Bad hairline, most of the time, is not your fault.
But, not actively repair it with our tips are.
Our list of 9 dead-simple bad hairlines hacks is going to leave you wondering why haven't you read this sooner.
Fix your hairline, and get your confidence back!
Summary
Bad hairlines are caused by male pattern hair loss induced by the testosterone byproduct DHT. A bad hairline can be seen as a sign of hair loss and may recede your hairline backward.
Although hairlines can be uneven, there have been some remedies introduced through over-the-counter products, medicines, hair styling products, lifestyle changes, diet changes, and even surgeries.
The most vital thing is to consult an expert for your hair loss issues. Before you start any medication or use any chemical on your head, you must take professional advice.
What is a bad hairline?
Call it whatever you want – bad hairline, ugly hairline, or terrible hairline – it’s something everyone struggles with. Yet you’d be surprised to know how many people don’t know what it is. If you’re also one of them, you’ve come to the right place. Allow us to clear your confusion.
Bad hairline is when your hairline starts receding. It mostly happens around your temples. And since it’s a natural process, it’ll be long before you notice it. However, once you do, it might be too late. But before you start panicking, know that receding hairline can be fixed with just a few steps, which we’ve discussed in our blog.
As you age, you'll experience a receding or maturing hairline determined primarily by genes.
Losing hair will automatically give you a bad hairline; an outline of your hair on your forehead will recede backward, or you lose your hair entirely. Genetics plays a vital role in this bad hairline.
There are many reasons why you view that your hairline is bad:
- Too low hairline
- Uneven hairline
- Too high hairline (receding hairline)
Moreover, male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness occur by not having enough nutrients, having a stressful lifestyle, and other disorders can lead you to have a bad hairline.
What's the science on bad hairlines?
In a study published in the International Journal of Trichology, researchers found that a receding hairline was the most common pattern of hair loss in men, affecting 62% of the study participants. The study also found that the incidence of a receding hairline increased with age.
Symptoms of a bad hairline
You will be able to spot a bad hairline if your appearance changes. Although it does not happen overnight, you will gradually feel that your hairline is receding backward and losing more hair.
We have listed some common symptoms of bad hairline so you can take quick action while it's happening:
Pictures
You can always compare your older photographs with your recent ones to check for any prominent changes in your hairline. A better option would be to click a picture of your hairline every 2 to 3 months to see if you're losing hair.
Hair action changes
If you start to feel that your hair is acting differently than it used to, note that this is due to your hair becoming thinner and receding backward.
Thin areas in hair
Men with male pattern baldness experience thinning of their hair in some parts of the scalp along with a receding hairline. Female hairlines are not that different.
You can check this by examining your hair around the temples and the head crowns.
Rapid hair loss
One of the most evident signs of a bad hairline is losing hair. Even though it is normal for an average person to lose 100 strands per day, losing more than this can be alarming. Losing hair would have hairlines around the head and might slowly recede backward. It can also indicate that you are experiencing male pattern baldness.
Uneven hairline
Receding backward hairline is one thing, and having an uneven hairline right on your face is the worst. If you had a proper even hairline before you noticed the change, it means that you may be experiencing Male Pattern Baldness. Recent studies have found Male Pattern Baldness to cause asymmetrical hair loss, meaning uneven hairline.
Why does a bad hairline happen?
In any way you notice your hairline to be less even, going backward, or any difference that you can spot may be the signs of Male Pattern baldness that can lead to bad hairlines.
Male Pattern Baldness is a hair loss disease caused by Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a byproduct of testosterone, which is responsible for developing some male characteristics e.g. pubic hair, muscles, voice change, etc.
Evidence shows that a high level of DHT will affect your hair follicles by starving them. DHT causes hair to grow out thinner and weaker until they have entirely disappeared. DHT might be beneficial for other parts of the body's hair but not for your scalp.
Although genetics is probably the significant reason for losing hair, other factors such as age, stress, poor diet, and unhealthy lifestyle can cause hair loss too, which will also affect the hairlines.
How do you diagnose a bad hairline?
- Medical history
- Physical exam
- Digital assessment
- Blood test
- Picture
There are many ways a professional can diagnose the hair loss which is causing a bad hairline. It can be genetic, medical, or environmental. There are some ways and techniques cantor assess the hair loss pattern much more accurately. These diagnoses include:
- Medical History: A patient’s medical history is of utmost importance as they are to explain when the hair loss began, what hair styling products or hairstyles they used to wear if anyone else in the family has hair loss issues, and any, other symptoms related to hair loss. Some even take records of what food you eat.
- Physical Exam: There are two main physical exams: Pull Test and Tug Test (PTTT) and Card Examination. PTTT is when the dermatologist will hold some strands of your hair for 40 seconds from different parts of your scalp and tug on them. If more than six strands come out, it means you have male pattern baldness. Card Test examines the health of hair shafts and sees how much new hair is growing.
- Digital Assessment: Doctors have also been using digital assessment tools to assess hair loss. The measurement tool to examine hair loss is called a Folliscope. Folliscope shows a high definition, a microscopic image of the scalp. It shows the diameter of each strand and can also count the total number of hair on the scalp.
- Blood Tests: Some blood tests such as iron deficiency, high DHT level, thyroid (Free T4 & T3) tests are needed to see if these levels are imbalanced to cause hair loss.
- Pictures: Lastly, photographs can also help in determining if someone is losing hair from their hairline, making them look bad.
