As we grow older, we may notice that our hair is losing its thickness and volume. While this is a common problem for men, it also affects a fair percentage of women today. In some cases, this is caused by hereditary, diet, and nutrient deficiencies. Other times, it may not be because of anything health related. With the right treatments, you can quickly correct the problem.

Thin hair refers to the moderate loss of the follicles. It does not necessarily mean baldness; rather, your hair may have scanty bald patches. This issue starts gradually, giving you enough time to know what caused it and how to effectively treat it.

If you are a woman dealing with thin hair, you might feel inadequate or suffer from low self-esteem. The truth is that you are not alone. About a third of women suffer from this issue today. Thanks to the internet, you can now get more information about thinning hair than ever before. You can know what causes this issue and how to avoid and treat it appropriately.

In this vein, let us now discuss the causes of thinning and how to treat it.

Causes of Thinning Hair

Some hair losses are very normal. We lose about 50 to 100 strands each day. New follicles quickly replace these lost strands. When people start aging, they may begin to lose their hair too. The follicles lose volume and strength. However, there are times that one can start having thin hair due to other reasons. Some of these reasons include:

 Alopecia Areata

This causes loss of hair in round patches on the head scalp. It affects any area where follicles are found. Alopecia areata starts as early as childhood. The environment and family genes are major causes of this condition.

Androgenetic Alopecia

As noted earlier, some causes of thin hair are hereditary. Androgenetic alopecia is one of them. This is caused by hormonal imbalance and genes. It is a frequent cause of thin hair.

This condition can also be called pattern baldness. It can happen to a whole family generation for years. In women, this thinning generally affects the crown of the head.

Diet

Our body needs the right amount of nutrients to create and maintain healthy follicles. Protein is a common component of the strands. Minerals and vitamins also play a large role in maintaining healthy strand growth. When any of these nutrients are lacking, you can experience hair loss. Lack of a healthy diet can also cause the hair to have the following issues:

• A dull appearance
• Brittle shafts
• Dandruff
• Dryness

These problems can also cause hair loss if not treated.

Nutritional Deficiency

One key nutrient that stimulates follicles growth is vitamin D. When you do not take enough foods that contain Vitamin D, you could have alopecia areata or loss of follicles.

Pregnancy

Some women experience loss of their strands when pregnant or after giving birth. This happens in exceedingly rare cases. Typically, they regain the follicles back without undergoing treatment.

Stress

Too much stress can cause hair loss. This is commonly called telogen effluvium. When stress subsidizes, it will start growing back. The best treatment for this is therapy. If you face such a situation, some natural remedies can help alleviate this stress. You can check out https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322396 for helpful treatments.

Effective Treatments for Thin Hair

The following are some proven beneficial treatments that can help:

Massaging Your Scalp

The cheapest treatment to use is massaging your scalp. This costs nothing and has no side effects. After washing your hair, use your fingertips to gently place pressure on the scalp. This encourages blood flow and follicles growth. To make things easy for you, use a scalp massager.

Approved Medications

There are some over-the-counter medications that can help treat thinning. They include:

Finasteride

This is a prescribed drug for treating thinning. It comes in tablet or pill form. It is made for men only. As a woman, you need to avoid taking Finasteride, especially if you are pregnant or nursing a baby.

Spironolactone

This is also called Aldactone. It is recommended for people that have androgen production. It helps to keep follicle loss caused by hormonal imbalance in check.

Minoxidil

This treatment is highly effective for thinning. You can get it in foam or liquid form, based on your preference. You apply it on the scalp twice a day for more than four months before it fully works. If you want to get results, ensure that you use this consistently. Some side effects of using this include unwanted strand growth and scalp irritation.

Having a Balanced and Nutritional Diet

To have healthy hair, you need to constantly eat balanced and nutritious foods. These foods must contain important nutrients. Some of them include:

Multivitamins

Each day, make sure that your diet contains multivitamins. This can include iron, zinc, and folic acid. The nutrients are necessary to keep your follicle strong and thick. However, you need to exercise caution in the number of vitamins you take in. This may worsen the issue or cause new ones if care is not taken.

Biotin

This is also called Vitamin B-7. It is a water-soluble vitamin found in liver, lentils, and nuts. Biotin can help you grow back your follicles. When taking foods that contain biotin, make sure you do not take vitamin B5 supplements. The two nutrients are known to reduce each other’s efficacy in the body.

Essential Fatty Acids

These fatty acids include Omega-3 and Omega-6. Omega-3 can help your body fight against inflammation. Inflammation could cause loss of strands. Omega-6 improves your scalp health and stimulates follicle growth.

Laser Therapy

This is normally used by dermatologists, trichologists, and other skin specialists. It helps to regrow the hair and make it thicker. If you consistently use this for months, you will get good results. If you would like to understand how laser therapy works, you can read this article.

Anti-thinning Shampoo

This shampoo contains amino acids and vitamins which help your scalp and stimulate follicle growth. It also adds volume to your follicle, making it look thicker. To fully benefit from this treatment, make sure you use it every day.

Conclusion

Losing one’s hair is a thing of concern. It can affect a person’s self-esteem and mental health. Thankfully, there are many effective treatments that can help. By consistently using them, you will gain hair volume and thickness in no time.