Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

Thinning hair

(40 Posts)
skate Tue 19-Mar-19 11:35:15

I am desperate to find a product that will make my very fine thin hair look fuller. I have tried them all and nothing seems to work. My hair is so bad now (my scalp is visible) that I have totally lost confidence when going out and have resorted to wearing a wig. It's a good solution and far more preferable to the expensive hair weave I had done a few years back but which was hideously uncomfortable. But I am so envious of ladies like me of similar age (74)who I see with heads full of abundant hair. Mine is like candyfloss. I suppose I am looking for a miracle but I wondered if anybody had a solution or could recommend a product.

Framilode Tue 19-Mar-19 11:56:14

I have the same problem skate and am always searching for the miracle worker that I don't think exists.

However, I have been using Redken Wax Blast 10 which you spray on after styling your hair. You only need a little bit and it really does make a difference. It gets rid of the candyfloss feel and gives it some texture and volume.

Like you I am consumed with envy for people with thick hair but try to rise above it. I don't think a lot of them realise how fortunate they are. If I could wish for one thing to do with physical appearance it would be for thick hair.

Poppyred Tue 19-Mar-19 12:20:55

Moroccanoil Dry Texture Spray is very good too.

genie10 Tue 19-Mar-19 13:59:07

I still have brown hair but extremely sparse on top. I disguise the worst parts with Topik powder if I am going anywhere special. It doesn't thicken it but it does look better.

maxdecatt Wed 20-Mar-19 09:48:12

I had the same problem. (male baldness pattern, the same as all four brothers. I read about NEEM soap and gave it a try. Wash my hair with it under the shower every day. After three weeks my hair was thicker, glossier and, dare I say it, luxuriant! Still like that after over three years. Not cheap at £4 per bar from One Village.com. Minimum 4 bars.
Have never used a shampoo since!

Greciangirl Wed 20-Mar-19 09:51:10

I have very fine thin hair. So any products containing oil just don’t suit my hair at all, it just makes it lank.

I haven’t found any products that actually thicken, and I have tried loads. Constant dying hasn’t helped, but am gradually growing it out. Unfortunately, the new grey stuff has split and now I feel even worse.

Applegran Wed 20-Mar-19 09:54:10

I have this problem and went to see a hair specialist - I think they are called trychologists but cannot promise they are spelled like that! Anyway, she said it can be due to too little iron in your blood - even if the doctor tests and says you are not amaemic you may need more iron for full energy and for your hair to flourish. I am now taking an iron supplement which claims to work wonders! And I think it may well work well for some people. Too soon to know if it will help me. They say that other parts of the body which need more iron will take it first, and hair is at the back of the queue, so it can take months before you see any benefit to your hair, but meanwhile if you notice you are feeling less tired, that is likely to be due to the extra iron. I am not a doctor, and do not know if taking extra iron could be damaging in any way, so if you want to give this a try you could first consult your doctor. The supplement which is specifically aimed at hair loss in women is called Florisene - the trychologist said other well known iron supplements are not enough. The condition can be due to an auto immune condition, in which your body is removing hair follicles - it can burn out on its own and on line I saw that it never leads to absolute baldness, which was at least good news! The condition I have is called, according to the expert " Frontal Fibrosing and possible Chronic Telogen Effluvium". If you have thinning hair - you may not have this at all! But some people have got it and I am fairly sure I am one of them. Good luck to anyone who is worrying about thinning hair.

jenni123 Wed 20-Mar-19 09:54:35

I am 77 and have very very fine hair, I had a product recommended to me and it has actually made my hair look/feel thicker, it is called Mane and Tail, available online from many places, I got mine from Amazon, I buy both shampoo and conditioner and you really only need a teaspoonful of each as it lathers well. Cost about £8 for the two bottles and lasts ages

pinkym Wed 20-Mar-19 10:02:36

My hair at one point got incredibly thin to the extent I looked as though I had a flat head in photos. I came across Charles Worthington Thicker & Fuller in a magazine, it's available in Boots and it's amazing. My hairdresser uses it now and we've both had the same results. Somehow it actually causes new hair to grow, so both of us had "baby" hair growing along the parting and at the sides. It continued to grow down and eventually blend in with the rest of our hair. I hope and pray this product never gets discontinued. Do bear in mind it won't happen overnight, my hairdresser recommended it to several clients who gave up with it after a week or so because their hair wasn't instantly thicker!

blondenana Wed 20-Mar-19 10:12:00

I have the same problem, but only recenly, the last few months,i have haemochromatosis, nd have regular blood tests, as my iron levels are not supposed to go over 100not sure 100 what, ferritin levels in blood i think, but my levels have been very low, and i have refused sessions of venesection,[blood taking] because i blame the low levels for my hair thinning, similiar to male pattern baldness
I feel much better with a higher iron level, but am waiting to see consultant who i should have seen over a year ago
When my ferritin was very low i was tired all the time
I am really annoyed that people are not taken as individuals, i dont suffer with any of the problems some do with haemo,
I had a blood test yesterday and hoping my reading was not too high, as my iron drops drasically with just one session of blood taken
If i were you i would ask your Dr for an blood test
I got something called Roots from Superdrug, [but boots sell it too] good reviews, and it has no sulphates in it, but unfortunately the spray bottle wont spray now the container has collapsed inwards , but it is a shampoo, a conditioner and spray for thin areas, which is supposed to help regrowth,

georgia101 Wed 20-Mar-19 10:17:16

When my daughter died last summer my hair started to fall out in hand-fulls. I can understand your distress as it undermined my confidence no end when my scalp became visible. In the end I washed my hair only once a week - I'd been advised to stop washing it completely for a few months but couldn't quite bring myself to do that, although my hair did start to feel better towards the end of the week as I'd been told it would. I washed it extremely gently, and only put a wide toothed comb through it when I needed to go anywhere. Thankfully my hair stopped falling after about 4 months. I don't know if it was the way I treated my hair, the shock rooted hair had all gone, or a combination of the two, but I thought I'd tell you about it in case you think it's worth trying.

