Thinning Hair and What to Do?

I was a teenager at the perfect time! Why, you ask? It was the time when straight hair, parted down the center was in, baby! My hair has always been stick straight and baby fine. I am not going to bless you with school photos showing you the many iterations of bad haircuts and even worse smiles. Just take my word for it that pixie hair cuts just weren’t for me. My mom? She was not a hairstylist, try as she might. She would trim my bangs, and they would be crooked (in her eyes, at least). So, another snip across the forehead. This continued until my bangs (or fringe for those of you in the UK) were just about non-existent.

Being a teenager…

As I got into what is now considered middle school, I began growing my hair out. I guess my mom was OK with that because she figured I was old enough to take care of it. I remember washing my hair in the bathroom sink. That was a feat for a couple of reasons. One was the sink wasn’t all that deep; the second was being just a titch claustrophobic. As I’ve gotten older, this has gotten stronger. There is no way I would be able to wash my hair in the bathroom sink. But, I washed my hair almost every night because I had oily hair (or so I was told). Now, remember, this was before blow dryers could be found in every home. I would do one of three things: 1) go to bed with it wet; 2) brush it over the vent if the furnace was on; and 3) use the hose end of the hair dryer we did have and brush until it was dry. If I went to bed with it wet, it was a funky mess so I rarely did that. I didn’t wash it in the morning because we had to be heading to the bus stop around 7:15 or so.

A little more…

Through most of my high school years, I wore my hair long and parted in the middle, still with no bangs. At some point, I did have bangs cut. I’m not sure if I did it, or if I went to a salon. But, I do know I had bangs by 1974 when my dad died. My senior portrait is quite lovely (if I do say so myself). What you don’t see is that all my hair is gathered at the front! That was all my hair. I never ever had those luscious thick locks so many of my friends had. All was well, though, because really big hair was not even on the horizon at this point. Even my wedding photos are quite nice as my veil covered the back where no hair was hanging down my back! I just don’t have that much hair. Well, that’s not quite true. For decades, my youngest sister was my hairstylist (hahaha…she knew how to cut hair one way…old lady style). She told me I actually had a lot of hair, but it was just very thin and fine. Yay, me!

Marriage…

Throughout the first years of marriage, my hair was long. But, when I was working at the insurance company, one of the women got her hair cut and permed. She looked fabulous. Remember Dorothy Hamill’s cute ‘do? This woman had something similar only curly! She really looked amazing. I quick as I could made an appointment with her stylist (my sister was still in high school). One Saturday, I spent hours in this guy’s chair as he wrapped those miserable perm rods around my hair. When he was done, I could have cried. In fact, I think I did cry all the way home, but you don’t do that to the person who just did your hair for…ready for it…$100! That sounds reasonable today, but this was probably 1978 or 1979! That was almost a week’s wages for me! And, it was awful. The curls were tight; my hair was chin length (not a good look for me); and I was devastated. I don’t have a single photo of that hair. As soon as I got home, I washed it and washed it. I did know you’re not supposed to do that with a fresh perm. I figured this would release the curls a bit. And, it did, but I was still a frightful mess. I’d gone from long, long straight hair to this Bozo the Clown ‘do. Thank goodness I didn’t have him color it! Luckily, Nigel could tell how upset I was and held his tongue!

The next phase…

Eventually, that awful perm grew out, and it would be years before I had another one. Do you remember the Vidal Sassoon commercials when the woman would have this beautiful shoulder length bob and would twirl her hair from side to side? Sometime after my kids were born, I had my hair cut like that. I loved it! It was easy to wear and looked good no matter the occasion. That 80s hair hadn’t quite arrived yet. Remember, though, I mentioned my little sister became a hairstylist (she corrected us quite harshly when we said beautician)? She talked me into a perm. This was right around the time when it was fashionable to not really do anything with your permed curls. You just washed them, scrunched them up a bit, and let them go. This actually worked out well as I had three little ones and a husband in night school. The biggest problem was…again that fine thin hair. The marks from the parting for the placement of the perm rods lasted for at least 2-3 weeks. I would like my perm for about two weeks out of the couple of months between perms. I wore my hair permed for several years after that. That’s when the big hair came in, and I embraced it. The other side of having permed hair was that my hair looked fuller and more lush. Eventually, I grew bored with the perms and wanted a new look. Actually, I went back to an old look…the shoulder length bob. I wore my hair like that for several years. I did get a perm or two during my teaching years, but, for the most part, it was a bob. That is, until I finally convinced my sister to cut it short. She didn’t think that was a good idea. She thought my hair would just fall flat and lay there like limp spaghetti. Both she and I were completely surprised at how good my hair looked once we cut it short. And, I wore it that way, sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little shorter for years.

