Thin Hair Mistakes to Avoid
As a former thick-haired woman who’s now thin-haired ball of stress, I have some advice that I have gained over the years from having to deal with accepting my stress-thinning hair. This is not limited to just those with thin hair, because sometimes these same mistakes can make thick hair look thinner too.
It’s easy to treat your hair like everyone else’s, especially when trying out new hairstyles. That means that one of the biggest mistakes for thin hair is using too much product. Using a root lifting/volumizing spray really works, and it’s going to make you feel better about your hair. As for other products, I recommend cutting any suggested product amount in half, since you’ll be better off using less than too much.
The way you style your hair can wreak havoc on your hair too. Thin hair tends to lack volume, so to keep your hair from falling flat, you should try styling your hair with a round brush and lifting your roots. This is critical, especially if you blow-dry your hair.
Cut really DOES matter. With thin hair, you NEED layers because they create the dimension and illusion of volume by adding bounce. Thin hair shouldn’t be any longer than shoulder length because it tends to look ratty once it gets too long.
I want to introduce some things that you might not realize can make your hair thinner, even if you don’t have thin hair.
Washing your hair every day is a huge no-no. Even if your scalp is super oily, I would recommend going a day or two without washing, and using dry shampoo in between washes. Constantly washing strips your hair of the natural oils it needs, and causes it to become dry and brittle, (aka breaking off).
Massaging your scalp can greatly increase blood circulation to the scalp, and has been said to reverse inactive follicles. I’m not sure if this really works, but I like to massage argan oil, castor oil, or a nice hair mask into my scalp about once a week for 10-15 minutes before I wash my hair. It makes my scalp feel great, I no longer get winter dandruff, and knowing that it’s good for my hair makes me feel like I’m doing something good. I haven’t noticed any drastic results, if any improvement has been made at all, but it definitely helps to remove product buildup so my roots are lifted.
Eating right, taking vitamins, getting exercise, and being healthy in general is going to improve your hair health. It’s hard to lower stress levels, especially while in school or work, and sometimes you may not have full control of your mental health, (that sounds so bad) so the least you can do is improve your physical health, which can have a positive affect on your mental health.
I hope this helps you all to look at the way you treat your hair, so that you can make the necessary changes to give your hair a chance to reach its full potential!
Written By: Tessa Kaplan
Photo Sources:
http://www.urbanewomen.com/ (for 1, 4, 5)
http://www.byrdie.com/ (for 2-3)