The Thinning Hair Girl's Haircare and Hairstyle Guide

Throughout history and across cultures, a woman's hair has often been regarded as her crowning glory... a symbol of many things including, but not limited to, social status, religious convictions and sex appeal. More than just a physical trait... a woman's hair is considered to be a symbol of her personality... and a part of her identity. It should therefore come as no surprise that a woman experiencing hair loss is also likely to experience a wide array of emotions including fear, horror, shock, disappointment, sadness and grief.

It is estimated that one in three women will suffer from some sort of hair loss in her lifetime. Yet despite this startling fact, the subject of female hair loss is taboo. It is rarely discussed and scarcely researched. If in doubt, one only has to consider mainstream hair loss treatments on the market which are mainly targeted at men.

So what exactly is a woman to do when she realizes that there is more hair in her brush, on her pillow, or in her shower drain than there is on her head? While there are no quick and easy answers, every woman dealing with hair loss can be a success story, whether it be through medical intervention (traditional and/or holistic), cosmetic intervention, or both!

Regardless of the cause, a woman experiencing hair loss does not have to stand by helplessly watching and waiting to see if she will go bald. How would I know? In August of 2006, I joined the ranks of millions of female hair loss sufferers as my once thick, luxurious locks began to shed fiercely and rapidly by the handful... and so began my quest... to find answers, to find solutions and to try and use my experience and research to help others do the same.

Although I intend to publish several articles on the subject of female hair loss, this particular article will focus on hair care and styling for thinning hair as well as cosmetic options ranging from cuts and styles to concealers and supplemental hair. So without further ado... let's get started!

Haircuts / Hairstyles that Boost Volume & Give the Illusion of Fuller Hair:

Diffuse Thinning (all over): a layered haircut can work wonders in giving the appearance of fuller hair. For those who have longer hair - long, chunky, sweeping layers are fantastic for boosting volume and any competent stylist will be able to do this for you.

Frontal Hairline & Temples: having chunky sideswept 'bangs' brought forward from the crown and sides, and then cut in, can definitely help mask thinning. I myself had this done when I lost my frontal hairline and my hair at this area was (and still is) completely see through. Having the chunky sideswept bangs fully concealed my thinning. Again... any competent stylist will be able to do this for you.

Crown (top of head): having a good, layered cut that also incorporates a sidepart and/or sideswept bangs can help conceal crown thinning and boost volume. The Victoria Beckham bob is one example.

Haircolor: highlighting and lowlighting via the foiling method will give the illusion of depth and thickness, without risk to the delicate hair follicles and scalp! That's because the chemicals never touch the scalp (maybe briefly when it's shampooed out). This is particularly important for those suffering from inflammation or scalp condition related hair loss.

Also and with respect to color, the lighter the hair color - the less obvious hair loss will be. At the height of my shedding, when my hair was most see through, my hairdresser simply added more blonde highlights with fewer brown lowlights.

Shampoos & Conditioners:

During the course of my research on female hair loss, I keep stumbling upon information regarding harsh detergents and surfacants in shampoos that could be damaging to the scalp and possibly exacerbate hair loss. SLS or rather, Sodium Lauryl / Laureth Sulfate is a very popular and cheap cleansing ingredient found in most shampoos.

SLS free shampoos are less drying than their counterparts, which can be of particular importance to a woman with dry thinning hair. Regardless of the type of loss, if the texture of your tresses appear to be in dire need of moisture, then SLS free cleansers should be a main staple of your haircare regimen. From my experience, some really good SLS free shampoo and conditioner lines are:

Tigi Bedhead Superstar
WEN Conditioning Cleansers - the entire line is sulfate free
Pureology line - the entire line is sulfate free
Aquage line - the entire line is sulfate free
Jonathon Weightless Smooth Line

The above-mentioned products range in price, but definitely tend to be on the pricier side than say in comparison to drugstore brands. With that said, female hair loss can occur to a woman regardless of financial status. So for those ladies who do shop at a discount chain store or pharmacy, just be wary of products that aim to "volumize" the hair. These products usually contain harsh ingredients that strip the hairshaft and therefore tend to be drying and damaging. Long story short... not all volumizing products are created equal. But there are some mainstream products that are great... it's really just trial and error.

