The Best Product for Thin(ning) Hair
Legendary Russian novelist, celebrated philosopher and a man who made thin hair look good, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Circa 1872. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Let’s get this out of the way: If you’re thinning up top, chances are you’ve spent many a miserable morning glued to your mirror, pruning your mane like a primate on speed and hoping it’s all a damn dream.
Maybe your hair ain’t as thick as it was in your heyday, or maybe reality’s has sunk in and you’re ready to make the most of what’s left. Or, you could’ve been born with thin hair. All of it is immaterial in the end.
What matters is you’re a man, and men don’t sit and cry over the hands they’re dealt.
Men take life lemons and turn them into whisky. Good, strong whisky that slaps you back into Manville. So, here’s what’s up — you’re going to take your hair lemons and turn ‘em into sweet Scottish gold. You’re going to do more than make the most of what’s left.
The only way to own thin hair is to make it look good. After all, “androgentetic alopecia” happens to a ton of men, so it’s not a big deal; According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, about 50% of guys will either see their hairlines recede or go totally bald, and it can start as early as teenagehood. It’s to best to embrace what is with this sort of matter, not in the least since four out of five men will see a full mane go thin by 70.
Don’t dwell. Do what men with wits do — invest in grooming resources that’ll make thin hair thick. Simple.
We talked about this very phenomenon with our good friend and head barber at The Gray Whale in Ottawa, Zachary Ledgerwood. Like a lot of tonsorialists, Zach’s seen plenty of men with thin hair, and he’s helped keep them good and confident with some expert know-how. Here, gentlemen, is that know-how.
Like Ledgerwood said, all it takes is some product and a good blowdryer to liven up those thin locks.
Image: Joshua Lance
Understand What’s Happening.
What researchers know for sure is that alopecia (or “male pattern baldness”) is connected to hormones men have called “androgens.” These keep a man’s sex drive high and his hair growth functional. Basically, your hair grows for anywhere between two to six years before it falls out, after which it starts a new growth cycle. When the androgen count in hair follicles spikes, the growth cycle shrinks and that’s when thinning and balding happen. On top of that, whatever should replace what’s been shed gets delayed.
What researchers still don’t get is why exactly this all happens.
What we do know is like with anything else that sucks, stress has as much a hand in this as hormones. Plus there’s some evidence that connects hair loss to prostate cancer and coronary heart disease, though research in that regard is still ongoing.
Believe or not, Zach’s client here has thin hair. But you’d never know it after a round of our styling paste.
Image: Joshua Lance
Like we always say, best to see the doc if there’s any doubt.
Here’s What To Do:
If the idea of having small holes punctured in your scalp unsettles you, there’s a less painful and way cooler alternative for thicker hair. And all you need is the right product and a blowdryer. Yes, you will use a blowdryer.
Our paste gives hair just enough volume and control without looking like there’s something in there.
Kind of like stealth technology.
“I like to use Dino’s styling paste,” says Ledgerwood. “It’s great for adding a bit of thickness to strands of hair, and not too much.
“Add a small amount to your palms, then add a few drops of water to dilute it a bit,” says Ledgerwood. “Then, run it throughout your hair and style it how you like, but make sure your hair’s not fully dried. It’s easier to work in the product if it’s a little wet.” And don’t use a lot or your hair will stiffen.
“Now blow-dry your hair in the same shape to lock it in,” says Ledgerwood. “Do this for a couple of minutes, or basically until your hair’s dry. Besides the fact that you get great hold, I like that you can’t see product in there… kind of like an invisible paste! It’s the perfect product if you want full, textured hair without things looking greasy.”
“One thing I like to do to make thin hair full is add one product with another,” says Ledgerwood. Sound familiar? The guy’s talking about “cocktailing,” a technique we’ve mentioned here before in which one mixes different products to nail a desired hairstyle. Think of it as a hairstyling hack. “Crown’s matte clay is a no brainer if want more hold. So, to review, add a little paste then blow-dry it for control’s sake. Then, to add a bit more movement, work in that clay. You don’t need a lot. It’ll add some nice definition to your look.
And don’t forget, thin hair “falls victim to gravity a lot,” hence the clay’s double role as a styler and a preventer of unfortunate moments (think of those windy-ass days).
Go Short
Perception is everything, especially when it comes to your lid. That’s why the cut you choose is crucial if you’ve thinned out. “For guys with less hair, there’s this natural inclination to grow it,” says Ledgerwood. “The idea is the longer the hair, the less thin it’ll look. But I actually like telling clients with thin hair to go short. Short styles, like a nice military buzz cut (or “a zero on the sides and a two on top,” as your barber would say) will make the hair look thicker and add body. If you let thin hair grow long, you’ll be able to spot the spareness in the strands much easier. Even letting it grow finger’s length would look good so long as you use the product I mentioned.”
Ledgerwood also recommends trying a “French crop,” a cut that’s all but taken over the UK the past five years. Picture a caesar with much tighter — or altogether faded — sides. “If you’ve got receding corners in your hairline, crops do a great job of balancing things out. Just ask your barber to mask where the hair recedes by removing bulk from the middle of the hairline and shifting it to those corners. It’s one of my favourite looks.”
Ottawa’s The Gray Whale, pre-lockdown. Image: Zachary Ledgerwood