Hair Looking Thinner? Read A-List Hairstylist Michael Douglas’s Secrets to Faking Instant Fullness
Dakota Johnson’s soft, face-framing bangs show how the right cut can make hair appear fuller. Image – Harald Krichel
Michael Douglas is a celebrity hair stylist with a passion for empowering beauty fans to feel more confident with their hair. He is also a regular Live That Glow columnist, answering readers questions on all things hair care. Here, he advises on how to disguise thinning hair. Got a question for Michael? Send it to columnists@livethatglow.com for a chance to have it featured.
My hair has definitely got thinner as I’ve got older and I’m finding it harder and harder to make it look full, especially around the front and on top. Are there any particular cuts or ways of styling thinner hair that can make it look like you’ve got more of it? And are there any really common styling mistakes that actually make thinning hair look even thinner?
Michael says:
Thinning hair as you get older is a common problem, and there are many reasons for it, so it’s a good idea to try to pinpoint what might be causing it in your case.
In terms of short-term solutions, though, there are a few ways you can disguise it, although it really depends on your hair type, colour and expectations. One of the biggest issues is often the contrast between the colour of your hair and your scalp.
A healthy scalp is generally pale, so if your hair is light, either grey or blonde, thinning can be easier to disguise. However, if your hair is dark brown, the contrast between that and a pale scalp can often make the hair look much thinner.
A good way to disguise this is by using a root spray on your parting and the front section of your scalp. This reduces the contrast between your hair and scalp.
Having slightly shorter hair can also really help, and you don’t necessarily need to have it short all over – although that can look great and help disguise thinning even more.
Instead, having a fringe or some shorter layers cut on top can give the hair a bit more volume and create the illusion of thicker hair. This won’t work for everybody, but can be really effective in the right cases.
There are also some products that can really help. Biotin and Collagen Shampoo from OGX is very good at creating the illusion of thicker hair. But I prefer styling products such as mousse and blow-dry spray, as styling the hair to look more voluminous or thicker is often a better approach.
Check out the NUMBERS range by mdlondon for some solutions.