Loreal has recently come out with a sulfate free line - definitely not as inexpensive as Suave - but still sold at a fraction of the cost of high end and/or salon brands. Additionally, although TreSemme does use SLS in their formulations, their Healthy Volume shampoo with silk protein is heavenly and non-drying.

Weekly Treatments:

A weekly apple cider vinegar rinse is a little home remedy for tonifying the hair and balancing scalp pH. I found doing this seems to make my existing hair feel stronger, and gave it some shine, while at the same time reducing scalp sensations such as itching and burning. This site has quite a few beauty recipes with ACV, scroll down for the hair rinse: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art41572.asp

Even if your scalp tends to be oily, you still need to moisturize your mane. A volcanic ash / mud masque is perfect for any hair type. It conditions your coif AND adds volume, without making it greasy. I like Milennia Mud which I buy at Sally Beauty: http://www.sallybeauty.com/Mud-hair-Reconstructor/EXCELS1,default,pd.html

When I want incredible body, shine and manageability I love using Body Shop's Poppy Seed Oil Reviving Mask:
http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/bodyshop/browse/product_detail.jsp?productId=prod170045&categoryId=cat30046

Cosmetic Solutions:

Depending on the severity of your thinning, there are cosmetic solutions available to you.

Mild to Moderate Thinning: personally, I have tried various cosmetic concealers which include Toppik, Fullmore, Bumble & Bumble Hair Powder, Dermmatch, ShaBo Scalp Cosmetic and CRC Scalp Concealing cream. Out of those, I felt that ShaBo and CRC performed the best, in giving the most natural appearance with easy application. Toppik started out okay but within a few hours of application it would take on a weird texture and tint, which was most noticeable under flourescent lighting. Dermmatch covered very well - but no matter how many different ways I tried to apply it... my hair always looked very 'dusty' and dirty. It also didn't hold up well in humidity. Fullmore was just extremely messy as was the Bumble and Bumble hair powder, but both of these did give volume. ShaBo reminds me of mineral makeup, goes on very easily with special applicator brush, blends in beautifully with my hair and does not change the texture of my hair. CRC is a little different, insofar it is a cream, but it does go on very easily with its special stipple brush, and also blends in easily with my hair without changing the texture. However, it was much more difficult to match my color with CRC than ShaBo. ShaBo has a huge variety of colors and can be ordered custom made. Also important to note... in my experience ShaBo is definitely the most economical of all the products listed. A big plus is that the owner herself (Bonnie) will work with you one on one to get you the right color and also with application advice. She offers free samples.

I do not recommend hair extensions as these can actually cause more hair loss (traction alopecia). Not to mention, extensions can be very visible on a thinning woman. However, there are extension methods specifically designed for a woman with thinning hair. This site is fantastic for listing out all the different extension methods and their impact on hair and scalp: http://www.hairextensionguide.com/hairextensions.htm

Moderate to Severe Thinning: non-surgical hair replacement and supplemental hair have come a long way over the years. The problem is that there are those who are unethical, and capitalize on a woman's misery regarding her hair loss. These merchants typically overcharge for their products and/or provide empty promises that do nothing but offer disappointing results.

Out of all my research, I have found that you can either DIY with a well known and credible merchant such as wigs.com: http://www.wigs.com/?cPath=2 or you can go for a more personal touch and one on one advice by going through a wig maker / supplier such as Design by Flora: http://www.designbyflora.com/

Hairpieces and Integrations can be synthetic or human hair, and come in a variety of colors, styles and options. It's really all individual personal preference and budget.

While we are all unique, and the reasons for our thinning hair woes vary, the bottom line is that you do have options and you do not have to hide underneath a baseball cap.

Stay tuned for my next article which will focus on causes of female hair loss, and mainstream and holistic hair loss treatments and supplements. For those of you who have read this article, please feel free to post tips, tricks and product reviews in your comments.

To your health and hair,
Robin