MANE GAME FULL potential

Hair looking blah no matter what products you throw at it? It might be time to change tack and take on a new supplement created specifically for thinning, lacklustre hair

- Sally Hunwick

Thick, lush, shiny. They’re all words we want associated with our hair. But if your locks feels more blah than brilliant, you’re not alone. “Hair loss and hair thinning are very common,” says Lauren Dewsbury, senior research scientist at Vida Glow. “Anywhere from 6 per cent to 38 per cent of healthy women will experience some degree of hair loss in their lives.”

First, a quick science lesson about hair. Every one of our hairs is made by one of thousands of little engine rooms called hair follicles, which live under the skin of our scalp. Follicles go through a cycle of growth, rest, fall and regeneration that repeats itself over and over. A standard hair remains on your head for about three to seven years before falling out.

“On average, we lose between 50 to 100 hairs every day,” says Dewsbury. So there’s no need to be freaked out by the amount you see washing down the shower drain; Dewsbury says it’s completely normal – unless you’re not replacing those hairs.

Things start to go amiss when certain factors (either internal or external) start to muck with the hair cycle. Follicles can speed up their cycle, meaning you’re losing more hair, or they can slow down in the growth phase, leaving you with finer, more limp hair. Worst case: a follicle can shut down completely, putting a halt to hair production all together.