Our childhood memories of fairytales are filled with stories of princesses boasting golden, luscious locks, stay with us even into adulthood, but what if you have thinning hair?
Flip open a magazine and you’ll see gorgeous models with healthy, long hair adorning each page, but how do you feel about your hair when you look in the mirror? While those fairytale memories remain strong, current fashion trends have enabled us to break the princess stereotype, with colour, curls and individual styles coming to the fore as unique expressions of personal style.
The fear of thinning hair makes many of us want to chuck in the towel on our hair dreams, but we don’t need to anymore.
- Stress
- Ageing
- Genetics
- Medication
- Hormones
- Thyroid disorders
“Hair, like skin, ages,” says hairstylist Julien Farel, owner of the eponymous salons in New York City. “The scalp produces fewer hairs as we age, and the strands themselves get thinner.”
Permanent solutions, including hair transplants and laser therapy, are good long-term solutions, but there is often an awkward phase in between treatments and healing.
One of the easiest ways to create the illusion of thicker hair is to cut it shorter and add strategic layers. Adding layers throughout the hair creates lift, volume and movement. “Shorter hair tends to look healthier and have more volume, because it’s not weighed down by extra inches”, says Edward Tricomi, the New York City-based master stylist and co-founder of Warren-Tricomi Salons.
Another way to help make your hair appear to be thicker is to colour it. Colour swells your hair’s cuticle, making it bigger in diameter, and therefore adding volume. Perhaps consider a change of colour with Renews 18 vibrant shades, you can choose to either go dark rich shades of brown or try playful lighter shades of blonde to give that fuller hair effect.
According to Diane Stevens, from hair thinning brand Nioxin, it’s a good idea to add movement and the illusion of fullness by using multi-dimensional colour. “Have your stylist use different tones and levels to create a soft, multi-dimensional look,” Stevens says.
“Oftentimes, I use three different formulas to do so. I use one shade that is my client’s natural base colour, one that is slightly lighter and a third that is slightly darker. This creates a look that includes a play of light and dark shadows.”
Your shampoo is very important, as it can make a big difference to the texture of your hair. We tend to think that the quality of the shampoo we use doesn’t matter, but it does in this case. Using a volumizing shampoo without sulphates, as they are harsh on the hair. When shampoo is volumizing and sulphate-free it offers the perfect balance of removing excess oils that makes the hair look limp, but is gentle enough to give a healthy shine.
Warren Tricomi says that those minutes before your hair dries post-shower is the prime time to add volume. You can also lift the roots by working a volumizing mousse or spray into hair near the roots.
Another great tip is alternating your washing day with dry shampoo. It can soak up the oils and thicken the hair by giving the appearance of fuller hair. A great one for volume is TIGI Oh beehive.
Are you battling the burn of thinning hair? What is your go-to trick to make your hair appear thicker?
Written by: Jane Killian
