How to THICKEN hair

The truths, solutions and hacks into achieving voluminous, fuller and plump hair we all secretly desire.

Hair loss is not gender-specific. Hair growth is affected by a wide range of factors, and although hair loss is an issue often associated with older men, many women are also confronted with reduced volume or hair thinning at some point in their lives.. YIKES. This can really affect self-esteem and confidence, and is sometimes a symptom of other health issues that need addressing. There are numerous causes of hair loss. Stress, lifestyle, diet, genetics, external surroundings, hormonal changes and medical issues can all be contributing elements to hair falling out or becoming thinner.

Around 70% of women over the age of 70 experience female-pattern hair loss (the most common type of hair loss) and 40% of women experience hair thinning after menopause. Due to the ever-changing hormone levels throughout women’s lives, they are particularly vulnerable to some unique hair loss triggers attributed to hormonal change, such as pregnancy and menopause.

It is normal for men and women to shed a small amount of hair (around 100 hairs) on a daily basis. Hair loss or thinning occurs when certain triggers, such as those mentioned above, interrupt the hair growth cycle and more hair than usual enters the resting (shedding) phase – resulting in noticeable areas of loss. Don't panic, we are here to tell you, your not alone and here are the best remedies and tips to control hair loss.

Lifestyle Factors affecting hairloss

Many of your lifestyle choices will contribute to keeping the rest of the body healthy also help your hair to grow healthily. Lifestyle causes for changes in the hair condition can usually be rectified.

• Diet and exercise keep both hair and body in optimum condition. Get regular exercise and eat foods that contain plenty of the important nutrients for healthy hair growth – like iron, biotin and zinc.

• Dehydration can affect the skin, including the scalp derma, and prevent hair from growing through properly – hair condition may also be affected.

• Smoking, high alcohol consumption and other lifestyle choices can negatively impact your hair, since they affect overall health. They may contribute to dehydration, or restrict minerals from reaching the scalp for hair growth5.

• Increased stress levels can result in hair falling out or thinning.

• Hair styling and treatment – excessive strain from hairstyles or hair extensions, continued use of high heat, residue from hair products and a clogged scalp can all result in hair thinning or loss.

Hormonal Changes

• Pregnancy and the postnatal period involve radical changes to a woman’s hormonal levels. A surge in oestrogen and progesterone hormones can cause hair to become brittle and begin to thin; some women may also experience hair loss in the months following birth due to a thyroid hormone imbalance. Luckily, these changes are usually temporary.

Both your scalp and your hair may require extra care during and after pregnancy. Taking good care of hair in the postpartum stage, especially with postnatal hair loss, can help to make sure remaining hair is strong and that it grows back normally.

• Hair may be greasier during pregnancy, so keep your scalp clean – but you may want to switch to milder products. Our cleansing shampoos for thinning hair are created to gently cleanse and refresh the scalp. Used along the conditioner and leave-in treatment in the Nioxin System Kits, your hair will become more resilient and will be thicker and fuller-looking.

• Eat mineral-rich foods containing plenty of iron and zinc – these nutrients are important for optimal hair growth, but are also necessary for a healthy baby. Make sure you check with your midwife or GP which foods and vitamin supplements you should or should not consume during pregnancy or while nursing.

• Protect your hair and scalp in the sun; you may discover that you burn more easily or have more sensitive skin during pregnancy.

• Treat your hair gently – avoid styles that strain your follicles, remove hair extensions, limit coloring and chemical treatments (some may even be unsuitable for use during pregnancy or if you’re trying to conceive), and try a lower heat on hairdryers.

• Brush out tangles gently when washing hair, starting from the ends and working up to the roots to avoid pulling and the risk of hair breakage.

If you are dealing with thinner hair during or after pregnancy try styling your hair differently to make it look thicker and fuller.

Using Vitamins and Nutrients to improve hair density

There are a variety of vitamins and nutrients involved in maintaining overall hair health, but when it comes to hair loss, it may be due to particular deficiencies. It is thought that a deficiency in iron (anaemia) may affect hair health. There is evidence that some patients with hair loss also have iron deficiency, and this may prevent hair growth.

What we do know is that iron is a very important mineral for many different roles in the body, and that women are more likely to be more deficient than men due to their menstrual cycle. If you’re low in iron, remember than vitamin C also increases its absorption!

Zinc deficiency is also thought to impact hair growth and has been linked to specific kinds of alopecia2. You can find zinc in cereals, meat and dairy. Consulting your doctor or dermatologist is important before supplementation because high levels can lead to anaemia due to copper inhibition4.

B-Vitamins like B12, Biotin, Niacin and Folate have also been linked to overall hair growth and deficiencies have been linked to hair loss. The recommendation for these vitamins may be harder to obtain if you are following a plant-based diet, so supplementation may help in these cases.

The best way to know if a lack of vitamins is responsible for your hair loss is to consult your GP, you can have your vitamin and mineral levels checked via blood tests if necessary.