EllanVannin Wed 20-Mar-19 10:21:40

Illness within the body can cause thinning. Nothing to do with lack of iron. Stress is the likeliest culprit but genetics play a large part as well.

Daisyboots Wed 20-Mar-19 10:24:49

My hair became very sparse two years ago and you could see my scalp. Then I read about Watermans products so gave them a try. I bought the shampoo, conditioner and the spray you use at night. Within three months you couldn't see my scalp and I could feel the short new hairs growing. I feel much more confident now and continue to use mainly the shampoo. They have a website or the products can be bought on Amazon. I am 75.

GrannyIris5 Wed 20-Mar-19 10:32:01

Do you take blood thinners. Notorious for hair loss. Maybe specific vitamins? Scalp massage?

sazz1 Wed 20-Mar-19 10:36:18

My hair started falling out about 6 weeks after a short course of steroids for a chest infection. It is a known side effect. Thankfully it's starting to regrow now.

Rosina Wed 20-Mar-19 10:47:20

skate you may have fallen into the same trap that I did; with very fine unmanageable hair I tried thickening shampoos, which seemed to work for a while and then my hair got worse. I then read an article explaining that these shampoos coat the individual hairs, and after a while this makes them fall out, but even worse the product blocks the hair follicle and new hairs don't grow. I decided then to leave my hair in peace for six months; no colouring, no chemicals, absolute minimum of blow drying , and I also took folic acid which helped absorption of iron and is evidently good for hair growth. I didn't look quite as freakish as I feared with this unkempt rapidly growing straggly mop - hardly anyone commented - and then I had a good haircut. Although I am never going to have hair that I can swing around like the shampoo ads, it is very much better and healthier. The hairdresser told me to use a simple shampoo that doesn't promise anything other than to get your hair clean, and then you will avoid residues that don't help fine or thinning hair at all. Hope things improve for you.

JessK Wed 20-Mar-19 10:55:36

I have the same problem and have stopped washing my hair as frequently as I used to but it is a challenge. I have also added water to the bottle of shampoo I'm using and I find that has helped.

AlisonKF Wed 20-Mar-19 10:59:52

I have always had fine, straight, hair, but enough of it to look OK when permed. My knowledgeable hairdresser who has been coming to my home for over thirty years told me that fine hair becomes even more so with age and advised me to stop blonde streaks as it could not stand up to those and body perms as well. I have not gone grey. I have four body perms a year and a short cut. At almost 82, my old pageboy style would not do.! Without the perms the hair would be hopeless. They don't go frizzy, just do what's on the box.

evianers Wed 20-Mar-19 11:15:19

Same problem. Many years ago whilst living in Switzerland a hairdresser there told me to eat Millet Flakes on a daily basis. This I have been doing for some 30 years. Not sure it actually makes very thin, fine hair any thicker, but it does no harm. Available from health food shops normally. Good luck - sympathise with you.

LadyO Wed 20-Mar-19 11:19:36

A while ago I had a bout of alopecia areata, most probably stress-related at the time; my GP was unable to offer any help at all so I tried some hair supplements I found in Boots - 'Nourkrin Woman.' The hair grew back in the bald patches and it has never reoccurred thankfully. However I do have some thinning at the temples, which doesn't really show with my layered hair unless it's very windy outside! I am almost 62 and realise my hair will never be as thick as it was when I was younger, but I can cope as long as I don't get the bald patches which I found very upsetting. I have no idea if these supplements did the trick or whether the hair would have grown back anyway, but I am continuing to take one supplement every morning as 'insurance'... they are quite expensive so I buy them when they are on offer at 3 for 2.

Grannyguitar Wed 20-Mar-19 11:22:14

I have been using a cheap caffeine shampoo called JoBan, which was about £2.99 in Savers, and people have remarked that my hair seems to be thicker than before. Caffeine is supposed to stimulate the roots I think.

blondenana Wed 20-Mar-19 11:24:01

Daisyboots i am using Watermans at the moment it is lovely shampoo, but i didnt know they had a spray too, i will have a look on Amazon

* Ellenvanin* yes i believe stress has possibly played a part too,i have had a very stressful 2 years really, but only recently had the hair loss
I have not noticed any falling out though, just parting and crown showing scalp through, the rest of my hair is quite thick

gillybob Wed 20-Mar-19 11:46:45

I’m sure I posted on this yesterday ???? Are there 2 identical threads ? I’m very confused

ToadsMum Wed 20-Mar-19 11:50:08

Hi I have had few issues over the years, stress, then going on LighterLife and finally too stronger a hair dye causing breakage and loss. Regular shampooing (which I was avoiding thinking it was bringing more out) actually helped but then also a good conditioner. The best thing though was supplements - tried Vivital, supplements good, products awfully drying. Phyto hair supplements are brilliant but the best are Lamberts Florisene. You have to take them for at least a month before you see any benefit but they seem to strengthen and really give you healthy hair.

EllanVannin Wed 20-Mar-19 12:32:06

My hoover tells me the amount of hair I'm losing as although you can't see it on the carpets and chairs I have to stop now and again and untangle it from the hoovers roller.

GrannyIris5, I take blood thinners so I either risk a heart attack/stroke or going bald------what's the choice ?