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In most cases, thinning hair is not linked with overall health concerns. However, it can affect people’s mental health and self-esteem.
People can try several treatments and home remedies to boost hair health, thickness, and strength.
In this article, we look at the causes of thinning hair, as well as some of the treatments and home remedies available.
Some degree of hair loss is normal. As people get older, their hair may naturally start to lose volume and strength.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) point out that people lose 50–100 hairs each day. New hair then regrows from the same hair follicles.
Over time, however, some follicles stop producing hair, and hair shafts become finer. The hair also starts to lose its color.
If a person notices significant hair thinning or the development of bald patches, they may be experiencing hair loss. According to the ADD, people can stop or treat most causes of hair loss.
The following sections look at possible causes of thinning hair.
Male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness are together called androgenetic alopecia. Genes and hormones cause androgenetic alopecia.
Androgenetic alopecia is a frequent cause of hair loss. It affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States.
According to the Genetics Home Reference, the likelihood of experiencing androgenetic alopecia increases with age. Although it can affect teenagers, over half of males aged 50 and older have some degree of hair loss. It is most likely to affect females following menopause.
Often, people who have androgenetic alopecia have family members with the same condition.
In males, hair thinning tends to occur from the hairline to the back of the head. In females, it tends to affect the crown of the head.
Alopecia areata is a condition that causes hair loss in round patches on the scalp. It can also affect the eyebrows, beard, and other areas where hair is present.
People in the U.S. have a 2.1% chance of developing alopecia areata in their lifetime. It often occurs during childhood. Genes and environmental factors are the main causes.
In alopecia areata, the hair follicles are still alive, and the hair can regrow. Doctors may treat alopecia areata with an injection into the scalp every 4–6 weeks for up to 6 months.
The body needs nutrients in order to create new hair strands and maintain healthy hair follicles.
Protein is an essential component of hair. Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals, play a key role in the hair follicle growth cycle.
Malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies can cause hair loss. Eating a healthful, varied diet can help promote the continued growth of strong, healthy hair.
Eating a nutritious diet can also prevent the following signs of damaged hair:
Vitamin D stimulates the hair follicles, resulting in hair growth. When a person does not get enough vitamin D, they may experience hair loss, alongside other symptoms.
Some research has linked vitamin D deficiencies with alopecia areata.
Learn about vitamin D deficiency and hair loss.
After a long period of significant stress, people may notice that their hair feels thinner than usual. This is called telogen effluvium.
When stress causes thinning hair, people usually notice their hair returning to its normal volume once the stressful situation begins to pass.
Healthcare professionals can help people manage significant times of stress. Talking and behavioral therapies can help. People can also try natural remedies for dealing with stress and anxiety.
People may notice hair loss during or after pregnancy. Typically, the hair grows back without any treatment.
People can try taking prescription medication to treat thinning hair.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have officially approved two prescription drugs for treating androgenetic alopecia: minoxidil and finasteride.
Minoxidil comes in 2% and 5% treatments. People apply the product directly to the areas of thinning hair.
This is a safe and effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia.
It takes 6–12 months for hair growth to improve. However, people taking minoxidil will have to keep taking it permanently, or hair loss will reoccur.
Side effects of taking minoxidil can include:
Finasteride (Propecia) is an oral medication. People experiencing hair loss take 1 milligram daily. This is a prescription drug for men who have already tried minoxidil without success.
Side effects of taking finasteride can include:
People can also try a range of home remedies to improve hair growth.
However, not all home remedies have scientific backing. For this reason, people should speak with a doctor before trying any new home remedy for hair loss.
Studies into natural treatments are numerous and show promise. However, herbal remedies do not currently have FDA approval, and more research is needed to confirm their benefits.
The following sections look at home remedies that people can try to treat thinning hair.
Diet plays an important role in the strength and health of a person’s hair. Proteins, fats, and certain vitamins and minerals are especially important for hair health.
People may notice improvements in hair growth when they increase the amount of certain foods in their diet.
Foods that may boost hair growth include:
Vitamin D deficiencies can contribute to hair loss. Addressing this deficiency could improve thinning hair.
People get most of their vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and their diet. Foods high in vitamin D include:
Some people use essential oils to boost hair growth. There has been little research into how effective these oils can be, but they are unlikely to be harmful.
When using essential oils, people should always dilute them in a carrier oil such as coconut oil or jojoba oil to avoid irritation. Learn more about carrier oils here.
Aromatherapy practitioners may use the following oils to boost hair growth:
Rosemary oil
Some animal studies have suggested that rosemary oil may increase blood flow and could therefore improve scalp health. A healthy scalp is important for healthy hair growth.
One 2015 trial compared rosemary oil with minoxidil 2%. After 6 months, the participants applying rosemary oil and those applying topical minoxidil both experienced significant hair growth.
Peppermint oil
Also capable of stimulating blood circulation, peppermint oil has shown promise as a treatment for thinning hair.
