9 Hairstyles to Cope with Female Hair Loss

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Hairstyles to cover bald spots

Hairstylist Janet Waddell, a licensed trichologist who works with thinning hair clients at New York City’s The Parlor, helped us narrow in on the best hairstyles to make you feel confident while you’re rebuilding your hair health. 

1. Short half-part

It can be hard to wear your hair down when you’re dealing with thinning. “Try half a part instead of a full-length part from front to crown, which can expose thin areas,” says Waddell. A pintail comb comes in super handy here: Make a center part using the pin side of the comb, but end the part mid-crown and comb the rest of the hair straight back to conceal any sparse spots. Waddell suggests using volumizing products, as well, and cautions against too much tension while blow-drying. “This will ultimately make the hair very flat,” she says. Use a light hand when blow-drying with a brush.

2. Topknot

A topknot is one of the easiest, quickest hairstyles to cover bald spots. You can use a little texture spray or dry shampoo to volumize hair and soak up any excess oil around the roots if you’re between wash days. Pull hair into a high ponytail, secure with a hair band, and twist the top of the pony and begin coiling it around the base. Here’s the pro tip: Stop twisting the hair when you’re halfway through and just coil the remaining hair. This will make your top knot appear thicker. 

3. Half-up, half-down

If you aren’t quite confident enough to wear your hair down yet, a half-up, half-down style can be a happy medium. Grab a trendy claw clip and pin the hair high up, just below the crown, to create a more voluminous look. Another trick Waddell uses is heated or blow-dried rollers: “You can create volume in the crown by putting a couple of rollers in and letting them cool off before removing.” Doing this before you sweep the hair up into a clip will give you that Brigitte Bardot bedroom hair effect.

4. Scarf styles

Especially with spring and summer coming up, scarf looks are some of the chicest hairstyles to cover bald spots if you’re feeling self-conscious. Go for the classic kerchief style by folding the scarf into a triangle, draping it over your scalp with the V side pointing down your back, and tying the ends at the nape of your neck. You can also use a scarf to tie a ponytail, leaving the long ends hanging down to make your ponytail look fuller.

5. Bob haircuts

“Hairstyles with more length on top will conceal a bald spot, so variations of bob haircuts will be great,” says Waddell. Stay away from too much layering, says Waddell: “Lots of layers in a haircut will ultimately show the transparency of thin hair. There is a common misperception that layers are better for fine hair, but while a temporary volume may be achieved from layers when blow-drying, it will very quickly fall and really show any bald spots.”

6. Loose ponytail

This is a great hairstyle for in between wash days, as the hair will have more texture. You can use a dry shampoo if you have excess oil around the roots. Pull the hair into a loose ponytail just above the nape of the neck and secure it with a hair band. To create a looser look with more volume, tug at the hair around the base of the ponytail, working in small sections. You can also lightly tease the lengths in the ponytail for more volume and style.

7. Deep-parted side braid

By creating a deep side part, sweeping all of the hair to one side, and braiding the lengths, you’re able to create a lot of coverage on your crown area. If you have thinning on the sides of your hair or around your hairline, Waddell suggests hair fibers. “Hair powders with tiny, colored fibers that sit on the scalp will disguise transparency and are great for daily use. It’s like makeup for the scalp and will be washed away with shampooing.”

8. Long, face-framing cuts

If you have long hair that’s thinning at the top, embrace your length! “Long hair with some soft, face-framing pieces can promote volume around the face and take attention away from the top,” says Waddell. The extra length also gives you more options to create hairstyles to cover bald spots, like braids, chignons, low buns, and ponytails.

9. Slicked back styles

Slicked back buns and low ponytails are a huge trend right now, and there are ways to get the look if you have thinning hair or sparse spots. Try a short half-part or deep side part to avoid highlighting any areas where you have thinning, then use hair gel or a nourishing leave-in conditioner or hair oil to slick hair back into a bun or low ponytail. Just make sure to rinse the hair well after using conditioning and oil products. “Any residue left on the scalp will weigh hair down and could end up blocking the follicle, which is never good,” says Waddell.

Wrap up

The good news for the many women who deal with hair loss and thinning is that there are a variety of hairstyles to cover bald spots. Figuring out which one or few are your favorite may take trial and error, but will be so worth it in the end. For customized products that take hair goals such as volume into account, take your Prose consultation here.