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Thinning Hair in Women: 30 Ways To Stop Hair Loss and Make Hair Grow Again

Thinning Hair

Thinning Hair in Women: 30 Ways To Stop Hair Loss and Make Your Hair Grow Again

Over her lifetime, whether from hormonal changes, weight gain or loss, or simply aging, the thickness of a woman’s hair may fluctuate dramatically. Research tells us that by age 40, forty percent of women experience visible hair loss or thinning, also known as alopecia, which can be accompanied by serious emotional side effects.

Traditionally, long, flowing locks have been symbolically linked to femininity and fertility across many cultures around the world. On top of this, our modern, social media-driven obsession with enhanced (fake skin, teeth and hair perfection), beauty makes it all too tempting to hide the truth about female hair loss.

Women experiencing hair loss or thinning hair often report lower self-confidence and anxiety as a result of feeling less beautiful, and even feelings of guilt over how much their hair loss affects their emotional day-to-day life.

With unrealistically high beauty standards and a collective lack of transparency about alopecia, it’s no wonder womens’ self-image is increasingly wrapped up in the state of our hair.

Thanks to some outspoken celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith, Sarah Hyland, and Wendy Williams, who have spoken publicly about their hair loss, It’s a fraught issue, but how to stop thinning hair doesn’t have to be a mystery.

You may notice periods when your hair is thinner than it used to be, but there are ways to win it back. Here are the common causes of thinning hair and hair loss in women and the best ways to stop the hair loss and get back on track to healthy hair growth.

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Check to see if your hair loss is part of a larger issue

Hair loss or thinning in women can signal serious health conditions or occur as a result of significant emotional trauma. It may be helpful to first consider whether your thinning hair is actually a sign of a more pressing medical need.

1. You may have a thyroid disorder

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism (the conditions describing under- and over-active thyroid glands, respectively) can result in hair loss.

According to the American Thyroid Association, as many as one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder at some point in her lifetime, though up to 60 percent of people suffering from thyroid disease are unaware of their condition.

Furthermore, women are between five to eight times more vulnerable to adverse thyroid conditions than men. That said, it’s important to visit your doctor regularly to check on changes in your thyroid hormone levels. Preventive care can be your best defense against disease-related hair thinning.

2. Ask your doctor about other serious conditions

Your hair may also appear thinner as a result of other conditions or life events, such as a traumatic event, chemotherapy, pregnancy, or menopause. Only a licensed doctor can determine whether you’re in need of a serious medical intervention.

3. Your current medications may be causing your hair loss

Check the side effects notices of any medications you currently take. Prescription drugs designed to treat cancer, high blood pressure, and depression, among others, often result in hair loss.

4. Thin hair may be in your DNA

Sometimes, early hair loss is in your genes. Both men and women can be affected by what we often call “male pattern baldness,” or thinning of the hair at the crown of the head.
A doctor can prescribe medications like Minoxidil (commonly known as Rogaine), anti-androgens, or iron supplements, to fight genetically-caused hair loss or thinning hair in women.

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Switch up your styling

Some of the most common causes for women losing hair arise from plain old follicle abuse in the form of harsh chemical treatments and tight hairstyles.

5. Try wearing your hair down more often

Avoiding traction alopecia can seem like a catch-22, especially for black women. Wearing protective styles like braids, wigs, or weaves shields hair from damaging factors like UV rays and heat styling so as to promote healthy growth. But styles that pull too tightly on the scalp can damage the scalp and ultimately cause hair to break and fall out.

Dermatologists recommend frequent hairstyle changes to avoid exerting constant tension on your follicles, as well as prioritizing low-impact styles, like thicker braids, loose ponytails, or dreadlocks – over tight cornrows and tight weaves.

Consult a stylist at a salon that specializes in traction alopecia recovery, like Atlanta’s Razor Chic, for a hair care plan that can alleviate your hair loss. Tight hairstyles can lead to hair loss in women of all backgrounds; wearing your hair down in its natural texture can offer your scalp much-needed TLC.

6. Avoid heat styling

As obvious a danger as a piping-hot flat iron poses to our tresses, it can be hard to give up the ultra-polished look of heat-styled hair.

To preserve your hair without going cold-turkey on hot tools, try extending your blowout or curls by washing your hair only a few times a week, using (with restraint) a non-aerosol dry shampoo to absorb excess oil.

7. Stop bleaching your hair

It can be fun to transform dark hair into blonde bombshell locks; it’s less fun to deal with the repercussions of the bleaching process.