In a 2014 animal study, scientists found that compared with treatments using salt water, jojoba oil, and minoxidil 3%, those using peppermint oil led to the most hair growth over 4 weeks.
They measured hair growth by assessing using hair thickness, follicle number, and follicle depth.
Other oils
Some people also use the following oils for hair growth:
Massaging the scalp may help promote blood flow. This, in turn, may encourage hair to grow. Performing a gentle scalp massage using essential oils could provide extra benefits.
According to a 2019 review of alternative treatments for alopecia, the following remedies could also help with hair growth:
The study authors also suggest trying the following alternative medicine practices, as they may help reduce stress and anxiety:
Doctors can often diagnose the cause of thinning hair by looking at the pattern of hair loss.
They may ask a person about:
A doctor may send hair or scalp samples to a laboratory for further testing. In some cases, they may order blood tests to rule out autoimmune conditions.
In most cases, thinning hair is not linked with overall health problems. If a person is concerned about hair loss, or if it affects their mental well-being, they can see a doctor.
If a person loses a lot of hair with no known cause, they should see their doctor. This is especially important if they have recently made dietary changes or started taking supplements.
The doctor may recommend that a person sees a skin specialist, or dermatologist, to determine the best ways to treat thinning hair.
As a person gets older, it is natural for their hair to lose strength and volume. In many cases, people can improve the strength and overall health of their hair using treatments and home remedies.
Using prescription medication, topical treatments, and natural remedies can help prevent or slow down hair loss. In some cases, treating an underlying condition will solve hair loss.
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In this era of antibiotic resistance and opioid addiction, finding alternatives to drugs is of growing interest to scientists, doctors, and the public at large.
A group of researchers recently investigated a drug-free way to alleviate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux.
Hailing from the Departments of Physical Therapy, Medicine, and Surgery of the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera of Valencia in Spain, they recently published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
The scientists focused their study on people with GERD, a common condition that affects around 18.1–27.8% of adults in the United States.
Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the contents of the stomach, including stomach acid, travel up into the esophagus. This can cause the unpleasant burning sensation that many people call heartburn.
For people with GERD, gastroesophageal reflux can be a regular occurrence that significantly impacts their quality of life.
Current treatment options generally involve the long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Although these drugs are effective, they can cause adverse events in some people and may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.
The scientists involved in the most recent study investigated whether a type of massage called myofascial release (MFR) might relieve the symptoms of GERD.
MFR focuses on the fascia. Prof. María Dolores Arguisuela, research co-director, explains that “the fascia is a tissue of the body that wraps around all structures — muscles, bones, vessels, organs — and has the function of supporting or sustaining, transmitting tensions, and sliding between planes.”
According to the authors of a review of MFR, the technique is a “manual therapy that involves the application of a low load, long duration stretch to the myofascial complex, intended to restore optimal length, decrease pain, and improve function.”
The researchers wanted to understand whether MFR could reduce gastroesophageal reflux, improve quality of life, and minimize the number of PPIs that people needed to take.
They explain that the MFR intervention they designed to use in this study aimed to “stretch the diaphragm muscle fibers.”
The diaphragm is a muscular barrier that separates the abdomen from the chest. The scientists focused on massaging the fascia around the diaphragm because it sits just above the stomach and plays an important role in stopping stomach acid from traveling into the esophagus.
To investigate, they recruited 30 people, aged 18–80, with GERD. Half of the participants received MFR from a highly experienced physical therapist, and the other half received a sham procedure.
Each participant received four 25-minute sessions at a cadence of twice per week for 2 weeks.
During the MFR sessions, the therapist used six techniques that targeted the fascia of the diaphragm; the sham treatment involved similar techniques, but the practitioner did not apply pressure to the fascia.
The scientists assessed the impact of MFR using three measures:
The researchers repeated these measures before the first MFR session, after 1 week of MFR, and at the 4-week mark (2 weeks after the final MFR session).
Compared with those in the sham group, at the 4-week mark, those in the experimental group had a significant improvement in symptoms and self-rated quality of life. Similarly, participants in the MFR group needed to take significantly fewer PPIs. The study authors explain:
“These preliminary findings indicate that the application of the MFR protocol we used in this study decreased the symptoms and PPIs usage and increased the quality of life of patients with nonerosive GERD up to 4 weeks after the end of the treatment.”
This was only a small preliminary trial, so scientists will need to investigate this effect using many more participants.
The authors also note that their study did not take any physical measurements to assess whether the diaphragm was, indeed, blocking the esophagus more effectively.
They also note the challenges of studying a manual therapy, because as the practitioner responds to the needs of each person’s body, every therapy session is different; on this note, they write, “In this sense, the use of manual therapy is itself a study limitation.”
Another shortfall is the limited follow-up; it would be interesting to measure how long the benefits of MFR can last.
However, despite the limitations, the results are encouraging. The researchers write:
“[T]reatment with MFR techniques has no side effects and could become a therapeutic alternative or complement in patients requiring long-term PPIs use or who want or need to avoid PPI medications because of their possible side effects.”
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