Reader Thinning Edges Help! recently wrote in, “Claire can we start a conversation on thinning edges? I’ve had thinning edges for as long as I can remember. My Mum and sisters do as well, but mine is really bad. I’ve never been officially diagnosed, but I believe I suffer from the condition called Alopecia.”
“What can I do? I really want to stop with the weaves and extensions but I can’t find the confidence to expose my edges. It’s bothered me for so long. Any help or advise on this is appreciated. It’s so hard to speak about it and for so long I’ve ignored it and just used weaves. Now I’m getting older and I’ m getting sick of weaves…I really want to go natural. Please help.”
No Problem! I hit up my hairstylist, Sammy Lacombe, for a bit of insight. Read on for her 5 tips to help with your thinning hair.
1. Eliminate tension. Try not to pull your hair and avoid regular tight styles.
She explains, “Tight ponytails, tightly braided weaves, and too tight twists can cause thinning. “ Wear your hair down or in a loose pony from time to time. Give the weaves a break, and go for clip in extensions that you can take out daily. She continues, “If you have locs, and notice thinning, try not to twist as often. Wear silk or satin headbanks in between visits to your hairstylist.”
2. Protect your hairline during work outs with a headwrap.
Lacombe says, “Sweat dries your hair and makes the hair brittle. I love Save Your Do headwraps because they conserve your hairstyle and whisks sweat away.” In addition, wash your hair every 10 to 14 days.
3. Use Oil.
Castor, coconut oil, or a mixture of both are god sends to those with thin edges. Sammy says, “Go for organic, authentic brands for the most efficiency.”
4. Do Protein Treatments.
“Protein treatments rebuild the bonds of the hair follicle,” says Lacombe, “You should do them monthly, depending on severity.” If you’re not skilled, don’t try this at home! See your hairstylist or a hair professional.
5. Try a multivitamin.
Sammy says, “Get one with biotin in it. Biotin helps stimulate hair and nail growth.”
That does it!
While all those methods will work if you have moderate thinning, if your hair is already falling out, see a tricologist at Hair and Skin Clinic in Melbourne. They can do transplants or other stimulations.
Do you guys have anything to add?
Be careful with the biotin/ hairfinity / mantabolism pills. Broke me out really bad! As an alternative, I popped the pills and made a mix with castor oil for my edges, which works really well.
I say let the edges out and let them breathe. I’ve seen so many women with thinning or just bald edges and at first I was thinkin please cover that up but if you ever wanna get them back or help then grow you must first let them breathe. I’ve heard great thigs about castor oil but also remember it takes time to see results so be patient
Castor oil applied as a scalp dressing once or twice a week. The real stuff, 100% castor oil. It’s really thick and a bit smelly so I dilute it with a bit of 100% pure coconut oil. Works wonders! My edges are fine, but they get dry from sweat when I run 4-5 days a week.
Skin breakouts from hair vitamins like Biotin can be avoided by drinking lots of water daily.
Bless you Claire! You are the best!
Sammy thank you so much for these tips. I didn’t realise sweat made the hair brittle. I’ll definitely get the castor oil.
Ladies thank you for leaving comments, offering tips and encouragement.
It’s great to be a part of this great fashionbombdaily community… ok I’m getting emotional now. *tears*
Oh dear, that Naomi pic will never go away :lolz:
The first step is to get a diagnosis. Try a trichologist or dermatologist.
As to oils, it’s hit and miss so be patient to see which one works for your hair care routine. And protein conditioners need to be cycled (like, don’t use it every wash)
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Jamaican black castor oil and Nioxin follicle booster work wonders!
I have taken biotin for years before the “hairfinity” trend and I drink lots of water and never had a breakout…I have 3b&3c hair type and my hair grows down to my butt when taken care of properly(gentics of course) but biotin makes my hair grow fast in contrast to when i dont take it and it grows as a normal rate…I have a diet high in protien as well so all these factors contribute as well….also my family that wear praided styles alot use nioxin too that stuff is high but it helps their edges alot!
The picture of the “protein treatment” is actually a straightening cream. These are commonly used for blowouts. A normal protein treatment will not straighten curly hair. The pictured product will work as another chemical agent and make the thin edges even more brittle. ION makes a good protein treatment that you can purchase at Sally’s that will not straighten black hair.
Loving these hair and beauty posts, keep em coming!
If you absolutely can’t let go of weaves and wigs, use bangs to 1) leave your edges out, and 2) cover them up. Just be sure to wear a headband on a windy day. (:
I 30 dollar head wrap for the gym? Seriously -_-
STOP WEARING WIGS!!
I don’t know what happened, I posted a comment on this post yesterday but it disappeared. Anywhoo, I wanted to mention the ORS Fertilizing temple balm, which does work- you’ll see results after 60 days; you have to be consistent, use twice each day. :)
The vitamins and the oils are great solutions to the thinning problem when it comes to hair. I’m glad she mentioned silk or satin as it gets expensive trying to buy 100% pure silk. Thanks Sammy and thanks Claire!
I don’t know if it’s available in the US but i work in this natural-food-diet-food-shop and we sell pills called Silicea (a European/Belgian brand) which is basically Silic acid, it works wonders for getting hair growing back stronger and thicker!
I’ve used Simplicity Hair Oil and it worked really well for me. It grew back a part of my hair that broke off due to heat and it strengthened and helped fill in my edges. It’s great for the scalp as well. I love it.