A thinning fringe can make your favourite hairstyle look underwhelming. However, given the fact that 55% of women will experience hair loss or thinning during their lifetime [1], you are far from alone in this situation.
This is a little-known fact since hair loss is more common in men than in women. Nowadays, however, many female hair loss treatments can help you overcome this challenge.
The good news is that you don’t have to give up on your thinning fringe just because it isn’t as luxurious as it used to be. Keep reading this article to find out all you need to know about:
If you are experiencing hair loss, you may wonder if a thinning fringe helps or harms your look. You will be pleased to know that bangs are generally recommended to women with diffuse hair thinning, because they add volume, compensating for flatness in the rest of your hair. They can also cover up a receding hairline in women and frontal hair loss.
However, the key to making your fringe work with fine hair greatly depends on choosing the best bangs for thin hair. Just like knowing the best and worst female hairstyles for a receding hairline can help you successfully mask frontal hair loss, getting the best fringe for fine hair can turn a flat style into a glamorous look.
If you are experiencing hair thinning and your fringe is not as full as you’d like it to be, it is a good idea to consider one of these trendy styles:
Wispy bangs are a soft, delicate version of blunt bangs, which involve fine, textured strands falling over your forehead. Their subtlety makes them a perfect fringe for fine hair as this style does not require frontal hair fullness.
Face types that go best with a wispy fringe: oval, heart-shaped
This popular type of fringe for thin hair is styled by parting it across the midline and cutting it longer on the outside. This lets the bangs flow to the sides of your face like curtains drape a window. The midline part is a good way to disguise a thinning fringe and this style is versatile and suitable for most hair types.
Face types that go best with curtain bangs: Any face type, but best for round face shapes.
Also known as an air fringe, see-through bangs for thin hair are especially popular in Korean fashion. They are very fine and only require the thinnest strands of hair across the forehead. This makes them perfect if you are experiencing a thinning fringe, as they require very little fullness or volume.
Face types that go best with a see-through fringe: any face type, but best for square or heart-shaped.
This asymmetrical, layered style allows for small gaps and length differences between the strands in your fringe. These are great bangs for hair thinning in front as any gaps can easily be concealed by the choppy appearance. However, if you are experiencing more advanced hair loss, you might want to choose wispier styles.
Face types that go best with a choppy fringe: heart-shaped.
Bottleneck fringes for fine hair are similar to curtain bangs, except they are not fully parted down the middle, but are separated by a central portion which is cut much shorter (1-2 inches).
The sides of your face are still framed by long, angled, feathered strands which brush your cheekbones Since the hair in the middle area can be thinner and wispier without altering the desired look, it can be a good choice for central fringe thinning.
Face types that go best with a bottleneck fringe: square or oval-shaped faces.
A side-swept fringe can be particularly helpful if your hair loss is asymmetrical or you are experiencing more hair thinning on one side of the head.
While this type of hair loss is more common in men than in women, it can happen due to conditions such as traction alopecia or, rarely, androgenetic alopecia. Sweeping your fringe over the thinning side can mask the signs of hair loss.
If your hair shedding is not limited to your fringe and you are also experiencing thinning on the top of your head, you may want to look at some female hair loss styles for thinning hair on the crown.
Face types that go best with a side-swept fringe: round-shaped.
Layered bangs are obtained by cutting your fringe at different lengths. Layering your fringe can add volume to thinning hair and give your style a youthful look.
They can be worn in several ways, from messy to side-swept and can be used to draw attention away from the thinning areas.
Face types that go best with a layered fringe: any face type, but best for heart-shaped.
This fringe style for thin hair is unruly, feathery and asymmetrical. It is similar to choppy fringes, but looser and messier.
Since there is a sense of unevenness and disorder about this cut, thinner portions on your fringe are easier to pass off as intended effects. And it makes a great short hairstyle for women over 50, as it gives you a youthful appearance.
Face types that go best with a shaggy fringe: any face shape
This style only involves two strands of hair which are longer than regular bangs but shorter than the rest of your hair, and which frame your cheekbones. They are ideal for a fringe that is thinning along the middle.
However, if you are experiencing temple hair loss, this style may not be suitable for you (you can try wispy bangs instead).
Face types that go best with face-framing long bangs: long, oval-shaped
Feathered fringes are similar to wispy bangs, except they are somewhat fuller, and more textured and the ends of the strands are longer and sharper (they narrow towards the tip).
They are versatile and can be worn in different ways (e.g. messy or parted) and don’t require too much fullness.
Face types that go best with feathered fringes: any face type, especially round or heart-shaped.
The following looks are generally not flattering for a thinning fringe, as they are designed for fuller, thicker bangs:
Blunt bangs are the classic type of fringe, where your hair drapes your forehead in a straight line. They generally rely on a full, thick fringe in order to obtain that compact look. A thinning fringe with fine hair might be more conspicuous if you are trying to cover your entire forehead with it.
The main difference between a blunt and arched fringe is that the latter is styled with a round brush, to give it a convex look. They also have the same drawbacks as blunt bangs, in that a thinning fringe may not provide sufficient coverage to make this look work.
Named after the famous French actress Brigitte Bardot, this signature style requires thick, full hair and a voluminous fringe to work as intended. Wearing it with a thinning fringe is likely to come off flat and emphasise your hair loss.
