Receding hairline or baldness is a problem that a large number of black men suffer from, it can affect your style and fashion and also make you look older than you are.
There is a ton of information on the internet on how to fix receding hairlines, unfortunately, much of the information is misleading, because they just want you to buy a product they are selling.
As a black man, I run research and find the causes of baldness in black men, the prevention techniques, and a scientifically proven method on how to fix receding hairlines for black men.
Causes of Hair Loss in Men
Hair loss (Androgenetic Alopecia) in men is a completely natural process, which means even if you live a healthy lifestyle, you can still go bald if your genetics are programmed to shut off hair growth as you grow in age.
However, there are some things that accelerate hair loss, and some measures that can be used to slow it down.
Here are the main causes of male pattern hair loss:
- Inherited Genes. Hereditary hair loss (androgenic alopecia) is the most common cause of baldness which is due to the genes you inherited form your parents.
- Age. Many men experience hair loss due to age.
- Alopecia Areata. This is a disease that attack hair follicles and stop hair from growing.
- Medication. Some medications have a side effect that affect hair growth, such as cancer medication.
- Hair Styles. There are some hairstyles that are too sharp on your hairline, which accelerate hair loss.
- Bad Haircare Practice. Using elastic bands, perms, over-washing your hair can accelerate hair loss.
- Sexual Transmitted Infection (STI). Hair loss can be due to sexually transmitted infections, which can affect different parts of your body.
Those are the main causes of hair loss in men, some uncommon causes include getting in contact with poisonous agents such as arsenic, mercury, and lithium, and also taking excessive amounts of vitamin A.
How to Prevent Receding Hairline (Baldness).
You can prevent or slow down receding hairline with some best practices, however, hair loss due to inherited genes is completely natural, therefore, preventing will be swimming against the tide, you can slow it down but as you grow older there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
Instead, you have to fix it using the right technique such as hair transplant or camouflage concealer which we will discuss later in this article.
Here are some practices that help with preventing and slowing down hair loss in men:
- Quit smoking
- Stop hairstyles that are too sharp on your hairline
- Stop using elastic bands
- Stop over-washing your hair
- Stay well-nourished with vitamins and proteins
- Eat food that are rich in iron and vitamin B6 such as meat, poultry, nuts, eggs, and squash.
- Eat more fish especially for people who are on cancer medication.
While those measures are not guaranteed to help with all the causes of hair loss, they are proven to help in many cases, therefore it is worth the try.
If your hairline keeps receding after taking all the preventing measures you might need to use fix methods.
How to Fix Receding Hairline for Black Men
There are two categories of scientifically-backed treatments for men who are going bald which are Hair Loss Stabilizers and Hair Replacements.
Although there are many supplements that claim to fix hair loss, the science behind them is sketchy, multiple studies prove those supplements do not help with hair loss unless you have an underlining deficiency of vitamin D or iron.
Therefore, is good to keep a low expectation when using supplements, and if you keep experiencing hair loss after using the supplements for a while you might need to consider other options.
1. Hair Loss Stabilizers
Hair loss stabilizers help keep hair follicles alive and prevent hair loss from progressing, in some cases, hair loss stabilizers convert small follicles larger which may result in getting back the hair you lost.
There are two most established hair stabilizers treatments which are Minoxidil and Finasteride, those treatments are most effective when you started in the early stage of hair loss, it helps in preventing hair follicles from dying, therefore, stops further hair loss.
Minoxidil
Most Minoxidil 5% comes in lotion or oil which should be applied directly to the scalp twice a day, more than 90% of the medicine stays on the scalp, and it doesn’t enter the bloodstream, which makes it safe and has very little side effects.
The most common side effects of Minoxidil are scalp itching and scaling, it stops further hair loss and helps with hair regrowth in some men.
Unfortunately, Minoxidil is not the best treatment for everyone, some men continue to experience hair growth even after using Minoxidil for a couple of months.
However, to see the actual result you need to use the formula for at least 6 months, and you need to keep using it to prevent hair loss in the future.
Finasteride
Finasteride can only be used by prescription, it blocks the enzymes that convert testosterone to DHT, which is called 5a-Reductase.
It reduces the level of DHT and increases testosterone levels slightly, Finasteride is also more effective as a hair loss treatment than Minoxidil.
To achieve the maximum result, Finasteride needs to be taken for at least 2 years, and it also needs to continue long time to prevent further natural hair loss.
However, the dosage needs to be prescribed by a healthcare specialist.
Also, Finasteride has more side effects than Minoxidil, some of the common side effects include erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, and some ejaculation problems.
The risk of side effects can also be reduced by reducing the dosage of Finasteride.
2. Hair Replacement
This is a practice of replacing hair that has already been lost, this process is categorized into Hair Transplant and Camouflage, and hair transplant should only be considered after trying other methods with no success.
Hair Transplant Surgery
Hair transplant is a surgical procedure in which hair follicles are taken from the back of the head and planted on the part where hair is lost or receding.
Even though the procedure is becoming more common these days, it requires a skilled surgeon to pull off a good hair transplant.
Also, hair transplant surgery is not as safe as using other methods, there is a risk of something going wrong during the surgery.
Camouflage Concealer
There are many camouflage products that hide baldness, which is a good option for a quick result with no risk.
The main goal of these products is to hide the thinning hair and disguise the scalps to make the baldness disappear temporarily.
Using camouflage concealer doesn’t require specific knowledge or experience, anyone can purchase the products and apply where the hair is thinning, however, this is a temporary treatment, meaning the camouflage goes away as soon as you wash your hair.
Conclusion
Hair loss is natural in most black men or men in general, the most common cause is hereditary genes which take effect as you grow in age.
Therefore, to stop the process, you need to find the right treatment for your body and stay consistent, if you try out the early-stage treatments with no result, contacting a hair specialist or dermatologist will be the right option to figure out what treatments are best for you.
Lastly, I hope you find this article helpful, if you do, make sure to subscribe to our email newsletter to never miss a new tip and hacks to stay fresh and healthy.
You can also check out Best Skincare Routine for Black Skin and Grooming Tips Every Man Should Know.
