Make Your Hair Thicker
Not all of us are blessed with Penelope Cruz’s naturally luscious locks. Whether you’ve recently noticed that your hair is thinning due to age, or if your mane has always been on the thinner side, these steps can help both men and women improve their hair’s overall health while attaining a fuller, thicker look.
Contents
Steps
Changing Your Hair Care
- Minimize your washings. Keeping your hair clean is a must, but washing it too frequently to accomplish this task may actually be thinning your hair. Each wash rinses out scalp-borne nutrients, causing your hair to become brittle and break. Instead of daily washes, try to keep your shampooing routine to only two or three times weekly.
- Invest in a dry shampoo for in between washes to keep hair looking clean.
- Use conditioner every time you wash your hair to restore moisture.
- Look for natural ingredients. Most shampoos and conditioners contain harsh detergents that dry out hair, causing breakage. In addition to minimizing the total amount of washing you do, find a sulfate-free shampoo. When possible, use products that contain all natural or organic ingredients.
- Avoid extensive use of hot tools. These tools can burn ends of hair, causing split-ends and breakage. When possible, avoid using a blow dryer, flat iron, or curling iron; minimize their use to once a week.
- Let your hair air-dry when possible, and save styling tools for special occasions.
- If you don't like the way your hair naturally dries, apply frizz-fighting products to wet hair so that hair dries smoothly.
- If you absolutely must use styling tools on a regular basis, use a heat-protecting product like argan oil and apply it to your hair right before styling.
- Stay away from harsh hair dye. We all love to color our hair, but some bleach and other chemicals can have a drying-out effect that, when coupled with styling tools, can cause serious damage to your hair. Avoid using these harsh chemicals on your hair, referring to more natural means of lightening or coloring your strands, or try using vegan hair dyes, such as Manic Panic.
- Brush it out the right way. Brushing your hair regularly is great for the overall health of your mane, as it spreads the natural oils created by your scalp to the ends of the strands, fortifying your hair. However, brushing can be damaging if done incorrectly. Use a wide-tooth plastic comb to brush out your hair, instead of a bristled brush (round or flat).
- Avoid brushing your hair while it’s wet, as this is when your hair is most fragile and prone to breakage.
- Try to brush your hair once a day to spread out the oils and stimulate the scalp.
Using At-home Treatments
- Make a protein mask. Your hair is made up of protein, so what better way to thicken it then by adding a bit more? Mix 1-2 eggs (depending on the length of your hair) with a bit of fresh aloe vera gel. Completely coat your locks and allow it to set for 10-15 minutes before washing it out with warm water.
- Try a fenugreek paste. Fenugreek seeds aren’t just good for your health, they can remove and reduce dandruff while thickening your hair. Soak some of the seeds (proportional to the length of your hair) in water for 8-10 hours. Then, blend them to create a thick paste. Apply this to your hair for 30 minutes, and then rinse it out using the water the seeds soaked in.
- Give yourself a hot oil massage. Natural oils, especially olive, coconut, and jojoba, help to strengthen hair and promote growth. Massaging the scalp stimulates the hair follicles, helping them to produce hair. Combine these two by warming oil to a comfortable temperature, and massaging it into your scalp. You can additionally let it set in your hair for 30-60 minutes before rinsing it out.
- Make a flax seed rinse. These tiny little seeds are packed full of fatty acids which add thickness to your hair naturally. Soak these little guys in a bowl of water for 5 days. Then, apply the flax water to your scalp and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Rinse it off with fresh water, and wait for your hair to start thickening naturally.
- Create a fruit mask. Turns out the nutrients and antioxidants in fruit aren’t just great eating, they also help to add thickness to hair. Make a mask out of fresh fruit by combining avocado, banana, and grated orange peel in proportion to your hair. Cover your whole head in the mask, leaving it to set for 20-30 minutes. Wash it off and shampoo and condition as you normally would afterwards.
Making Lifestyle Changes
- Pay attention to your diet. The nutrients in the food you eat can help strengthen the hair follicle and promote growth. Eat foods rich in protein, vitamins B, C, D, and E, and zinc. In general, try to include more fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains to thicken your hair naturally.
