Hair loss isn’t just an issue for men, according to experts at Johns Hopkins. Bad hair days are worse when you have a bad hairline that’s progressively getting worse. The truth is, most men will experience a maturing hairline or even more significant hair loss by age 35.
First, determine your type of hairline. Then we show how to grow your hairline back, thicken your hair, and change your hairstyle to accommodate a worsening hairline.
What is a Bad Hairline?
A Bad Hairline is typically caused by male pattern hair loss, genetics, poor diet, vitamin deficiencies, or other disorders. Even the worst hairlines are fixable by changing hairstyle, improvements in diet, medications, and even surgical procedures.
How to Fix a Bad Hairline
Do you wish you could stop your hairline from fading any further? Have you noticed a defined Widow’s peak hairline? These new changes don’t have to set back your look.
Whether you want to work with your maturing hairline or want to re-grow your hair, these steps can help you tackle a thinning hairline quickly.
1. Regrow Your Hairline
Let’s get this one out of the way. Is there really a way to regrow a thinning or receding hairline? Studies on minoxidil for hair loss and finasteride for hair growth showed either of these methods can thicken and even restart a hair’s growth cycle.
Even with the high percentage of positive results, these medications don’t work for everyone. However, research from one study found most men stop losing their hair and even regrow new hair, although it may start out thin out at first.
Some medication options for hair regrowth include:
Rogaine (Minoxidil)
Rogaine is a topical solution that promotes new hair growth by replacing old hairs with new growth. Part of the magic is the way the blood vessels relax, making it easier for blood to flow to your scalp.
Propecia (Finasteride)
Typically provided in a daily oral tablet, finasteride blocks DHT, a byproduct of testosterone that weakens hair follicles. It’s a common problem for men with male pattern baldness. The FDA approved finasteride to treat hair loss many years ago.
Biotin Creams
Other studies show biotin creams and shampoos may promote hair growth, but it’s not as strong as minoxidil or finasteride.
DHT-Blocking Shampoo
Finally, if you have issues with thinning hair, a hair loss shampoo may be the answer. HIMS and Dr. Formula both create powerful DHT-blocking shampoo.
Studies show that these methods take time to work, even when using finasteride and minoxidil together. However, minoxidil and finasteride work faster than other treatments. You can typically see new growth within 30 to 60 days. You may need a doctor’s prescription for stronger treatments.
2. Change Haircut to Hide a Receding Hairline
Just because your hairline has matured, it doesn’t mean that your hair is completely gone. You can style your hair differently using pomade or other styling creams. There are many short hairstyles for receding hairlines, such as crew cuts or buzz cuts.
We recommend a few different hairstyles for men who want to change their hairlines or style their hair to hide a receding hairline in these guides:
- Widow’s peak hairstyles
- Top hairstyles for men with receding hairlines
- Male celebrities with receding hairlines
- Short haircut styles like buzz cuts and taper fade haircuts
- Before and after: Inspiring Bald Celebrities
If your hairline continues to recede, why not consider shaving your head? Embracing thinning hair and baldness is the only way to live for people like Jason Statham.
3. Style Your Hair with Volumizing Products
Even though many celebrities like Pitbull, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Samuel L. Jackson have all chosen to shave their heads, there are plenty of hairstyles that use pomade or mousse to volumize hair.
Use your existing hair and re-create your hairline with the following styling products:
Pomade for Shine and Volume
Before pomade became popular, styling gel was the go-to product. However, new pomade products are soft and lightweight compared to gel. The result is a natural hairstyle with a bit of added shine.
Pomade helps you define your hairstyle and holds it together with ingredients like wax. However, it’s not as strong as a full wax hair styling product. We recommend products like American Crew’s Heavy Hold Pomade or Baxter of California’s Soft Water Pomade for a lighter hold.
Styling Creams for Volume
Styling creams include a variety of products that may work to hide bald spots on top of the head as well as a thinning hairline. These creams have consistency and texture between a mousse and pomade without as much gloss or grease. These creams add more texture and volume without weighing hair down.
My Top Picks for men’s hairstyling creams:
- #1 Tea Tree Shaping Cream by Paul Mitchell
- #2 American Crew’s forming style cream
- #3 Smooth Viking forming cream.
