Fine hair - now thinning - help!!

[LMW1990]

I've always had fine hair. It's genetic. But I used to have a lot of it.

In recent years (I'm almost 29) and more so in the last few months, my hair is thinning. My parting is getting wider, my crown is patchy and my scalp is visible from certain lights and angles.

I had it cut into a short bob around a year ago because it looked a bit thicker. But now it's hard to style as it thins and it will not seem to grow much so I could at least tie it back.

I have avoided dye for over a year so I'm getting greys through. I avoid all heating and styling as much as possible.

It's getting me down and is a pretty depressing state to be honest. I've started not to want to go out. I'm paranoid about it. I even tried a half wig to sort the crown situation which looked ridiculous as I didn't have enough hair at the front to cover the edges.

I don't have tonnes of money to throw at the situation either.

Can anyone recommend any treatments, shampoos or supplements to make my hair thicker and grow longer?

Thinning hair can sometimes be a symptom of nutritional deficiencies (eg iron) or hormonal imbalance (eg hypothyroidism), so it might be worth having a blood test to rule out these causes. Do you have any other symptoms, such as breathlessness, fatigue or weight loss/gain? Do you have any dietary restrictions?

If your GP can't find a medical cause for your thinning hair, there are various shampoos and conditioners available that can help boost your hair volume, such as Fibrology. Alternatively, many people find that the food supplement Biotin helps promote healthy hair growth.

Get thyroid / iron (ferritin) / b12/ zinc / hormone blood tests taken by your GP. What the NHS classes as normal is not optimum for hair growth. Eg ferritin needs to be 70-100 for growth but NHS classes anything above 10 or 20 as normal.

Buy a nutrient specifically for hair. Perfectil is one brand that my hairdresser recommends but there are loads of others. I have seen Nourkrin recommended on here but it is more. expensive.

Also you can buy toppick or nanogen which is powder that sticks to your hair to make it bulk out. It is about £15 or so. My friend swears by it and I’m planning to get some too as also suffering...

Also my trichologist said to eat a lot of protein for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is much less important apparently.

You’ve my sympathy @LMW1990 - I’ve been experiencing similar and know how much it impacts self-esteem. Second the posters above to go and see your GP and ask for blood tests - I put it off as I though I’d be wasting my GP’s time, but I wish I’d gone sooner. Low ferritin seems to be consistently connected to hair loss, as does B12 and poor protein intake.

Here’s my thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3372299-Multivitamin-for-thinning-hair

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Thanks all.

My mum has suffered with anaemia and low Ferritin for years. I suppose it could be genetic?

I've ordered some hairburst vitamin tablets and shampoo.

This weekend it rocked my confidence so much I retried the half wig. I spent 2 hours making it look as natural as possible using a head band to cover the join (which I was paranoid could be seen). I had my in laws round last night and my father in law commented how lovely my hair looked which has made me feel much better about wearing it and I've got it back on today.

My hair has really thinned out a lot over the last few years. I’ve tried all topical products but nothing helped so I invested in a hair topper, it gave my confidence back. It’s human hair and blends in with my own hair, it looks really natural and you wouldn’t know it wasn’t my own hair on top.