How do you cope with thinning hair?

[sallytz]

Not just practically (updo recommendations? right now my hair is between APL and BSL) but emotionally.

I'm almost thirty five and in the past year I've noticed my first grey hairs and also my hair thinning out at the top. Although my mother has a very different hair texture from me she also went from very thick hair no noticeably thin hair as she aged, so I'm afraid it's genetic moreso than lifestyle. :/

Trying to reconcile myself to a new reality.

[enting]

I would spend time in the picture thread for i thickness hair, there are a lot of lovely heads of hair in there. I think a lot of times it's a matter of being familiar with something and finding the beauty in it. Also remember, you are not your hair thickness. Thinning hair can be healthy and long and beautiful, too. Maybe think about and focus on what you enjoy about your hair. Is it the feel of it? The length of it? That you can do things with it? You will still have all of those things :grouphug:.

Longer hair is also useful for styling it over and around thinning areas. That may also help you feel better about it - it won't have to be obvious. A gently gathered topknot can help mask thinning at the crown, if you have enough length for that. A side part may also make thinning on top a little less noticeable. You could wear a wide fabric headband or silk scarf over the top of your head the way many do as a protective style. I'm sure others will come along with more suggestions.

It's also possible that you'll have a genetic variation that won't thin as much as your mother did. Sometimes genetics also involves how the body processes nutrients, which in turn might have to do with the thinning. There still might be something to do even within your genetic heritage. Is it possible that a doctor could give you any advice on slowing the thinning down?

[lapushka]

I'm almost thirty five and in the past year I've noticed my first grey hairs and also my hair thinning out at the top. Although my mother has a very different hair texture from me she also went from very thick hair no noticeably thin hair as she aged, so I'm afraid it's genetic moreso than lifestyle. :/

Could you post a picture? It might not be as bad as you think it is; we are our worst critics, that is so very true.

Any chance you will be growing the gray out, in which case, it's not so bad at all.

My mom has i hair now while it used to be a good average ii. She lost hair during pregnancy (with me; only child) and it never grew back, and then lost some more during menopause. She needs to be careful with how she positions her claw clip (scalp cleavage) as she always wears it in a peacock twist.

A peacock twist, or log roll might be good styles to do.

[milosmomma]

Enting and lapushka have great suggestions already! I just want to second the i thickness thread, there is some jaw dropping inspiration there! Also if you're having scalp cleavage issues, a dry shampoo might be something to consider to give a little volume at the roots? I get scalp cleavage just because it's time to wash so dry shampoo can conceal that for another day sometimes. Maybe play around with face framing braids, They can give me a little lift in the front(I get pretty flat immediately after washing, volume does not last for me :) ) And a sectioned braid shows scalp anyways so you can blame it on that and not thinness. Maybe a donut bun for more bulk.
Emotionally I would say you have to accept your hair and try not to compare to others. I am at ii thickness(pretty sure, havent measured for almost a year due to shedding) and if I compare to someone in the iii's it can knock my self esteem a bit! So I try to compare myself to myself if that makes sense. I am taking better care of my hair and treating it nicer than in the past(bleaching, dying, tearing the brush through tangles) and that makes me feel good about it. Just pampering yourself can give you a little boost, maybe try a deep treatment or learn a new bun to get your spirits up? Wishing you good hair vibes :)

[spidergoat]

Everyone has great ideas so far. My hair has been thinning on top due to health issues. What has helped me most is to realize that it's likely that my hair has not thinned as much as I think it has, and even if it has, it is still beautiful. I'm sure yours is too, even if you don't see it right now. I think we are our own worst critics when it comes to how we look, hair included.

I find that keeping my scalp hair clean to combat greasies has a lot to do with how bad my scalp cleavage is. Oily hair equals more cleavage. Also, I try to brush my hair straight back and avoid making a part when making my buns. I don't know if it's the most attractive look for me, but it seems to cover some cleavage.

[Lizabeth94]

I lost some hair in my late teens due to medication, mostly around the temples and hairline. I was super devastated and self-conscious about it and wore headbands to cover the bald spots. I'm on a medication now that can also cause hair loss and I'm nervous about it. :no:
All that being said, I actually love the look of thin hair! I love seeing pictures of people with i or ii hair. Its probably due to my migraines, I associate thick heavy hair with pain, and thin hair looks light and comfortable, so I'm visually attracted to thin hair as opposed to thick. If you are worried about it, talk to your doctor, there might be something they can recommend. You might also consider starting a hair supplement and/or increasing your protein intake to boost growth. My hubby has thinning hair on the top, and it grows in thicker now that he takes supplements. I haven't convinced him to increase his protein yet though, he just doesn't care that much about his hair.

[lapushka]

I lost some hair in my late teens due to medication, mostly around the temples and hairline. I was super devastated and self-conscious about it and wore headbands to cover the bald spots. I'm on a medication now that can also cause hair loss and I'm nervous about it. :no:

When I was 13/14, my hair came out in chunks (hormonal imbalance at the start of puberty) and I had bald patches. When I was 15/16 it was all fine again and I had gone from 1b/c pixie to between shoulder & APL 2b/c which I could not manage for the life of me. LOL!

[littlestarface]

I'm dealing with thinning too and I can't handle it, its a very tough thing to go through. Hopefully you are stronger than I with this.

[Joules]

Thinning at the top is most likely androgenetic alopecia. Most women develop it over the course of their lives. The best way to cope with it would be to go to a trichologist and get a treatment (=stop losing hair). It's the 21st century, there's no need to suffer from such a thing :)

[Cg]

I would spend time in the picture thread for i thickness hair, there are a lot of lovely heads of hair in there. I think a lot of times it's a matter of being familiar with something and finding the beauty in it. Also remember, you are not your hair thickness. Thinning hair can be healthy and long and beautiful, too. Maybe think about and focus on what you enjoy about your hair. Is it the feel of it? The length of it? That you can do things with it? You will still have all of those things :grouphug:

Others have offered valuable ideas too, but I particularly like this post.

It takes time to accept changes we don't want. Be gentle with yourself. It's okay to be sad when we lose something we valued. Just try when you can to substitute looking for something positive about your hair instead of focusing on a negative.

You'll find that especially as your hair lengthens, thinner hair is easy to deal with: fewer tangles, more bun options, less manipulation. You'd be surprised how many hair compliments I've gotten as a i.

[sallytz]

Thanks, everyone! This was exactly what I needed to hear.

It's really not that noticeable yet - I probably have a good decade or two before it gets obvious. I'm just starting to see the change.

@littlestarface, sorry you're going through it, too. I think I am going to start experimenting with more hair wrappings and buns, and I'm trying to take better care of my hair in general.

I think it's just a mini mid life crisis to realize that, yes, my body is starting to age. It doesn't mean I can't be healthy and strong, but there are... differences.

[spidermom]

My hair has become a little less thick since I joined LHC more than 10 years ago, but it's still at the upper end of ii, so I can't complain. It happened so gradually that I never fretted over it. What I've done to handle other disappointments is to focus my attention somewhere else. If I were disappointed in my hair, I think I'd find a style that was quick and easy for me to do, then I'd turn my attention to makeup or body building or weight loss, anything else that takes time and attention.

[bparnell75]

I understand your issues. I am still thinning as I age 78 now. I have a receding hair line and just thin hair. Pony is the is thickness of a sharpie. Keeping it long to make the bun thicker helps and so does "Cabooki" a hair fiber treatment which I use on the top of my head to cover the scalp pinkness.