In order to break down and dissolve the melanin that gives your hair its natural color, bleaching utilizes chemicals like hydrogen peroxide to penetrate the hair shaft and erode its protective lipid coating. This leaves your strands drier, more brittle, and more porous than before, making it riskier to heat style or otherwise manipulate your hair.

If you’ve been bleaching for years, your hair is likely extremely damaged and thinning because of weakened strands breaking off at the scalp.

Consider taking a break from bleaching to return to your natural color. If you can’t bear to abandon the blonde altogether, try going for a partial highlight treatment like babylights instead of a full head of platinum blonde.

8. Stop dyeing your hair

By the same token, changing your hair color to shades other than blonde may still involve damage that could result in hair breakage, especially if the process involves peroxide bleach.

For instance, going from brunette to red requires lifting brunette pigment from the hair, similarly to the blonding process.

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9. Know when to brush–or not

Wet hair is more elastic than when it’s dry, and using a regular hair brush on damp strands after a shower can result in stretching and snapping of the strands.

Make sure to use a hard comb on wet hair, and work slowly, using a detangling treatment if necessary.

thinning hair

10. Use mild shampoo

The chemicals in your favorite shampoo that yield a heavenly scent and luxurious lather may actually be harming your hair — and the wild animals and plants who come into contact with them after they wash down the drain.

Ingredients like sodium laurel sulfate and synthetic fragrance strip hair of its natural moisture, irritate the scalp, and can even cause allergic reactions.

Ditching products with these and other harmful chemicals is a good move toward protecting your hair and the environment.

11. Product detox

If you‘re one of the many women who incorporate a slew of products like shampoo, conditioner, leave-in treatments, detanglers, shine oil, heat protectant, hairspray, volumizer, dry shampoo, moisture masks, and yet others into your normal hair-care routine, it may prove difficult to identify which product(s) are causing your hair loss.

Try going on a product detox to allow your scalp to heal from harsh ingredients. In the meantime, use only all-natural shampoo and conditioner and avoid styling products.

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Consider a nutritional approach

The appearance of our hair can provide great insight into our overall health, including our nutritional wellness.

Eating a well-balanced diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins will provide the vitamins and minerals necessary for hair growth, while offering preventive effects against chronic diseases that may cause premature aging and hair loss.

However, certain individuals may still have gaps in their diet where key nutrients are missing.

12. Check your iron levels

Iron-deficiency anemia can cause hair loss. Women and vegetarians are at greater risk of low blood iron, and may need to take a daily iron supplement to keep their levels up.

13. Eat more protein

At the molecular level, hair is made up primarily of protein.

Quite simply, eating more protein supplies your hair with the building blocks it needs to grow.

Eggs, fish, and lean poultry are three great sources of healthy protein that make versatile additions to your diet.

Vegans can find protein in whole foods like nuts, soybeans, and leafy greens, or try whipping up a vegan protein shake like Charlize Theron.

14. Folic acid

Folic acid, or folate, promotes healthy cell growth and may benefit hair and nails. Whole-food sources of folate include broccoli, beans, and leafy greens, while prenatal vitamins pack a punch in pill form.

15. Biotin

If you’ve ever googled solutions to hair loss, you’ve likely heard of biotin, the B vitamin that hairstylists have trusted as a hair growth agent for years.

Biotin is so beloved among the hair growth community that it comes in a wide variety of pills and gummies, including the ubiquitous blue bears as seen on the tongues of Kylie Jenner, Dove Cameron, and Kim Kardashian.

16. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is crucial not just for cell growth; your body also needs Vitamin A to produce sebum, the oil that provides natural protective moisture to skin, including the scalp.

In fresh produce, Vitamin A occurs as the bright orange pigment called beta-carotene, found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. You can also find high levels of beta-carotene in kale and spinach.

17. Zinc

Hair loss is a common sign of low levels of zinc, a mineral essential to hair tissue proliferation. Omnivores and vegans alike can find rich sources of zinc in foods like beef, pumpkin seeds, and wheat germ.

18. Try an antioxidant diet for hair growth

If you like the idea of getting hair-helping nutrients from your diet but aren’t sure where to start, try switching to the Mediterranean diet.

Full of the hearty whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins mentioned above, this diet plan is popular among doctors and dietitians as a disease-fighting powerhouse.

A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of approachable Mediterranean diet recipes and meal plans.

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19. Take a multivitamin

When in doubt as to whether you’re getting enough nutrients from your diet, add a multivitamin. Options abound –gummies, capsules, and even liquid shots offer hair-boosting benefits.

