No matter what you may have heard about shampooing and hair loss, the truth is this: washing your hair every day – with the right shampoo will not cause you to lose your hair. In fact, keeping your hair clean and removing product, oil, pollutants, and other buildup can actually improve your hair and scalp health.
No matter what type of hair you have, washing it too often can lead to hair loss. It can also make your hair brittle and vulnerable to breakage, which is especially concerning for thin, aging hair that is already so fragile.
"Most people with fine hair need to shampoo fairly often as oil and debris will weigh down the hair and make it look flat and greasy," explains expert trichologist Michelle Blaisure, "so usually every other day you will need to shampoo." Despite what's trending in hair talk, thin hair needs a more frequent cleanse.
How Many Washes Should You Aim For? While this question truly depends on the nature of your hair and varies from every person, if you have thinning hair, try to wash your hair between 3-4 times a week if necessary; washing thinning hair just 3 to 4 times per week means doing so just about every other day.
Fine or thin hair: "Fine hair will need to be shampooed as often as every other day to provide it with the moisture it needs to flourish and grow," Courtney says. Cleansing also helps remove buildup and oils that can weigh fine or thin hair down.
Avoid products with harsh detergents, like sodium lauryl sulfate,which can cause breakage. When you suds up, don't rub shampoo into the hair itself. Instead, gently massage it into your scalp and let it slide down through your locks.
Although hair re-growth may be possible, you should also know when to seek professional help. If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own. To grow back a healthy, full head of hair, you'll need to take action, and that involves reviewing different hair loss options.
Telogen effluvium is a common type of hair loss that affects people after they experience severe stress or a change to their body. Symptoms include thinning hair, usually around the top of your head. Treatment exists to reverse hair loss, but hair will typically grow back in three to six months without treatment.
Can thin hair become thicker again? A person cannot change the texture of their hair. However, the hair may grow back after chemotherapy or pregnancy, for example.
Hair type. Fine hair features thinner strands, which can make the scalp more visible. This is a natural characteristic and not necessarily a sign of hair loss or thinning. On the other hand, those with thicker hair strands usually have less visible scalps due to the increased volume and density of their hair.
Does drinking water help your hair grow and become thick? The answer is in the affirmative. Hair strands can absorb water. This not only gives you the appearance of fuller, thicker hair, it also promotes hair density by promoting blood circulation and nutrition absorption – both of which are essential for hair growth.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss.
Thickening shampoos work by infusing the hair with proteins, vitamins, polymers, and/or moisture that plump up each strand, making each piece appear thicker. This is ideal for boosting thickness in fine hair types.
It's normal for your hair to look slightly thin when it's wet. This is because the tens of thousands of strands of hair on your head tend to clump together when exposed to moisture, resulting in a larger gap between each group of hairs that reveals more of your scalp.
“Vitamins are essential for healthy hair growth and may help in preventing hair shedding and thinning,” says Michele Green, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York. “The best vitamins for hair growth include B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, biotin and iron.
So try not to stress out about a few individual strands of lost hair on your hair tie. If you're concerned that you're shedding more hair than this, or you've noticed substantial hair loss when you wash or brush your hair, you're probably not paranoid. This may be the first sign of sustained hair loss.
How Much Should You Wash? For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine. “There is no blanket recommendation. If hair is visibly oily, scalp is itching, or there's flaking due to dirt,” those are signs it's time to shampoo, Goh says.
Within six to nine months, the hair tends to regains its normal fullness. If the stressor stays with you, however, hair shedding can be long lived. People who are constantly under a lot of stress can have long-term excessive hair shedding.
If used incorrectly, thinning shears can do more damage than good. As mentioned, over-thinning the hair or starting too close to the root can leave your client with that spiky, static hair look. It can also damage the ends of the hair, leaving it looking stringy.