Mary,

- Teresa

Dear Teresa,

Thin, lifeless, or damaged hair is a common problem, but there are many things that you can do to help your hair to become thicker, stronger, and healthier. Try following these tips:

• Begin by having your hair cut so that all of the dead or split ends are cut off, even if this means that your hair will be substantially shorter than before. Your hair will grow better and be healthier if the split and dead ends are cut off.
• If you are really serious about thicker, stronger hair, give yourself a daily scalp massage to stimulate the hair follicles. Massaging the hair helps blood circulation in your head, which stimulates growth by bringing more nutrients to your scalp. If hair is not adequately stimulated, hair grows more slowly and hair follicles may eventually die.
• Use a natural boar bristle brush in order to reduce hair damage caused by brushing. Brush your hair daily with your head flipped forward, brushing from the roots to the end.
• Also, don’t brush your hair when it is wet—instead, use a wide-toothed comb to reduce breakage to your hair. If your hair is tangled, take time to comb out the snarls—don’t just yank! And though it may seem counterintuitive, when combing out tangles, work your way up.
• Do aerobic exercise. This may sound strange, but getting your heart pumping and your blood flowing will stimulate your hair follicles.
• Eat right—hair needs nutrients to grow. Your body needs adequate vitamins and minerals so that your hair can be healthy and strong.
• Trim your hair to remove dead ends. It is best to have it trimmed every four to eight weeks, if possible.

If your hair is particularly thin, try applying Hair Plus Conditioner just to the ends of your hair during your daily shower, and then once a week condition all of your hair. And, in addition to following these important tips, you can also use Hair Plus Shampoo and other treatments designed specifically for thin hair, such as Hair Plus Combo.

Also, remember that chemical treatments such as perming solutions and coloring treatments can damage your hair, so determine if using them is really worth the extra dryness and possible damage to your hair. Moreover, curling irons, straighteners, blow dryers, and other hair-care appliances may dry your hair out and cause it to become more fragile and break more easily. Use them sparingly. For example, if you have to blow dry your hair, try only partially drying it, and then towel-dry it or allow it to dry naturally the rest of the way.

Still looking for more ways to achieve thicker, lusher-looking hair? You might consider cutting your hair so that it is shorter and therefore looks thicker, without the weight of a lot of hair pulling it down.