Thinning Hair in Women: Causes, Treatment, and Much More

Are you a female experiencing hair thinning? You’re certainly not alone. In fact, up to 40% of women experience some form of thin hair by the time they’re 40. Want to know what causes thinning hair in women, and how to treat it? Keep reading!

What Are the Symptoms of Female Hair Thinning?

Thinning hair in women looks different than thin hair in men. Whereas men tend to lose hair in a horseshoe-shaped pattern starting at the hairline, females experience hair thinning all over the head.

If you have thin hair, you might notice the following symptoms:

• Your ponytail is smaller than it used to be
• Your part looks wider than it used to
• More hair in your comb or brush
• More hair on your pillow
• More hair shedding in the shower drain

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, don’t panic! We have some thinning hair treatment suggestions and styling techniques you can use to create the appearance of thicker hair (more on those later).

What Causes Thinning Hair in Women?

Thinning hair in women can have many different causes. Some of the most common causes of thinning hair in women include:

Genetics

Genetics is perhaps the biggest cause of thinning hair in women. This type of thin hair is called androgenic alopecia, or female pattern hair loss (FPHL). If one or both of your parents have very thin hair, you’re more likely to have very thin hair as well. But don’t despair! Some hair thinning treatments, like rosemary oil or a organic pea sprouts extract, may be able to help you.

Diet

Nutritional deficiencies can also cause thinning hair in women. Your body requires a certain amount of vitamins and minerals to run all of its necessary processes. When you don’t consume the right amount of nutrients, the body reroutes the nutrients you do eat towards your vital organs and away from your hair follicles. Over time, this can cause very thin hair.

Over-Processing or Styling of Hair

If you wear your hair in braids or tight updos, you may experience a type of thin hair called traction alopecia. Heat styling and chemical processes can damage your hair and cause it to break off, which may result in very thin hair.

Stress

Stressful events (like a major breakup, loss of a job, or surgery) can lead to a type of thin hair called telogen effluvium. This type of female hair thinning is notable because it happens around three months after the stressful event.

Long-term, chronic stress has also been linked to hair loss. If you’re experiencing chronic stress, seek out natural stress-relieving activities like exercise, meditation, and journaling.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy can also cause a special kind of telogen effluvium called postpartum hair loss. Women tend to shed less hair during their pregnancy. After delivery, all that hair sheds at once, often in clumps. This type of thinning hair in women is traumatic, but hair usually regrows on its own after several months.

Menopause

Most women experience some female hair thinning with menopause. According to the NHS, around half of women over 65 experience hair thinning.

If you’re experiencing hair thinning, talk to your GP about the causes. Only your GP can provide a proper diagnosis and advise you on the types of hair thinning treatments that will work best for your situation.

Hair Thinning Treatments for Females: What Works?

Here at Hairlust, we believe in taking a two-pronged approach to treating thinning hair in women:

1. Using hair thinning treatments that are proven to help reduce hair shedding.
2. Following smart hair care habits that prevent breakage and boost hair volume (most on those later).

First up, let’s discuss hair thinning treatments for females! These are simple lifestyle changes you can make that will help support hair growth in your hair follicles.

Feed Your Follicles!

As we mentioned before, nutritional deficiencies can lead to hair thinning in females. To regrow very thin hair, make sure that you’re eating a well-rounded diet filled with lean proteins (like chicken and legumes), healthy fats (think salmon and avocado), and lots of fruits and veggies.

Try a Hair Growth Supplement

Of course, eating a healthy diet is often easier said than done! We know that you’re busy, and it might not always be realistic to eat whole, healthy foods for every single meal.

That’s where a hair supplement can help you. Hair supplements like our Hair Formula Gummies for Women allow you to make sure you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy hair growth. Our gummies are loaded with 5,000 mcg of biotin, a B vitamin associated with healthy hair growth. You’d need to eat 500 eggs to get the same amount of biotin from your diet alone!

Hair Formula Gummies for Women are vegan and made with natural color and flavor agents, so you know they’re good for you. And they taste delicious, so it’s easy to remember to take them regularly. Consistency is key when it comes to healthy hair growth!

If gummies aren’t your style, we also offer our extra-strength Hair Formula Tablets for Women.

Care For Your Scalp

Once you’re consuming the right vitamins and minerals to regrow very thin hair, you need to make sure that those nutrients are being delivered to your hair follicles!

The trick? Improving circulation to your scalp. You see, your blood carries nutrients to the cells throughout your body. So, to get those nutrients to where you need them (your hair follicles), you need to boost blood flow to your scalp. We have two ways to do that:

1. Scalp Delight™ Detox Scrub - This hair thinning treatment contains organic rosemary leaf oil, which naturally works to boost scalp circulation.
2. Scalp Massager Brush - This handy tool makes it easy to give yourself a scalp massage at home! Scalp massages are another way to improve scalp circulation and treat thin hair.

Try Minoxidil (or Rosemary Oil)

Minoxidil is an over-the-counter topical hair thinning treatment. Though it’s usually used to treat male pattern baldness, it can also be used to treat thinning hair in women. Unfortunately, this hair thinning treatment doesn’t work for everyone. If minoxidil does work for you, the effects will end as soon as you stop using this hair thinning treatment.