20. Avoid alcohol

Keep in mind that all your hard work maintaining a hair growth diet could be washed away by too many alcoholic drinks.

Excessive alcohol intake limits your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients it needs, leaving your strands starving for the vitamins and minerals necessary for growth.

Try nourishing treatments

Some of the best solutions for thinning hair may already be hiding in your kitchen.

21. Regular scalp massages

If you’ve ever received a full-body massage, you’re probably familiar with the long-lasting relaxation that follows.

This calming sensation isn’t just skin deep; massage has been shown to lower the stress hormone cortisol while boosting serotonin, resulting in reduced anxiety and stress, two major causes of hair loss.

A scalp massage can yield these hormonal and neural benefits, while also increasing blood circulation to the hair follicles and dispersing natural oils throughout the hair.

22. Coconut oil

Coconut oil has antimicrobial properties, as well as being an excellent natural emollient. Try treating your hair and scalp with coconut oil once a week as a deep conditioner to introduce much-needed moisture and heat-protectant factors.

23. Onion juice

Onions are another common pantry item with hair-saving potential. Onions are rich in sulfur, a key component of the keratin protein that makes up hair and nails.

Research has shown that an onion juice scalp massage may help stimulate hair growth in individuals experiencing hair loss.

Just be sure to avoid this treatment right before a social event, as it can leave a strong smell.

24. Essential oil scalp massage

Studies show that some essential oils, like rosemary, perform at the level of prescription drugs in enhancing hair growth, and with fewer side effects.

Try mixing rosemary, lavender, tea tree, or peppermint oil into a carrier oil (like coconut or olive) for an aromatherapy scalp massage to promote blood circulation in the scalp and follicle health.

The essential oils’ calming scents can also help to reduce stress, another cause of hair loss.

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Change your routine

Small lifestyle changes can yield big benefits for thinning hair.

25. Talk a walk

The benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise don’t stop at a healthy body weight; getting your heart pumping multiple times a week can help safeguard against hair loss due to stress.

Cardio workouts trigger a release of endorphins, or “feel good” chemicals from your brain, which fight stress, anxiety, and even the perception of physical pain.

26. Manage your sweat

Just be sure that if you do end up at the gym, you handle your sweaty hair with care.

Sweat left to dry on the scalp can dehydrate the skin, damaging your follicles.

If you can’t wash your hair immediately after a workout, soak up excess sweat with one of the dry shampoos listed in tip #6 above.

Like water, sweat makes hair more elastic and therefore prone to breakage if brushed while wet. So, be sure to use a comb instead.

27. Silk pillowcases

Making the switch from standard cotton pillowcases to their luxurious silk counterparts may yield surprising benefits for your hair.

Because of cotton’s high absorbency and relatively rough texture, your old pillowcase is likely stealing moisture from your scalp and strands, while causing tangles and frizz due to friction.

A smooth silk pillowcase can prevent these issues, meaning longer-lasting heat-styled looks and less painful detangling in the morning.

Less styling means fewer opportunities to damage or pull out your hair.

28. Quit smoking

Though the popularity of cigarettes has decreased significantly in the US, nearly 14% of American adults still smoke, a figure which may account for many cases of balding across the country.

According to research, smoking cigarettes can “release pro-inflammatory cytokines resulting in follicular micro-inflammation and fibrosis.”

In other words, smoking causes inflammation in the hair follicle, impeding growth and leading to hair loss, as well as altering blood flow to the scalp and damaging hair follicle DNA.

Quitting cigarettes may be the best choice you can make for your hair and your overall health.

29. Avoid hot showers

While piping-hot water won’t literally burn the hair off your head, it can scald and dehydrate your scalp, causing dryness that may eventually lead to dandruff.

And while dandruff doesn’t directly cause hair loss, scratching an itchy scalp can lead to repeated inflammation of the follicles, which, as we learned in the previous tip, can cause hair to fall out.

30. Practice stress management

In addition to eating right and treating your hair gently, it’s important to find strategies to reduce your stress level.

Stress and its associated hormone, cortisol, can wreak havoc on your body’s ability to repair tissue and encourage growth, and that includes your hair.

Whether you choose meditation, stretching, napping, or quality time with people you care about, find a self-care practice that will help you reduce the everyday stress you feel.

So…About Thinning Hair in Women

If you’re experiencing hair loss, there may be easy solutions available to you through diet and lifestyle changes. Pampering your hair with healthy meals, gentle treatment, and overall stress reduction can be the holistic approach you need to reclaim the thick, vibrant hair you deserve.