Camouflage Hair Loss

If your hair is thinning, there may be many reasons for it.  There are many causes of thinning or lost hair.  Women will lose hair after childbirth because the level of estrogen drops after being high during pregnancy.  Poor nutrition also may lead to thinning hair, lack of enough nutrients in the body, anemia, and eating disorders are also causes of thinning hair.  Any thyroid disorder, glandular problem, liver, or ovarian disorder may also cause hair loss.  When we age, hair follicles naturally shut down and slowly stop growing hair. 

Stress may cause thinning or lost hair as well as different medications that you might be taking.  Mineral and vitamin deficiency may contribute to hair loss.  Using dyes and permanent solutions on the hair may damage it and cause it to start thinning.  Even allergies or a hepatitis B shot may contribute to hair loss! 

Hair loss is stressful and combining it with other diseases such as cancer or lupus can create depression and low self-esteem.  Finding ways to deal with hair loss or thinning hair may be an important part of healing both physically and mentally.

So, what can you do to help camouflage the fact your hair is thinning?  If you are trying to cover your thin hair, this can be done several ways.  A noted hair stylist and salon owner suggest several ideas for helping in this process.

One suggestion is to change your hairstyle from long to a shorter style.  If your hair is shorter, it gives the illusion your hair is thicker.  Your hair can look straggly if it is long and beginning to thin.  Thickening products on the market will also help with thin hair, but you might find you have a dramatic impact on your appearance by cutting your thinning hair. 

Another suggestion is to use high lights of color to emphasize what hair you have.  If highlights are placed in the hair, it draws the attention to the highlights and not the thinning scalp.  Adding color makes the hair shaft look plumper by roughing up the cuticle. 

If you are teasing your hair into a “bubble” style, you may want to consider the less is more strategy.  By teasing your hair, you are only making your thin hair more noticeable.   Teased hair kept in place by hair spray defeats the purpose.  A little volume is good, but be sure that it is natural and not a teased hairstyle you can see through. 

The salon owner also recommends adding a little curl to your hairstyle.  Straight hair tends to point out imperfections.  By adding texture and a little curl, your hair will not look straggly and thin.  Curlers will add a little curl and will help your hair to appear thicker.  Remember, you have to lose more than 50 percent of your hair for it to become noticeable.  What you don’t want to is attract attention to your hair and thinning scalp.
Note these suggestions to improve your appearance as your hair begins to thin.  Camouflaging may prolong the time until your hair loss is apparent.