10 Ways to Help Thinning Hair and Reduce Breakage

Finding more hair than usual in the shower, on your brush or scattered across your clothes can be alarming. But thinning hair doesn’t always mean you’re experiencing permanent hair loss.

Our hair naturally grows and sheds in cycles, and there are many reasons those cycles can change. Illness, stress, hormonal changes, significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, certain medications and hereditary hair loss can all play a part.

Sometimes the problem isn’t hair loss from the follicle at all. Damage and breakage can also leave hair looking noticeably thinner.

The important thing is not to panic — or immediately spend a small fortune on products promising miraculous regrowth.

Instead, start by thinking about what may have changed and give your existing hair the gentlest possible treatment.

Here are 10 sensible ways to care for thinning hair, reduce unnecessary damage and recognise when it’s time to speak to a professional.

1. Work Out Whether You’re Experiencing Shedding, Breakage or Hair Loss

They aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Hair shedding is part of the normal growth cycle. We all lose hair every day, although you may notice considerably more at certain times.

Breakage happens when the hair shaft snaps. Bleaching, chemical treatments, excessive heat, tight hairstyles and rough handling can all contribute.

Hair loss, meanwhile, has numerous potential causes and can present in different ways. You might notice gradual thinning around the parting, a receding hairline, distinct patches or more generalised thinning across the scalp.

Look at what you’re actually seeing.

Are full-length hairs coming away from the scalp? Are you finding lots of shorter broken pieces? Has your parting become wider? Is one particular area changing?

You don’t need to diagnose yourself, but noticing the pattern can provide useful information if you subsequently speak to your GP or dermatologist.

2. Think Back a Few Months

One particularly common form of excessive shedding is called telogen effluvium.

It occurs when a larger-than-usual proportion of hairs move into the resting and shedding phase of their growth cycle.

Woman holding a hairbrush containing shed hair while looking at the back of her long brown hair.

The confusing part is that the trigger may have happened several months before you notice the shedding.

A significant illness, high fever, surgery, childbirth, major psychological stress, substantial weight loss or extreme dieting can all potentially trigger telogen effluvium.

So if your hair suddenly seems to be coming out everywhere, think back rather than only considering what has happened during the past week.

In many cases telogen effluvium improves without specific treatment once the underlying trigger has passed, although restoring the hair’s previous thickness takes time.

3. Make Sure You’re Eating Enough

Hair isn’t an essential organ, so severe dietary restriction isn’t particularly helpful when you’re trying to support normal hair growth.

Protein and iron are particularly relevant, but your overall diet matters more than obsessing over a single fashionable “hair food”.

Selection of nutrient-rich foods including salmon, avocado, leafy greens, fruit, vegetables, eggs, nuts and whole grains.

Aim for a varied diet containing good sources of protein alongside fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and healthy fats.

Depending on your diet, useful protein sources could include eggs, fish, poultry, dairy products, tofu, nuts and seeds.

Iron can be obtained from foods including meat, leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals, nuts and some dried fruits.

If you’ve experienced substantial weight loss, follow a highly restrictive diet or suspect that you may have a nutritional deficiency, speak to your GP rather than attempting to diagnose and treat it yourself.

4. Don’t Automatically Reach for Hair Supplements

A bottle covered in promises of thicker, stronger hair can be extremely tempting when yours appears to be disappearing.

But supplements aren’t automatically harmless — and taking more of a nutrient doesn’t necessarily produce more hair.

If you’re deficient in something your body needs, addressing that deficiency may be important. But taking high doses of vitamins or minerals when you aren’t deficient isn’t the same thing.

Hairbrush and capsules arranged beside long brown hair, representing supplements marketed for hair health.

Some nutrients can actually cause problems when consumed in excessive amounts.

If your diet is restricted or you suspect a deficiency, speak to a healthcare professional about whether testing or supplementation is appropriate rather than building your own cocktail of “hair vitamins”.

5. Be Much Gentler With Your Hair

When hair is thinning, the last thing it needs is additional breakage.

That doesn’t mean you have to stop washing or styling it altogether. It means treating it like something you’re trying to preserve rather than something capable of surviving anything you throw at it.

Use a gentle shampoo and conditioner and avoid aggressively rubbing wet hair with a towel.

Detangle carefully, beginning at the ends and gradually working upwards rather than dragging a brush from root to tip.

Woman gently combing through long wet hair with a wide-tooth comb to reduce pulling and breakage.

A wide-tooth comb or detangling brush can help, particularly when used according to your hair type and texture.

And don’t panic when washing releases a noticeable amount of hair. Hair that was already ready to shed can accumulate between washes, making wash day look considerably more dramatic.

6. Turn Down the Heat

Hairdryers, straighteners, curling irons and heated brushes can all be useful styling tools.

They can also damage hair when they’re used excessively or at very high temperatures.

Close-up of a hair straightener being used on long brown hair, illustrating heat styling and potential hair damage.

If you’re already concerned about thinning, reduce unnecessary heat where practical. Allow your hair to partially air-dry before using a hairdryer, turn down the temperature and use an appropriate heat-protection product before styling.

You don’t necessarily have to abandon your straighteners forever.

The aim is simply to reduce avoidable damage while your hair is vulnerable.

7. Give Bleach and Chemical Treatments a Break

If your hair is snapping as well as shedding, now probably isn’t the moment for another aggressive round of bleach.

Lightening, perming, chemical straightening and relaxing all alter the structure of the hair and can increase fragility.

Hairdresser applying colour or bleach to a client's hair using a brush and foils in a salon.

That doesn’t mean hair colouring itself causes every form of hair loss. But damaged strands can break, making already-thinning hair look considerably less dense.

