Rebecca Johnston By the age of 70, 50% of all women and 80% of all men will have experienced some form of hair loss, meaning it’s something the majority of people will have to combat at some point in their life.
Age is the most common cause of thinning hair. On average, we lose 50-100 hairs per day, and as the rate of growth slows down, so our hair begins to thin.
However, just because age is a common factor, it doesn’t mean hair loss is inevitable. There are many other potential causes and there are a huge range of products for thinning hair available on the market today, all of which have been designed to slow down or reverse hair loss.
So if you’ve noticed your hair is thinning out, take action today. This article will lay out some of the best products around to help you put a stop to hair loss, all of which have been dermatologically proven to help recover your thinning hair
Contents
What causes hair loss in men?
The most common cause of hair loss in men is male pattern baldness, the most common name for Androgenic alopecia, and is thought to be caused by a combination of genetics and the hormone dihydrotestosterone, a hormone which many male hair loss treatments target. This is the most common cause of hair loss and affects 50% of men by the age of 50.
However, it’s not just pattern hair loss which causes men to lose their hair. Other common factors include:
- Stress: being overly stressed can force your follicles into a “resting” phase, meaning they don’t produce new hair and the hair you naturally lose isn’t replaced – this condition is called Telogen Effluvium. Additionally, stress can also cause your immune system to attack your hair follicles which causes you hair to fall out at a much high rate than normal
- Cancer treatment: chemotherapy attacks all rapidly dividing cells in your body, meaning your hair follicles (which are some of your fastest-dividing cells) are inevitable collateral damage. Once treatment is over, however, you hair will usually grow back
- Iron deficiency: if you have an iron deficiency, your body will struggle to produce the hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin carries oxygen for growth and repair of all cells, including those which stimulate hair growth
- Weight loss: a rapid shift in weight can cause stress in your body which triggers Telogen Effluvium and leads to hair loss. Additionally, limiting your diet can lead to a reduction in vital nutrients responsible for hair growth, including iron.
- Illness: serious illnesses can cause your body to “stress mode”, which results in hair growth stopping or slowing down for a period of time. The results of this may not be seen until 3-4 months after you have recovered, making diagnosis not immediately obvious.
It’s important to establish what caused you hair loss before choosing a treatment, however. Using a DHT shampoo will have minimal impact if your hair loss is due to an iron deficiency, for example.
What causes hair loss in women?
There are a wide range of things which can bring on hair loss in women. Alongside the causes listed above which (apart from male pattern baldness, obviously!) can also affect women, there are a variety of other issues which can cause female hair loss. Including:
- Menopause: the reduced production of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, alongside further stress on the body, can cause your hair to thin as you go through the menopause
- Coming off birth control pills: hormonal birth control pills cause hormone changes. When coming off these, your hormones change, which can lead to disruption of your hair’s life cycle
- Pattern hair loss: although less common, women can be subject to pattern hair loss in a similar manner to men. Although it usually begins at a later stage of life and you will typically lose less hair than men, similar hormones will be at play
Again, it is important you understand exactly what’s causing your hair loss before deciding on a treatment.
The best hair loss treatment products
Regaine for men
Regaine is arguably the world’s most popular hair loss treatment and is specifically created to treat male pattern baldness.
With the active ingredient of Minoxidil, which is clinically proven to stop hair loss and has been shown to achieve regrowth for 40% of men within 3-6 months, Regaine can be purchased as either a topical treatment or a foam, both of which are applied to the scalp daily.
Regaine works to promote hair growth in four ways:
- Reverses miniaturisation of your follicles
- Increases blood flow around your hair follicles
- Stimulates follicle movement from resting to growth phase
- Extends each follicle’s growth phase
These combine to stop balding and promote hair regrowth on the targeted areas of the scalp.
Initially, you will notice you’re losing more hair than usual, it’s important not to panic at this point. This means the product is working and a new growth cycle is beginning. You’re essentially replacing weak hair with strong!
Regaine works best for men who have been balding for a short time, meaning it’s vital to act immediately if you want to save your locks, but it can still keep your hair loss under control if you’ve been losing it for a while.
It’s important to note that Regaine isn’t a quick ‘one and done’ fix, ceasing use will lead to your hair to continue thinning at it’s expected pace.
Regaine foam ingredients: Minoxidil 50mg/g, Ethanol Anhydrous, Purified Water, Butylated Hydroxytoluene (E321), Lactic Acid, Citric Acid Anhydrous, Glycerol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Propane, Butane, Isobutane
Regaine solution ingredients: Minoxidil 50mg/g, Ethanol (Alcohol), Propylene Glycol, Water
Check Regaine Foam Price
Check Regaine Solution Price
Regaine for women
Following their success with their men’s focused solution, the brains behind Regaine created a solution specifically designed to treat women’s hair loss. While still containing Minoxidil, Rogaine for women isn’t as strong and this is one product we’d recommend paying attention to the gender labelling on the box!
Regaine for women has been clinically proven to regrow hair in 80% of women, making it your number one choice if you’re looking to treat female pattern baldness. It’s available as a topical solution which is recommended to be applied once a day.