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Scalp Treating to reduce hair loss

Did you know the secret for healthy, voluminous hair is working on your scalp, making sure your scalp is clear from dirt, chemicals and anything that stands in the way of your hair follicles growing through. Our scalp is often neglected and we don't realise the importance of caring for the scalp as this is the most important factor that can influence hair loss.

One solution is using OIL and using 3-5 pumps directly onto the scalp and thinning areas to promote a healthier scalp.

DID YOU KNOW STOPPING DRYNESS AT THE ROOT EFFECTS THE WAY THE HAIR GROWS?

The most popular scalp service in our salon is our express Moroccanoil Dry Scalp Treatment, designed to rejuvenate, nourish and remove product build up on the scalp. A method to.. pre-cleansing, the product gently exfoliates and instantly soothe dry, itchy, or flaky scalps. After just two weeks of use, 96% of users said the scalp felt soothed, and 94% said the feeling of itchiness and clogging was reduced.

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Using a voluminous hair care range

Transform fine hair from lifeless to lively by stepping up your hair care range. What you use at home to clean, protect and condition your hair can really impact your hairs density. Using products specifically designed for thinning hair will drastically help, here's a few we recommend:

• Moroccanoil® Extra Volume Shampoo works weightlessly to gently cleanse and boost volume on fine, limp hair.

Infused with antioxidant-rich argan oil and revitalising nutrients, including Linden bud extract, the formula naturally plumps up hair to restore hair's health and bring back body, shine and manageability. Colour-safe. Sulphate-free, phosphate-free and paraben-free.

• Olaplex No.4 Shampoo the patented OLAPLEX® Bond Building Technology works on a molecular level to repair damaged and broken bonds

My experience using Olaplex: " I HAD to write this post because it truly changed everything for me in the hair department. I kind of can’t believe that Olaplex is real, and I’m hoping that this post will help others who are in a similar predicament.

The background

All I dream about is long, thick hair that looks awesome when air dried and doesn’t frizz. Unfortunately, though, I have dry, frizzy, baby-fine locks… and since school, I’ve regretfully been on a mission to destroy every last hair on my head with the help of bleach and a trusty flat iron. Would you believe that before this obsession started, I had long, silky brown hair down that fell to my waist?!

Because of all this, my hair has felt like straw for the last few years. To add to this, I had a baby about a year an a half ago, and roughly half of it fell out. The STRUGGLE. (In case you’re wondering, this is common! It’s slowly growing back, but it’s been rough.)

I decided it was time to make some major changes in order to achieve that. So:

• I threw away my straightener. Legitimately did this so I wouldn’t be tempted. I now either air dry or blow dry on “low” on cold days. (I use this curling iron or this straightening brush—both far less damaging than a flat iron–when I go out. But I make sure to only do this a couple of times per week.)

• I stopped highlighting my hair. All together. After I finally convinced myself that I could live without blonde hair 😂, my hair stylist and I decided to lowlight my hair and go with a balayage treatment, which helped to blend my roots with the lighter hair that was growing out. It worked! (I will say, however, that the lowlights have since faded. I could go back and have additional lowlights put in, but I honestly don’t mind it that much since it’s mostly visible from the back… and I just want to stop messing with it. It’s also far less noticeable when I wear my hair wavy or curly, which is nice.)

• I started using Olaplex

Olaplex

Widely used by actors and actresses who regularly go from dark to light and vice versa for different roles, it’s known as a miracle product for actually restoring and repairing lifeless, dry and damaged hair. (It glues back together the broken bonds that result from over processing or thermal styling.) For a while, it was only a three-step salon process, but it’s now available to purchase!

Three-step Olaplex salon experience

For my first time, I did it in the salon with my stylist, and we went with the three-step process since I was also getting a color treatment. In short, I was astounded by the results. I walked into the salon with brittle, dry hair and frizzy hair… and when I walked out, my hair felt like it did in middle school. The softness was unreal! Stronger than ever, full of life, and so much smoother.

About a month later, I started feeling like I needed it again, though. I wouldn’t say that my hair returned to straw; it just didn’t feel like pure silk anymore. So I bought Olaplex 3.

Olaplex 3 at-home experience

My stylist recommended I use Olaplex 3 (the one-step process) between one and three times per week at home. She explained that all I needed to do was simply apply the stuff to damp hair, put it in a bun, and let it sit. I could get great results in only 10 minutes, but she told me the longer, the better.

Of course, I’m a complete psychopath, and decided to use it every single day for 12 hours for a week straight because I really took that “the longer, the better” sentiment to heart. How did I pull that off? I applied it to damp hair around 7 p.m. every night, and washed it out the following morning.

The result? That same, silky sooth hair I achieved from the three-step process! (Honestly, it felt silky after day 1 of Olaplex 3; I’m just a crazy person and kept going.) Truly incredible.