Hair Thickener - New Vitality Editorial Team

Thinning of hair is a common problem among men and women. More than 60 million Americans suffer from thinning of hair. More than half the men over the age of 50 suffer from hair loss or baldness. Baldness in women is far less common, but the emotional trauma it brings is greater.
When a woman’s hair is shiny, healthy and full-bodied, she looks more beautiful and feels more confident.

It’s a fact, nothing can make a woman feel more fabulous than knowing that her hair is perfect. But it’s her worst nightmare when her hair begins to thin, become brittle, losing its shine and luster. The face takes on a different look which we are not comfortable with. Usually this occurs in a short span of time. Hair thinning can cause a lot of anxiety leading to lack of confidence and self-image, and sometimes even depression.

The most common cause of hair loss in both men and women is genetic. In fact, heredity accounts for 95% of all the cases of alopecia (baldness) in this country. The remaining 5% of the cases can be due to a number of things including:

* Grief or stress
* improper nutrition, iron deficiency
* thyroid malfunction
* hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause
* side effect of certain medications or medical treatments like chemotherapy
* too many harsh chemicals have been used on it -- so it breaks easily


Finding the cause for thinning of hair will help you to find the right solution.
Helpful tips to prevent hair breakage include shampooing and conditioning only when hair is dirty. Also avoid using hair straightening flat irons and curling irons as they damage hair.
To add volume to your hair you could try:

* Coloring your hair
* Using volumizing products
* Getting a permanent wave to give volume to fine-textured hair


However, some of these ways still involve chemicals and harsh treatment of your hair. They may add volume temporarily but could cause more damage in the long run resulting in hair loss.
Even though genetics is beyond control, effective treatments are available for hair loss and baldness.

Hair Implants
Follicular hair implants are a last resort. This treatment achieves permanent hair growth. By implanting healthy hair follicles from the back of the head to balding areas, the follicles keep on growing. This is the only proven solution for hair loss, but it is also very expensive.

Hair Thickeners
Hair thickeners are a good option for thinning hair. Hair thickening products cover a wide range. Some products simply clean the hair removing heavy oils; some trap moisture in the hair shaft thus giving more body. Hair thickeners come in sprays or creams, and some require that you hair be blow-dried for maximum volume effect.

Hair thickeners fatten individual strands of hair, so that fine hair looks and feels more thicker per strand—thus giving more abundant overall volume. Such products use wheat proteins, infused into the cortex, to “fatten” it up. These products actually bind real hair particles to the hair shaft thereby giving it more volume.

The majority of hair thickeners work by using a hair shaft's natural negative charge to attract polymers (which have a positive charge) thus trapping moisture causing the hair shaft to swell in diameter and appear thicker.

There are hair thickeners which will do more than just thicken hair, but also stimulate new hair growth. If in doubt, ask your hair stylist to recommend a good thickener.