What to do about thin hair?

[Diaryprovinciallady]

Not sure if you can see in the picture very well, but I've noticed in photos my hair is visibly quite thin. I don't think it used to be this bad but now the parting looks wider and you can definitely see my scalp a bit in pictures. Is there anything I can do to improve its appearance in the short term and also to get it to grow better? I'm only in my thirties and I dread to think how much worse it might get over time! Does castor oil work, or some kind of vitamin supplement?

I've just started a regime of Regaine, cod liver oil, hair vitamins and caffeine shampoo.
Regaine has minoxidil in it which is the only thing which will cause hair that's been lost due to hormones to regrow. (It won't treat stress related hair loss).

My hair is weak, falling out and thin.
I'm doing a 4 month experiment to see if the combination of these things works!

Mine has stopped shedding since I started taking biotin. Too soon to see if this will mean regrowth though

Thanks so much! I've seen Olaplex mentioned in a few places. Must have a look for it.

Biotin tablets! The one product I’ve ever been seriously amazed at. You can get a year's worth on Amazon for about £10.

You’ll have new short hair growing in under your long hair within weeks, but it does mean a few years of crazy hair, all multiple lengths and tufty at the top.

Diary. I don’t think olaplex will help with re-growth but it does seem to help the strength and condition for me as my hair is so brittle and dry.

I know getting access to GPs for non urgent things is so hard but if you could get your ferritin checked that would be useful. Apart from minodoxyl I don’t think anything we put on our hair can help it regrow so we are left with working out the reasons for the thinning such as hormones, stress, vitamin, genetic stuff. For me it was definitely the ferritin (I was given it on prescription as I think it was a fair bit stronger than you can get OTC. It took a long time to see any improvement but the first thing that happened was the shedding stopped and then it gradually thickened up a bit. I have extremely fine, thin, brittle hair anyhow so it was never going to be thick and lustrous. Minodoxyl is supposed to be the best thing for actually growing hair back and if you can get that on prescription I think that’s definitely going to be a good thing to use. My friend has used caffeine shampoo and it’s not done anything for her thinning. You can ask for a referral to a dermatologist or if you can afford it see a trichologist or dermatologist privately.

I am anaemic and have really fine/thinning hair as a result but it’s become much worse since hitting my mid 40’s (I think perimenopause has ramped things up) and my parents also have very thin hair so I’m buggered when it comes to my desire to have luscious locks. Nothing I tried helped so about 4 years ago I took the plunge and purchased a hair topper. I’ve had several now and it’s given me back my confidence.

My dd17 has really bad hair thinning, to the extent she could pass for a pensioner if you saw a pic from above. Always very fatigued, but according to GP bloods all within normal range. I started massaging a few drops of rosemary and clary sage into her scalp every day and it definitely made a difference, although took some time. There are academic articles stating that rosemary oil produces the same amount of regrowth as minoxodyl.

I have same problem often caused by stress. Olaplex is dead expensive but worked. Washing every day is not good. Keep in very good condition- argon oil does it for me too. Hope it gets better

I have very fine hair and have started using viviscal tablets - 2 per day. In 6 weeks the difference has started. My hair is growing like weeds! I have it cut/professionally coloured every 5 weeks and find a short style best. I also use biosthetic shampoo for fine hair. None of this is cheap but the viviscal is obviously working as my nails have got much stronger. Suggest biotin, zinc as a starter as these are common in all hair supplements but make sure you are religious in taking them..

I had fine hair and now just thin hair. DMs practically bald so I guess it’s genetic ?

I use : olaplex 3 £20 - to strengthen and repair what’s there
Dry shampoo- absolutely do not wash every day , I know it gives temporary volume and lustre, but it’s a no. Superdrug does a volume one and it’s great. My hairs also dark, so I use the dark dry shampoo and it makes me scalps looks less blindingly obvious.
A good mousse.
Skin , hair and nails from H&B -but remember they’re not miracles and will take months to make a difference, so don’t be disheartened.

Bleach will thicken it, but a lot of (good) salons may be cautious to touch it. ( ask for olaplex treatments )

Agree that you should see someone if your hair wasn’t always like this.

You may be going through a drastic shed?
Did you have a bad virus or Covid ? I find that my hair comes out in handfuls whenever I’ve been really sick with a temperature !

