What are hair thickening shampoos, and will they work? 
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer with thin hair, there is no doubt that you have thought about using a hair thickening Shampoo. The trouble is the amount of choice on the market and the usually hefty price tag are likely to put you off. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to spend £30+ on a bottle of shampoo, only to find it makes no difference. 
The ultimate question is does thickening hair shampoo really work? 
The simple answer is both yes and no and in certain circumstances. Hair thickening shampoos cannot alter the chemical structure of your hair, so they cannot permanently alter the thickness. To understand this, you need understand that your head contains a certain number of hair follicles, each follicle contains a hair root, from which a strand of hair grows. Some people are born with loads, and some are not. The number of hair follicles a person has cannot be altered. 
 
So if you can’t alter the amount of hair you have, how can hair thickening shampoos help? 
Hair thickening shampoos work by giving the illusion of thicker hair, by making each strand of hair itself thicker and reducing the amount of space in between the strands of hair. Protein based shampoos will infuse the strands of hair with panthenol which will help to plump out each strand of hair to give additional volume, while the protein will temporarily strengthen the outer layer of the hair. Additional ingredients will be added to give moisturising effects as well as attractive scents, but it is the protein and the panthenol that gives the illusion of thickness. 
 
What is the down side of using hair thickening shampoo? 
The main down side of using hair thickening shampoo is the temporary nature of the results, if you switch to using a regular shampoo, they are designed to strip and chemicals and impurities out of your hair. The result of this is that they will strip the thickening agents that are coating your hair, and your hair will return to its former thin state. This means that you will need to continue using hair thickening shampoo for as long as you want to make your hair appear thicker. 
 
Some people find this option is enough and are happy with it. At best it usually only provides and temporary and small solution, especially if there is a more wider issue of thinning hair or hair loss. In this case, you are still best to consult an expert to consider your options and find out how to create a more permanent solution to this issue. 
 
To find out more about hair loss treatment, visit our PRP section, where this technique is explained in much more detail. 
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