How to treat your bad hairline?
Are you worried about going bald? Cannot have your hairline fading back more than it already is?
Well, good thing we live in the 21 century. Many studies have approved treatment for hair loss, which in return treats your bad hairline. If you wish to fix your hairline or grow it back, these methods will help you.
Shampoos
Some quality hair loss shampoos help in blocking the DHT, which is the prime cause of hair loss. These shampoos encourage follicle stimulation and scalp moisturization to create a thick and dark hairline.
The shampoo’s formula includes DHT blockers, biotin, and some caffeine to encourage the growth of new hair. Some other shampoos may also contain green tea formula, natural oils, etc.
Here's the shampoo to help fix your bad hairline:
Biotin solutions
Studies have shown that other chemicals like biotin creams can also help stimulate the hair follicles to grow hair. But they do not work as accurately as Minoxidil and Finasteride do.
Hair loss drugs
Some experts recommend the use of medicine to treat hair loss. Generally, when they are diagnosed with male pattern baldness. These medicines are Minoxidil and Finasteride.
These medications have not only proved to be useful for stopping hair loss but also proved beneficial for the restart of the hair growth cycle.
- Minoxidil: The medicine is well-known with the name of Rogaine. It is available as an over-the-counter product. It relaxes the blood vessels for better circulation to the scalp. It helps in getting rid of old hairs and growing new thicker, and healthier hair. Minoxidil work for a receding hairline, too.
- Finasteride: Finasteride is popularly known as Propecia. They are typically consumed orally. The prime role of Finasteride is to block DHT. It's an FDA-approved drug to treat male and female pattern baldness. Finasteride can be used to treat receding hairlines.
There had been a high number of productive results but some of these medications proved to be useless. However, many studies have suggested that using this medication can help stop their hair fall and regrow new hair.
But, you might run into side effects of them. It's better to evaluate all your options with all these alternatives to minoxidil.
Stress relievers
Another factor that can cause hair loss is stress. Stress induces weight loss and high blood pressure. To ensure that you do not trigger hair loss, you should adopt these ways to recover from stress hair loss.
Taking care of yourself is the best medication to help you fix all your hair problems. A bad diet can cause stress as well. Therefore eating healthy food will help you maintain your body.
Proper intake of nutrients
Having high sugar diet can cause obesity. Obesity can affect your hormones that further affect your insulin production. It can lead to diabetes as well as hair loss. Researchers have recommended eating more healthy vegetables to keep getting the adequate nutrients that your body requires.
Hair transplant
One of the last options for a man to take would be a hair transplant. This medical procedure takes the healthy hair follicles and plants them on bald areas to encourage healthy hair.
The recovery process can take weeks from this transplant. If medicines do not work for male pattern baldness, then a hair transplant is the last resort. They not only help fill your bald areas but also correct your hairline.
It's not uncommon to undergo hair transplant for widow's peak and other bad hairlines.
Laser hair therapy
FDA-approved laser therapy has been making rounds in the market. The treatment helps circulate blood flow to hair follicles. It induces regrowth of hair and can be thicker than before after several sessions.
It is also known as red light therapy or cold laser therapy. There are different types of laser therapy devices and used for the convenience of the patient:
- Helmet
- Overhead Panel
- Hood
- Hat
- Combs/Brushes
Dermarolling
Using a derma roller to encourage growth on your hairline is another of our bad hairlines hack. You can use a derma roller for many things: derma roller for receding hairlines, for hair growth or just to strengthen your hair.
It works by creating microsopic holes in your scalp (sounds worse than it is) to allow better absorption of hair growth and drug formulas. Additionally, it improves blood flow to your scalp which aid in the delivery of nutrients that'll grow your hair back.
How to conceal your bad hairline?
Just because you have a bad hairline does not mean you have lost all the hair on your head. You still style your hair to make your appearance look better.
Switch up your hairstyle
You can always go to your nearby barber to get a haircut that suits your feature. A lot of men with bad hairlines get a crew cut, a buzz cut, or a taper fade haircut. Some men look good by going all-natural.
Use styling products
If haircuts are not on your list, you can opt for a hairstyle by using some of the most effective products that give your hair volume and shine. Pomade is popular that gives you a natural feel to your hairstyle and that shine.
It works like a gel but is more soft and lightweight. You can also use styling creams to enhance your hair texture and consistency. It will add more volume to your hair without bringing it down.
Mental health and bad hairline
Most importantly, let's talk about mental health.
It's very subjective whether your hairline is bad. You have to remember that we're more harsh on our appearances than anyone else, because we try to see the fault in our appearance.
It's important to recognize that societal pressure to maintain a full head of hair can be harmful and limiting. This pressure is often linked to traditional standards of masculinity and attractiveness, but these standards are constantly evolving. By challenging these standards, we can help to promote more inclusive and diverse notions of beauty.
Many successful and confident men have embraced their receding hairlines and even use it to their advantage. For example, actor Bruce Willis is often praised for his bald head, and business magnate Richard Branson is known for his signature bald look. By highlighting these examples, we can encourage other men to embrace their own unique look.
Read more:
References:
- Mrinal Gupta VM. Classifications of Patterned Hair Loss: A Review. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2016;9(1):3.
- Grymowicz M, Rudnicka E, Podfigurna A, Napierala P, Smolarczyk R, Smolarczyk K, et al. Hormonal Effects on Hair Follicles. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 28;21(15):5342.
