Women getting hair blow dried

It’s probably fair to say that whether you’re a man, woman or prefer not to identify, hair loss or thinning hair is probably among one of your biggest concerns when it comes to ageing and your appearance.

While there is certainly a genetic component involved, there are also some things you can do from home to help combat or lessen the effects of hair loss. We’ve put together our top tips to help encourage thick, luscious locks.

1. Give Your Hair the Right Building Blocks

It’s no secret that your diet has an immense impact on your body and your hair is no different. Hair is made of protein, so you want to make sure you include clean, healthy proteins into your diet like fish, eggs and beans.

Including Omega-3 fatty acids into your diet also helps supply your hair with the nutrients it needs to grow thicker, more healthy hair. Nuts, seeds, and fish like salmon are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Try snacking on almonds or incorporating ground flax seeds and chia seeds into your diet.

2. Get Your Sweat On

Okay, hear us out on this one. Regular exercise should be part of a healthy lifestyle anyway, but if for no other reason, it may help increase hair growth. In the short term, sweating can help expel dirt and oil from your hair follicles, making room for new hair growth.

In the long-term, exercise acts as a great stress reliever. Since stress has clearly been linked to hair loss, the less stressed you are the better chance you have at keeping your hair and growing some luscious locks.

3. Be Nice!

As much as we all love a good blow out and style, we definitely agree that your hair deserves a break. Try to use heat tools like hair dryers, curling irons and straightening tools as sparingly as possible.

If you really are concerned with your hair becoming brittle, avoid drastic hair colour changes as they require harsh chemicals. These chemicals can deal serious damage to your already fragile locks.

Try transitioning your hair colour over a few appointments instead of doing it all at once. It may make for a less dramatic reveal, but it won’t be as harsh on your hair.

4. Supplements Are Your Friends

Now that you already have a diet full of the protein building blocks your hair needs, it’s time to give it an extra boost!

There are many different hair supplements out there but we find taking a simple multi-vitamin in addition to Biotin to be a good combination. It’s readily available at most drug stores and even grocery stores.

5. Try a Hair Mask

If you read our blog on our favourite at-home beauty remedies, you’ll know we’re a fan of the egg and mayo hair mask.

To make this hair mask yourself, mix 1 egg with about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise into a cream and apply it all over your hair. If your hair tends to be more on the greasy side, we recommend applying the mask midway down your hair and all the way to your ends. Let the mask sit for 10-15 minutes, then rinse it out with cool water.

6. Skip the Shampoo

While it can be tempting to wash your hair every day, especially for people with thin hair that tends to fall flat, try to resist the urge. Shampoo strips your hair of natural oils that are used to hydrate and repair your hair.

On your off-wash days, make sure to brush your hair several times to help distribute the oils through your hair to the tips before adding in dry shampoo and styling. When you do decide to wash your hair, make sure you really massage your scalp to increase circulation to your hair follicles and increase growth.

Hair loss is tricky; sometimes it’s simply up to genetics and there isn’t a lot you can do about it. Sometimes, the best you can do is to treat your hair “nicely,” for lack of a better word, to help maintain the locks you do have.

The other key is consistency; your hair care routine to help treat hair loss or thinning hair can’t be sporadic, so make sure you work it into your daily or weekly routine.

And of course, if you ever have any questions or don’t know what to do with your newly grown hair, contact us at Urban Vanity and would be happy to help!