** This post may contain affiliate links or links to my own products. If you choose to purchase via these links, I will earn a small amount of commission which will be at no extra cost to yourself. Purchasing via these links supports me and my work and I’m grateful for any commission I get.
My hair journey
Over the last year in particular, I have struggled with increased hair loss. It first started towards the end of my masters degree. I was under a lot of stress due to the nature of the degree but I also had a family member who was very ill and I was struggling with people who I thought were my friends, suddenly turning on me and isolating me.
To start, I noticed more hair in the brush and then when I would run my fingers through my hair, I suddenly had a handful of hair. It is very scary, and although some may say “it’s just hair”, it does affect your self esteem.
I’ve consistently used the same hair care routine for the last year and I’ve seen some improvement. I have noticed a correlation with stress also, which leads me to believe my hair loss is linked to a condition called telogen effluvium which usually means there’s a predisposing reason for the hair loss. Let’s discuss the types of hair loss.
Types of hair loss
There are 2 main types of hair loss patterns in women and these are telogen effluvium and androgenic alopecia.
Telogen effluvium
So, usually telogen effluvium is triggered by an external factor, a common one being stress or a traumatic experience.
Telogen effluvium causes diffuse hair thinning all over the head. This can happen quickly and it occurs due to more of your hair being in the “resting” phase of the hair cycle and this precedes the shedding phase. So more resting hairs, means more shedding.
Androgenic alopecia
Androgenic alopecia is due to hormone imbalance. Your hair becomes sensitive to the imbalance and your follicles undergo a process called miniaturisation which means the new hair grown is smaller/thinner which explains the thinning hair.
This type of hair loss is often identified due to the widening parting showing first and it occurs at a steadier rate. This means you may not even notice it at the start until the parting starts to widen.
It is so important to know which type of hair loss you have before you decide how to treat it. Products used for one type of hair loss may not work for another. The first thing I would recommend is to visit a GP/doctor. I had a full blood screening done to try and identify a reason for my hair loss but my bloods were all okay and that is why I turned to these products. If you are deficient in anything, treating that is likely to be more effective to reducing the hair loss!
Now we have that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll start to recommend my products!
Pre-wash treatments
Rosemary oil / hair syrup
You may have seen this all over TikTok but it works! I use the growsmary oil by hair syrup and I definitely notice a difference when I use it!
I usually leave this one for 1-4 hours before washing my hair and I try and apply it more liberally to areas that appear more scarce. Ensure you apply it directly to the scalp and not just the hair.
The vitamin C hair syrup is also good for strengthening the hair you do have on your head and this can prevent it from snapping and breaking which will also cause the appearance of thinning hair.
While experiencing hair loss, the scalp is the most important factor but it is important not to neglect the hair strands themselves and keeping them in good condition can keep the self esteem that little bit higher.
Scalp massage
Using a scalp brush to massage your scalp has been shown to be effective to stimulating hair growth.
This is because the massage stimulates blood flow to the scalp which encourages more hair growth. Doing this for a couple of minutes before you apply your oils can help them soak in more, which increases the effectiveness and also has its own benefits.
Some recommend keeping your head upside down while doing this too but I haven’t noticed a drastic difference by doing this, just doing it at all will help.
Wash products
Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo
It may sound strange but there is a bit of science backing this shampoo in preventing hair loss/thinning!
The active ingredient in this shampoo is ketoconazole which is an anti-fungal but it can block a hormone known as DHT which is linked to androgenic alopecia.
This shampoo is found in most drugstores and is fairly inexpensive so it wouldn’t hurt to incorporate this into your hair care routine if you are currently suffering with hair loss or hair thinning.
You use this by massaging it into your scalp, letting it sit for approximately 5 minutes then rinsing it out. It’s recommended to use this 1-2x a week.
L’Oréal Elvive full resistance shampoo
This was the first shampoo I bought when suffering with increased hair loss and it’s been a staple in my routine ever since.
The active ingredient in this shampoo is aminexil. Aminexil loosens the collagen around your hair follicle which helps prevent hair loss.
To see the full effects of this, you need to use it consistently. Personally, I use this the same way I use the nizoral so I can let it soak into my scalp to maximise its effectiveness.
A good shampoo and conditioner
A staple for any solid hair care routine but extra important to include in a hair routine to combat hair loss.
This can be as cheap or as expensive as you want as long as it works for your hair and keeps it healthy. Keeping your hair as healthy as possible is never a bad thing and if anything, will help keep your hair on your head – where it belongs!!
My recommendations are:
Drugstore – elvive dream lengths collection
Mid-range – neal and wolf daily collection
Luxury – kerastase gloss absolut
Post-wash
Non-friction towel/turban
This one made such a difference to me! This can be a microfibre towel bought specially for your hair or it can be an old T-shirt (what I use!). Not only does this make your hair less frizzy but it reduces hair fall as there’s no rough towel material tugging at your hairs.
It’s also important to note to not wrap your hair too tight as this can defeat the whole purpose of including this type of towel in your hair care routine!
Scalp serum
One of the most important steps of the hair care routine!
Find a scalp serum that tackles hair loss and try and use it consistently! To compliment the shampoo, I use the L’Oréal growth booster serum that again, has aminexil in it. I try to apply this all over my scalp but I add extra to the areas that I’ve noticed more hair loss and thinning. I leave this on and it doesn’t make ky hair greasy at all.
Another popular serum that uses aminexil and has delivered results is the kerastase genesis serum. It is important to note however is that some have said that L’Oréal own Kerastase and have said both serums are very comparable.
When my hair loss was just beginning, I also tried the Ouai scalp serum and I found that adding this to my routine helped me grow baby hairs in the areas where I had experienced hair loss. The only reason I stopped using this was the cost!
The most effective post-wash treatment however, is minoxidil. This treats both types of hair loss and has the highest success rate. There are a few things to be aware of though. First, you can experience the “dread shed” which is a period of increased hair fall before you start to grow the new hair. Secondly, it is toxic to dogs so you cannot let your pets anywhere near it. It is extremely toxic so your dog cannot lay on a pillow where you’ve had your head, or lick you near your hair line. You have to be extremely cautious.
Silk and satin accessories
Finally, use those silk scrunchies! Get that satin pillow case!
I’ve been using the silk scrunchies from Aldi and they’re so gentle on my hair. However, it also helps to keep hair styles loose and protective. This helps prevent traction alopecia which is hair loss due to the strain of tight hair styles – yes this does mean retiring slick backs from your hair regimen.
The pillowcase I have is from Amazon and not only is it good to have as part of your hair care routine but it also helps your skin too! This again, is to prevent the friction of materials from tugging at your hair and causing you to lose it.
And that’s it!
I hope this post has been useful and you can take something from it whether that’s a product recommendation or a science lesson! Taking care of your hair is non-negotiable when it comes to a glow up!
