Keeping a thick head of hair is important to most people. And, while there is a normal level of hair shedding which will occur every day, there comes a point where the shedding outpaces your regrowth and leads to an overall thinning of your hair.
Just seeing a few stray hairs probably isn’t much cause for concern, but if you notice a lot of things mentioned on this list (or you are scouring the internet for signs that your hair is thinning), you may be in the stages of hair thinning.
Hair thinning can often be treatable, either by remedying the underlying situation causing the hair loss or by starting medications that help with regrowth and maintenance.
When it comes to treatments for hair loss or thinning, the sooner you start, the better the outcome can be.
However, remember that verifying that your hair is indeed thinning does not mean you need to throw in the towel and crop it super short, but you may want to speak with a doctor in person or via an online telemedicine visit to see what hair loss treatment options are available.
Below, we will cover just some of the signs that will start popping up when your hair starts thinning.
1. Excess hair shedding
You have definitely seen some amount of hair shedding going on all throughout your life, and this is very normal. In fact, it is normal for everyone to shed 50-100 hairs a day.
And, with this normal rate of loss, there should be no visible change to your overall hair at all, since your regrowth will keep up with this.
However, no one knows your hair better than you do, so if you have an inkling that you’ve never seen this much hair leftover in your brush, shower drain, or on your pillow, chances are you aren’t imagining things.
2. You see more scalp than you used to
When you have a thick and healthy head of hair, your scalp probably rarely comes to mind or is only barely visible.
But, if during your usual styling, or mirror glances, you have a feeling that you are seeing a little more scalp through your hair than usual (who knew that mole was there?), it could be from more hair falling out than usual, leaving the scalp less densely covered.
3. Your ponytail seems smaller
Ponytail-stylers will be able to feel the difference in the ponytail when hair is thinning, as you will find that the diameter of the ponytail seems much smaller, it is falling down limper, or you are having to make 1 or 2 extra loops on the hair tie to get it to stay put.
Unless you have changed up your hair bands or gotten a drastic trim, your ponytail shrinking may be a tell-tale sign of hair thinning.
4. Your part is much wider than before
This one goes especially for women, as a widening part tends to be one of the first places women start thinning.
If you used to have a tight and narrow line of scalp showing when you part your hair, but it now seems to look wider, and maybe with less sharp jagged looking edges of hair surrounding it, this may be a warning sign of your hair thinning at the top.
To help make your part look more full while you try to remedy the thinness, opting for a side part may help give the illusion of thicker locks.
5. You are finding hair everywhere
If you feel like you are seeing more and more stray hairs on your coat, carpet, bathroom counter, in your fingers when you run your hands through, etc., this may be a sign of excessive shedding and thinning hair.
6. You got a scalp sunburn
Your hair is on your scalp to help protect it from the elements and UV rays, so when it starts becoming a little bit thinner, that normally protected skin can be exposed to the sun way more than usual.
One normally doesn’t think to protect the top of the head from the sun or give the scalp a once over with sunscreen when heading out to the beach, but a few new scalp sunburns may be very telling of a thinner head of hair.
Sunscreen can be pretty messy to slather onto your scalp, but opting for a hat when you are heading out for a day in the sun may help protect your scalp from getting burnt.
7. Your hairline has changed
For men, one of the first signs of hair thinning is a change to the hairline.
This may come in the form of deepening hair on your temples, and overall receding, or the tell-tale “M” shaped hairline.
While a slight hairline change is normal as men age from boys into adults, if the temples keep creeping back further, it could be a sign of hair thinning.
8. Your hair is styling differently than before
If your signature style seems to be taking longer and longer to get just right, or things don’t seem to be laying the way they used to, this may be an initial sign of overall thinning.
When there is less hair to work with, styles may not hold up as well, look very flat, or refuse to respond to your normal styling products and techniques.
Take chances in the way your hairstyles to be an early warning sign of something going on with the thickness of your hair.
