21 great ways to help with thinning hair in midlife

Thinning hair is one of the worrying things that can happen in midlife. You might be experiencing this in a big way or possibly only slightly, but it’s something that we all think about at some stage during midlife.

These are the main reasons for hair loss –

(And when it comes to women in midlife, we may be susceptible to thinning hair for more than one of these reasons.)

• Hormonal changes. (Fluctuations in hormones during perimenopause can negatively impact your hair’s life cycle. As our oestrogen and progesterone levels decline, our sensitivity to male hormones such as DHT can increase. If you’re genetically sensitive to DHT, this can affect your hairline and hair thickness. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), derived from testosterone, can shrink the follicle, basically ‘killing’ it and causing hair loss and future hair growth difficulties.)
• General ageing
• A family history of pattern baldness
• A thyroid condition
• An underlying condition or illness
• Physical or emotional stress
• Poor nutrition
• An iron, vitamin D, or protein deficiency

Balding in a particular pattern is known as androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness) and is thought to be caused by genes passed down in families that make you more inclined to go bald. It’s the most common cause of balding in women.

In fact, by midlife, 40% of women show these signs of women pattern hair loss in which the hair’s growing phase shortens and fewer hairs are in the active growing phase. Hair follicles also shrink, leading to hair becoming thinner and finer which results in fewer hairs overall. You might find that your ponytail is thinner and you may see more of your scalp, particularly around your parting. But don’t be discouraged, because it’s treatable.

Many women may experience telogen effluvium, a temporary shedding of hair that is brought on by stress, illness, a poor diet, or hormonal changes. Luckily, this is also treatable. Good nutrition, sleep, and time may be all you need to fix this type of hair loss where your hair tends to fall out in clumps.

I mention these differing hair losses because I think it’s vital to know what type of hair thinning you’re experiencing before looking for treatments.

Related: Things that happen during perimenopause that nobody talks about

Treatments for thinning hair

Firstly, the ones for hormonal hair thinning –

• Minoxidil stimulates blood flow to your hair, helping hair to move into the growth phase of the hair cycle faster. It basically slows down hair loss while promoting new hair growth. A great product to try – Rogaine Women’s 5% Minoxidil Topical Aerosol Hair Regrowth Treatment.
• Topically applied DHT blockers like saw palmetto (that stops the conversion of testosterone to DHT) and pumpkin seed oil could help eliminate DHT from attacking the follicle.
• Spironolactone is an antiandrogen that works by reducing the levels of testosterone produced by your body. By lowering your testosterone levels, spironolactone can help to lower the levels of DHT in your scalp. This is, however, a prescription medication so you’d have to talk to your doctor about this one.

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Lifestyle changes to help with thinning hair

Consuming sufficient good nutrients is so important.

• Make sure you’re getting enough of these 5 vitamins for good hair growth – Vitamin A, B, C, D, and E. Iron, zinc, and protein are also vital.
• Eat these foods for great hair growth – eggs, berries, spinach, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, avocados, nuts, seeds, sweet peppers, oysters, shrimp, beans, soybeans, and meat.

Styling and tools

• Use good quality heat styling tools that don’t overheat your hair.
• If you do use styling tools, apply a heat-protecting spray.
• Avoid overdoing chemical processing, like straightening, bleaching, or lightening hair because it can damage the hair shaft.
• Don’t overdo hairstyles that pull your hair (like plaits, ponytails, or buns) because these can put too much pressure on your hair and damage the follicles.
• Avoid over-use of temporary colour, hair sprays and gels because they can contribute to thinning hair.

Supplements, treatments, serums and masks

• Try a hair supplement like Nutrafol or Viviscal.
• Scalp health is important. Use Briogeo Scalp Revival, and try scalp massage.
• Use Nioxin Hair Growth Treatment.
• Try a strengthening serum, like Vegamour GRO.
• Use a moisturizing hair mask.

NUTRAFOL

BUY VIVISCAL

BUY BRIOGEO

SCALP MASSAGER

BUY NIOXIN

VEGAMOUR GRO

Shampoo and conditioner

• Cut down on the number of times you wash your hair every week.
• Try a purple shampoo for greying hair.
• Use a hair-strengthening shampoo and conditioner because you want to prevent breakages in your remaining hair. The strengthening ingredients to look out for are biotin, keratin, and zinc. Two products to try – Biolage Full Density Thickening Shampoo or Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Shampoo.)

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BUY VIVISCAL SHAMPOO

And for more extreme cases

You may want to try these treatments:

• Laser Phototherapy (low-level laser therapy) may help to regrow hair. But its efficacy in most patients is not yet proven.
• Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) is another hair-loss treatment that has become more popular over the last few years. It is, however, expensive and you have to keep doing it.
• And Hair Transplantation involves surgically moving existing scalp hair to thin spots.

In conclusion

Hair thinning is treatable. If you’re noticing that your hair is thinning, initiate some lifestyle changes, try a supplement and use good hair products, not forgetting your scalp. It might take a few months to notice any significant changes, but if you don’t see an improvement, possibly get a diagnosis from your doctor so that you can explore other options.

And now I’d love to hear from you  – have you experienced hair thinning?  And which products do you use and recommend?

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