Hair Care Tips

Treating hair loss is not only a medical issue, a cosmetic aspect needs to be addressed. Treating your hair well on the outside is essential to helping minimize the shed and promoting or enhancing the cosmetic issue and general overall hair health.

General Hair Care Tips:

Shampoos not only help keep your hair clean, they can also enhance the appearance of thickness. Certain shampoos are labeled as “volumizing” or promoting more body. These products work by coating the hair shaft, usually with a silicone derivative called dimethicone or dimethicone copolyol and give the appearance of more volume or thickness. Many users have liked two particular brands; a line called Thicker Fuller Hair, which you can buy at any supermarket or drug store, and the Amplify line by Matrix, which you can buy at any beauty supply store or hair salon. Since these shampoos coat the hair, build up can occur and it is generally a good idea to switch different shampoos every couple of days. A shampoo labeled “clarifying” will help reduce this buildup and residue.

There is no reason to restrict daily shampooing. In fact, if you have oily hair, your hair will fare better if it is gently washed each day, as this washing will help remove dirt and residue. If left on, these buildups can make the scalp appear shinier; this can make thinning or balding areas more apparent.

Conditioners help coat hair shafts and bind to hair, which can help make it stronger, softer and shinier. There are several different types of conditioners. Be advised, someone with fine or thin hair should use a lightweight conditioner or one specially formulated for that kind of hair type, as heavier conditioners can weigh the hair down, ultimately causing to appear flatter. Also, if you are prone to oily hair, use a conditioner on your ends, and try to stay away from the scalp and areas closer to the scalp. This can help reduce the amount of oiliness.

Leave in conditioners are conditioners that are applied to wet hair or damp hair and are not washed out. Deep conditioners are usually left on hair for quite some time, as long as half an hour and then are shampooed out afterwards. Hot oil treatments work well on your hair as an occasional treat for dry hair, but are not recommended for those with fine hair, as it can make it flat or limp.

It can be safe to use hair styling agents and dyes, but try using styling agents that contain alcohol less frequently, as it can dry out hair. When dying hair, try to avoid products that are formulated with peroxide and ammonia. Peroxide in particular attacks keratin and causes the hair to become weaker.

In terms of combing and brushing your hair, a wide tooth comb is recommended, as it helps untangle hair in a less damaging way than a brush. If you do want to use a brush, choose one with natural bristles, such as a boar bristle brush, as it will redistribute the hair’s oils on the hair when you are brushing.

As far as cover up products go, there are several on the market that people have had success with. These include Toppik, Couvre and DermMatch.

Toppik consists of tiny microfibers made out of keratin are shaken out of a canister directly onto the selected areas. Since it is charged with static electricity, the microfibers will bond to your hair strongly, even when it is windy, raining and while you are sleeping, and it washes out easily with shampoo. Toppik comes in 6 shades.

Spencer Forrest Products, the same company that makes Toppik, also makes Couvre Protein Hair Expander. Couvre is not necessarily a cosmetic cover up, rather it is a protein based concealer that is applied to the scalp, helping reduce the contrast between the scalp and hair. Couvre is available in 8 shades.

DermMatch is a powder concealer that is applied directly to the scalp with a special applicator. According to DermMatch, you can brush your hair or even swim with it on. It comes in a disk similar to powdered packaged eye shadow and comes in seven shades that can easily be blended to match your hair color. Treating hair loss is not only a medical issue, a cosmetic aspect needs to be addressed. Treating your hair well on the outside is essential to helping minimize the shed and promoting or enhancing the cosmetic issue and general overall hair health.