Women have a complex relationship with hair.  We’re obsessed with our “crowning glory,” and will spend large sums of money to get the hair we want.  In fact, hair care garners the largest percent of beauty editorial coverage in the pages of women’s magazines – beating even skincare and cosmetics.

So how do you deal when your pride and joy starts coming out in clumps?  Female hair loss happens, and the causes range from the natural thinning that comes with age to alopecia areata (a condition in which the body attacks the hair follicles).  It’s a surprisingly hard reality to accept, but there are some simple techniques you can use to make your mane look thicker.

One quick tip: take some “before” shots of your hair with your camera or cell phone, then take some “afters” at least three months later.  You’ll be pleasently surprised.

Embrace Niacin-based Hair Products
Niacin is a B-vitamin which has the ability to dilate blood vessels, enhancing the scalp’s circulation. Because of this, it is actually capable of stimulating the activity of hair follicles, improving hair growth. Possibly the most famous niacin-based brand is Nioxin, a line of hair products that includes everything from shampoo and conditioner to more in-depth treatments.  It’s not the sexiest hair care brand around, but it’s been proven to work in as a little as 12 weeks.

While it’s the most well-known brand out there, Nioxin isn’t the only niacin-based line for thinning locks. Hair guru Frederic Fekkai has his MORE line, a a four step system that nourishes thin hair and troubled hair follicles. It contains a patented Niaplex technology which basically releases essential doses of niacin to your hair each day. With continuous use, after just 90 days, your hair will seem thicker, stronger and fuller!

More tips after the jump …

Hair Powder – By sheer virtue of the fact that it’s a powder, Bumble & bumble’s hair powder adds volume to your roots and individual strands, making hair look instantly thicker.  That said, the reason I love these hair powders over other products on the market is the fact that they come in different colors, making them easier to use than the all-white powders that clog store shelves.  It totall masks roots, with the added effect (since it’s a powder) of making hair look thicker and disguising the scalp.

Biotin Supplements - Give a biotin supplement (like Appearex, but the generic store version works just as well) a try.  While it’s only approved for nails (in fact, Appearex cites a clinical study that  found that 91% of individuals suffering from weak and brittle nails experience an improvement in nail quality after just 5 months of taking 2.5 mg of biotin daily), it’s often recommended by dermatologists and doctors for hair troubles.

I’ve actually taken Appearex before, for my nails, and was pleasantly surprised with how thick my hair became, and how quickly it grew.

Hair Color – Severe single process color (be it platinum blonde or raven black) is best left to those with thick locks, or the very young.  Softening the hue with highlights or lowlights will actually give you the illusion of depth and thicker hair.  Just make sure that your colorist makes the high/lowlights very, very thin.

Tags: Appearex, Beauty, biotin, Bumble & bumble, Bumble & bumble hair powder, Fekkai MORE, Frederic Fekkai, Hair color, niacin, Nioxin, Thinning Hair

This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Schmears. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.