- Examples of hair-fortifying foods include: walnuts, spinach, flax seeds, lentils, and blueberries.
- Minimize your stress. It’s not just an idiom when we blame thinning hair to high stress levels. Whether you’re ‘pulling your hair out’ or it’s simply falling out, your stress levels are likely to blame. Take steps to reduce your stress and you should notice a significant change in the health of your hair.
- Exercise frequently. One of the best ways to naturally relieve stress? Exercise. Keep your follicles healthy and stress-hormone levels down by getting your heart rate up at for at least 30 minutes daily. You’ll experience a great number of subsequent health benefits in addition to thicker hair.
- Take a hair-boosting supplement. It’s not always easy to get all the nutrients that your hair needs to grow thickly, so help your body out by taking supplements. Several have strong ties to growing hair faster, thicker, and longer. Try taking biotin, Viviscal, or fish oil daily for better hair over several months.
- Check your medications. Although not always the cause, some medications that create hormonal imbalances can cause hair loss. The most likely culprit for thinning hair is the birth control pill, but any prescription medication that changes your hormone levels could be to blame. Talk to your doctor and see if there is a substitute to your hair-damaging meds.
Taking Serious Measures
- Use a balding treatment. If your hair loss is extreme, try visiting your local pharmacy and getting an over the counter hair treatment cream. When applied on a daily basis, these help to increase hair growth in bald or thinning patches on your head.
- Get a hair transplant. For extreme thinning or balding, consider a hair transplant. This surgical technique targets male pattern baldness by transferring hair from one part of the body to the balding area. Talk to your doctor to determine whether this treatment option is safe and viable for you.
- Splurge on a laser comb. Just as high tech as it sounds, a laser comb is a relatively new innovation that uses helpful lasers to increase hair growth. These fancy hair combs come at a high price for all the thick, flowing hair they produce, with the set costing about $600. If you’re tired of thin or balding hair, splurge on a laser comb and you’ll have luscious locks in no time.
- Get hair extensions. Hair extensions are a temporary attachment of hair - real or fake - to your head using either thread or glue. Extensions can be made to look incredibly natural, but range in price from $100-$1,000 per set. They must be replaced every three months to avoid the look of grow-out as well.
- Try a keratin treatment. Available at most high-end salons, keratin treatments are specialty treatments that increase hair growth and add thickness and shine to your hair. You can get these once every couple of months, but be prepared to pay; each treatment costs $50 or more. If nothing else though, the keratin will work to greatly increase the health of your current hair, making it look fresh and damage-free.
Faking it
- Change your hairstyle. While you can't control your genetics, you can use the power of illusion to make your hair appear thicker. Ask your hairdresser for the best cut and style to create thickness and volume in your hair.
- Add layers to create fullness, especially if your hair is very straight.
- If you are feeling daring, consider getting bangs. The contrast between your bangs and the rest of your hair will help accentuate length.
- Get a trim. When hair tapers off at the ends, it tends to appear thin and unhealthy. Trimming your hair so that it’s an even length will make hair appear healthier and more bouncy, and get rid of split ends in the process. Keep your hair looking salon-ready by getting it trimmed every 6-8 weeks.
- Use color to play up the volume. Highlights add dimension to hair, making it appear fuller. As mentioned above, however, bleaching hair extensively can cause further breakage, so stay within your natural color range.
- Invest in clip-on extensions. If you’re not ready to take the plunge and splurge on full extensions, try clip-ons. These are a much cheaper (albeit less realistic looking) version of hair extensions that can be purchased at local beauty supply stores. Find some in a color and texture similar to your own, and clip them in on a daily basis to add volume to your hair.
Tips
- Using too much hot water can damage and break your hair.
- Don't put the same clip or hat on everyday it damages and even breaks your hair.
- Read and pay attention to the side-effects of over-the-counter treatments. If you have questions or doubts, ask your pharmacist or doctor.
- Talk to your doctor before beginning any new medication or vitamin supplement to make sure it's a safe choice for you.
- Don't have your hair tied up in a pony tail every day as this can cause breakage.
Warnings
- If you notice a sudden, dramatic increase in hair loss that isn't age-related, consult your doctor as this may have other health implications.
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