Hair Thickener
Hair Thickener and Its Discontents
Like paying the mortgage, taking the kids to school and walking the dog, searching for a good hair thickener is an adult rite of passage.
As we age, our hair thickens in all the wrong places, creeping out our ears, sprouting from noses and slithering into other places that we’ll leave to the imagination. Up on top, however, where it most effects the impression we make on clients, coworkers and romantic acquaintances, it thins. I need not make the case for the psychological importance of a full head of hair on the respect we receive from others; these days, we are increasingly judged by our appearances.
So what to do?
The Ugly Truth About Hair Thickener and other Beauty Products
The unfortunate truth is there’s no such thing as hair thickener; that is, no product will actually make your hair thicker. Some will coat your hair with artificial chemicals to give follicles a fuller look and feel but if your hair is becoming “thinner” because of hair loss, these strategies have minimal effect on how you’re perceived.
By “thinning,” what we usually mean is that we are experiencing hair loss. Hair thickener, even if it actually made individual hair fibers thicker would not really offer a solution to balding.
Alternatives to Hair Thickener
There are three main ways to deal with hair loss:
The Montel Williams approach: The best, most mature solution, of course, is simply to accept hair thinning as a fact of life. Instead of trying artificial methods of enhancing the appearance of a thick head of hair, you can do what the daytime talk show host Montel Williams his hair began to thin--he cut it all off.
The bald look works well if you have the right shape of head for it. If shaving doesn’t work for your head, you might find a short clipped hairstyle as a solution. The key is to find a hairstyle that works for you.
A Tip from the Cliché Office: One look to avoid is the longhair balding look. This old cliché, the guy who tries to hide his balding by growing his hair long everywhere else is the butt of many a joke. Probably a good idea is to avoid this like most people avoid the mullet.
The Andre Agassi Approach: In his recent autobiography, tennis pro and eight-time slam winner, Andre Agassi revealed a deep dark secret about his tennis career: that long mane of hair that so characterized his Image is Everything advertising campaign, was topped by a toupee!
Donning a hairpiece, or toupee, is another possible approach to hair loss. This method is far more effective than applying possibly damaging product to your head. It does come with the discomforting uncertainty that your hair secret could be revealed at any moment. Agassi himself spoke about how on the eve of his first French open final he spent more time trying to figure out how he would keep his piece on than thinking about his opponent.
In the end, Agassi opted for the Montel Williams approach instead.
The Hair Club for Men Approach: The only proven method of actually thickening hair is through surgical implantation. This is by far the most expensive and uncomfortable—sometimes painful--approach. But it actually does work.
If you have the financial ability and you feel having a thick head of hair is necessary for your psychological, social or vocational well-being, then this is probably the solution.
My own personal favorite approach was my Uncle Leo’s approach: wearing funny hats. Nothing like a sombrero to bring a style together.