Hair Health: Practical Tips to Stop Breakage and Boost Growth

Worried your hair is thinning or breaking? You don’t need miracle cures — you need a plan that checks the basics first. Small changes to diet, products, and your routine often give the biggest wins.

Common causes & what to test

Hair loss isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can come from hormones, nutrition, stress, meds, or scalp problems. Ask your doctor for three simple tests if you’re losing a lot of hair: a ferritin (iron stores) test, TSH (thyroid), and vitamin D. Low ferritin and thyroid problems are common culprits. If you’re on prescription meds and noticed hair shedding after starting them, bring that up — some antidepressants and blood pressure drugs can cause shedding.

If you see patches of baldness, scaling, redness, or lots of itching, that could be a fungal or inflammatory scalp issue. Those need a different approach — often prescription creams or oral antifungals. We have a guide on where to safely buy Lamisil online that explains how antifungals are used for scalp infections.

Simple, daily habits that help

Keep it gentle. Wash with a mild shampoo and don’t scrub the scalp like you’re polishing a shoe. Massage your scalp 3–5 minutes daily to boost blood flow — it feels good and helps. Avoid tight ponytails and heavy extensions; they pull hair out at the root. Let hair air-dry when possible and cut back on heat tools. If you use a brush, choose a wide-tooth comb on wet hair to reduce breakage.

Look at your plate. Protein, iron, zinc, omega-3s, and vitamin D matter. Whole foods first: eggs, fish, beans, leafy greens. Supplements can help when tests show a deficit. Biotin is widely used for brittle hair, but it only helps if you’re deficient. Don’t start multiple supplements at once — test, correct, then reassess in a few months.

Try proven treatments before exotic ones. Topical minoxidil has the most consistent evidence for slowing hair loss and encouraging regrowth for both men and women. Finasteride helps many men but needs a doctor’s supervision because of side effects. If you’re unsure which to try, a dermatologist can recommend the right option for your pattern of loss.

Quick weekly routine: two gentle washes if your scalp gets oily, conditioner on the ends, one deep conditioning or oil treatment a week, and a brief scalp massage daily. Track photos monthly to see real progress — hair changes slowly, and photos beat the mirror for noticing trends.

Want deeper reading? Browse our tag for hair-related guides and related topics like supplements, how meds affect hair (see our Fluoxetine guide), and safe ways to source treatments like Lamisil. If hair loss is sudden or severe, book a medical review — early answers get better results.