And I can’t see the length but you can give volume by extensions DO NOT let anyone talk you into permanent ones! You get a HALO which is is essentially fish gut or wire, and the extensions cling to that, rather than your hair. Back comb a tiny little to disguise. I’ve been wearing extensions for years and years, and the Halo is the best thing I’ve ever found.
PM me if you’d like me to send you pics of mines and you’d never notice.

• oh and no tight ponytails if they can be avoided ! Pleat/plait your hair at night and get a satin pillowcase ( silk would be better)

@Diaryprovinciallady

Not sure if you can see in the picture very well, but I've noticed in photos my hair is visibly quite thin. I don't think it used to be this bad but now the parting looks wider and you can definitely see my scalp a bit in pictures. Is there anything I can do to improve its appearance in the short term and also to get it to grow better? I'm only in my thirties and I dread to think how much worse it might get over time! Does castor oil work, or some kind of vitamin supplement?

Feel so sad for you that you’re going through this so young. I’m in a similar situation but in my early fifties so much more likely to be linked to menopause and hormones. Really you should be receiving much more support from your GP to understand why this is happening and how best to treat rather than relying on advice, that’s kindly meant and based on personal experience. Why are womens’ issues often treated as cosmetic rather than medical 🙄

Ferritin is both an acute phase protein (goes up with infection or inflammation) and a measure of iron stores. Problem is most GP labs report "normal" as above 13 but for successful hair growth it needs to be 60-70. You need not only a ferritin, but an iron profile, as well as the vitamin D, thyroid function tests and the zinc levels. FBC alone is not enough to assess an iron deficiency or an anaemia.
Lupus screen/auto antibodies and FSH:LH also normal helpful. The bulk of the women I see are iron deficiency, crash dieting/huge weight loss or just plain stress - telogen effluvium (especially over the last 2 years) . Minoxidil will stop your hair falling out - but it will do so as soon as you stop buying & applying it! I quite often recommend Costco/Kirklands "Hair skin and nails" (decent price, ticks the boxes) and some zinc supplements (at least 50mg/day) but I wouldn't just take OTC iron without getting an iron profile first. Hope that helps

Ps no to castor oil (laxative, vitamin deficiency as absorbs fat soluble vitamins, plus the dreaded "anal leakage" - yes that's as vile as it sounds), no to tight ponytails, silk pillow would be lovely but don't think promotes growth)

• @liverdoc oh silk pillow is just so it’s less harsh than tossing and turning and cotton and breaking what’s left. Ooh I’ll Google the cosco ones myself!

Have you had covid recently Op? Mine is super thin (also in my 30s) but I started noticing it more this year it was thinning loads and coming out in small clumps. Was obviously more noticeable than someone with thick hair would. It turns out it was a post covid symptom. It's growing back now in small tufts. Might be worth a thought

Some quick fixes are thickening/volume powder and you can also get thickening spray which you use on wet hair before blow drying. I would recommend the KMS thickening spray or the bed head thickening cream.

Could you ask for a gluten sensitivity test? I was always exhausted and my hair started falling out- turned out I was Coeliac and severely deficient in everything.

I know someone who has extensions put in, not for length but due to thinning. Makes her hair look amazing and you wouldn't ever think it was thin/fine.

Not sure about how much stress it puts on your natural hair though.

Biotin, vit D and B12, cod liver oil. Massage rosemary oil into the thin areas. Don't put any strain on it from tying or clipping back and use a silk sleep bonnet.
Thickening shampoos and dry shampoo for temporary thickening effect.

I sleep on a silk pillowcase, this has helped me stop losing hair, because of friction when you sleep.

To see if your hair loss has any underlying causes, you should see a dermatologist.

Also check out hair toppers on YouTube. Jon Renau does some very good ones.

@ElleMac44

I sleep on a silk pillowcase, this has helped me stop losing hair, because of friction when you sleep.

I’ve turned my shower onto a more gentle setting as I worried the power was giving me a bald spot. I know it sounds mad

@FoggySpecs thanks to your description I now know what this is! Scalp Micropigmentation

I had no idea this actually existed and looks like it might be ideal for my thin hair line and parting so I've found a place locally to me that does it and am going in for a consultation.

I'm glad viviscal worked for a pp but I wasted hundreds of pounds on it - it might help your hair grow longer but it won't/might not cause any regrowth.