A 2015 study demonstrated that rosemary oil may produce similar results for very thin hair, but without as much scalp itching (a common side effect of minoxidil).

Experiment with Natural Solutions

Some essential oils may also work as hair thinning treatments. For example, a 2014 study found that peppermint oil can produce more hair growth than minoxidil!

If you want to try essential oils as a hair thinning treatment, mix a few drops of peppermint oil or rosemary oil with a hair-friendly carrier oil like jojoba oil. Massage this mixture into the scalp, then cleanse with shampoo and conditioner.

Several natural extracts may help with female hair thinning. A couple of noteworthy natural hair thinning treatments include:

• RootBioTec™ HW, a potent basil hairy root extract that was shown to reduce hair loss by 31% after just 2 months.
• AnaGain™, which is based on organic pea sprouts. In a clinical study, AnaGain™ increased hair growth by 78% in just 3 months.

To take advantage of these hair thinning treatments, look for products, such as hair growth serums, that include RootBioTec™ HW and AnaGain™ on their ingredient lists!

What is the Difference Between Female Hair Thinning and Hair Breakage?

Female hair thinning and breakage are two different things. Thin hair happens when an unusual amount of hair enters the shedding phase, or when hair follicles stop growing hair altogether.

Hair breakage, on the other hand, happens when the hair shaft becomes weak due to damage and snaps off. This can also lead to very thin hair.

For this reason, females experiencing hair thinning can also benefit from following hair care habits that prevent breakage. After all, a female with hair thinning can’t afford to lose any additional hair!

8 Easy Ways to Increase Hair Volume Naturally

Here are some smart styling tricks you can use to reduce breakage and make your hair appear thicker and fuller:

1. Start with a Strong Foundation

If you are experiencing hair thinning, try using Grow Perfect™ Duo. If hair breakage and split ends are your main concern try instead the Split Fix™ Duo. These gentle shampoos and conditioners are formulated specifically to target the needs of thinning hair.

2. Nourish from the Outside

Women with very thin hair can also benefit from using a protein-rich hair mask like Protein Repair™ Hair Mask. Protein Repair™ Hair Mask is formulated with hydrolyzed vegan proteins that rebuild the hair shaft, preventing breakage and split ends.

3. Pump Up the Volume

For thicker-looking hair, start at the scalp. Grow Perfect™ Thickening Spray contains many hair-loving ingredients, including circulation-boosting mint oil. This thin hair treatment helps to improve scalp health for better hair growth, and also adds volume at the roots, which creates the appearance of thicker-looking hair.

Another very powerful hair growth solution is the Grow Perfect™ Hair Growth Serum, which is formulated with 4 ingredients that are clinically proven to promote hair growth and general scalp health.

4. Be Careful with Wet Hair

Your hair is at its most delicate when it’s wet, so you always want to be extra careful when detangling wet hair. Rather than using a traditional hairbrush, which is too harsh, try this wide-toothed Bamboo Comb or Wet Hair Detangler Brush. The Wet Hair Detangler Brush is made with soft silicone bristles that effortlessly glide through hair to detangle without breakage. Plus its ergonomic handle contains wheat straw making it more sustainable.

5. Always Use Heat Protection

Repeat after us: always use heat protection when heat styling your hair! Hot tools like straighteners and curling irons dry out the hair shaft, which can leave hair brittle and prone to breakage.

To prevent heat damage, use Thermal Shield™ Heat Protectant before styling. This thinning hair treatment is loaded with antioxidants and moisturizing ingredients like organic coconut water, blueberry extract and DayMoist CLR™.

6. Protect your hair from the sun's rays

Even if you’re not much of a sunbather, there is a risk that your hair is regularly exposed to UV rays. Prolonged UV exposure weakens and breaks down the layers in the hair locks, which causes a brittle and thin hair. So make sure to protect your hair with a hat or hair sunscreen protection when you are outside in direct sun.

7. Stop Styling Breakage

You may think that skipping the heat styling and wearing your hair in a ponytail every day is the solution to solving breakage. Unfortunately, if you use a traditional metal hair tie, you might be causing even more thin hair.

Instead, try Hair Rings. Hair Rings are gentle hair ties that hold your hair in place without placing too much stress on the hair shaft. No more tugging or pulling!

8. Complete Your Look with Styling Products

My secret to tricking people to think I have thick hair is Volume Wizard™ Hair Powder. This volume powder instantly adds body, texture and bounce to my fine and flat strands, while still looking natural. When blowdrying, I like to use Volume Wizard™ Pre-Styling Spray to pump up the volume while achieving a soft feel.

If you use an hair spray, it may be time to upgrade. Since many hair sprays on the market uses a lot of chemicals that are extremely drying for hair, which means that it causes breakage and exacerbates hair thinning for females.

Instead, use Final Touch Hair Spray, a medium-hold hair spray powered by plant extracts like aloe leaf juice and acai and apple extracts. It’s a hair spray that improves the health of your hair while finishing your look!

Thinning Hair in Women - FAQs

If your ends are looking very fragile and thin even the best styling products might not be able to save them. Consider visiting your hairdresser and switching up to a hairstyle for thin long hair that will make your hair appear thicker and prevent further damage.

We hope this post answers all your questions about thinning hair in women! If you’re a woman experiencing thinning hair, talk to your doctor about your hair thinning treatment options.