Thinning Hair: Fact, Myth & Misconception
We hear A LOT about the woes and thoughts behind thinning hair as barbers and we’ve come to a few conclusions on the whole thing.
Thinning hair is one of the biggest worries among men. We’ve heard every theory from hats to mom’s genes. And the truth is, there isn't enough research to confirm any of it! At Ritual Grooming we do have some strong theories and advice.
A few myths that have been debunked here and there as the sole cause of thinning hair is wearing hats too much, bleaching your hair too much and too much product usage, your mother’s side of the family (to be honest this last one has almost no backing). Although these things can affect the health of your hair they don't inherently cause you to go bald. On the other hand, things that are used to aid in hair growth such as oil treatments, scalp massages and biotin supplements will allow for a healthy scalp, sadly, they will not prevent hair loss.
Our biggest theory is on something you cannot control, hormones. We’ve seen quite the trend regarding testosterone. Testosterone affects the male body in a number of ways, height, body hair, and muscle growth. If you have the ability to grow an amazing beard it is more likely that you will have partial or complete hair loss. Another fascinating situation we’ve seen to help prove this is when an individual begins using steroids or goes through gender affirming therapy and starts injecting testosterone into their system you will see big changes regarding the hairline.
Although losing hair is an incredibly hard process to endure, there are solutions to slow and sometimes even stop this process. A lot of people have taken to topical remedies such as medicated shampoos and supplements. There are also many options for red light therapy on the scalp to help promote hair growth, artificial hair systems (some may know these as “toupees”) and in extreme instances, hair transplants have come a very long way! We always recommend you consult your doctor before beginning any of these, but if it’s something that is a concern to you it is always better to start the research sooner than later.