How Long Does It Take for Hair to Thicken after Being Thinned?

Often and again, people have visited the salon excitedly opting for getting their hair thinned out. While it seemed like the best decision at the time, many persons often regret it shortly after and wish they could get their thick hair back. 

If you have gotten your hair thinned out and you’re not so excited about it, or you’re considering thinning out your hair but you’re itching to know whether your hair can thicken, and how soon it’ll take your hair to thicken back up, read through this post to have all your questions answered.

Can hair get thicker after thinning?

Yes! Your hair can get thicker after thinning, so there’s hope for you. However, this stands true if your hair was thinned through styling, trimming, and the like.

It can be a bit tricky if your hair has thinned because of a medical condition. In such a case, it might get thicker when the medical condition behind the thinning is corrected, and that is if the hair follicles didn’t suffer any permanent damage.

How long does it take for your hair to thicken after being thinned?

The time it’ll take for your hair to thicken after being thinned often depends on three factors, including the length of your hair, how deep your stylist went with the thinning, and your hair growth rate.

If your hair grows fast, it could thicken in three to five months. However, if your hair growth rate is on the slower side, it may take 6 months or a little more for it to achieve its previous thickness. 

While you can just leave your hair and watch it thicken by itself, there are some steps you can take and things to do to get your hair to thicken back. Let’s discover several methods for restoring your hair’s thickness.

8 Effective Ways to Get Thick Hair Back after Thinning

The process of getting your hair to thicken after thinning is often a combination of what you do, the foods you eat, and the products you use.

1. Use a volumizing or thickening shampoo

Both volumizing and thickening shampoos are go-to products when working on making your hair thicker. The shampoos help to fatten the hair cuticle and make the hair look fuller.

While both shampoos help to thicken your hair, they work slightly differently and produce relatively different results. For instance, volumizing shampoos work on the roots while thickening shampoos focus on the hair strands.

While thickening shampoos focus on feeding the hair vitamins, proteins, and moisture that make the strands plumped up, volumizing shampoos improve the hair root by breaking down build-up on the scalp and feeding it with biotin, caffeine, meadowfoam seed oil, and other healthy ingredients.

To get the most benefits from your hair-thickening/volumizing shampoo, use it a few times a week; perhaps every other day or every third day at most for those with brittle hair and dry scalp.

Avoid over-washing so that you don’t strip your hair of all its natural oil in the process of thickening it.

Recommended Thickening Shampoos:

2. Improve your diet

There is an undeniable connection between diet and hair growth. When working towards hair thickness, you need to eat fruits, vegetables, and meals that are rich in protein, while cutting down on fried and fatty foods.

Protein foods like sesame soybeans, peanuts, fish, and walnuts should comprise your daily meals. You also need adequate amounts of iron in your system, so foods like shrimp, black beans, eggs, spinach, and cooked peanuts are expected to be parts of your diet.

Vitamin E improves hair growth, prevents hair aging, and promotes the division of cells. Some of the Vitamin-E-rich meals include wolfberry greens, amaranth, mustard greens, celery, and spinach.

Bananas, eggs, yeast, liver, and honey contain vitamins that improve hair growth, so eat good amounts of them too.

With these hair-thickening meals, you can ensure your scalp is healthy and well-nourished, providing a healthy boost for your hair to achieve its thickness.

3. Exfoliate your scalp

Just as exfoliation takes away dead cells from the skin, it also helps to remove the excess product and environmental build-up from your scalp, leaving it healthier.

Carrying out an exfoliating scalp massage as a part of your hair routine can help by increasing the flow of blood to the scalp and encouraging better growth. It can also unclog your hair follicles by removing the product and sebum build-up that has blocked it.

While using the right products and eating the right meals, carry out a scalp exfoliation once a week to support a healthier scalp.

To exfoliate your scalp, wash and shampoo your hair. Then, separate your hair into sections and comb through it.

You can then apply the scrub to your scalp with your fingertips, gloves, or an exfoliation brush. If you are using an exfoliating product, rub it on your scalp in a gentle, circular motion

You can either use a DIY exfoliant such as sugar and oatmeal scrub, an aspirin scrub, or purchase a physical exfoliant

Recommended exfoliating products: 

4. Use Hair thickening products 

Beyond your thickening/volumizing shampoo, other hair-thickening products help you improve your hair thickness and fullness in a short time.

