While thickening thinner tresses can’t be done overnight, there are conditioning techniques and treatments out there that can improve the appearance of your locks over time, beauty aficionados say. With that in mind, we checked in with hair experts and professional hair stylists to learn more about two types of conditioning treatments for thinning hair. Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Lauren Udoh, professional hair stylist and Hair Creative Director of WigReports and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles.
Apply Black Seed & Coconut Oil To Scalp
This all-natural remedy has many benefits for a dry scalp and weaker strands, Abdullah says. When detangling your tresses, Abdullah suggests doing so when your locks are "mostly dry, after applying a leave-in conditioner." Next, she recommends "massaging your scalp with a little black seed oil" to strengthen the hair follicles. To avoid the hair swelling with water when wet (and breaking off pieces of the hair cuticle), she stays to "try using coconut oil as a pre-shampoo and conditioner."
It's been proven to "absorb into the hair shaft and prevent water swelling your hair," she notes. "When you comb hair that's swollen with water, you're damaging it severely," she warns. Additionally, she explains that "if your hair is thinning, avoid getting chemicals near your scalp." Sulfate shampoos also weaken the hair follicles by "going inside and destroying protective layers," so "coconut oil on the scalp before washing is a good remedy" for damaged strands.
Choose A Conditioner With Jojoba Oil
While conditioning your hair is an important step regardless of your hair texture, finer hair types benefit from conditioners that contain jojoba oil as an ingredient, Udoh says. "I recommend using a conditioner that contains natural ingredients like jojoba oil, which will help to nourish and revitalize your hair," she says. Udoh stresses steering clear of conditioners that contain sodium lauryl sulfates (often abbreviated as SLS) as an ingredient.
These chemicals help create a foamy, bubbly and soapy effect in the product but can affect, damage and negatively impact the natural oils on your scalp, she warns. "If you have flat hair, be sure to avoid conditioners that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate," she stays, "This harsh detergent is known to strip away natural oils, leaving hair feeling dry, brittle, and damaged." With that said, Udoh says to always "look for conditioners that don't contain this ingredient to help keep your locks healthy and looking their best."