Moving…

When we moved 2.5 hours south of home, I didn’t immediately find a new stylist. I drove those five hours (total) to have my sister cut and color my hair. By that time, she was giving me a little angel’s kiss in the front to add some interest. Y’all know what an angel’s kiss is, right? It’s a bit of white hair right at the front. Most people get theirs naturally; I got mine out of a bottle! But, needing to color my hair every six weeks or so and having to travel five hours just wasn’t cutting it for me. I decided to find a new stylist…and, I did! She lived right down the street from me! She is one of those really cool people who just intimidate the crap out of me. Before appointments, I try to come up with cool things to say to her. I fail miserably! Anyway, she was OK with coloring my hair, but when I mentioned I wanted to try going grey, she was all for giving it a try. She said, “If you don’t like it, we can always go back to dyeing it.” I never went back! She insists my hair isn’t any thinner than it was. Well, I’m not going to give away the story…you need to read the next section!

Thinning…

I’ve always been cognizant of how thin my hair is. But, when you go grey and have thin hair, your scalp tends to peek through much more easily. My mom’s youngest sister was bald on top with a fringe (she looked like a monk) by the time she died. I have a cousin on my dad’s side who has just the sparsest of hair all over. So, I kinda knew thinning hair was in my future. I had talked to my stylist about this, but she didn’t think my hair was any thinner than it had ever been. I had a dermatologist appointment and spoke with her about how I felt it was really thinning, and my hairline was receding. To be fair, I have a very high forehead anyway, but it seemed like there was a whole lot more of it! So, this past spring, she prescribed Minoxidil for me. I take a very low dose. She also told me to expect a little bit of shedding. Well, y’all, I just about passed out a week or so after starting! I had a huge gob of hair in my hair brush after my shower. I also had another big gob after drying it. That continued for about two weeks. The shedding has definitely slowed down, but my derm also told me not to expect to see big results until at least six months in. I have tried different serums and had some baby hairs, but nothing that I could definitively say increased my hair density. The dermatologist office also had a flyer for a red light cap that guarantees hair growth. And, the flyer came with a $500 off coupon so that tells you something, right? I’m still thinking about getting one. There’s also microneedling for the scalp. I may even give that a try.

Helper hair…

As y’all know I have a hair topper and wear it more and more. I love the way it looks. One of the docents told me she loved my hair. I said, “Thanks! I bought it!” I’m not going to try to pass it off as mine (other than I definitely own it). I also have been contacted by two wig companies and am anxiously awaiting those. I do feel a bit of a cheat though as so many of you remark on my hair. I look back at some of my photos and can see a real difference between then and now. I have a hair appointment in a week or so, and I have a feeling she’s going to tell me I need a really good (read that as short) hair cut! I would prefer not to do that as chin length hair is not my friend.

The outfit…

As you can probably tell, these photos were taken a while ago when my hair was all kinds of colors. I thought this dress was the perfect match for the hair! This is the Violet dress by Gudrun Sjödén. I added a violet slip for this time, but I could probably have chosen different colors. I can’t remember if I had tried my green one. Here’s the one thing about Gudrun Sjödén that I kinda dislike. They change colors just enough that colors are off for clothes from different seasons. Does that make sense? Now, if the items aren’t going to be close, then I’m not worried. But, if there’s a really noticeable disparity, I will find something else. When you check out the Lewk, you’ll see I even questioned if the pink sandals were right. One more time, I’m going to remind you now is the time to try Gudrun Sjödén if you’re at all interested. The deals are real, but that sale will be ending soon. I don’t know why they don’t keep a sale tab up, but they usually will remove it. The new season is due next week (I only know because I got a catalog) so I’m betting the sale will come down around then. Just sayin, my friends, just sayin!

The Lewk!

This pretty dress has so many colors in it. I wasn’t quite sure what to wear so I went with my pink Shay sandals from Miz Mooz. I have them in black as well as sage. I bought the necklace and earrings at…you guessed it! The art museum! I think they are from the French Bouquet collection by Michael Michaud. I also added an old bracelet from Brighton. There’s a bit of a disconnect between the delicate necklace and earrings and the bracelet, right? The former are so delicate, and the latter is a bit chunky. But, it’s not like I wear them close together.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I come across as so vain, don’t I? I absolutely loved my hair when I went grey and have so much fun coloring it with the fashion colors. When Nigel tells me he doesn’t really like that, I remind him it’s my hair plus it has the bonus of disguising my scalp for a bit. One thing I’ve wondered, and I hope some of you will let me know. I don’t get any commissions from items I link to (unless they’re italicized or you use one of my affiliate links). I provide those links in case you want to order the same. Should I continue to do so, or are y’all OK if I don’t do that in the future? So, can we talk? What was the “in” hairstyle when you were growing up? Did you have a time period when you wore your hair in something you look back and wonder WTF? Do you have your own hair thinning story? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.  My April Cornell code, MARSHA15, now works, but it’s good for only one use. You can get $15 off $100. I’d wait and use it during a really good sale! Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA15, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. Use MARSHA15 at Katia Designs for 15% off your order. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post. I have now have a code for Tulip Clothing. Use the code, MARSHA20, for 20% off your order.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World . I also link up with I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month as well as the Global Writing Challenge on the second Thursday. I now co-host Fashion Files with Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa every Tuesday. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, Cat, and Rena. I also host 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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