Look at family photos of the men in your family. If you see some bald heads, it’s likely that you will experience the same as balding is mostly genetic. It usually begins around the age of 30 and when you look in the mirror, you may notice that your hairlines doesn’t start where it used to, or that your hair is getting sparser on the top of your head.
If it fills you with dread, you’re not alone. Balding is a concern for many men. While women largely worry about wrinkles and fine lines (while, for men, wrinkles are often seen as adding character to their appearance), for men, it’s the fullness of their head of hair that’s a key issue when it comes to aging.
Can anything be done about it? The hilarious product from the 90s, GLH, comes to mind, with its unnatural looking spray-paint-like results. Donald Trump’s coif come to mind as well. Thankfully, you do not have to resign yourself to either. Treatments are available that can help you keep the hair you’ve got (and even get back some locks you’ve lost) or at least make it look like your hair is thicker and fuller than it is.
Shampoo your hair to look thicker
Nioxin is actually more than just a shampoo; it’s a system products consisting of a cleanser, therapy product and treatment (and there six systems tailored to different hair types). The cleanser or shampoo and the therapy both work at amplifying the appearance of each hair follicle temporarily (and making hair stronger so as to prevent damage and breakage), while the treatment boasts antioxidants and botanicals that nourish the scalp. Of the thinning hair solutions outlined here, this is the simplest one you can try out since you already shampoo and condition.
Foam your hair fuller
Minoxidil is a non-prescription product to help with balding. You likely know it by the name Rogaine. It comes in a foam format and you apply it twice a day. It works by stimulating hair growth and making existing hair follices larger. Don’t buy it the week before the high-school reunion, though. Minoxidil can take up to four months before you see results, so you’ll have to be patient. As for side effects, it can be irritable to your scalp; think itchiness and flaking. If you have a sensitive scalp, you might want to consider a different option as it’s meant to be used on an ongoing basis.
Take a pill to stall hair thinning
If neither of these two above options appeals to you, there’s finasteride, a prescription pill that helps with preventing thinning. Consider the pill your line of defence against the dihydrotestesteron, which is the hormone mostly responsible for balding. An enzyme converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which then leads to thinning hair. Finasteride not only slows your thinning but it may also regrow hair you’ve lost.
