Best Treatment for Thinning Hair in Women
Discover scientifically proven ways to regrow hair
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Best treatment for thinning hair in women
It may have started as a few extra strands of hair in the sink or on your brush. Then suddenly you realize your hair is thinning! Thankfully there are scientifically proven methods to treat female hair loss. In this article we’ll learn how the Inuits prevented hairloss and see what modern science offers. You will be amazed at the products now available and even a few free ideas for treatment for thinning hair in women.
Rogaine for Thinning Hair in Women
Lets start with an FDA approved treatment for thinning hair in women, Rogaine. Rogaine which is technically named minoxidil is an over-the-counter medication created in the 1960s to treat hypertension. However during clinical trials the amazing side effect of hair growth was discovered. Along with helping reduce hypertension minoxidil also started growing hair where it was applied. This took minoxidil from a treatment for hypertension to an FDA approving medication for the treatment of male baldness in 1988 under the tradename Rogaine. Thankfully Rogaine is now also recognized as a treatment for women and men.
Rogaine has been used as a treatment for female hair loss and thinning for many years. This was established in several research studies. One of these was double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter trial lasting for 48 weeks conducted in 2004. The researchers wanted to compare the effectiveness and safety of 5% topical minoxidil with 2% topical minoxidil vs a placebo to treat thinning hair in women and hair loss. The researchers concluded that 5% topical minoxidil was superior to placebo 2% minoxidil. You can read the full study at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
How to Use Rogaine for Thinning Hair
Most products with minoxidil recommend using it two times a day. Working this into your schedule could be difficult at first. However small changes such as waking up a little earlier or applying it as soon as you get home from work can help. Spend a little time thinking through your daily routine and most likely you will be able to fit in the application process.
The second challenge with Rogaine is that it will take several months for hair growth to be noticeable. This is partly due to the slow nature of hair growth. Then once you start to see improvement you need to keep using it for continued hair growth. However applying a few drops of Rogaine each day is often a small price to pay for the treatment of thinning hair in women. You can find additional information about Rogaine in our full article Results of Rogain for Women
Hair Multivitamin to Treat Thinning Hair in Women
The second scientifically backed treatment for thinning hair in women is Viviscal. Viviscal is a dietary supplement designed to sustain thinning hair and encourage existing hair growth. Along with the typical assortment of vitamins that support hair health viviscal includes AminoMar® marine complex. Marine complex is precisely what it sounds like, a medley of ground up marine animals, mostly fish and mollusk powder.
AminoMar complex was found by a Scandinavian professor studying the Inuits. The professor recognized that their superb hair and skin quality was due to their marine based diet. This discovery lead to isolating the key protein molecules from the Inuits’ diet. This lead to the formulation of AminoMar. The amazing thing about viviscal is that its been around for over 25 years! In addition to it being one of the original supplements to support hair growth there are also several studies backing the effectiveness of viviscal as a treatment for thinning hair in women. Based on the research viviscal maybe the premier supplement to help hair grow.
For additional information on Rogaine and Viviscal checkout our comparison chart for Rogain Vs Viviscal.
Massage For Thinng Hair
Last but certainly not least on the list of scientifically backed treatments for thinning hair in women is scalp massaging. Massaging usually used to treat muscle soreness and for relaxation. The rubbing, pushing and squeezing used in massage promotes increased blood and lymph circulation. Improved circulation enhances the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to our cells. There is now reason to believe the same increased circulation can also help promote hair growth.
A 2012 study by Dr. Henry Choy, presented a new theory to explain baldness. He feels hair loss is associated with sebum trapped inside the hair follicle. He believes that massaging the patients scalp can stimulate normal hair growth.
To test his hair growth theory he had 100 study participants massage their head every day for 300 days. The results were remarkable. All participants who followed the daily massaging protocol were able to achieve hair regrowth. Dr. Choy stated, “the results demonstrated that all people could have their hair regrown naturally and healthily.” These results have been confirmed in later studies.
Scalp Massager
Testing these results yourself are as simple as starting a scalp massage routine. If you try this ( we have ) you will likely notice good results along with sore hands! Pressing and rubbing your scalp for several minutes takes a good amount of work. To make the task a bit easier consider picking up an electric scalp massager. Along with preventing sore hands and arms it will also make your hair growth session more relaxing.
Checkout our detailed review of Nioxin Vs Rogaine or Bosley Shampoo vs Nioxin
Treatment for Thinning Hair in Women
After reviewing the possible solutions to hair loss one theme seems to standout. There is no one size fits all silver bullet. However combining several of the approaches discussed above could increase hair growth and stop your thinning hair. This could be referred to creating a "hair growth stack". A hair growth stack might consist of:
- Viviscal
- Rogaine
- Massage
Additional Hair Growth Treatments
In the process of searching for the best treatment for thinning hair in women you have likely come across countless recommendations for every vitamin and herb imaginable. The hair growth stack mentioned above has the most research backed evidence for helping regrow hair, but there are a few other supplements that could be worth your consideration.
Fish Oil for Hair Growth
Over the past several years fish oil has been touted to help everything from heart disease, arthritis, to mental decline. However you may not have heard about its effects on hair growth. A 2015 study discovered that omega 3, 6 and antioxidants can guard against hair loss by improving hair density. Fish Oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Including fish oil in your diet can be as simple as taking a supplement. If you prefer to get vitamins from whole food look for fish high in omega-3 fatty acids. Fish such as mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Support Your Hair with Zinc
Zinc is really a mineral and considered an "essential trace element". Its called a “trace element” because the average person only needs a small amount (trace) of zinc to maintain good health. Humans cannot create or store surplus zinc, so it needs to come from food. The typical sources of zinc are poultry, fish, red meat. Along with helping build a strong immune system zinc might also play a role in hair loss.
A 2013 study evaluated the effect of zinc on four types of hair loss patients, including alopecia areata, male pattern hair loss, and female pattern hair loss and telogen effluvium. The zinc levels of hair loss patients were compared to a control group without hair loss. Investigators discovered the hair loss patients to have lower serum zinc levels compared to the control group. The Investigators determined that zinc metabolism disturbances may be involved in thinning hair and hair loss.
Biotin for Hair Growth
Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin also known as vitamin B7 and formerly called vitamin H. Biotin plays a key role in the body. It helps maintain skin health, the nervous system, digestive tract, and our metabolism. Biotin can also support your hair by repairing hair damaged from over-shampooing, sun exposure, and blow-drying. It can also stimulate hair growth by supporting the adrenal glands. Because of this some people feel biotin is one of the best vitamins and supplements to help hair grow. However lets review the research.
In 2015 researchers from the Ablon Skin Institute Research Center gave women with thinning hair an oral marine protein supplement (MPS) with biotin or a placebo pill twice a day for 90 days. Photos were taken of the participants’ hair at the start and end of the study. Each participants hair was washed and shed hairs were collected and counted. Researchers found that women who took MPS experienced a substantial amount of hair growth and had less thinning. While this sounds great biotin was only part of a larger hair multivitamin. If you are tempted to take just biotin for hair loss or thinning hair check out our comparison of Viviscal vs biotin.
Now checkout the head to head comparison of Viviscal vs Nutrafol or Bosley Shampoo vs Nioxin