Fashion Friday: Hair Woes

I always love to welcome guest posters over to Fashion Friday because I RUN OUT OF IDEAS!

One of my friends shared with me her hair woes and the next week TWO MORE friends started talking about their struggle.  So this friend who has been trying to plump up her locks offered to write today’s guest post for Fashion Friday today.

Ladies, I don’t have good hair.  At all.

It is fine and tangles and is fragile due to over washing because I work out.  AND… it grows fast so if I don’t make it to the salon every five weeks to get my highlights retouched, I have roots showing.  Classy.  To top it all off, 18 months ago I had a Really Life Changingly Bad Thing happen to me. Like on my top 5 list of Things I Never Ever Want To Happen To Me, it was on that list.

As a result, my hair started thinning and breaking due to stress and not eating enough.  So I talked to my doctor and went on a product trying spree to help.

Here is what I learned.

First, I’m not alone. I was so embarrassed, thinking hair loss was a guy thing only.  60% of women in their 40s have thinning hair. More for working women in stressful jobs. (Yep that’s me).  80% of women have thinning hair by age 60.  Nope, not alone at all.

So, here’s my review of the products and the drug, what works what doesn’t and price points.

I tried both Nioxon and Rogain and I can compare and contrast. Bottom line:There is exactly one FDA approved drug to treat this and it is Rogain/Minoxodil. Nioxin is more of a “happy scalp” system than anything to actually regrow hair, and they admit as much. Nioxin is a shampoo, conditioner and scalp spray. It smells and feels nice but does almost nothing and isn’t cheap. If you like that peppermint tingly thing a much better option is Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle. Costs far less and feels and smells even better.

On the other hand -Minoxidil Topical Treatment works.

For women, applying a solution of Minoxidil directly to the scalp can stimulate hair growth. The amount of Minoxidil absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream is too small to cause internal side effects. Med speak for it’s pretty safe and it actually seems to be more effective for women compared to men.

The stats: In clinical studies of mostly white women aged 18-45 years with mild to moderate degrees of hair loss, the following response to Minoxidil was reported: 19-40% of women reported hair growth after using Minoxidil for 8 months (19% had moderate regrowth; 40% had minimal regrowth). For me, visibly improved hair regrowth within two – three months. I’m very happy with the treatment. And it’s cheap and over the counter at CVS.

So, I’d say use the Minoxidil and skip Nioxin or use Trader Joe’s!

Also, I have tried some plumping and root thickener tricks. And a couple of hair oils for summer protection for my fragile strands from sun pools beach and heat.

Here is my comparison of effectiveness and price for the different solutions.

To fake thicker hair, I have two favorite paths: one is cheap and one is expensive.

To really bulk up, I love Oribe.  Thick dry spray, for after you dry, and Keristas Densitive which you put on wet hair.  Both work great and even better together. But this combo solution is really expensive!

However, there are much more reasonable options too.  I love Got2BePowderful for after you dry and Garnier Mega Full thickening lotion for wet hair. Actually, the Powderful is so amazing you can even use it to plump up hair after a ponytail or workout!

Finally, how to protect that fine thin hair from summer without making it flat? Argan oil is expensive and was too thick and heavy for my fine hair. OGX Weightless Coconut Oil Mist works so well and smells amazing! And is super cheap! I use it post shower on my ends to end breaking and tangles, or all over pre and post beach.

I hope this helps you deal with your hair woes and feel more beautiful. Thinning or breaking hair is often a sign of something serious in our lives, and I hope we can be compassionate and supportive of each other.