please help with my mothers thinning locks

[ashley123]

I'm sort of new to this site so I wanted to first off say hi to all of my fellow LHCF members. This is my first thread and I need some help. My mothers hair has really thinned out over the years. Its got so thin that when she wears her hair down you can see her scalp. She was once told that because of age its only natural that her hair will thin and that there is nothing that can be done to thicken it. She uses a mild perm(either by profectiv or african pride) every 8-10 weeks if needed and she is 47 yrs old. Is there anyway that my mothers hair can thicken?

 

[msa]

What's the rest of her regimen? Does she leave the relaxer on until it burns? Is she overlapping or running the relaxer through all of her hair, not just the new growth? Does she heat straighten (press/flat iron) often?

Personally, I think relaxer use over decades couldn't be healthy for anyone's scalp so she may want to start stretching for a long time (12+ weeks) or consider transitioning.

It may be a good idea for her to see a dermatologist to rule out female pattern baldness and other medical reasons for hair loss. She should also check and see if any medicines she's taking could be causing the hair loss (for example, steroids can cause hair loss like you wouldn't believe).

If there is no medical cause of her thinning hair then you'll have to see if she'll change her hair care. That means treating her hair gently, deep conditioning, moisturizing, protective styles, low/no heat, and less frequent relaxing. She could also look into using topical growth aids, like a sage/rosemary spritz, emu oil, tea/coffee rinsing, etc. If after 6 months of consistent care she doesn't see a difference then I'd be more likely to blame it on age. At this point, it's probably just bad hair care.

Welcome and I hope this helps!

 

[MCMLXXII]

Is she on any medications? Some medications will thin your hair as a side effect.

 

[Ganjababy]

I would get a check up- HB, ferritin, thyroid etc. If everything is ok I would hold off using relaxers by stretching first and then transition if she can handle it. Increase vitamin intake- bitoin, other b's, multivit, MSM (if she is not on any blood thinners as it also thins the blood). There could be so many reasons why your moms hair is thin but rule out any underlying medical problems first.

 

[betty-boo]

I have a friend who is 40yrs and healthy, but also had thinning hair. Since:
- telling her about stretching her relaxers to at least 12 weeks and more,
- Using deep conditioning treatments (protein & moisture treatments),
- Making sure not to overlap her relaxers, by putting vaseline on her previously relaxed hair and also her scalp,
- Reducing heat usage - using rollers more and braidouts etc.,

Her hair has thickened out a great deal. She no more has sparse bald patches where you can see her scalp. It is a LOT better.

I would say try these first - just like Msa said - before concluding that her hair is thinning due to age.

 

[ashley123]

Thank you all for the good advice...at this point she is willing to do whatever she can. I started her on biotin but we really didnt like what it did to our skin. She is also taking a hair vitamin, fish oil, and a womans multi vitamin. I will tell her to look into a dermatologist to get to the root of it and introduce her to some of the practices talked about on this site such as co washing, and protectie styles.

 

[silvergirl]

i would try the nioxin system , its worked wonders on my moms hair