If you have one chance to trade a hairline with an African American celebrity, who's hairline would you choose?
For me, I'd ask Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, or Jamie Foxx for theirs.
Unfortunately…
We can't do that. We can only show some love to our receding hairlines and hope they love us back and grow.
Therefore, let's pinpoint the causes so you can know how to prevent hair loss in black men and regrow your hair.
But first:
Page Contents
How Does Hair Grow Naturally?
Every month, a hair shaft grows out of one hair follicle to a length of about half an inch. The strand continues to grow for about six years, giving you a curly or coily afro that you can shave, style, or braid.
After this growth stage, called the anagen phase, the hair follicle enters a state of redundancy known as the catagen phase.
What follows is a resting phase where the hair follicle stays dormant without growing a new strand. It's a natural, painless process like the way plants or trees grow. You won't even realize you lost a strand because you have so many more hair follicles in different growth phases.
A few months later, voila! There's a new strand in the same hair follicle, moving it to the telogen phase. This cycle goes on and on.
Now, if you lose hair in patches at once, your follicles aren't conforming to the natural growth process, so we can say you are suffering from hair loss.
What Causes Hair Loss?
There are so many causes of hair loss, more so causes of a receding hairline in a black man.
Let's look at these causes one at a time.
Hormones
As you age, your hormone levels change. One consequence of such changes is male pattern baldness. We'll discuss its characteristics in the next section.
Genetics
Genetics can wreck your hairline because if a family member has male pattern baldness, you'll most likely suffer from it.
Poor diet
If you've been eating a diet low in iron and protein, you might have sparked the hair loss process.
Sometimes, it's when you take in too much. For instance, consuming excess vitamin A can affect your hair growth.
A Medical Problem
Conditions like lupus increase the risk of hair loss. Further, when you undergo a traumatic experience, it may trigger hair loss.
Luckily, some of these problems cause temporal hair loss. As soon as you complete their medication, the follicles will get back to work growing healthy hair.
Tight Hairstyles
Black men who love cornrows, dreadlocks, and other plaited hairstyles may experience hair loss along the hairline. These cause traction alopecia, one of the problems we'll discuss below.
Due to these causes of hair loss, you may suffer from one of the problems below.
Common Hair Loss Conditions Among Men
Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia)
We mentioned it above as one of the effects of hormonal changes and genetic factors. Out of all the recorded cases, this condition accounts for 95% of hair loss problems among American men.
The hair follicles on the scalp shrink considerably, making your hair grow shorter and thin until these follicles stop growing any hair. Sadly, there's no cure, so you have to manage it.
It leaves an M-shaped hairline, and as the hair at the crown becomes thin, it connects to the receding hairline. What’s left is a small patch of hair towards the ears and the back.
If not, you probably have...
Traction Alopecia
Most black men with thinning hair have styled or treated their hair chemically, and they have a characteristic hair loss along the hairline.
For that reason, those cornrows or dreadlocks might be the reason for your hair loss.
Why? Pulling the hair too much makes it weak, and strands along the hairline shorten in the long term. Hence, you acquire an unexpected fringe because of the trauma from regular traction.
Nevertheless...
There's hope. Let's look at some solutions:
Hair Loss Treatment For Black Males
Black men rarely discuss or seek help for hair issues, yet they suffer from hair loss like everyone else. I'm glad you're here looking for solutions. So what's available?
Finasteride
It tackles male pattern baldness using a dosage of one pill per day.
The downside of this hair loss treatment for black males is you have to keep taking one finasteride pill daily or lose the progress you've made in your regrowth journey.
Sounds like too much work? Then you can try the one below.
Minoxidil (Rogaine)
Buy this topical treatment over the counter, apply it to your crown for about three to six months, and you'll see those dormant follicles allow some hair shafts through.
What does it do? It boosts hair growth by enlarging the follicles and lengthening the growth phase we discussed earlier. That being so, it reduces hair thinning because the scalp gets good coverage for longer. Does it work for black men with thinning hair? Yes, but with consistent use.
If you'd like some natural solutions, try:
Scalp Massage With Essential Oils
Show the hair follicles some love by massaging them gently to improve blood flow on the scalp. One of the magical oils for this process is castor oil. We've used this oil for ages in growing our black hair, so it ought to help you regain that hairline.
Other essential oils that stimulate hair growth are rosemary and lavender.
Improve Your Diet
As we mentioned earlier, the diet can induce hair loss. Therefore, add nutrients that boost hair growth, such as folic acid, which stimulates cell growth, and zinc for hair repair.
Lastly, the simplest of all hair loss treatments for black males...
Avoid Tight Hairstyles
As much as you don't like the idea, you have to tell your loctician or hairstylist to loosen the grip before your hairline greets your nape.
Which African, man or woman, wants to hear such a statement? Nonetheless, those cornrows or tight locs are slaying your hairline literally.
If there's short hair on your hairline and longer hair where your hairstyle starts, you're pulling your hair tightly.
Popular Questions About Thinning Hair Problems
Does Wearing a Durag Cause Hair Loss?
No, wearing durags does not cause hair loss. Read more about it here.
What Causes Hair Loss In Black Men?
One of the common causes is traction alopecia, which leaves a fringe along the hairline, separating it from the rest of the hair. We have looked at a few other causes like genetics in one of the sections above.
Start treating your hair loss before it's too late, watch here:
Can Black Male Thinning Hair Be Reversed?
Yes, you can begin the regrowth process if you start early before permanent hair loss kicks in. The treatments for such regrowth strengthen your hair follicles. Thus, one of the priorities is adding nutritious foods like carrots for hair growth and salmon to stimulate your hair follicles into action.
These are some black male hair growth tips you can apply in your daily routine.
What Is The Best Hair Product For African American Hair Loss?
Rogaine, which contains minoxidil as an active ingredient, is worth trying. It's a topical treatment with emollients to ensure the scalp has moisture, one of the main problems for African hair. However, it works best during the first stages of hair thinning or hair loss.
Additionally, it's not for unexplained hair loss where you have sudden thin hair patches or when you have hair loss problems in your family. Plus, we talked about essential oils earlier, so Rogaine has natural extracts to stimulate your hair follicles.
One last thing...
Final Thoughts
If you wait a little longer, you'll either go bald or have a non-existent hairline. Thankfully, even adding simple foods like salmon, carrots, and eggs can start the regrowth process as the hair follicles are there, but they need stimulation.
As black men, we love looking good, and taking care of our hair and beard is top on that list. So, reclaim that hairline, Bruh!