Much like the male version, it’s important to note that Regaine for women isn’t a quick ‘one and done’ fix, ceasing use will lead to your hair to continue thinning at it’s expected pace.
Ingredients: Minoxidil 5%, Butane, butylated hydroxytoluene, cetyl alcohol, citric acid, glycerol, isobutane, lactic acid, polysorbate 60, propane, purified water, stearyl alcohol, ethanol anhydrous.
Regaine for Women Once A Day Hair Loss & Regrowth Scalp Foam Treatment with Minoxidil, 2 x 73 ml, 4 Month Supply
Regaine for Women Hair Loss & Regrowth Scalp Solution with Minoxidil, 60 ml, 1 Month Supply
NIOXIN 3d Care System
Founded by Eva Graham, who was inspired after losing half of her hair after giving birth, NIOXIN has become a world leader in developing hair loss treatments.
Their 3d Care System is arguably the most famous of these. It contains a shampoo, conditioner and treatment, and comes in a range of versions suitable for a range of different hair types. These include:
- System No. 1: designed for natural hair with light thinning, NIOXIN System No. 1 helps remove follicle-clogging sebum from your scalp to promote better hair growth, protects your hair from breakage and amplifies your hair’s texture, increasing the fullness of your hair if you’re starting to thin a little
- System No. 2: if your hair’s a little farther along, System No. 2 is designed for natural hair with more progressed thinning. It protects your hair from further breakage and cleanses your follicles to promote thick, healthy hair
- System No. 3: designed for coloured hair with light thinning, this provides the same benefits as System No. 1 while protecting your colour. Perfect if you’re also covering a few greys!
- System No. 4: the coloured hair equivalent to System No. 2, the NIOXIN System 4 kit will protect your colour while ensuring your thinning stays under control
- System No. 5: if you chemically treat your hair and have light thinning, System No. 5 is the one for you. It encourages growth while protecting hair which has already been put under a lot of stress thanks to chemical treatments
- System No. 6: you guessed it! NIOXIN System No. 6 helps those with progressed thinning and chemically treated hair get a fuller, denser head of hair.
This system has been designed for daily use, the shampoo and conditioner replace your usual choices, while the treatment is applied to your scalp after washing before being left in to dry. Keeping this up will ensure your scalp is clear and your hair is less prone to breaking.
Although it won’t completely stop pattern baldness in the same way as Regaine, it will help to slow the process down whilst speeding up recovery for hair which has started thinning for other reasons.
Kérastase Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Shampoo
Specially formulated for people with weak hair by one of the world’s leading shampoo brands, Kérastase Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifant Shampoo is designed to strengthen your hair strands – reducing breakage and bring daily hair loss back down to a natural level.
This shampoo uses a unique combination of ingredients which results in up to 80.9% fewer hair strands being broken and lost, while still cleansing dirt and ensuring your hair and scalp remain as healthy as they’ve ever been.
If your hair has become more brittle as a result of hormonal or nutritional reasons, a course of this shampoo will help it return to its natural strength in short order, meaning you can focus on your recovery without the added worry of knowing you’re losing a lot more hair than you normally would.
Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Citric Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Hexylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-10, Salicylic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Glycerin, Benzyl Salicylate, Coumarin, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract / Ginger Root Extract, Citral, Benzyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Xylitol, Xanthan Gum, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Fragrance.
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Scalp Care Anti-Thinning Conditioner
This conditioner combines Kakaku Plum, Pea Peptides and Ginseng to provide fine, fragile hair with the extra strength it needs to be healthy, thick and manageable.
The perfect accompaniment to your shampoo for thinning hair, this nourishing conditioner works to envelop your hair in a protective shield, further reducing breakages. This leads to your hair being visibly thicker and healthier.
Ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Oleyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Pyridoxine HCl, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng (Ginseng) Root Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Peptide, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Glyceryl Stearate, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Trideceth-5, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Myristyl Alcohol, Magnesium Nitrate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Red 40 (Cl 16035), Caramel, Parfum (Fragrance), Linalool, Geraniol.
Grow Gorgeous Daily Growth Serum
If your hair is beginning to look thin, flat and lifeless, Grow Gorgeous’ Daily Growth Serum is your secret weapon to changing your hair’s fortunes.
This concentrated serum uses a combination of Caffeine, organic Pea Sprout extract and Chinese Skullcap to give thicker, fuller looking hair in as little as four weeks!
All you need to do is massage it onto a dry scalp once per day, making sure to not rinse afterwards. This means you can start boosting your hair in just a couple of minutes a day, and you can easily use it after you get home from work or running errands so you don’t need to worry about extending an already stressful morning routine.
Ingredients: Water, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Caffeine, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Arginine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Lactic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Allantoin, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Sprout Extract, Gluconolactone, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Scutellaria Baicalensis (Biakal Skullcap) Root Extract, Caramel, Citric Acid, Dextran, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower Extract, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Sodium Hydroxide, Calcium Gluconate.
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