Root lifting spray

You can give your roots a lift using a root lifting spray on your scalp and hair to boost their volume and give their hair a bounce. When your hair is flat to the head, it looks thinner than the hair lifted at the root.

Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo also offers a hair volume boost because it contains minerals and starch that absorb oil and increases friction between the hair strands. You can divide your hair into sections and spritz dry shampoo under the hair and roots. Then brush through to increase the thickness in your hair and scalp.

Other leave-in products like hair serum, mousse, and gel can also be applied to your damp hair for an additional thickness boost. When you apply these products from the root of your hair upwards, you can achieve thicker-looking hair.

5. Use Aloe Vera gel

The gel from an Aloe vera plant helps to boost skin and hair health. Applying the aloe vera gel to your scalp and hair can strengthen your hair and also improve its thickness over a while. 

You can either use homemade aloe vera gel or purchase products that have aloe vera as an active ingredient.

If you’re opting for homemade, then extract pure aloe vera gel from a healthy plant and rub the gel on your scalp. Leave it for about 30 minutes before rinsing it off. Instead of plain aloe vera gel, you can also add olive oil or coconut oil before applying it to your hair and scalp.

Carry out this process once or twice weekly for the best results.

6. Egg treatment

Eggs do a great job to thicken your hair both when eaten as meals and when used for hair treatment. Eggs are rich in proteins that are necessary for building thick and healthy hair.

Use an egg treatment once or twice a week over a few weeks to help thicken your hair.

There are two ways to use the egg treatment. You can use only eggs or mix the eggs with oil and water.

If you are opting for the egg-only option, beat one or two eggs in a plate and apply it to your damp hair and scalp. Leave the eggs on your hair for 30 minutes and wash them off with mild shampoo and warm water. 

For the combination of oil, water, and eggs, break the eggs, add two tablespoons of water and one tablespoon of olive oil, and mix them. Apply this mixture to your dry hair and scalp and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a mild shampoo and warm water to wash it off.

7. Castor oil/ Olive oil

Castor oil is rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, which are both great for improving hair health and achieve thicker hair. Olive oil, on the other hand, is rich in omega3 acids that are essential for improving hair health.

You can apply castor oil on your hair and scalp with enough oil to coat them. Then, allow the oil to sit for 30 minutes before rinsing your hair.

When using olive oil, begin by heating it to normal body temperature (37 degrees Celcius) before applying the warm oil to your hair and scalp. Massage the oil thoroughly and then leave it for between 30 and 45 minutes. Rinse it off with mild shampoo.

8. Avocado rub

Whether eaten or applied to your hair, avocado is full of vitamin E which improves hair strength, moisture, and health. Apply an avocado rub twice a week for healthier and thicker hair.

Mix one avocado and one tablespoon of olive oil and apply the mixture to your scalp and hair. Leave it for 30 minutes before rinsing it out with mild shampoo.

Important Precautions while you Thicken your Thinned Hair

While using the products and procedures we discussed above, there are some measures you should take to ensure that your hair returns to its thick nature.

1. Stay away from heat styling and hot tools 

Using heat on your hair at this point can cause hair breakage, which would hinder your pursuit of thicker hair. If possible, avoid blow-drying, curling, and stretching your hair until you get your volume back.

However, if you can’t stay away from hot tools, use heat protection on your hair and ensure that you’re using the lowest possible heat setting. 

2. Avoid perms and dyes

Now is the time to stay away from perms and dyes because they greatly impact your hair health. 

3. Comb your hair regularly

Combing your hair is healthy for your scalp and can improve hair thickening. Always ensure you’re using the right comb for your hair type.

4. Avoid hairstyles that stress your hair

Opt for only hairstyles that are comfortable and won’t strain your hair. Hairstyles that are too tight often stress your hair follicles and cause further and more permanent hair thinning. Avoid tight braids, dreads, and ponytails in the meantime. 

Final Words:

All the methods and products discussed can help to make your hair thicker and healthier in a few months when you do them right. However, bear in mind that your hair type and how fast or slow your hair grows will determine when you begin to see results. 

Please note that many of these measures only work for hair that was thinned through styling. For sudden hair thinning, please seek medical assistance to discover the cause.