This article has been updated since its initial publish date to include more expert insight.
Thinning hair can be caused by a number of factors, from hormone changes to genetics. While often it is only temporary, it can be seriously upsetting for those affected and it can be made even worse by certain styling mistakes. For example, parting your hair down the middle of your scalp is one simple way you can actually draw attention to your hair loss. And, while it’s tempting to reach for products that help create lift and volume since thinning hair tends to lay flat on the head, using too much product on your hair can ultimately weigh your hair down and pull on your follicles.
We checked in with Ona Diaz-Santin, a celebrity hairstylist, curl expert, and owner of 5 Salon & Spa and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles to learn more about some of the most common, everyday styling errors that many women make that could draw more attention to signs of thinning and aging in hair. These experts believe that parting your hair in the middle and using too many heavy products can not only highlight hair loss, but also make thinning hair that much worse. Find out more below!
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1. Parting Your Hair In The Middle
While a middle part can be a chic, face-framing look that creates symmetry, Diaz-Santin warns that this style can actually highlight hair loss. This part, she notes, can show more of your scalp. It can "make the hair look thinner" than it actually is. Yikes! We don't want that.
"Typically thinning for women is at the top of the head, and parting in the center can expose the thinning area more," she explains.
Abdullah agrees, and adds that wearing a middle part with already-thin hair can make hair loss even more apparent as many of us find that thinning tresses are inevitable near the crown area. "As thinning hair progresses, it can take a toll on the crown area in women," she notes. She says that because hair loss in women tends to "start with a widening of the part, it's best to stop parting your hair in the middle."
Instead, Diaz-Santin suggests adding "movement to hair when styling." Opt for wispy curtain bangs, and subtle layers, or experiment with "deep side parts." You can even try hiding signs of thinning hair with unique accessories like headbands, scarves, or berets. This can help make your hair look thicker, fuller, and more voluminous. In addition, Abdullah recommends another trick that you can use— asking your stylist to cut short layers into your hair. "These are cut on a slight angle and are meant to help create volume," she notes.
2. Using Heavy Hair Products
There are so many hair care products that promise to add volume to thinning hair, like mousse, hair spray, wave spray, dry shampoo, etc. But, Diaz-Santin urges you to seriously reduce or eliminate hair care products with a thick and heavy consistency because this can weigh thinning, and aging hair down even more. "Applying thick or heavy products in the hair can clump the hair together and make it appear thinner," she notes. It also ends up "exposing the scalp and lack of density."
To avoid this, Diaz-Santin recommends only using "spray stylers, lite foams, and hairspray" that are not too heavy, and that don't have a greasy or flattening effect when applied. That way your hair will feel light and airy. And, be sure to be on the lookout for haircare products with thinning ingredients like sulfates and parabens.
At the end of the day, Diaz-Santin emphasizes that thinning hair "must be treated with care." This is especially true when your follicles are at their most vulnerable like when it's wet or "when combing." She also suggests using "heat tools at a minimum," stocking up on "vitamin D,B12, zinc and collagen," and seeking a dermatologist or hair expert for more information on your own personal situation. What might reduce hair fallout for one person may not work for your own mane.