If you colour your hair professionally, tell your hairdresser what you’ve been experiencing. They may be able to adjust your colour plan, reduce processing or suggest lower-maintenance options while your hair recovers.

Sometimes the most useful treatment is simply doing less.

8. Loosen Your Hairstyles

That slicked-back ponytail might look fantastic, but wearing very tight hairstyles repeatedly can place unnecessary tension on the hair.

Woman having her hair arranged into a loose plait, helping to avoid excessive tension on the hair and scalp.

Styles that consistently pull at the roots can contribute to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia.

Alternate your hairstyles and avoid constantly pulling hair tightly away from the face. Softer ponytails, loose buns, clips and wearing your hair down can all give stressed areas a break.

Pay particular attention to the hairline and temples, where tension may be especially noticeable.

If you’re already seeing thinning around areas repeatedly placed under tension, don’t ignore it.

9. Be Realistic About Stress

“Stop stressing” might be one of the least helpful pieces of advice ever given to a stressed person.

But there is a genuine relationship between significant physical or psychological stress and some forms of increased hair shedding.

Close-up of a woman removing shed hair from a hairbrush after brushing.

The answer isn’t to become stressed about being stressed.

Instead, look at the things that support your general wellbeing: regular movement, sufficient sleep, time outside, relaxation, seeing people you enjoy being around and seeking professional help when stress or anxiety becomes difficult to manage.

A scalp massage might feel wonderful and become part of that relaxation routine.

Just don’t expect it to perform miracles.

There is an important difference between something that feels good and a clinically proven treatment for hair loss.

10. Know When It’s Time to See Your GP

There comes a point where another shampoo isn’t the answer.

See your GP if you’re worried about hair loss, particularly if it is sudden, severe, persistent or accompanied by other symptoms.

It’s also worth seeking medical advice if you develop distinct bald patches, scalp pain, redness, significant scaling or scarring, or if your eyebrows or other body hair are also being affected.

Your GP can consider your symptoms, medical history, medications and potential underlying causes. Depending on the circumstances, blood tests may be appropriate to investigate issues such as iron deficiency or thyroid problems.

They may also refer you to a dermatologist when specialist assessment is needed.

And importantly, speak to your GP before paying a commercial hair-loss clinic to tell you what’s wrong.

Finding the cause comes before finding the treatment.

What Is Telogen Effluvium?

Telogen effluvium is a form of increased hair shedding caused by disruption to the normal hair-growth cycle.

Normally, most scalp follicles are actively growing hair while a smaller proportion are resting and preparing to shed.

With telogen effluvium, more follicles than usual enter the shedding phase.

This often produces diffuse thinning across the scalp rather than individual bald patches, and people commonly notice considerably more hair while washing or brushing.

The shedding can begin around three months after a trigger, which is why the cause isn’t always immediately obvious.

Possible triggers include:

Significant illness or fever
Surgery or physical trauma
Childbirth
Major emotional stress
Significant weight loss or extreme dieting
Certain medications
Hormonal changes
Some scalp conditions

And sometimes no obvious trigger can be identified.

The reassuring part is that acute telogen effluvium usually resolves naturally. The shedding phase commonly lasts around three to six months, although it can take considerably longer for the hair to regain its previous volume because new hair still has to grow.

Can Thinning Hair Grow Back?

Sometimes — but it depends entirely on why the hair is thinning.

Temporary shedding following an illness or other physical stress may resolve as the normal hair cycle re-establishes itself.

Hair that’s appearing thinner because of breakage can look fuller as damaged lengths grow out and further damage is reduced.

Other forms of hair loss may require treatment, while hereditary pattern hair loss can progress over time.

That’s precisely why diagnosing all thinning hair as the same problem isn’t particularly helpful.

If the cause isn’t obvious or your hair continues to become thinner, get it assessed.

Should You Wash Thinning Hair Less Often?

Not necessarily.

Washing doesn’t cause telogen effluvium. Those hairs were already progressing towards the point at which they would naturally shed.

If you wash less frequently, you may simply see more accumulated shed hairs when you eventually shampoo, making it appear that washing caused the loss.

Choose gentle products that suit your scalp and hair type and wash as frequently as you need to keep your scalp comfortable.

How you treat the hair while washing and drying it is often more important than trying to achieve an arbitrary number of shampoo days each week.

What About Rosemary Oil and Hair-Growth Shampoos?

This is where it’s worth being particularly wary of marketing.

A shampoo can cleanse the scalp and cosmetic products can make hair look and feel fuller. Neither automatically means they’re treating the underlying cause of hair loss.

Likewise, “natural” doesn’t mean clinically proven — or incapable of causing irritation.

If you’re considering a treatment because you believe you’re experiencing genuine hair loss rather than cosmetic breakage, establish what’s causing the problem first.

There is no single oil, shampoo, vitamin or serum capable of treating every form of thinning hair.

Thinning Hair Needs Answers, Not Panic Buying

Hair thinning can be incredibly upsetting, particularly when you don’t know why it’s happening.

But buying increasingly expensive products isn’t necessarily the solution.

Start with the basics. Treat your existing hair gently. Eat a varied and adequate diet. Reduce unnecessary heat, bleach and tension. Think about whether illness, weight loss, childbirth, medication or a stressful event occurred in the months before the shedding began.

Then give your hair time.

If the thinning continues, becomes severe or simply worries you, speak to your GP. Hair loss has many possible causes, and getting the right diagnosis is considerably more useful than guessing.

This article is for general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual medical advice.

This feature has been completely rewritten and updated from an earlier Crave article that originally included expert commentary supplied by Milk + Blush.

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