4:37 PM
    Ohh, that's fantastic! Maybe that's just what I need. It's easier to eat mainly raw food now that the weather is warmer, so that's one fewer excuse. Going vegetarian was easy, but the thought of going vegan seems impossible to me :( Your story is inspirational, though...
    Lucy16 13 Nov 2018 3:54 PM
    A very inspirational story.

    There are heaps of fortified plant milks and egg substitutes like aquafaba , chia gel and Indian black salt to make the transition to vegan a bit easier if you ever wanted to explore that path...
    Popsicle 9 Nov 2018 2:50 PM
    Informative article
    clearcrystalwater 9 Nov 2018 1:16 PM
    Aveda was fantastic for me - my hair felt, stronger, healthier, thicker and it completely stopped my hairfall loss too!
    Sootyhere 19 Nov 2018 1:50 PM
    Wow that's great to hear clearcrystalwater. You must be healthier too.
    Wn0873 18 Nov 2018 7:56 PM
    I found the original Invati great, but the new formula doesn't work for me sadly.

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