Note: Hair styling products can build up on your scalp and cause more problems for your hair follicles. Be sure to wash your hair and scalp thoroughly to avoid dry scalp and dandruff, which can lead to further hair loss.
4. How to Style a Widow’s Peak
Is the hair on your temples receding, commonly referred to as a Widow’s peak? This type of hairline can be cruel when it erodes away the corners of your natural hairline. However, there are plenty of men who use the comb-over hairstyle to hide a Widow’s peak or work with hair loss at the part.
Here are a few examples:
Pushing your hair straight back is another way to handle a Widow’s peak. It’s also the best way to embrace a maturing hairline, instead of being afraid of it.
5. Hair Loss Concealers and Thickening Fiber Sprays
If hair loss is simply a fact of life for you, then you don’t have to live in frustration with your hairline. There are plenty of ways to hide your hairline and create thickness without taking any pills, changing your diet, or getting a hair transplant.
In fact, there’s an abundance of hair loss concealer products on the market, but they make the best ones from actual human hair. They call these “human hair fiber thickening sprays” but there are also fiber thickening sprays made from keratin, cotton, and wool.
Read our Complete Guide on Hairline Spray Fibers. Learn How to Use plus Top 3 products & FAQs.
Here the Top Hairline Thickening Sprays:
How to Apply Hair Concealers
These sprays can quickly go wrong, so it’s best to start off slow. Here’s a quick rundown of how to apply hair concealers:
- Make sure your hair is completely dry before application unless directions state otherwise
- Pick the right hair color to match yours, but also ensure that it creates depth and thickness (in fact, pick a slightly darker shade as light concealers look powdery)
- Apply fibers from back to the front of the hairline, working from real hair to bald spots and receding corners, slowly blending in
- Comb or brush hair to shape, and further define your hairline
- Spray a light coat of hairspray to keep hair in place
When looking at hair loss concealers and fiber sprays, pay attention to reviews and don’t use any products that dried out the customer’s hair. Some fiber thickening sprays and powders have harmful ingredients like petroleum and phthalates that dry out your scalp.
6. Take Control of Your Lifestyle
There are three other characteristics of fast hair loss, according to research. These include stress, diet, and weight.
Stress and Hair Loss
Got high blood pressure? Do you frequently have panic attacks? There may be many triggers for these events, but every one of them involves stress.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “pulling your hair out over stress” or “the stress has given me a few gray hairs.” These phrases are rooted in research that stress causes hair loss.
Doctors say that if you want to stop hair thinning due to stress, the best way to do so is to remove stressors in your life and even practice meditation.
Diet and Hair Loss
Diets high in sugar, processed foods, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and saturated fats can drag down your digestive and immune systems, but it can also cause hair loss.
Taking care of your body and eating more leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, and sprouts, has been linked to increases in biotin, vitamin A, vitamin D, and folates. All of these can help with hair loss.
Try our article on food for hair growth to learn more about what to eat to improve hair strength and growth.
Obesity and Hair Loss
Taking care of your body is an important step to maintaining your hair and preventing hair loss. For one reason, obesity may adversely affect your hormones, changing the way you produce insulin and thyroxine.
Some changes to hormones will mean that your hair grows more slowly, while others cause your hair to fall out more rapidly.
Research suggests that adding more greens and vegetables to your diet is crucial. Getting out in the sun and soaking up vitamin D (within reason, wear sunscreen to avoid a burnt bald head) is also a good idea because it keeps you active and exposes your hair follicles to vitamin D.
7. Hair Transplants and Other Options
One of the last steps for any man dealing with a receding hairline is a hair transplant. This is when hair follicles are removed from one part of your body and transplanted into bald spots, allowing you to re-create a hairline like John Travolta.
John Travolta was balding before a hair transplant gave him a completely new hairline. Here’s the before and after:
Nowadays, there are also transplant pens, laser hair therapy, transplant surgery and many hair restoration options.
These methods involve some method or invasive surgery, leading to higher costs and significant discomfort, but transplants may be the only way to replace your hairline permanently.
See our full guide to hair transplant surgery for hair loss.