Braided fringes can be fun and whimsical, especially for curly, kinky Afro hair. However, if your fringe is already thinning, your braids are likely to look feeble and too spaced out.
Moreover, tight braids can lead to (or worsen) traction alopecia, which may exacerbate your fringe hair loss problem [3].
Fringess can go very well with curly hair and provide an airy, full-volume look. But in order to make this style work, your fringe would need to be fairly thick, as a thinning one can leave an impression of scarcity where an abundance is expected.
Piecey fringes can seem like great bangs for thin hair because they are asymmetrical. However, they require a significant amount of styling products, such as gels or pomades, to arrange the pieces in your desired look. Thin hair cannot withstand that, as it will look even sparser when covered in hair product.
This retro look relies on a full and compact fringe in order to get that old-timey, pin-up girl effect. A flat fringe with thinning hair would clash with the luxurious curls that accompany this style, emphasising your hair loss.
The victory roll is another vintage look which has made a comeback. It uses round brushes or hair rollers alongside blow drying and styling products to obtain its typical horizontal cylinder shape.
But if your hair is thin in your fringe and hairline area, the cylinder will not look full and compact, making it tricky to achieve the desired retro look.
While different types of fringes normally work well with a ponytail, top-knot or bun, this is usually not the case if they are fine or sparse.
That is because with the rest of your hair pulled back, your bangs will become the focus of attention and this can make the thinning more conspicuous.
Moreover, tight hairdos such as ponytails can cause hair loss, as they can lead to developing (or worsening) traction alopecia [2].
Colourful headwear, such as a scarf or headband, can often be a style saviour on a bad hair day or if you are experiencing hair loss. However, if you have a thinning fringe and leave it out of your headband, it will attract attention, making your hair loss more noticeable.
There are several things you can do to make your fringe look thicker and fuller than it really is. Here are some good options:
Making your fringe look thicker is only about appearance and does not solve the root of the problem: your frontal hair thinning. Treating the cause of your hair loss will often result in a healthier, more luxurious fringe, which you will no longer need to coax into looking fuller.
There are several reasons why your hair might be falling out, leading to a thinning fringe. The most common of these are:
This condition is caused by excessive use of tight hairdos or heavy extensions, this condition often leads to hair loss around the fringe, hairline and temples. [4].
Telogen effluvium is a temporary condition, where diffuse hair loss is experienced as a result of significant stress or trauma. Once the stress is alleviated, your hair is expected to grow back.
A rare type of alopecia that can sometimes develop alongside female pattern baldness, which can make it more difficult to diagnose. Fibrosing frontal alopecia causes a receding hairline, frontal hair loss and eyebrow loss [5].
Due to hormonal fluctuations, hair shedding is more pronounced in the months after giving birth.
Treatments such as chemotherapy or hormone-based medication can have hair loss as a side effect. This normally reverses once the treatment is stopped.
Excessive use of heat styling, bleach or hair dye can cause hair loss, as the harsh chemicals within them damage your fringe, leaving you with dry, brittle hair which is easy to break off.
The duration of your thinning fringe is determined by the condition which is making your hair fall out. Some of these are temporary and will resolve once the element which was causing your hair loss is removed.
However, other conditions are likely to require treatment to improve. It is very important to see a trichologist at the first signs of hair thinning and balding, because leaving these conditions unaddressed can make them advance to a point where they cannot be reversed by medication or therapies alone. If that happens, your best chance at regaining a full fringe is a hair transplant.
The first thing you need to do to obtain a thicker fringe is to determine the exact cause of your hair loss.
Book a consultation now with one of our top trichologists. They will perform a thorough check-up, which may include a dermoscopy and/or blood tests for hair loss and provide you with the most accurate diagnosis.
Once you know for sure what is causing your fringe thinning, you may be recommended some of the following proven treatments and therapies:
If you are considering hair restoration surgery for your thinning fringe, you will be happy to know that you can get a natural looking hair transplant regardless of whether you choose an FUE or FUT procedure. The surgery is fast and safe and the best hair transplant clinics in the UK have a 97-100% success rate, so you can get a hair transplant without anyone knowing.
If you want to know more about how a hair restoration surgery can undo your hair loss, take a look at our before and after hair transplant gallery.
If you are curious to find out more about fringes for fine hair, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
That depends on what caused your thinning fringe in the first place. Some types of hair loss are temporary and resolve themselves over time (e.g. traction alopecia, if you stop wearing tight hairstyles for a while). However, others (e.g. frontal fibrosing alopecia) need specific treatment to improve. That is why it is best to see a trichologist if you are experiencing fringe thinning that does not improve or worsens within 3-4 months.
Only a surgeon can tell you if you are a good candidate for a hairline transplant surgery. But if you are, you will be happy to know that a hair transplant is permanent. That means this procedure is indeed likely to improve your fringe fullness forever.
It is unlikely (though not impossible) for female pattern baldness to cause a thinning fringe. This type of androgenetic alopecia normally spares the frontal area in women. It causes diffuse hair thinning and a widening of the midline parting. If the hair loss is advanced enough, it might start to affect your fringe alongside the rest of your hair. However, this is not among the most common causes.
Normally, traction alopecia resolves on its own within a few weeks if you stop wearing tight hairstyles or heavy extensions. However, if it takes longer than this, you can help it along with some topical Minoxidil. If you see no improvement after 3-4 months, it is best to see a trichologist for diagnosis and treatment.
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