For many women, hair thinning and loss is inevitable and normal with age.
With a balanced diet, expert-suggested haircare products and flattering haircuts, hair loss can be effectively concealed in certain areas.
We reached out to professional hair stylists and hair experts for three timeless, go-to styling tips that can inspire you to try a new cut or way of accessorizing your locks to help hide any sides of thinning.
Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Lauren Holland, professional hair stylist and leading haircare expert at Latest Locks and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles.
3 Clever Styling Tricks To Hide Hair Thinning
View this post on Instagram
1. Add Long, Subtle Layers
When many of us think layers, choppy, blunt looks might come to mind. These types of styles might inadvertently draw attention to thinning, many stylists warn. For anyone who wants to keep their length but also struggles with thin or flat hair, Holland suggests trying cutting hidden or subtle layers in already long locks, as seen here on Suki Waterhouse (above) and Jennifer Aniston (below).
“If a strongly layered appearance doesn’t appeal to you, ask your stylist about hidden layers,” she notes.
View this post on Instagram
Holland adds that these “delicate and subtle layers” don’t offer the “exact dramatic change from one layer to the next,” that you might be worried about, even though they aren’t entirely invisible. This, she stresses, ultimately gives you a “more voluminous overall appearance without giving you a style with many layers.”
You can style these to be worn down, or if you try other looks like half-up, half-down, or even when wearing your hair in a ponytail or bun, you’ll notice that your tresses will look fuller with the delicate layering. Abdullah also recommends “changing your part” when you have face-framing layers for extra volume.
View this post on Instagram
2. Try Wispy Curtain Bangs
Abdullah offers another quick and fun styling trick for those of us with bangs or fringe (or for anyone who might be thinking of getting one!) Curtain bangs, Abdullah says, are especially helpful for concealing any hair thinning at the crown area, and if you have long bangs, parting them in the middle and styling them in a feathered-out way (to open like a curtain) will create movement.
Curtain bangs are a classic look for anyone with fine hair as they instantly promote symmetry in the face as well as volume, Abdullah explains. Kelly Rowland’s long, wavy and layered ‘do works well with her middle-part and appears more voluminous with the help of these timeless bangs.
View this post on Instagram
This type of fringe, Abdullah notes, “flatters just about any face at any age,” and especially finer or thinner locks as it “makes your hair appear thicker and is a great way to add volume to thinning hair.” The style, as seen on Selena Gomez, works “well for women who want to hide thinning hair in the front,” she adds. Like Gomez, you can also wear your bangs down and not parted, and part them whenever you want to, making the styling possibilities endless and fun!
3. Utilize Scarves, Headbands & Other Accessories
Another stylish way to hide thinning and dazzle up your favorite look is by using accessories.
Whether you want to add a cute headband, patterned scarf, sparkly barrettes, clips, classic bobby pins or other tools, this is one of the easiest ways to draw eyes away from hair loss patches, hold your locks in place where you want them to be, and emphasize your best features and individual style in the process.
If you have bald spots "peeking out around your hairline," Abdullah advises "popping on a headband." If your headband "isn't quite as wide as you need it to be," she suggests "changing it up into a thin scarf." Then, Abdullah concludes, you can confidently "rock a top knot or messy bun" while not having to worry about spots being visible.
