# Tell me your best tricks for thin/thinning hair **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783 "2017-02-25T23:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/1 "2017-02-25T23:30:09Z")
I mean this mostly for women but hey, I’ll take what I can get. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/2 "2017-02-25T23:33:03Z")
I have no answer for women, sorry ☹ For men, my answer is just deal with it ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/3 "2017-02-25T23:56:03Z")
PT’s Grandmother: “I’ve seen this before many time and there’s only one sure thing to stop falling hair” PT: “And what’s that Nan?” PT’s Grandmother:“Floorboards” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/4 "2017-02-26T00:27:20Z")
Well, there’s thin hair (where the individual strands are very thin, if not fragile), and thinning hair (where individual follicles die, and the distance between remaining strands gets wider. Me, I started to lose it in my late 20’s, but a friend told me to use a jojoba conditioner. Have done so for 30 years, and the rate of loss now is very low (I’m 54 now). ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/5 "2017-02-26T00:35:57Z")
Pleople mag, 2017, great story about Mathew McConaughey and his hair. It’s very amusing and recommends a product! Just Google it! (I’d do the link but I stink at that.) ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/6 "2017-02-26T00:53:11Z")
I have a new hairpiece bun thing that came in the mail today but I’m afraid to take it out of the box because it looks like a rodent. ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/7 "2017-02-26T00:54:14Z")
Maybe I’ll glue a tail on it and tell everyone to fuck off. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/8 "2017-02-26T00:58:14Z")
Keep it cut short and fluff it out with a brush or blow dryer. It’ll look much fuller that way. Minoxydol does work for most people most of the time, especially if you start using it early. But it’s expensive, and your new hair will fall out if you stop using it. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/9 "2017-02-26T01:10:50Z")
There’s a product called [Toppik](https://www.toppik.com/) that I learned about from a theatrical makeup artist. It was advertised in those old Skymall catalogs. The concept sounds a little goofy—“keratin fibers” that you sprinkle onto your head—but it is very effective, if a bit pricey. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/10 "2017-02-26T10:02:36Z")
Extensions! You can get them for volume rather than length. They’re not cheap but holy crap did they make a difference with my thin hair. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/11 "2017-02-26T11:45:44Z")
Regular scalp massages with a vibrator also improve blood circulation and can retard hair loss. Also, using “extra-strength” shampoos can actually lead to hair loss and dry scalp. You’re much better off using something gentler, like baby shampoo, especially if you have very fine hair. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/12 "2017-02-26T16:00:51Z")
Back in the '80’s there was a product that you’d see advertised in men’s magazines, claimed to clean the hair follicles and remove DHT. You’d massage it into your scalp every day, 20 minutes before shampooing. So I gave it a shot with a 90 day supply. Only my GF knew I was using it, but by the end of the 90 days, a few people told me that my hair seemed to be coming back. Then the supplier tripled the price, and I refused to re-order. I think the manufacturer is out of business now. As I recall, the product contained a combination of Polysorbate 80, aloe and niacin. If I were serious about fighting hair loss, I’d mix this stuff together with some menthol and give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/13 "2017-02-26T16:23:02Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > PT’s Grandmother: “I’ve seen this before many time and there’s only one sure thing to stop falling hair” > PT: “And what’s that Nan?” > PT’s Grandmother:“Floorboards” > > 😃 In the same spirit, Groucho Marx said “If you’re worried about falling hair, get out of the way.” ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/14 "2017-02-26T16:31:42Z")
Great tips here so far. Thanks, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/15 "2017-02-26T16:33:16Z")
I swallow my pain and lash out at those around me, viciously and without warning. Kicking the odd dog helps. Also, at least once a week I shake my fist at the sky and scream “_there is no God!_” Not a paid shill or anything; these are just techniques that work for me. ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/16 "2017-02-26T16:52:29Z")
Why thank you, VT. I bet all that getting wound up and thrashing about improves the blood circulation to your head and stimulates your scalp. Excellent suggestion! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/17 "2017-02-27T01:28:46Z")
The old-fashioned fifty strokes a night with a boar-bristle hairbrush is said to be beneficial, though it may make it painful to sit down. Seriously, though, a sustained nightly brushing with head hanging down so you’re brushing downwards from the scalp to the hair ends is good not only for conditioning the hair but for increasing blood flow to the scalp. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/18 "2017-02-27T01:48:35Z")
I’ll let all of you in on the secret that works incredibly well for me, though I speak from a male perspective. Step 1: Every morning, look at yourself in the mirror critically, and go: “Is my hair thinning?” Step 2: Answer honestly: “Yep. It sure is, no doubt about it.” Step 3: Go about your day. Eventually, Steps 1 and 2 get boring and can be abandoned. All you have left is Step 3, which turns out to be pretty easy. Or, you can give in to desperation and comb your hair in a peculiarly unnatural manner like some people we know that makes it look like you have a small feral creature nesting on top of your head. This will detract all attention away from your thinning hair. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/19 "2017-02-27T04:10:47Z")
Nioxin seems to work well for some. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783/20 "2017-02-27T04:43:15Z")
See a dermatologist. They will likely test your thyroid and iron levels. I don’t have a thyroid glad anymore due to surgery, and one of the first signs that my thyroid level is off is thinning hair. Once those are in line, minoxidil does work for many people. It hasn’t given me luxurious, thick hair or anything, but it brought back enough that I no longer have bald patches. Your dermatologist can tell if you’re a likely candidate for it working. The thickening gel hair products also give the illusion of thicker hair by plumping up each hair strand. Or so they say. I’ve found some work really well and some are crap. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-your-best-tricks-for-thin-thinning-hair/780783.md?page=2)